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- 📈 Emerge Raises £56M to Back Bold Founders
📈 Emerge Raises £56M to Back Bold Founders
Forefront RF Lands £16M to Slim Down Tech
This is Cliff Equity, the UK’s business newsletter that keeps you informed on what’s important in tech, business and finance in less than 5 minutes
In today’s stories:
Emerge Raises £56M to Back Bold Founders
Forefront RF Lands £16M to Slim Down Tech
9,000 Jobs Gone as Nissan Cuts Costs
The summary: Emerge’s £56 million fund is powering up visionary founders in edtech and AI with game-changing investment, expert mentorship, and a bold mission to reshape the future of work and learning.
The details:
Fresh Funds, Big Plans – London’s Emerge VC just closed a hefty £56 million second fund, tripling their last round and boosting their total to $100 million. Backed by serious players like KfW Capital and Jacobs Foundation, Emerge is ready to back the next generation of work and learning startups.
Backing Bright Ideas – Emerge’s new fund targets pre-seed and seed investments between £500k and £2 million, taking 15% equity in around 25 game-changing startups. With a portfolio focused on talent, language learning, and workforce development, they’re hunting founders who dare to dream big.
All-Star Mentorship – Founders aren’t just getting funds; they’re getting mentorship from a powerhouse network, including alumni from Udemy, Coursera, and IBM. It’s like getting the cheat codes to accelerate from Series A and beyond.
Mission-Driven Mojo – Emerge is on a mission to democratise opportunity, supporting early-stage founders tackling AI-driven change in education and work. From humble beginnings, they’re set to reshape the future, turning bold ideas into societal impact for all.
Why it matters: Emerge’s latest fund means UK founders in edtech and AI can finally find the backing to bring their boldest ideas to life, nudging the future of learning and work a bit closer. With a line-up of top-tier mentors and connections, founders get more than cash—they get the keys to leapfrog the competition. It’s not just investment; it’s a turbocharged launchpad for those with ambitions to disrupt the status quo and make a real-world impact.
The summary: Forefront RF’s £16 million boost is set to power a revolution in wearable tech, making gadgets simpler, sleeker, and superbly efficient, all from the innovation hub of Cambridge.
The details:
Forefront RF has just scooped up £16 million in Series A funding to expand its RF technology, with backing from investors like BGF, Foresight Group, and newcomers Octopus Ventures and Cambridge Innovation Capital — clearly, it’s the toast of Cambridge tech!
The startup, founded by Dr. Leo Laughlin and Julian Hildersley, is on a mission to make multi-band smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices less fiddly and more affordable, perfect for the growing appetite for streamlined, globally compatible gadgets.
Its clever, self-configuring tunable duplexer for cellular-enabled wearables means less space taken up by chunky components and a streamlined supply chain — it’s efficient, environmentally friendly, and fit for the wrist-sized tech of tomorrow.
With patented Foretune technology that zaps interference like noise-cancelling headphones, Forefront RF is setting a high bar in wireless innovation, aiming for a 2026 product launch that could redefine RF standards in a very British bid for global tech dominance.
Why it matters: Forefront RF’s new funding is a nod to Britain’s knack for churning out tech brilliance with global reach, proving the tiny island is a heavyweight in RF innovation. Their self-adjusting duplexer tech means wearables and mobile devices can stay sleek, cutting down on both cluttered circuit boards and manufacturing headaches. With their eye on making our tech leaner and greener, they’re all set to become the unsung heroes of our gadget-laden lives.
The summary: Nissan’s cutting costs, slashing jobs, and betting big on electric cars in Sunderland to try and bounce back from slipping sales in China and the US—let's see if this turbocharges their future!
The details:
Nissan’s “leaner and meaner” plan involves axing 9,000 jobs worldwide as it slashes global production by a fifth to tackle faltering sales in the US and China.
The Sunderland plant’s 6,000-strong workforce might be watching anxiously, though Nissan has yet to reveal exactly where the cuts will land.
Nissan has slashed its 2024 profit forecast by 70% – the second revision this year – with execs taking pay cuts to shoulder some of the pain.
The firm, lagging behind local competition in China’s booming electric vehicle market, hopes a £2bn Sunderland investment in electric models will jolt its future fortunes.
Why it matters: Nissan's global job cuts and production reductions are the carmaker's attempt to steer through a perfect storm of waning sales and stiff competition, especially from China’s electric vehicle surge. With a profit plunge and pay cuts at the top, the company's trying to look sprightly while trimming the fat—let's hope it doesn't leave them too skinny. If the £2bn electric push in Sunderland doesn't spark a recovery, Nissan might find itself in the slow lane for good.
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