Eleven of the most exciting early-stage tech and digital startups in the South West and Wales pitched last week to an audience of high-calibre investors at the Silicon Gorge Investor Showcase final.

Part of the Investment Activator Programme, Silicon Gorge is one of the West’s major investment events, with selected startups getting through semi-finals to be in the final to pitch for investment of between £150k and £2 million.

Alongside the diversity of sectors represented at the final (AI, biotech, data, fintech, healthtech, robotics, security), it was notable this year to see the diverse talent pipeline in the region of where the companies came from, from universities and incubators to the private sector.

We were delighted to see two of our own members in the final – University of Bristol startup Kaedim and Data³.

Kaedim enables 3D creators to automate repetitive tasks quickly using AI. The business has already reached their target of £150K (S)EIS investment, but there are more opportunities for investors who can add value to the business.

Data³ bring data into one place to give businesses a single source of truth to benchmark their businesses. The company beta launched in September 2020 and is now looking for £400K seed investment.

Four of the other finalists, FluoretiQ, Forefront RF, Phase Biolabs and Siloton, originated or are currently starting their businesses at the Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC), which is the University of Bristol’s early-stage incubator for quantum and deep tech scientists.

Bristol Robotics Lab was the founding place for Bot-Hive and the NatWest Accelerator Programme supported itsettled in the build up to its launch.

Helen Tanner, Founder and CEO of Data3 said of Silicon Gorge:

“Silicon Gorge has been a fun and super useful experience for me and our business – the opportunity to pitch alongside other businesses to the local investor community has opened up many new opportunities for us. Thank you, Team SG.”

Steve Edwards, Centre Director at SETsquared Bristol said:

“It’s fantastic to see the varied pipeline of tech innovation and talent emerging from the University sector as well as the wider Bristol ecosystem. They are definitely in the right place to be supported on the next stage of their development by world-leading incubators and accelerators in the region including SETsquared Bristol. I look forward to hearing about the companies’ progress following the event.”

Four of the companies that pitched at Silicon Gorge’s spring edition have already gone on to raise investment since the event, most recently Condense Reality who raised £800k for their VR technology.

If you are looking for opportunities to invest in novel tech startups, please get in touch.

About the Investor Activator Programme:

Engine Shed is a partner in the Investor Activator Programme which helps catalyse investment into fast-growing startups in the West of England. The Investment Activator Programme is run by TechSPARK and is kindly sponsored by TLT LLP, delaware, Smith & Williamson, West of England Combined Authority, UWE, Sanderson, Rocketmakers and Engine Shed.

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