The Rundown: Edition 7

Edition 7: 1 Aug 2025

Welcome to The Rundown, a snapshot of news, views and intel from the fast-growth tech and investment scene.

Cambridge Innovation Capital commits £100m to university spinouts

The Cambridge VC, which has previously backed CMR Surgical, Riverlane and Pragmatic Semiconductor, will invest at least £100 million into University of Cambridge spinouts as it launches a new Entrepreneur in Residence programme. EU-Startups

Healthtech Ultromics closes $55m Series C

Oxford-based developer of AI-driven cardiology diagnostics secures funds to support US growth in round co-led by L&G, Allegis Capital, and Lightrock. Oxford Science Enterprises, GV, Blue Venture Fund, and Oxford University also invest. Tech.eu

Cybersecurity firm DynaRisk raises £3.5m

London-based business, which works with insurers to help them give individuals and businesses the tools they need to protect themselves online, will use funding from YFM Equity Partners to accelerate product development and fuel international expansion. Business Cloud

Payments startup Due secures £3m Seed extension

Founded in 2022 by Revolut alumnus Robert Sargsian, Due will use the funds – from a round led by Speedinvest – to launch a platform that allows businesses to seamlessly access stablecoin payments. UKTN

Wise moves main listing from London to New York

One of the UK’s fintech pioneers – formerly known as Transferwise – will move its primary listing to the US in another blow for London’s struggling public markets. The Times

Global defence tech prospects head to the UK

Government defence funding and support for new technologies is encouraging some of the world’s brightest defence tech startups to open facilities in Britain. Sifted

Chancellor and Governor fall out over Revolut

Rachel Reeves and Andrew Bailey clash over plans to grant Revolut, one of the UK’s most successful tech companies, a full banking licence. FT

Urgent action on data centre development required

The UK could lose out on billions of pounds in AI investment unless it tackles growing obstacles to data centre development. City AM

Boardrooms must get on board the AI train

Steve Rigby, Co-CEO of Rigby Group, explores the AI paradigm shift – and the threat and generational opportunity for British businesses. “The uncomfortable reality is that every white-collar job in Britain will be transformed by AI.”  The Times

It’s time to retire the word ‘technology’

The author Guru Madhavan argues that we should stop using the word technology because it is “a bloated umbrella, spanning too much and clarifying too little”. Ditto “innovation”, “smart” and “sustainability”. FT

The rollercoaster ride of European debt investing

While the total value of venture debt deals has decreased this year, Blackrock, Claret Capital Partners and CIBC Innovation Banking remain among the most active finance providers. Sifted

How to improve structural maintenance and management? Add AI

In the latest episode of the ‘Engineers Collective’ podcast, Tom Bartley, Director of Civil Infrastructure at Mind Foundry, spoke with host Rob Hakimian about how Mind Foundry is integrating AI into the UK’s infrastructure maintenance and management processes. New Civil Engineer

The UK’s Online Safety Act is in full effect. However, nearly 400,000 people have signed a petition to repeal it. While the Government has no plans to do so, some critics believe the Act is mainly benefitting Big Tech. Then there is the recent spike in VPNs, which allows people to bypass the Act’s rules and age verification checks. Coincidence? We think not.

So, the US and EU have agreed on a trade deal. The bloc will face a 15% tariff on most of its exports, down from the 30% previously threatened. Like most games, there are winners and losers, but who comes out on top?

Are you an avid ChatGPT user or a staunch avoider? Perhaps you’re unsure how it all works and why some people might have concerns. Or, maybe you’re curious about the “short-lived experiments” that enabled your public conversations to be discoverable by search engines. The rapid development of the technology has made it difficult to figure out if text was written by a human or a chatbot. To help with this, ChatGPT is launching a “study mode” to minimise the misuse of AI in academia and encourage its responsible use. Fear not, this newsletter was written by a highly dedicated team and there was not a chatbot in sight.

And finally…Looking for new ways to connect and also want to exercise? Rally is the fastest growing investor and founder fitness network. Get fit and expand your network? What’s not to like. LinkedIn