Jul 11, 2024

The investment was led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), alongside existing investors Sofina, Index Ventures, Quadrille, and TCF Capital and complemented by growth capital funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) under its Scale-Up Initiative. The cash will be used to fuel Rohlik’s expansion plans in DACH and CEE, where the company aims to establish its presence in more than ten additional cities by 2030. Founded in 2014 in the Czech Republic, it now delivers over a million orders per month, and served over 800,000 customers in 2023. It has now reached profitability in Munich, having already done so in the Czech Republic and Hungary. Rohlik says that this is driven by a best-in-class local assortment of goods, which ranges from fresh food from local farmers and artisans to supermarket goods, pharmacy items and private label brands, alongside competitive prices, high levels of customer service and fast, reliable delivery, powered by an innovative proprietary technology infrastructure. It operates automated fulfilment centres, leveraging a host of AI, ML and robotics technologies, and offers 15-minute delivery windows and same-day deliveries available as soon as one hour after booking. 97% deliveries are said to be on time. Rohlik is currently targeting revenues of over €1 billion with positive cash flow for the 2024 financial year, as it works towards an IPO. 2. Zedify Zedify , a UK-based cargo bike delivery network, has bagged a £4 million investment from Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, Mercia Ventures which was investing from its own funds and from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), and Green Angel Ventures. The cash will enable the company to expand into more cities in the UK, including the launch of a new Midlands hub in October this year. It also plans to enhance its technology and significantly expand its teams of riders, sales and customer care staff. Zedify expects to create 80 new jobs, including 20 in the new Midlands hub, and to triple its turnover in the year ahead. Founded in 2018, it works with major retail brands including Zara along with parcel carriers and independent businesses to provide more sustainable last mile deliveries using cargo bikes. Currently delivering in Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Norwich and Plymouth, it plans to operate in 51 UK towns and cities within the next five years. This funding round follows a £5 miliion investment from Barclays, Mercia and Green Angel in March 2023. Since then, the company has almost doubled the size of its team from 113 to 209 and signed up national brands including Hello Fresh, Selfridges and Veja. 3. Mantle Mantle , a specialist in metal 3D printing technology for precision tooling, has secured $20 million in Series C funding. This takes the company’s total funding to more than $61.5 million. The Series C funding round will support Mantle’s market expansion, scaling manufacturing to meet demand, and developing new capabilities and materials. Led by Schooner Capital, a Boston-based private investment firm, the round was also joined by the company’s largest existing investors, including Fine Structure Ventures, Foundation Capital, Corazon Capital, 11.2 Capital, and Build Collective. "Mantle is poised to revolutionise the global tooling industry," says Alexandra Manick, Principal of Schooner Capital. "The company’s advanced manufacturing platform, TrueShape, is proven to deliver significant cost savings and, more importantly, unprecedented speed for its customers. This paradigm shifting solution is readily adoptable and sorely needed to address persistent skilled labour shortages and accelerate product development timelines for industrial toolmakers and OEMs worldwide." 4. OSY Group FoodTech specialist OSY Group has received new financial backing to accelerate its international growth ambitions for its flagship technology which increases the shelf-life of fresh produce and reduces waste. A grant (the size of which was not disclosed though said to be five figures) from Innovate UK Business Growth under its Global Explorers Programme will help OSY Group to advance partnership opportunities and undertake research as it looks to enter markets in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region with Xtend, an antimicrobial packaging coating. Xtend enables a range of food items, such as fruit and vegetables, to stay fresh for longer by leaving microscopic pins on packaging surfaces which puncture and kill microbes, slowing the natural spoiling process that affects the produce within. It has undergone testing in the UK at independent laboratories, universities and other facilities, which, OSY Group says, has proven the technology to be food safe and compliant with the Food Contact Materials regulations for fresh produce. 5. Quantum Rise Quantum Rise, a US-based startup that focuses on AI driven automation for companies like dunnhumby , has raised a $15 million seed round from Erie Street Growth Partners. “The entire consulting industry is about to come crashing to the ground because it’s built on people’s time and lack of automation,” the company told TechCrunch. “We will bring heavy engineering to the space. The number of CEOs of these $300 million companies who don’t know where to start is enormous. They can’t afford the Deloittes of this world. That’s where we come in. They want somebody to come in and just automate the company and make it happen.” Featured Jul 11, 2024