Success Stories

In the world of e-commerce, speed is essential. But when COVID-19 hit, this IT company saw potential investors cancel upcoming investor meetings and was forced to put back its plans by a year as a result. With all these challenges, how was the business able to move forward?

Read what it had to say in this Future Fund case study.

As a start-up that produces advanced materials for solar panels, being locked out of its laboratories because of the global coronavirus pandemic wasn’t part of the plan, and cast severe doubt over the company’s ability to reach its next technology milestone. With jobs potentially at risk, the business navigated these challenging issues with financial support via the Future Fund.

Maintaining funding and consolidating its position in a key UK industry of alloys development was going to be difficult for OxMet, particularly once the aerospace sector began to feel the impact of COVID-19.

What do you do when nearly three-quarters of your customers close overnight? How do you maintain operations in those conditions?

Bamboo Systems was in the process of seeking new investment when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the UK’s investment landscape started to feel its impact.

As a young company, Bockatech needed cash to develop its technology and grow its business but worried that COVID-19 would hamper its ability to raise finance through private investors.

What do you do when you’re in the middle of a funding round and a pandemic hits?

About to go to market with its new speech recognition technology, Belfast-based Liopa found its business plan threatened once the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Struggling to raise venture capital funding, it turned to the Future Fund, whose financing has allowed the company to maintain its business plan for 2020.

How do you secure another line of funding when the COVID-19 outbreak has threatened your working capital? This London-based software developer had only recently launched to market when it came up against this dilemma. But thanks to the Future Fund, help was at hand.

To a financial services company that uses machine learning to analyse business data, COVID-19 was a disruption, both to its business plans and the interest from potential investors. But with support via the Future Fund, Util was able to weather the storm and re-engage with clients and the financial services sector.

Before COVID-19 struck, this Oxford University spin-out was aiming to secure seed funding so it could further its work to provide the world’s cheapest on-demand solar power.

Vaix was in the middle of its venture capital fundraising when the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to discussions with investors.

The impact of COVID-19 meant energy start-up Voltaware was unable to roll out its technology or fully support its commercial activity.

About to secure additional funding to continue building its fuel cell electric vehicles, Riversimple Movement’s business was suddenly under threat once COVID-19 hit.

With its next financing round completed, Momentum Bioscience was funnelling much of that investment towards setting up a crucial clinical pilot study for its new product. Then COVID-19 hit, forcing major cost-cutting and threatening job losses.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted a number of key markets for this Bristol software company, forcing the business to refocus its activity in different areas.

This IT business wanted to raise more funding but worried that securing finance from new investors during the pandemic would prove difficult.