Manchester HealthTech Start-up Secures £400K to Expand into US College Sports

Manchester-based sports and healthtech start-up Prorizon has raised £400,000 in pre-seed funding, with investment led by GC Angels and backed by Innovate UK. The funding will support the development of its AI-powered digital twinning platform, designed to help users proactively manage their mental and physical well-being.

The company is now setting its sights on the US college sports market, where it aims to provide athletes and teams with data-driven insights into stress management and performance optimisation. Prorizon's technology integrates biopsychosocial data to monitor an individual’s "mind-body load," offering real-time predictive insights and personalised interventions.

Co-founder and CEO Joly Fengyang Zou highlighted the company’s ambition to deliver a holistic approach to well-being, while co-founder Claire Stewart, a professor at Liverpool John Moores University, emphasised the platform’s potential to tackle stress at its root causes.

With the backing of GC Angels, Prorizon is forecasting £200K in revenue by the end of 2025 as it expands into new markets and builds out its platform for sports and education.

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Hands In Secures £1M to Expand Split Payment Technology

Fintech company Hands In has raised over £1 million in its latest funding round, marking a significant step in its expansion strategy. The investment will be used to scale its split payment technology, strengthen its presence in key sectors, and support its growing enterprise customer base.

Founded in 2022 by CEO Samuel Flynn, Hands In aims to tackle payment failures and cart abandonment by enabling customers to split transactions across multiple cards. The company has already demonstrated success with Air Europa, helping recover declined transactions and generating $6 million in additional revenue.

“This investment marks a pivotal moment for Hands In,” said Samuel Flynn, Founder & CEO. “Our multi-card solution has already proven its impact, and with this funding, we’re set to scale globally, onboarding more enterprise clients and redefining split payments.”

The round saw backing from several fintech investors, including Ryta Zasiekina, founder of CONCRYT, who brings extensive experience in payments and banking. This follows a £500,000 pre-seed round in 2023, bringing total funding to over £1 million in two years.

With new partnerships in place—including collaborations with Checkout.com, Ecommpay, and CellPoint Digital—Hands In plans to roll out new enterprise deals in 2025 and is targeting £1 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR).

Having recently won Travolution’s Start-Up of the Year 2024 and Mastercard’s Best Technology Innovation 2024, Hands In continues to establish itself as a key player in the evolving fintech and digital payments landscape.

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Former Push Doctor CEO Joins Co-operative Group Board

Wais Shaifta, the former CEO of Manchester-based healthtech firm Push Doctor, has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director at The Co-operative Group. The Co-op cited his expertise in digital growth and transformation, stating that his knowledge of technology’s role in delivering value to member-owners would be a valuable asset.

Shaifta, who led Push Doctor from 2018, played a key role in strengthening its partnership with the NHS, making the company the organisation’s largest digital health partner. Alongside his new role at The Co-op, he also serves as a Non-Executive Director at Reach, Snappy Shopper, and The Gym Group, as well as Senior Independent Trustee at The Football Foundation.

He joins the board alongside Lord Simon Woolley, a political and equalities activist, who has been appointed as the second Independent Non-Executive Director. Lord Woolley, Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Cambridge University, is widely known for co-founding Operation Black Vote, a campaigning NGO focused on increasing civic participation and promoting equality and human rights.

Welcoming the new board members, Debbie White, Chair of The Co-op Group, stated:

"Both Directors bring considerable skills and expertise to the Board at an exciting time as the Co-op focuses on growing its businesses to deliver even more value to its member-owners."

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Oxford Economics Invests £2M in AI-Powered Business Intelligence Firm

Oxford Economics has announced a £2 million investment in The Data City, a Leeds-based real-time company classification platform. The investment, which values The Data City at £19 million post-money, will drive its international expansion, enhance its AI-powered analytics, and support the launch of a US joint venture with Oxford Economics.

The partnership reflects the increasing demand for dynamic, real-time business intelligence, said Adrian Cooper, CEO of Oxford Economics.

"Our clients need data that reflects the economy as it is today – not how it was classified in 2007," Cooper explained. "The Data City is transforming how businesses, investors, and policymakers understand industries. We’re excited to support their next phase of growth.”

The collaboration will integrate The Data City's AI-driven industry classification with Oxford Economics’ global economic forecasting, providing real-time insights that move beyond traditional SIC/NAIC codes.

Alex Craven, CEO of The Data City, described the investment as a “game-changer”, particularly as the company expands into North America.

"With Oxford Economics on board, we’re poised to redefine economic data, helping businesses and investors make more informed decisions in a rapidly evolving landscape," he said.

The move reinforces the role of AI in shaping the future of business intelligence, offering more accurate, responsive, and predictive insights for key industries.

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Near-Life Named Among UK’s Top 5 Most Innovative EdTech Companies for 2025

Near-Life has been recognised as one of the UK’s most innovative EdTech companies, securing 5th place in BusinessCloud’s EdTech 50 ranking for 2025.

The list, compiled through a combination of expert judging and public voting, highlights the most pioneering education technology firms shaping the sector. This marks the fourth consecutive year Near-Life has featured in the Top 50 and the third year in the Top 10.

Led by founder and CEO Mike Todd, Near-Life’s interactive video and VR platform is designed to help anyone share knowledge more effectively by creating immersive, engaging learning experiences. Whether it's delivering training, providing instructions, introducing a new product or brand, or upskilling teams, the platform enhances engagement and knowledge retention by making content interactive.

"We developed the Near-Life platform so that anyone who wants to share knowledge can do so more effectively by creating their own interactive videos and VR," the company stated. "Our tool takes engagement to the next level, transforming the memorability of content and making it easier for users to create immersive experiences."

Also ranking in the EdTech 50 is Michael Heverin led SupplyWell, which has been recognised for its efforts to revolutionise supply education through innovative technology. The company credited its community of educators, schools, and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) for its success.

With EdTech playing an increasingly vital role in education and workforce training, Near-Life’s and SupplyWell’s recognition highlights the growing impact of UK-based innovation in the sector.

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