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UK-Based Fintech Startup Ontik Raises $3.7M to Modernize B2B Trade Credit for Wholesalers

The London-based fintech is automating back-office operations for the real economy—starting with the £100B building materials sector.

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British fintech startup Ontik has secured $3.7 million in Seed funding to transform how B2B wholesalers manage trade credit, a traditionally manual process that underpins trillions in offline commerce.

The round was led by Firstminute Capital, with participation from PT1, Illusian, FJ Labs, Seed X, Tiny VC, and prominent angels, including founders of Slack and Affirm.

Automating the Financial Engine of the Offline Economy

Founded in London, Ontik is addressing a long-overlooked segment of the fintech market: the manual trade credit systems that dominate sectors like building materials, where tight margins and legacy infrastructure slow down operations.

“B2B wholesalers are the financial engine of the real economy—but most are still managing credit with spreadsheets, phone calls, and handwritten notes,” said Chris Smith, co-founder of Ontik. “We’re giving them modern, automated workflows that save hours every day and unlock serious operational efficiency.”

Ontik’s platform digitizes the entire order-to-cash cycle, automating everything from issuing credit terms and tracking payments to resolving disputes and syncing with ERP systems. The startup claims its AI-driven system can:

  • Cut time spent chasing payments by 60%
  • Accelerate cash collection by over 30%
  • Reduce card fees by 25%
  • Significantly reduce disputes and manual errors

Plug-and-Play with ERP Systems

One of Ontik’s core strengths lies in its integration with popular ERP platforms like Merlin, Unleashed, and Intact, making it easy to onboard without disrupting existing workflows. That’s a crucial advantage in traditional industries such as construction materials, where digital adoption has historically lagged.

Ontik is currently operating across 30 wholesale branches in the UK with clients like GH Brooks, AW Lumb, FORT, and Collier & Catchpole.

“Ontik is doing for trade credit what Stripe did for online payments,” said Sam Endacott of Firstminute Capital. “They’re giving real-world businesses the tools to operate with the speed and efficiency of modern tech companies—and the impact is already clear.”

UK-Based Juice Secures €29.4M to Tackle SME Lending Gap with Founder-Focused Capital

Growing Appetite for Vertical Fintech

The investment reflects a broader trend in fintech: rising investor appetite for vertical-specific tools that modernize neglected segments of the offline economy. As fintech moves beyond pure software into deeply integrated infrastructure, startups like Ontik are leading the way in reimagining analog processes with digital intelligence.

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Euro Startups

Sweden-Based MedTech Startup Eyedentity Raises €1.3M to Advance AI-Powered Eye Cancer Detection Platform

The Stockholm-based startup will use the funding to pursue regulatory approval, expand its diagnostic platform and prepare for commercial deployment across Europe and the US.

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Stockholm-based MedTech startup Eyedentity has raised €1.3 million (SEK 15 million) in an oversubscribed first investment round to advance its AI-powered platform for detecting serious eye diseases from images captured during routine examinations.

The round was led by Norrsken Launcher, with participation from Karolinska Institutet Innovation and a group of angel investors. Eyedentity will use the capital to work toward full regulatory approval for its first product, develop additional diagnostic capabilities and expand its team.

Founded in 2025, the company is initially targeting uveal melanoma, a rare but potentially deadly eye cancer that can be difficult to distinguish from benign conditions during its early stages.

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Using Existing Eye Images for Earlier Detection

Eyedentity’s technology analyses fundus images that opticians already capture during routine eye examinations, allowing the startup to add AI-assisted diagnostic support without requiring new imaging equipment or a separate screening infrastructure.

An optician can upload an existing image to the platform, which analyses it and provides decision support on whether the patient should be referred to an eye specialist.

Co-founder and CSO Gustav Stålhammar said opticians already generate large volumes of eye images and are increasingly seeing patients seeking help for vision problems, dry eyes and other conditions. That existing infrastructure creates an opportunity to identify potentially serious diseases earlier.

The company says its system can reduce false-positive referrals by 90%, potentially allowing specialist eye-care services to prioritize patients requiring further investigation while limiting unnecessary referrals.

Eyedentity is currently testing the technology through a live pilot with Synologen, a network of independent opticians in Sweden.

Combining Ophthalmology and Machine Learning

Eyedentity was founded by a team combining clinical ophthalmology, machine learning and company-building experience.

Stålhammar is an ocular oncologist at St. Erik Eye Hospital and a professor at Karolinska Institutet. Co-founder and CEO Mats Holmström is a machine learning engineer who previously worked at RaySearch Laboratories on applications of machine learning in cancer care.

The startup is also part of the Karolinska Institutet Innovation Incubator, where it receives support covering business development, financing, strategy and investor readiness.

Holmström said Eyedentity first connected with Norrsken after presenting at Karolinska Institutet Innovation InvestorDay, with that introduction ultimately developing into an investment.

Norrsken Launcher Partner Anna Fredrixon said the technology could support earlier detection without directing additional unnecessary patients into an already stretched healthcare system. She also highlighted its ability to work with existing infrastructure as an advantage for deployment.

From Nordic Pilot to International Expansion

The new funding will help Eyedentity move from its current pilot toward commercialization in the Nordic region before pursuing broader expansion across Europe and the US.

The company plans to build products for opticians, eye clinics and hospitals while establishing clinical partnerships and integrations with medical record systems. Holmström said the goal is to make the technology fit into existing clinical workflows with as little additional work as possible for opticians.

Beyond uveal melanoma, Eyedentity intends to extend its technology to other eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Its longer-term strategy is to develop a broader AI diagnostics platform capable of supporting healthcare providers across multiple eye conditions rather than remaining focused on a single disease.

With its first institutional capital secured, Eyedentity’s immediate priorities are regulatory approval, product development and commercial validation as it prepares to take its diagnostic technology beyond Sweden.

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Euro Startups

Denmark-Based Startup Velatir Raises €5M to Expand Enterprise AI Governance Platform Across Europe

The Copenhagen startup will use the funding to accelerate European expansion as businesses seek greater oversight, security and control over workplace AI tools.

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Danish AI infrastructure startup Velatir has raised €5 million in Seed funding to expand its platform for monitoring and controlling how artificial intelligence tools are used across enterprise operations.

The round was co-led by Spintop Ventures and Ugly Duckling Ventures, with participation from Norrsken Evolve and a group of angel investors. The fresh capital comes after a period of rapid commercial growth, with Velatir adding 80 customers across six European countries in seven months.

The company plans to use the funding to accelerate its European expansion, grow its team and establish a presence in additional markets as businesses face increasing complexity around AI adoption, data security and regulatory compliance.

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Building a Control Layer for Enterprise AI

Velatir is developing infrastructure that sits alongside the AI applications already used within companies, giving organizations centralized visibility into how those tools interact with employees and corporate data.

The platform monitors data flows, user activity and potential risks in real time, allowing businesses to establish controls around AI usage while maintaining oversight across different applications.

CEO Michael Blicher Sørensen said AI was initially expected to simplify business operations, but the rapid adoption of different tools has instead created a fragmented environment that can be difficult for companies to manage.

Velatir aims to address that problem by providing a common control layer rather than requiring companies to replace the AI applications they already use. The approach is designed to help organizations adopt AI while maintaining security, compliance and operational oversight.

Rapid Growth Across European Markets

Velatir has expanded from zero customers in January to 80 by August, with clients spanning finance, legal services and government across six European countries.

The startup is also approaching $1 million in annual recurring revenue and has grown its workforce to 30 employees. It plans to nearly double its headcount by the end of the year as it expands its commercial and product operations.

Its platform primarily targets mid-market businesses but can support organizations ranging from five employees to workforces of up to 20,000 people.

The company plans to open an office in Stockholm in October, followed by additional locations across Europe over the next year. France, the Netherlands and the wider Nordic region are among the markets targeted for expansion.

European Infrastructure at the Core of Velatir’s Strategy

Velatir has built its platform exclusively on European-owned and hosted infrastructure, making data sovereignty a central part of its positioning.

Co-founder Christian Møller said the decision was deliberate, allowing the company to avoid dependence on US hyperscalers while addressing concerns among European businesses around data residency and cross-border transfers.

The approach is also intended to help customers navigate regulatory requirements, including those emerging under Europe’s AI regulatory framework. For companies with strict procurement and data-governance requirements, Velatir says its infrastructure model can remove some of the obstacles involved in adopting enterprise AI technology.

The €5 million Seed round will now give Velatir additional resources to extend that model across Europe. With its customer base growing and new offices planned, the company is focusing its next phase on becoming a broader infrastructure layer for businesses seeking to manage AI adoption without losing control over their data and operations.

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Euro Startups

Lithuania-Based AI Startup Guideless Raises €1M to Expand AI-Powered Corporate Training Platform Globally

The Superhero Capital-led round will help Guideless develop its AI-powered workflow documentation platform and expand across Europe, the UK and the US.

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Lithuanian AI training startup Guideless has raised €1 million in Pre-Seed funding to develop its platform for automatically creating and maintaining software training materials and operational documentation.

The round was led by Superhero Capital, with participation from FIRSTPICK VC and executives from Vinted, including CEO Thomas Plantenga. Guideless will use the capital to accelerate product development, expand its team and support international growth across the UK, Europe and the US.

The startup is targeting a persistent problem for companies: documenting how employees use increasingly complex software systems while keeping training materials current as tools and internal processes change.

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Turning Software Workflows Into Training Guides

Guideless uses AI to capture business workflows while employees perform them and automatically convert those processes into structured training materials.

Rather than manually recording videos or writing step-by-step instructions, users complete a task within their regular business software while Guideless captures the process. Its AI then generates a guide combining visual sequences, written instructions and narration.

The company says its technology can make the creation and maintenance of training documentation up to ten times faster than conventional approaches.

Individual steps remain editable, allowing businesses to modify existing guides as workflows change rather than recreating the entire training resource. Content can also be translated or adapted for different teams, while text-to-speech narration is available in more than 40 languages.

Building an Operational Memory Layer

Guideless sees a broader application for the information collected through its platform beyond employee training.

CEO and co-founder Evaldas Bieliūnas said the company is turning captured workflows into structured operational context, creating what it describes as an evolving memory layer for organizations.

That approach could help companies preserve institutional knowledge as employees, software and internal processes change. Instead of leaving operational knowledge distributed across individual employees and outdated documentation, Guideless aims to create a continuously maintained record of how work is actually performed.

The company eventually plans to use that structured workflow information as an operational intelligence layer for AI agents. Providing AI systems with company-specific process data could allow them to automate tasks based on existing business practices rather than generic instructions.

Early Adoption Across 15 Markets

Guideless says its platform has attracted more than 3,000 users and paying customers across 15 markets. Organizations using its technology include Vinted, Masan Consumer Holdings and the Nevada Hospital Association.

Thomas Plantenga, CEO of Vinted and an investor in the round, pointed to his company’s experience using Guideless to maintain its knowledge base with less manual work as a factor behind his decision to back the startup.

Superhero Capital’s Audrius Milukas said the opportunity extends beyond reducing the work involved in producing training videos. He sees Guideless’s ability to capture operational knowledge as a foundation for addressing broader workplace automation challenges.

Targeting International Expansion

With the Pre-Seed capital secured, Guideless plans to expand its workforce and continue developing its AI capabilities while increasing its presence outside its existing markets.

The UK, wider European market and the US are among its primary expansion targets.

As businesses adopt more software and AI tools, Guideless is betting that the underlying record of how employees actually complete tasks will become increasingly valuable. Its longer-term strategy is to turn that operational knowledge into infrastructure that can support both human training and AI-driven workplace automation.

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