UK Tech Startups Secure £128.2 million in Funding, Primer Leads with £75 million Series C

*TL;DR: UK tech startups raised £128.2 million across nine rounds this week, with fintech firm Primer landing the largest chunk at £75 million.

Context From 18 May to 22 May, UK tech investment reached £128.2 million, according to UKTN data. The nine deals span fintech, manufacturing, AI, gaming, biotech, cloud sustainability and health tech, reflecting a broadening investor appetite for deep‑tech solutions.

Key Facts Primer, a London‑based payments infrastructure startup founded in 2020, closed a £75 million Series C round. Investors included Sofina, Peak XV Partners, Balderton, Accel, ICONIQ, Tencent and Speedinvest. The funding will expand Primer’s AI‑enabled operating layer that streamlines global payments.

CircuitHub, an on‑demand electronics manufacturing network also based in London, raised £21 million in a growth round led by Plural. The company uses AI, computer vision and robotics to assemble custom circuit boards within days, targeting faster product cycles for hardware startups.

Searchable secured £10.3 million in a growth round from Headline. The AI performance‑marketing platform tracks brand visibility across major AI engines, helping clients optimise for Answer Engine Optimisation – a new metric for search visibility.

GEEIQ, a gaming‑analytics firm, completed a £5 million Series A round with backing from YFM Equity Partners, GFR Fund, Haymarket Ventures and angel investors. Its virtual‑worlds intelligence platform aggregates cross‑platform data for game developers.

Imperagen, a Manchester‑based biotech startup, raised £5 million in seed funding from PXN Ventures, IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone. The firm combines quantum simulation, custom AI models and robotic labs to engineer industrial enzymes.

Greenpixie attracted £4.7 million in a pre‑Series A round led by VERBUND X Ventures, Octopus Ventures, Armajaro Holdings and Green Angel Ventures. It provides usage‑based sustainability data for cloud and AI data‑centre operators.

Rightbrain, based in Newcastle, closed a £3 million growth round with investors including Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, Salica and NYDIG. Its platform lets B2B services embed AI agents into existing CRMs and workflows.

Infrawatch, a cyber‑security startup with offices in London and Edinburgh, raised £2.2 million in a pre‑seed round from Outward VC, Triple Point Ventures, Portfolio Ventures and angels. It builds an internet‑infrastructure intelligence platform to map and mitigate attacker infrastructure.

TympaHealth secured a £2 million innovation loan from Innovate UK. The medtech firm offers a unified ear‑health platform that combines digital otoscopy, AI‑assisted imaging and hearing‑screening tools for community clinics.

What It Means The £128.2 million influx signals confidence in UK deep‑tech ventures beyond traditional software. Large‑scale rounds for Primer and CircuitHub suggest investors see scalable AI‑driven infrastructure as a growth engine. Smaller but strategic deals in AI marketing, gaming analytics and biotech indicate niche markets are attracting specialised capital. Watch the next funding week for follow‑on rounds that could push UK tech toward a $4‑$5 billion annual investment plateau.