Daily News: November 18, 2025
11/18/2025
Planet Smart raises $1M to tackle plastic waste in nappies and pads
Planet Smart, a London-based deep tech startup, raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to launch PlanetSorb, a biodegradable superabsorbent polymer (SAP) designed to replace fossil-based plastics in nappies and other hygiene products. The company plans to scale up production and conduct pilot trials.
The UK’s next big biotech? InvenireX secures £2M to commercialise its disease detection platform
InvenireX, a Newcastle-based biotech startup, secured £2 million in Seed funding to commercialize its DNA nanotechnology platform that detects disease at the earliest biological stages. The platform uses DNA nanostructures and AI to identify disease markers with greater sensitivity and speed than current methods.
Pionix raises over €8M to unify global EV charging through open-source technology
Pionix, a German e-mobility technology startup, raised over €8 million to scale its open-source-based products for the global EV charging industry. Pionix initiated and has been a key contributor to EVerest, an open-source software platform that serves as a common base for charger manufacturers, charging operators, automakers, and fleets.
Peec AI raises $21M Series A to help brands win in AI search
Peec AI, a Berlin-based marketing platform for AI search, raised a $21 million Series A round. The platform helps brands understand and influence how they are represented across AI search platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Ex-Revolut duo raise $10m led by Lightspeed and MMC for compliance startup Condukt
Ex-Revolut founders raise $10M for Condukt, a compliance startup, led by Lightspeed and MMC.