Venture capital

DREV has raised €2.8m for its contamination control technology for the battery industry, helping to protect worker health and safety, improve production efficiency, and recover critical metals.

Rubio Impact Ventures will invest into 30 early and growth-stage companies addressing the climate crisis and social inequality.

The funding, led by Afreximbank’s impact investing arm, will allow the fast-growing clean transport firm to build up its battery-swapping infrastructure across African markets.

The decarbonisation-focused fund has landed British International Investment as an anchor investor, alongside family offices, fund-of-funds and corporate venture firms.

According to Katapult, the 13 companies taking part in the fourth and final programme for the fund represent the “most technically advanced and commercially mature” group of startups to date, with an average valuation of €25m.

The fund will make pre-seed up to series A investments, also providing firms with strategic support and access to international networks to attract further investment.

Aerska develops RNA medicines for the treatment of neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, which affect millions of people worldwide.

The funding will enable the company to scale and commercialise its cloud-linked device, which allows medical professionals to remotely monitor key patient indicators such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation.

Climate ventures need a wider ecosystem of support if they are to succeed, with less focus on the unicorns and more focus on the wider forest, argues Ben Honan, investment lead at Climate KIC.

Genoskin has developed a tool that can test pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical products on real human skin, offering an alternative to animal testing.