Fifteen North East tech startups and scale-ups with verified growth news from 2025 and 2026, from fintech and AI software to life sciences and clean tech.
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Updated 6 October 2026. Every company below was checked for current trading status and recent news in October 2026.
The 2026-27 list at a glance
- Life sciences: InvenireX, Magnitude Biosciences
- Fintech and proptech: Neptune North, Kani Payments, Noggin HQ, One Utility Bill
- Software, AI and cyber: Partnerize, evaluagent, MySalesCoach, PolyBox, OneClickComply, Moralbox, Hitmarker
- Clean tech and materials: Dragonfly Advanced Materials, Lithium Salvage
Seven companies are new this year. We refresh the list every year so it always shows the most up-to-date picks.
How we chose the 2026-27 list
Our annual roundup looks for North East tech companies with evidence of growth in the last 18 months: a funding round, a new product, new jobs, a major customer or industry recognition. We checked each company against public sources, including Companies House, investor announcements and regional business press, in October 2026.
The list is not a ranking. It mixes early-stage startups with a few scale-ups that started in the region and still employ people here, because both tell you something about where North East tech is heading. Most are in or around Newcastle; where a company is based elsewhere in the region, we say so.
For the wider picture (sector size, investment and the support on offer), read our companion guide to the Newcastle tech hub and the North East tech scene.
Life sciences and healthtech
Life sciences funding has been tight in the region over the last two years. The two companies below raised fresh funding in 2025 and 2026.
InvenireX
Based: Newcastle. What it does: disease detection technology built on DNA nanostructures it calls “Nanites”, designed for faster and cheaper diagnostic testing.
Latest: raised a £2 million seed round in November 2025, led by DSW Ventures with XTX Ventures, Cambridge Technology Capital and angel investors, alongside an Innovate UK grant (Tech.eu, November 2025).
Leadership: CEO Dr Dan Todd.
Why it is on the list: the round is aimed at commercialising the platform, which moves InvenireX from research towards revenue.
Magnitude Biosciences
Based: NETPark, Sedgefield, County Durham. What it does: drug discovery and ageing research services using automated analysis of nematode worms, which lets pharmaceutical and academic clients test compounds quickly.
Latest: raised £1.3 million in September 2026, led by Northstar Ventures with the North East Spinout Inspire Fund, the North East Innovation Fund, Maven-managed funds and angel investors (NETPark, September 2026).
Leadership: CEO Dr Fozia Saleem.
Why it is on the list: a Durham University spinout with backing from most of the region’s main investors and a clear plan to scale its platform.
Fintech and proptech
Newcastle’s fintech cluster keeps growing, helped by a mix of established financial employers, university talent and regional funds such as the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.
Neptune North
Based: Bank House, Newcastle. What it does: a technology and consulting business set up in 2024 as a joint venture backed by Rokos Capital Management and Oliver Wyman, building analytics and technology for financial markets.
Latest: had more than 100 staff by October 2025 and took a second floor at Bank House (Bdaily, October 2025). In October 2026 it announced a US hub in Columbus, Ohio, with 75 jobs planned by 2029 (Ohio Tech News, October 2026).
Leadership: CEO James Beard.
Why it is on the list: it is not a typical startup, given its backers, but it is one of the fastest-growing tech employers in the city, and Newcastle remains its headquarters.
Kani Payments
Based: Collingwood Street, Newcastle. What it does: automated payment reconciliation and reporting for card issuers, payment firms and banks.
Latest: closed a Series A led by Maven Capital Partners with Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II in February 2025 to expand into the US, followed by a further Maven-led investment in March 2026 (Prolific North, March 2026). It appointed a new CTO in July 2025 and appears on Prolific North’s 2026 Tech Companies to Watch list.
Leadership: CEO and co-founder Aaron Holmes.
Why it is on the list: repeat backing from the same investor is a strong signal, and the US push is under way.
Noggin HQ
Based: Newcastle. What it does: alternative credit scoring that uses banking data customers choose to share, so people with thin credit files can be assessed fairly. It is FCA-authorised as a credit reference agency.
Latest: raised £2.3 million in August 2026, led by Blackfinch Ventures with Oxford Capital and Bethnal Green Ventures (UKTN, August 2026).
Leadership: co-founders Evangeline Atkinson and Laura Mills.
Why it is on the list: new to the list this year, with a regulated product and national investors behind it.
One Utility Bill
Based: Newcastle. What it does: bundles household utility bills into one payment, with split billing for shared houses and student lets.
Latest: marked ten years in April 2025 with 183 staff, plans to pass 220, and accreditation as a Living Wage Employer (Prolific North, April 2025).
Leadership: CEO and co-founder Chris Dawson.
Why it is on the list: steady growth in headcount without leaving the region it started in.
Software, AI and cybersecurity
This is the biggest group on this year’s list, and the most AI-heavy. Several of these firms sell to marketing, sales and compliance teams, which says a lot about where B2B software demand sits in 2026.
Partnerize
Based: founded in Newcastle, now global with a Newcastle office. What it does: a partnership automation platform that helps brands run and pay affiliate and partner programmes.
Latest: bought Konnecto, an AI and data intelligence startup, in an all-cash deal in June 2025 (Hello Partner, June 2025).
Leadership: CEO Matt Gilbert.
Why it is on the list: a mature scale-up rather than a startup, but one of Newcastle’s best-known software exports and still adding capability.
evaluagent
Based: Middlesbrough, Teesside. What it does: quality assurance and coaching software for contact centres.
Latest: ranked 17th on G2’s list of top UK software companies for 2026, up from 43rd in 2025 (evaluagent, February 2026). Its last disclosed funding was a $20 million Series A led by PeakSpan Capital in 2023.
Leadership: co-founder Jaime Scott.
Why it is on the list: a fast climb in customer-review rankings, from a Teesside base.
MySalesCoach
Based: Newcastle. What it does: a sales coaching platform that pairs AI tools with human coaches.
Latest: raised £1.5 million in March 2026: £1 million from NPIF II – Maven and £500,000 from Northstar and Creative UK, after a £1.1 million round in March 2025 (Prolific North, March 2026).
Leadership: CEO Kevin Beales.
Why it is on the list: two rounds in two years, with the latest aimed at international growth.
PolyBox
Based: Newcastle. What it does: an AI marketing analytics and reporting platform.
Latest: raised £700,000 in July 2026: £150,000 from Northstar’s North East Innovation Fund, £250,000 from angel investors and a £300,000 Innovate UK grant (Bdaily, July 2026).
Leadership: CEO Rojin Yarahmadi.
Why it is on the list: an early-stage company in a crowded market, with a mix of public and private backing behind its growth plan.
OneClickComply
Based: Sunderland. What it does: automates cyber security compliance across Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and AWS.
Latest: raised £1 million in September 2026 from the North East Accelerate Fund (Mercia), the Venture Sunderland Fund and the Northstar EIS Growth Fund. Founded in 2024, it has 12 staff and doubled its monthly recurring revenue in six months (Sunderland Echo, September 2026).
Leadership: CEO Connor Greig.
Why it is on the list: fast revenue growth in a sector where the North East has real depth.
Moralbox
Based: Sunderland. What it does: an AI-supported workforce training and compliance platform.
Latest: raised £550,000 in 2025, including £350,000 from the Venture Sunderland Fund (Northstar Ventures, 2025).
Leadership: founder-led.
Why it is on the list: one of a growing group of Sunderland software firms backed by the city’s own venture fund.
Hitmarker
Based: Newcastle. What it does: the jobs and hiring platform for the games and esports industry.
Latest: launched Hitmarker Pro, a subscription hiring platform with AI tools for employers, in April 2026 (Business Wire, April 2026). Duncan Ironmonger took a stake and became Executive Chairman in 2025.
Leadership: founded by Philip Huggan in 2017; Executive Chairman Duncan Ironmonger.
Why it is on the list: a move from jobs board to software subscription, which changes the shape of its revenue.
Clean tech and advanced materials
Dragonfly Advanced Materials
Based: Prudhoe, Northumberland. What it does: a Newcastle University spinout making aerogels for coatings, insulation and fire resistance.
Latest: raised £1 million in September 2026: £500,000 from Northstar and a £500,000 Innovate UK grant (Bdaily, September 2026).
Leadership: CEO John Baines.
Why it is on the list: deep tech from a regional university, with funding to move into production.
Lithium Salvage
Based: Sunderland. What it does: recovers and recycles material from lithium-ion battery waste.
Latest: raised £1.7 million in 2025 (Northstar Ventures, 2025).
Leadership: founder-led.
Why it is on the list: battery recycling sits close to the North East’s electric vehicle and battery manufacturing base, which gives it a local market.
How the list changes each year
We refresh this list every year so it always shows the North East tech companies with the most recent, verifiable growth. Companies leave the list when we can no longer find current growth news for them in the region, and new ones join when they raise funding, launch products or add jobs. The 2026-27 edition keeps eight companies from last year and adds seven.
What the 2026-27 list tells us about North East tech
- AI is now part of the product, not a separate sector. MySalesCoach, PolyBox, Moralbox and Hitmarker all build AI into tools for sales, marketing, training and hiring teams.
- Regional funds do much of the heavy lifting. Northstar, Maven (through NPIF II), Mercia’s North East Accelerate Fund and the Venture Sunderland Fund appear again and again.
- Sunderland and Teesside are part of the story. Four of the fifteen are outside Newcastle, which reflects a wider North East scene rather than one city.
- Scale-up capital is still the gap. Most rounds here are under £2.5 million; bigger rounds tend to come from outside the region.
Telling your story as a North East tech company
Most of the companies above sell something technical to busy buyers. The ones that grow fastest tend to explain what they do in plain language, on their website and in the places buyers now research, including AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.
That is the work we do at Contentifai, from Gateshead. Monthly Blog Content starts from £440 a month, and our AI Visibility Report shows how often AI assistants mention your business, from £200 a month. If you are hiring writers in-house instead, our guide to copywriting jobs in Newcastle and the North East covers salaries and where to look.
Are you part of a growing North East tech company that should be on next year’s list? Get in touch and tell us your story.
Frequently asked questions
Which Newcastle tech startups raised money in 2026?
Companies on our 2026-27 list that announced funding in 2026 include Noggin HQ (£2.3 million, August), MySalesCoach (£1.5 million, March), Magnitude Biosciences (£1.3 million, September), OneClickComply (£1 million, September), Dragonfly Advanced Materials (£1 million, September), PolyBox (£700,000, July) and Kani Payments (a further Maven-led round, March).
Who invests in North East tech startups?
The most active investors on this list are Northstar Ventures, Maven Capital Partners (including through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II), Mercia through the North East Accelerate Fund, DSW Ventures and the Venture Sunderland Fund, often alongside Innovate UK grants and angel investors.
Is Newcastle a good place to start a tech company?
Newcastle offers university talent, lower costs than London and a strong network of regional funds and support organisations. The main gap is larger growth rounds, which often still come from London or overseas investors.
How often is this list updated?
We publish the list once a year and check each company’s status when we do. This edition was updated on 6 October 2026.