Praetura Ventures has named its second-ever NPIF II-funded PraeSeed cohort ahead of investing up to £1.4m to back ‘the next in the North’.
Now in its second year and backed by the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) – Praetura Equity Finance, PraeSeed is designed to address the critical funding gap faced by early-stage and pre-revenue businesses across the north. Businesses chosen for the programme benefit from a blend of mentorship and practical workshops aimed at accelerating growth, with up to seven businesses receiving investment upon completion of PraeSeed.
This year, 12 businesses have been selected for the programme from well over 200 applications. They span sectors ranging from agricultural tech and renewable energy to a sleep tech business that has developed a device to tackle obstructive sleep apnoea, which is estimated to impact 10% of the adult population.
The regions that make up PraeSeed’s 2025 cohort are also diverse, with founders from Lancashire, Yorkshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Durham, Cumbria and Tyne and Wear each vying for an investment of £200k to help supercharge their growth journey.
The companies taking part in the six-week programme are: ADTechOptima, AUDITSU, Biohabit, Crediflow AI, Future Greens, Local Energy Systems, Microneedle Solutions, NeuWave Technologies, Plato, PneuMonitor, Respiosa and Spotlight Health.
Over the six weeks, each of the founders will have the chance to attend sessions hosted by industry insiders on everything from improving their pitch to finding product-market fit, as well as regular check ins with the Praetura Ventures investment team.
The programme then culminates in an in-person showcase event, attended by each business and Praetura’s co-investment network of VCs, advisers and angel investors.
Last year, PraeSeed invested in seven innovative businesses from across the North of England. This included WAC, a B2C tech company founded by George Fairhall that has created a platform for hourly workers to ensure they’re paid correctly and on time.
PraeSeed also backed Cumbria-based ScrubMarine, which has developed a submersible device to clean the buildup of algae and barnacles on the submerged surfaces of marine vessels. The technology aims to help the average container vessel save almost $40 million in annual fuel costs.
Jess Jackson, PraeSeed lead, is heading up the programme. It is funded through NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, which is managed by Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.
Jackson said: “PraeSeed got off to a fantastic start last year, creating a real buzz around the businesses that took part – both in their respective markets and the wider VC landscape. Fast-forward to 2025 and we’ve been blown away by the quality of applications for this year’s PraeSeed, which has culminated in a very strong cohort of businesses that we’re tipping to be the next in the North. PraeSeed is our way of plugging the early-stage funding gap across the North and, together with the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, we’re looking forward to doing just that for the second year in a row.”
Sue Barnard, senior investment manager at British Business Bank, said: “This programme is a fantastic way to give founders the information and support they need to accelerate their growth. With investment from NPIF II, we’re looking forward to seeing how these innovative companies create new opportunities and economic growth for the North. Having access to finance, as well as mentoring, is a recipe for success and we’re excited by the creative and technological ideas within this year’s cohort.”
Following the completion of this year’s programme, PraeSeed will have invested up to £2.8m in startups across the North. The programme, which will initially run for five years, is planning to invest around £6m over its lifetime in line with the British Business Bank’s ambition to increase the flow of investment in regions across the North of England.
