Mid-Week Tech News Roundup – July 21st to July 25th 2025
22 Jul, 20256 minutes📈 Connectd Hits $11M ARR, Raises $7M to Lead the Fractional Talent RevolutionUK-based platf...
📈 Connectd Hits $11M ARR, Raises $7M to Lead the Fractional Talent Revolution
UK-based platform Connectd has announced it has surpassed $11 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and secured an additional $7 million in funding to accelerate its mission of enabling the growing shift toward fractional work. The round was led by Anker Capital and Stena & Swerve, building on 80% year-on-year growth and a newly launched rebrand.
Founded in 2019, Connectd is positioning itself at the heart of a major labour market shift. The number of ‘fractional’ roles listed on LinkedIn has soared from 2,000 in 2022 to over 111,000 in 2025—a signal that traditional full-time models are giving way to more flexible, high-impact ways of working.
The platform matches startups and scaleups with a curated network of over 3,000 experienced fractional executives, leveraging AI to align companies with the right expertise at the right time—whether it's for product launches, fundraising strategy, or board-level advisory.
CEO Roei Samuel describes fractional work as a way for companies to “access some of the best minds on the planet without the associated costs,” highlighting how Connectd is helping democratise access to high-level expertise for growing businesses.
Backed by $16 million to date, Connectd’s new investment will fuel platform enhancements, community expansion, and the continued development of its Innovation Academy—a resource aimed at upskilling the next generation of fractional leaders.
With support from both new and existing investors, Connectd is firmly establishing itself as a leader in the future of work—one that’s more flexible, precise, and tailored to the needs of modern startups.
🧠 RealityMine Appoints Andy Golub as SVP to Lead Global Panel Partner Strategy
Privacy-first behavioural data company RealityMine has named Andy Golub as Senior Vice President of Panel Solutions, a key leadership hire as the company accelerates its global expansion and prepares to more than double revenue in 2025.
Based in the US and reporting to Group CEO Chris Havemann, Golub brings over two decades of experience in consumer insights, product management, and data collection. His background includes senior product roles at Nielsen, with a strong track record of scaling panel and data solutions for top tech and media brands worldwide.
In his new role, Golub will oversee RealityMine’s growing network of proprietary panel partners across five continents. These panels use RealityMine’s passive metering technology to collect privacy-compliant mobile behavioural data from opted-in consumers—helping clients understand how digital platforms, apps, and media are used in the real world.
RealityMine says the appointment is a strategic move to strengthen its partner ecosystem and enhance the quality and scalability of the data that underpins its offering. Golub called the company’s mission “impressive” and said he looks forward to helping deliver “new value through high-quality panels, scalable data collection, and meaningful consumer insights.”
This move marks another investment in leadership as RealityMine continues to grow its presence among global tech and app economy clients, using behavioural data to power decisions around platform strategy, competitive intelligence, and AI model development.
inforcer raises $35M Series B to empower MSPs with Microsoft AI and security tools for SMBs
London-based inforcer has secured $35 million in a Series B funding round led by Dawn Capital, alongside participation from existing investor Meritech Capital. The fresh capital will accelerate product innovation aimed at helping Managed Service Providers (MSPs) streamline deployment of Microsoft’s enterprise-grade AI and cybersecurity solutions for small and medium businesses.
Founded in 2022, inforcer’s platform addresses a major industry pain point by enabling MSPs to efficiently manage Microsoft 365 tenants across hundreds of clients. This solves the complexity and overhead that have historically limited SMBs from fully utilizing Microsoft’s powerful AI and security features already included in their licenses.
CEO Jamie Daum described the Microsoft tenant as “the new server” for MSPs transitioning to cloud-first service models, with inforcer positioned as the key enabler. Dawn Capital General Partner Evgenia Plotnikova, who joins the company’s board, emphasized inforcer’s potential to transform MSPs into strategic AI partners for SMB customers.
To strengthen its leadership, inforcer recently appointed Matthé Smit (formerly at Datto, Autotask) as Chief Product Officer and Christian Nagele, co-founder of Datto RMM, as Chief Strategy Officer.
The company’s rapid growth is reflected in a global MSP customer base exceeding 800 firms and offices spanning the UK, US, Netherlands, Denmark, and Australia. UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle also praised inforcer’s contribution to enhancing cybersecurity and digital resilience among businesses.
As AI adoption accelerates, inforcer aims to help MSPs become trusted advisors driving secure, AI-enabled productivity for SMBs worldwide.
🌱 Tribe Solutions Accelerates Growth with Newcastle University Backing
Newcastle-based clean tech consultancy Tribe Solutions is gaining momentum in the race to net zero, thanks to a competitive Foundership award from Newcastle University’s START UP team. The support marks a significant step forward for the graduate-founded business, which is developing tools to help public and private sector organisations decarbonise buildings more effectively.
Founded by Richard Airey (MBA) and Sean Jobling (Clean Technology), Tribe has built an online platform that evaluates building energy performance and recommends cost-effective, low-carbon upgrades. Backed by support from Edge Innovation and Newcastle University, the new tool is part of a broader push to modernise how buildings are assessed and retrofitted.
Tribe has already helped clients unlock more than £4 million in grant funding, and the Foundership programme has helped sharpen the company’s product vision, business model, and technical development.
With eyes on future growth, Tribe recently launched ‘GO as a Service’, a fully funded net-zero solution (www.GO-aaS.co.uk), and has plans to expand its offerings with a new Utility Bureau. The team continues to collaborate with university researchers and graduates to scale innovation across the built environment sector.
Claire Adamson of Newcastle University praised Tribe’s progress, calling it “a fantastic example of how our graduates are tackling real-world challenges with scalable solutions.”
As demand for low-carbon solutions increases across the UK, Tribe Solutions is positioning itself as a key player in delivering practical, data-led decarbonisation strategies.
🏦 Mutual Vision Powers Launch of Midcounties Co-operative Investment Portal, Reinforces Mission to Modernise Mutual Finance
Featured in The Grocer this week, Mutual Vision has announced the launch of a new Investment Portal in partnership with The Midcounties Co-operative, marking another key milestone in its mission to modernise financial services for organisations rooted in mutual values.
Built to reflect the unique governance and operational needs of co-operatives, the platform allows members to manage their investments securely and seamlessly without disrupting existing systems. The portal was developed using MV Core, Mutual Vision’s cloud-native banking platform, which is purpose-built to deliver scalability, integration, and robust security for the mutual and co-operative finance sector.
Tim Bowen, CEO of Mutual Vision said: “Mutual Vision (MV) are delighted that The Midcounties Co-operative (TMC) have gone live with MV’s Core and Online Banking platform. We fully replaced TMC’s existing core banking system and delivered a new online banking solution. Prior to going live, TMC processed customers by phone, post, or cheque. This digital transformation for member need is a rare success story of a tech company migrating their core with a full data migration in 13 months.
“Our approach is fast, flexible, and above all practical. It also gives TMC access to future innovation in the form of MV’s new solutions such as MV Engage.”
Originally created by mutuals, for mutuals, Mutual Vision’s modernised platform continues to support a growing number of financial institutions that value member-first service models, democratic ownership, and long-term social impact.
📊 quantilope Expands Consumer Intelligence Platform with AI-Powered Innovations and Flexible Data Analysis
Market research technology company quantilope continues to gain momentum in 2025 with a wave of new platform features designed to streamline and supercharge consumer insights. Known for its end-to-end Consumer Intelligence Platform, quantilope equips insights professionals with automated tracking tools and a suite of 15 fully automated advanced research methods, enabling brands to make confident, real-time decisions based on robust data.
Recognised globally for its innovation and led by CEO and Co-founder Peter Aschmoneit, quantilope was named the #1 Most Innovative Technology Supplier in Greenbook’s GRIT Business and Innovation Report and listed as one of Germany’s fastest-growing tech companies for the fifth year in a row by Deloitte.
Already this year, quantilope has introduced a number of new tools designed to enhance how researchers collect and interpret data:
- ✨ quinn Chat: A new conversational interface within quantilope’s AI co-pilot, allowing researchers to interact with data using natural language, speeding up everything from project setup to analysis.
- 💬 Open-Ends Intelligence: A suite of five features including AI-powered probing, which enables live follow-up questions within surveys to gather deeper and more detailed respondent insights.
Most recently, quantilope launched Flexible Time-Based Analysis - a major upgrade to its tracking capabilities. This feature gives users greater control over how data is viewed, going beyond standard wave-based reporting to include calendar-based, custom, and incremental timeframes. It allows brands to track insights over specific promotional periods, seasonal changes, or product lifecycle moments—automatically updating as time progresses.
With a client base spanning over 300 major brands - including Dyson, Danone, Citadel, DIRECTV, Nestlé, and The Estée Lauder Companies—quantilope is helping reshape how insights teams operate, bridging speed, depth, and AI-driven intelligence.
As the company continues to iterate rapidly through agile sprints, it’s clear quantilope isn’t just keeping pace with the research industry—it’s helping define its future.
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