This article does not constitute financial advice and is designed for information purposes only.
We’re halfway through 2026 and this week’s crowdfunding roundup reflects just how broad the startup opportunity has become. From AI for CRM to recycled EV batteries and textiles grown from wetland plants, this cohort spans enterprise software, clean tech and sustainable materials.
What connects them, though, isn’t their sector or stage but rather a shared conviction that now is the time to put themselves out there to the public.
So, who are the startups crowdfunding this week? Here they are.
1. Athena AI
How much are they raising: £200,004
Website: www.athenachat.ai/
SEIS/EIS? Yes, SEIS
About: Athena AI lets businesses build, train and deploy AI agents across any channel and CRM, from a solo founder to an enterprise running multi-channel workflows.
The promise of AI for customer relationship management has been a conversation for years, but the gap between that promise and something a business can actually implement has remained stubbornly wide. Athena closes that gap, offering a platform that is flexible enough to meet businesses where they are.
Where to invest: Europe Republic
2. Tharos
How much are they raising: £165,000
Website: www.tharos.co.uk
SEIS/EIS? Yes, EIS
About: Tharos has built a proven, revenue-generating business in equine gut health and is now bringing the same expertise to the fast-growing canine market.
Gut health has become one of the most compelling areas in human and animal wellness, and Tharos has demonstrated that its science works where the standards are high and scrutiny is serious. Having earned credibility in the equine space, moving into dog health is a natural next step where the market is bigger and the consumer base is a passionate one.
Where to invest: Europe Republic
3. MIM Habits
How much are they raising: €200,007
Website: www.mimhabits.com
SEIS/EIS? N/A
About: MIM Habits is solving a persistent problem in the food industry – technical barriers preventing large-scale manufacturers from producing functional foods without compromising on what makes them work.
The processing conditions required by industrial food production routinely degrade the very compounds that give functional food their value. MIM has developed technology that overcomes these limitations, enabling global food giants to bring genuinely functional products to market at the volumes the industry demands.
Where to invest: Europe Republic
4. Altilium
How much are they raising: £700, 006
Website: www.altilium.tech/
SEIS/EIS? N/A
About: Altilium is closing the loop in the clean energy transition by taking end-of-life EV batteries and recycling them into critical minerals needed to make new ones.
The company addresses both problems of what happens to batteries at the end of their life and the UK’s dependence on imported critical minerals at the same time. They have built a domestic recycling infrastructure which keeps valuable materials in circulation and reducing the need to source them from overseas.
Where to invest: Europe Republic
5. Ponda
How much are they raising: £1,400,003
Website: www.ponda.bio
SEIS/EIS? Yes, EIS
About: Ponda is developing a new generation of textiles from wetland plants, turning one of nature’s most abundant and underutilised resources into a viable alternative to synthetic and environmentally costly fibres.
They have turned to wetland ecosystems for raw materials that grow quickly, require no pesticides and that have been largely overlooked by an industry still too dependent on oil-derived synthetics.
Where to invest: Europe Republic
6. Oli Help
How much are they raising: €175,000
Website: www.olihelp.com
SEIS/EIS? N/A
About: Oli Help is an AI companion designed for the caregivers of neurodiverse children, providing personalised, evidence-based support available when needed.
Professional support is often scarce, expensive or hard to access when it’s most needed. Oli Help fills that gap, not as a replacement for clinical care, but as an always-available informed companion that helps caregivers navigate the questions and decisions that come with raising a neurodiverse child.
Where to invest: Europe Republic
7. Nanusens
How much are they raising: N/A
Website: www.nanusens.com
SEIS/EIS? Yes, EIS
About: Nanusens is developing a way to embed nano-mechanical devices directly into integrates circuits which could fundamentally change how chips are designed and manufactured.
The semiconductor industry is under enormous pressure to do more with less. Nanusens is approaching that challenge from the inside, integrating mechanical functionality at the nanoscale in a way that opens up new possibilities for sensors, silicon photonics and chip architecture more broadly.
Where to invest: Crowdcube
8. Exogene
How much are they raising: N/A
Website: www.exogene.co.uk
SEIS/EIS? Yes, EIS
About: Exogene is developing next-generation cancer immunotherapies using a platform that combines generative AI with novel laboratory assays.
Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment for many patients, but the field is still in its relative infancy. Exogene’s platform is designed to speed up that discovery process, using generative AI to identify and design candidates that would take far longer to find through conventional research methods.
Where to invest: Crowdcube
9. Artefact
How much are they raising: N/A
Website: www.artefact.eco
SEIS/EIS? N/A
About: Artefact is an upcycling brand and studio that takes technical materials at the end of their working life and transforms them into high-quality accessories.
The materials that they work with, being technical fabrics, industrial textiles and other end-of-life components, carry their own history and character, and the studio’s skill lies in finding the beauty in that.
Where to invest: Crowdcube
10. Minor Figures
How much are they raising: N/A
Website: www.minorfigures.com
SEIS/EIS? N/A
About: Minor Figures is a B-corp certified plant-based beverage brand that produces barista-standard oat milk and ready-to-drink coffees.
In a crowded oat milk market, they have differentiated on quality and culture rather than price, becoming the brand of choice for coffee professionals who care deeply about what goes into the cup.
Where to invest: Crowdcube
