Auditsu named receiving a share of £1.6m funding programme

Eight North of England startups have become the latest companies to receive investment from PraeSeed, a six-week cohort-based investment programme for early-stage businesses from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) and PXN Ventures, which has launched following the merger between Praetura Ventures and Par Equity.

Now in its second year, PraeSeed has invested £200k in each of the eight businesses from NPIF II – PXN Equity Finance, which is managed by PXN Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II). This latest round of cheques takes the total amount invested by PraeSeed to date to £3m, with seven businesses receiving investment last year to help them scale.

The eight investee businesses were selected from a shortlist of 12 that took part in the summer programme, which saw workshops and presentations on all aspects of scaling a business, including developing a go-to-market strategy, navigating financial modelling and tackling fundraising alongside mentoring from the PXN investment team, Operational Partners and external business experts.

Leeds based Auditsu is a B2B enterprise that aims to automate accessibility audits for mobile applications, helping businesses address compliance risks efficiently. As the only company in West Yorkshire to secure the funding this year, CEO Jason Crispin is delighted:

“Accessibility regulation has moved faster than most companies expected, and the European Accessibility Act has made compliance a priority rather than an option. AUDITSU is building the infrastructure that helps businesses keep pace. This investment gives us the momentum to support the organisations that have already signed up with us, and to scale the platform they’ll depend on going forward.”

Jess Jackson, PraeSeed lead, said: “PraeSeed is all about finding ambitious Northern businesses seeking to solve big problems, and Auditsu's founder Jason brought to life a huge and largely unseen issue when it comes to accessibility in tech. Websites and apps that we use every day and rely on to perform essential tasks from banking to travel often aren't suitable for those with accessibility needs. Auditsu's tool could give brands the ability to quickly identify and address issues before deployment, and given recent EU regulation in this domain, we're excited for Auditsu to enter the market and start to drive these changes.”

The next instalment of PraeSeed will launch again in March next year with founders encouraged to keep an eye on updates nearer the time.