Observed Signal · Sep 4, 2026 · Market Signal · Source: Mercia · Impact: 5/5
‘Supermaterials’ startup eyes US expansion with Silicon Valley office
A Mercia-backed startup that has found a novel way to make advanced heat-resistant materials is targeting further US expansion with a new Silicon Valley office.
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Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Serwas Technologies raises €300k pre-seed for server heat reuse
Serwas Technologies, a startup from Innsbruck, Austria, has closed the first tranche of its pre-seed funding round, raising nearly €300,000. The round is led by Gateway Ventures, with participation from business angels of the Pioneers Club and MCI Innsbruck. The company installs servers directly in buildings with high heat demand, such as swimming pools, hotels, and residential complexes. Its proprietary direct-to-liquid cooling technology captures waste heat from the servers and feeds it into the building's heating and hot water systems. The first installation is operational at an indoor pool in Innsbruck, in cooperation with Innsbrucker Kommunalbetriebe. The founders are Manuel Untergasser, Timo Berkmann, and Lucas Bolte. A second closing is planned for October to support further expansion. The startup is shifting from initial Bitcoin mining workloads toward AI workloads as its medium-term focus.
Scimplify Raises $25M to Expand AI-Driven Specialty Chemicals
Indian startup Scimplify raised $25 million in an all-equity strategic round led by Hitachi Ventures, with customers Henkel and Teknor Apex joining as new investors. Existing backers Accel India, Bertelsmann India Investments, Omnivore, and 3one4 Capital also participated. The round values the Bengaluru-based company at $250 million post-money, up from $150 million after its Series B in March 2025. Total equity funding now stands at $80 million. Scimplify uses its proprietary AI platform, Scinode, with specialized AI agents to accelerate the development and production of specialty chemicals and critical materials, reducing lead times from 12-18 months to as little as two months. The company plans to expand its manufacturing network to the U.S. and Japan over the next year. Its annualized revenue run rate has tripled to $200 million, with the U.S. contributing about 30% of revenue. Scimplify is EBITDA-positive and expects to be profitable after tax this month.
SCI Semiconductor Raises £5M for Memory-Safe Chips
Sheffield-based SCI Semiconductor, developer of the world's first memory-safe computer chip, has raised £5 million to accelerate production. The oversubscribed round was co-led by PXN Ventures and Mercia Ventures, with participation from Osney Capital, Black Opal Ventures, and private investors. The funding will scale production of its ICENI chips, based on CHERI technology, addressing memory safety vulnerabilities behind ~70% of cyberattacks. SCI has secured orders worth £2 million and government contracts totaling £7.7 million, including as a core supplier in the UK's Accelerated CHERI Adoption Programme. Partnerships with Google Research and Microsoft and compliance with the EU Cyber Resilience Act position the company for growth. Founded in 2022, the company plans to create 15 new jobs.
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