Leeds tech roundup, week of 6 July

Funding & deals

• Connective3 took investment from Foresight Group, the London-listed PE and infrastructure investor, according to BusinessCloud. The Leeds-based digital marketing agency will use the backing to accelerate growth, though the deal size was not disclosed. A separate Prolific North report noted a C-suite shake-up alongside the investment, with new leadership brought in as part of the transition. For Leeds's agency sector, it is one of the more significant PE moves in recent memory. (BusinessCloud)

• Leeds payments technology firm secured IP-backed funding from NatWest, via Insider Media, in a deal that uses the company's intellectual property as collateral rather than traditional assets. The structure is still relatively uncommon in the UK and signals growing lender appetite for intangible-asset-backed deals in the region. Insider Media did not name the company publicly at the time of reporting. It follows a broader push by NatWest to extend IP-backed facilities to tech businesses outside London. (Insider Media via Google News)

Hiring & teams

• musicMagpie chief executive Steve Oliver announced his departure, BusinessCloud reports, following Pep's own exit from the business earlier this year. Oliver co-founded the Stockport-listed recommerce platform and has led it through a turbulent period that included a failed takeover approach and pressure from activist shareholders. The back-to-back exits at the top leave musicMagpie in a period of transition at a difficult moment for consumer electronics resale. Leeds-listed tech companies will be watching how the board handles succession. (BusinessCloud)

• Leeds infrastructure software specialist underwent a C-suite restructure after attracting strategic private equity investment, Prolific North reports. The company brought in new senior leadership as part of the deal terms, a common condition when PE backers take a meaningful stake. The firm operates in infrastructure asset management software, a sector that has drawn consistent investor interest as local authorities and utilities modernise ageing systems. (Prolific North via Google News)

Product & launches

• Leeds padel tech firm is expanding as the sport's UK popularity continues to grow, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports. The company provides booking, court management and operational software to padel venues, and is targeting new sites as the number of courts in Britain climbs steeply. Padel's growth has been fast enough to attract serious commercial infrastructure investment, and software providers are moving early to lock in venue relationships. The firm did not disclose revenue figures or the number of venues currently on its platform. (Yorkshire Evening Post via Google News)

• Leeds surgical simulation facility opened with a £1.25m price tag, the Yorkshire Post reports, with backers saying it could change how surgical training is delivered in the region. The space uses simulation technology to let trainee surgeons practise procedures without patient risk, a model already established in aviation and defence. Leeds has a strong cluster of medtech and health-adjacent digital businesses, and a facility of this scale adds infrastructure that could attract further clinical tech investment. (Yorkshire Post)