Deal highlights

Cassi

Mishcon de Reya has advised Cassi on its £500,000 pre-seed funding round, led by Twin Track Ventures. The round brings together expertise from defence, capital markets and growth equity.

Cassi’s platform combines artificial intelligence, probabilistic modelling and collective intelligence to help organisations make better strategic and operational decisions. The technology enables leaders to define resolvable outcomes, quantify the probability of success and identify the factors that most influence results. Early benchmarks show Cassi’s forecasts outperform unaided human judgement by 50 percent, supporting boards and commanders in high-stakes decision-making across government, finance and critical infrastructure.

Cassi was co-founded by Dr Keith Dear, CEO and former Expert Adviser to the UK Prime Minister, and Al Brown, Chief Technology Officer and former Royal Engineer. The company draws on deep experience at the intersection of national security, cognitive science and advanced computing.

The Mishcon de Reya team was led by Attilio Leccisotti who commented: "We’re delighted to have advised Cassi on this initial round. Having worked with such a pre-eminent founding team, who are real experts in their field, we're really looking forward to supporting Keith, Al and the team going forward and witnessing Cassi grow."

Holiwise

Mishcon de Reya has successfully advised Holiwise, a premium travel technology platform, on its €1.45 million pre-seed funding round. The round saw participation from senior executives at Google, Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Barclays and more.

Founded by Albin Eriksson Lippe, Kristian Lexeklint, Apurva Amin and Maria Ancheta, Holiwise was born out of a desire to bridge the gap between mainstream online travel agencies and high-end travel concierges. The platform delivers personalised, premium travel experiences at the speed and price point of modern booking platforms, with over 300% growth this year and more than 80% customer retention.

The Mishcon de Reya team was led by Chris Keen, Partner and Head of our Emerging Companies team, and Alexa Hamilton, Managing Associate.

Chris Keen, Partner at Mishcon de Reya, commented:
“It’s been a real privilege working with Albin, Kristian and the Holiwise team on this round. What they’re building is genuinely exciting – a real shake-up of the travel space, and you can feel the energy and ambition in every conversation. For me, the best part of my job is getting to work alongside founders who are so passionate about what they do, and being able to help them get deals done, make connections, and keep things moving at pace. This is a brilliant milestone for Holiwise, and I’m looking forward to seeing where they go next.”

Albin Eriksson Lippe, Co-Founder of Holiwise, said:
“We’re thrilled to have had Mishcon de Reya by our side for this round. Chris, Alexa and the team brought invaluable expertise and a genuine understanding of the fundraising landscape. Their support has been instrumental in helping us reach this milestone, and we’re excited for what’s ahead as we continue to build Holiwise.”

Optibrium Limited

Mishcon de Reya recently advised drug discovery company Optibrium Limited on its multi-million-pound financing package from Shawbrook.

Optibrium specialises in software solutions for drug discovery, particularly in the field of small molecule design and optimisation and the company collaborates with a broad range of customer with its products being deployed by over 160 organisations worldwide, including leading global pharmaceutical companies.

Mishcon de Reya recently advised drug discovery company Optibrium Limited on its multi-million-pound financing package from Shawbrook.

Optibrium specialises in software solutions for drug discovery, particularly in the field of small molecule design and optimisation and the company collaborates with a broad range of customer with its products being deployed by over 160 organisations worldwide, including leading global pharmaceutical companies.

The deal will allow the company to strengthen its offering for global pharmaceutical and biotech teams and boost the speed and efficiency of their drug discovery process.

Mishcon de Reya's Corporate Innovation and Venture Capital team was led by Erika McIntyre with support from Patrick Neall.

IVFmicro

Mishcon de Reya advises IVFmicro on its £3.5 million pre-seed funding round

Mishcon de Reya has advised IVFmicro, a University of Leeds spinout, on its £3.5 million pre-seed funding round led by Northern Gritstone, with support from the Innovate UK Investor Partnerships Programme.

The investment will enable IVFmicro to progress to its next phase of verification and validation, including trials on human embryos in fertility clinics.

IVFmicro is addressing the global challenge of fertility, with one in six couples affected and IVF success rates remaining low - only 25-30% for women under 35. The company’s microfluidic device is the first of its kind designed for use in any IVF cycle, improving embryo culture by reducing repetitive handling and subjective selection, and increasing both the quality and number of viable embryos. Early results show a 10-15% improvement in embryo quality and quantity, significantly enhancing the chances of pregnancy.

Founded in 2018 by Professors Virginia Pensabene and Helen Picton, IVFmicro brings together expertise in microfluidics, reproductive biology and embryology. The company recently participated in the NG Studios life sciences programme, delivered by KQ Labs, the Francis Crick Institute and Northern Gritstone.

The Mishcon de Reya team drew upon experts in university spin out transactions from the firm’s Corporate, Innovation and Employment departments.

Emma O'Rourke, Corporate Associate, commented:

"We are thrilled to have supported IVFmicro on this major fundraising step and are proud to be associated with such a significant device and truly inspiring female founders. We're excited to be on the journey and are looking forward to continuing to work with Virginia and Helen as the business grows and develops."

“The team in Mishcon is very responsive, insightful and very experienced in all topics relevant to a technology business. We have interacted with multiple firms in the past the quality of service is excellent and beyond market expectations.”

Legal 500, 2025