Manchester-based PEAK:AIO, a data infrastructure pioneer in AI-first data acceleration, said it raised over $6.8 million in Seed Round funding led by Pembroke VCT with a $5 million investment, with participation from Praetura Ventures and “a Silicon Valley investor.”
PEAK:AIO calls itself a “software-first infrastructure company delivering next-generation AI data solutions.”
The Manchester firm said it will use this funding to continue investing in AI to grow its solution for the data storage sector and further expand its global presence.
“Every major technology wave exposes bottlenecks that hold back progress,” said Fred Ursell, Head of Investments at Pembroke Investment Managers.
“In AI, that bottleneck is storage – GPUs sit idle while data crawls in. PEAK:AIO has built a solution from first principles that flips this equation, unlocking the full potential of AI infrastructure.
“With a team that has repeatedly scaled and exited category-defining businesses, and early validation from some of the most complex customers in the world, we believe PEAK:AIO is positioned to be a critical enabler of the AI revolution.”
Louise Chapman, NPIF II Fund Principal at Praetura Ventures, which is merging with Par Equity to form PXN Group, said: “Our NPIF II investment into PEAK:AIO comes at a very opportune time for the AI sector, with Google, Microsoft and Nvidia all announcing plans to invest tens of billions into the UK.
“Going forward, this news will create even bigger opportunities for companies such as PEAK:AIO, which has already been enjoying impressive traction to date – both in the UK and on a global scale. We’re now looking forward to being part of the company’s next chapter and supporting the team.”
Mark Klarzynski, Co-Founder and CSO of PEAK:AIO, said: “We’ve already proven what true AI-first infrastructure can achieve; now we’re scaling that vision. This funding fuels the next phase of PEAK:AIO: open, high-performance, and built to outpace legacy at every level.
“Our upcoming designs are engineered to set a new standard, one that legacy systems simply weren’t built to reach.”
Roger Cummings, President and CEO of PEAK:AIO, said: “Today, we are proud to see leading organizations turn to PEAK:AIO to eliminate bottlenecks and unlock the full potential of their AI pipelines.
“With the support of our partners and investors, we are accelerating toward a future where data infrastructure is no longer a constraint, but a competitive advantage.”