Parkwalk’s Northern Universities Venture Fund makes first two investments

The Northern Universities Venture Fund (NUVF), managed by Parkwalk in collaboration with Northern Gritstone, backs high‑potential spinouts emerging from research-intensive universities across the North of England. The fund supports founders at the earliest stages, helping them translate innovative science and technology into solutions with real‑world impact.

NUVF’s first two investments are now complete: IVFmicro, a University of Leeds spinout improving IVF success rates, and Cytotrait, a biotechnology company from The University of Manchester developing next‑generation crop traits.

IVFmicro raises £3.5m to improve IVF success rates

IVFmicro, a University of Leeds spinout enhancing the success rate of IVF treatment by improving the quality and number of embryos in a cycle, has raised £3.5m in pre‑seed funding. The round was led by Northern Gritstone, with support from the Innovate UK Investor Partnerships Programme, and will fund IVFmicro’s next verification and validation phase ahead of trials on human embryos in fertility clinics.

Globally, 1 in 6 couples experience fertility challenges, yet IVF success rates remain low, with only 25–30% succeeding in women under 35. Current embryo culture processes involve repetitive handling, subjective embryo selection, and reliance on highly skilled operators — all contributing to inefficiencies and high costs.

IVFmicro offers the first microfluidic device that can be used in any IVF cycle, improving both the number of viable embryos and the likelihood of implantation. The team’s precision‑engineered solution delivers a 10–15% improvement in embryo quality and quantity.

The company was founded in 2018 by Professors Virginia Pensabene and Helen Picton from the University of Leeds, combining expertise in microfluidics, reproductive biology and embryology. IVFmicro recently participated in the NG Studios life sciences programme, delivered by KQ Labs, the Francis Crick Institute and Northern Gritstone.

Cytotrait secures £3m seed round to advance next‑generation crop traits

Cytotrait, a biotechnology spinout from The University of Manchester, has closed a £3m seed round — the first investment for NUVF. The investment was led by Northern Gritstone, with contributions from the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S, managed by Future Planet Capital) and NUVF.

The funding will accelerate development of Cytotrait’s proprietary Mutant Organelle Selection System (MOSS), which is designed to overcome longstanding hurdles in crop engineering. Unlike conventional methods, MOSS rapidly achieves homoplasmy by delivering genes and gene edits into chloroplasts and mitochondria, enabling consistent genetic changes across every organelle in a cell or plant. This supports more precise trait expression, reduced transgene phytotoxicity, easier backcrossing and trait stacking, efficient containment and a clearer regulatory pathway.

Cytotrait will now build on strong early data to launch new development programmes in wheat, maize, potato and canola across European and North American markets. These efforts will explore applications including improved yield and resilience, valuable new food traits and the potential to support more sustainable farming practices through enhanced carbon sequestration.

The company was previously awarded £498k from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) for hybrid seed development in wheat. Cytotrait was spun out with support from the University of Manchester Innovation Factory.

Taken together, these first two investments demonstrate the depth of innovation within the region’s universities and the role NUVF can play in helping founders turn world‑class research into practical solutions with real impact.