Manchester cybersecurity startup Strand Intelligence secures £1m seed funding

Automating digital forensics and incident response is the core focus of Strand Intelligence Ltd, which has just closed an estimated £1m seed funding round. The Manchester-based company filed the details of the investment on May 5, 2026, following an allotment of shares that took place on April 26, 2026.

Strand Intelligence provides an AI-powered software-as-a-service platform that automates the investigation of cybersecurity incidents such as ransomware and email compromise. The platform is designed for use by Managed Service Providers (MSPs), IT teams, and enterprise security departments. It offers tools for automated evidence gathering, one-click remediation, threat containment, and the production of compliance-ready reports.

According to the company, the platform can reduce the operational effort involved in breach response by over 90 percent. By providing automated timeline construction and investigation capabilities, the software aims to help mid-market organizations and MSSPs respond to security breaches faster and at a lower cost, reducing the reliance on outsourced forensic services. The platform was developed in collaboration with professional incident responders to ensure the automated workflows meet the practical needs of security teams.

The company was incorporated on June 9, 2025, and is headquartered in Manchester. It currently lists a headcount of two employees. Despite its recent entry into the market, Strand Intelligence was named a finalist for the 2025 CRN Channel Cloud Excellence awards.

This seed round represents the first recorded funding for the startup. The estimated £1000k investment follows the company's first year of operations. While specific revenue figures and total asset values are not yet available due to the early stage of the business, the capital is directed toward a platform built specifically for the mid-market, where organizations often lack the internal resources to conduct deep digital forensics.

The software facilitates the entire lifecycle of a digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) case. This includes the initial gathering of evidence from compromised systems, the analysis of that data to determine the root cause of an incident, and the subsequent remediation steps required to secure the environment. The reporting feature is built to meet regulatory requirements, providing a documented trail of the investigation and the actions taken. Strand Intelligence allows these teams to manage security incidents and client breaches through a centralized automated system.