Sheffield-based startup Sitehop has raised £7.5 million in fresh funding led by Northern Gritstone, bringing its total to £13.5 million. Existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners, Manta Ray, Mercia Ventures and NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia as part of the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), also joined the round.
With this investment, the company plans to accelerate international expansion while keeping the UK at the forefront of its cybersecurity innovation.
Redefines encryption
Cyberattacks are now a global business risk, with the potential to disrupt critical infrastructure and wipe out data integrity. Current software encryption adds latency, delays that clog data flow across high-traffic networks. Sitehop’s innovation tackles this issue through its SAFEseries system, which performs encryption at the hardware level.
The result is ultra-low latency and high-speed data protection suitable for demanding sectors like telecoms, finance, and national infrastructure. Tests show that Sitehop’s hardware encryption operates at full performance even under heavy load, using just one-tenth of the energy consumed by traditional systems.
This balance between speed, security, and sustainability makes the company’s technology stand out. In an age when both cyber resilience and energy efficiency are boardroom priorities, Sitehop’s approach could redefine how enterprises protect their digital networks without slowing them down.
Sheffield roots, global ambitions
Founded by Melissa Chambers and Ben Harper, Sitehop draws strength from both entrepreneurial and deep technical expertise. Chambers, a veteran in telecoms innovation, teamed up with Harper, one of the world’s top FPGA and cryptography experts, to rethink how encryption can evolve beyond software limits.
Sitehop is developing UK sovereign encryption technology that protects networks before these next-generation threats emerge. Its hardware-based approach marks a major shift from traditional software encryption, which slows systems and consumes more energy. By embedding encryption directly into hardware, the company promises quantum-resilient security that’s faster, leaner, and far more efficient.
Their work is already attracting major partners. Sitehop recently collaborated with BT, completing a proof-of-concept trial at BT’s Gemini test facility, a replica of its live network and one of Europe’s most advanced telecoms environments. Impressively, Sitehop became the first external company granted access to this facility, signaling BT’s confidence in its technology. The startup’s solution is now live with a tier-one carrier across five countries, demonstrating commercial traction beyond the lab.
What’s next?
As the race to secure digital networks against quantum-era threats intensifies, Sitehop stands out as a British startup building practical, high-performance defences for the world’s most connected systems. Its mission to future-proof data security without compromising speed or sustainability places it firmly at the forefront of the next generation of cybersecurity innovation.
Melissa Chambers, Co-founder and CEO, Sitehop, said: “Sitehop is proving the critical need for future-proof encryption, demonstrated by our early customer traction globally. As a Sheffield-founded company, this investment from Northern Gritstone supports our mission to grow and scale in the region and build world-leading sovereign encryption capability right here in the UK – meaning we can accelerate international expansion while keeping the UK at the forefront of world-class cybersecurity innovation.”
Ben Harper, Co-founder and CTO, Sitehop, said: “Our mission has always been to deliver world-class security that is ultra-low latency, hardware-enforced, and resilient against future threats like quantum computing. Partnering with Northern Gritstone enables us to accelerate our mission while strengthening the UK’s sovereign capability in critical network security. Their ‘profit with purpose’ ethos resonates strongly with us, creating technology that not only drives global growth but also delivers lasting social and economic value.”
Duncan Johnson, CEO, Northern Gritstone, said: “Our focus is always on ‘profit with purpose’, helping to support visionary companies with strong intellectual property to grow out of the North of England. Sitehop is an example of the incredible deep tech innovation coming out of Sheffield’s innovation cluster, providing game-changing technology to support businesses in future-proofing their cybersecurity protection. We’re delighted to be backing Melissa and Ben in an area as important as cryptography.”
Nick Kingsbury, Partner, Amadeus Capital Partners, said: “As data volumes and cyber threats grow, the need for the ultra-high throughput and low latency that Sitehop delivers means that the company is seeing strong demand from customers in many sectors. This funding gives the company the ability to deliver on that demand.”
Chris Borrett, Mercia Ventures, said: “Melissa and Ben have addressed a problem that even the biggest tech companies have failed to solve. We believe Sitehop is poised to become a major UK success story, and we are excited to partner with them on this journey.” NPIF and Mercia first invested in Sitehop in 2022.
Debbie Sorby, Senior Manager at British Business Bank, said: “Eight years on from the launch of the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, we continue to see the remarkable impact businesses are making on the Northern economy. The Fund was designed to support innovative companies across the region, helping them to grow and thrive. Sitehop is a standout example of this success, now one of the UK’s leading technology businesses.”
