We’re proud to announce that Sitehop has raised an additional £7.5 million, led by Northern Gritstone, bringing our total funding to £13.5 million. The round also included continued support from our existing investors, Amadeus Capital Partners, Manta Ray, Mercia Ventures, and NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, managed by Mercia as part of the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).

Building UK Sovereign Encryption for a Quantum Future

As cyberattacks grow in scale and sophistication, the risk of quantum-enabled breaches becomes more urgent. Today’s software-based encryption methods create latency and slow data transfers, a critical weakness in performance-sensitive networks.

At Sitehop, we’re solving this with our SAFEseries™ system, which performs encryption in hardware rather than software. This approach enables ultra-low latency, quantum-resilient security, and up to 90% lower energy use compared with conventional systems.

Even in the most demanding environments, like telecoms, our hardware encryption delivers high-speed performance with near-zero impact on network efficiency.

Proven and Trusted by Industry Leaders

Founded in Sheffield by Melissa Chambers (CEO) and Ben Harper (CTO), Sitehop is already working with major partners including BT.

We recently completed a successful proof-of-concept trial at BT’s Gemini test facility, a replica of BT’s live network and one of Europe’s most advanced telecoms testing environments. Sitehop is also the first external company ever granted access to Gemini, a facility typically reserved for BT’s internal development teams.

Our technology is now live with a tier-one carrier across five countries, proving its scalability and reliability in real-world deployments.

Strengthening the UK’s Sovereign Capability

“Sitehop is proving the critical need for future-proof encryption, demonstrated by our early customer traction globally,” said Melissa Chambers, Co-founder and CEO. “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, accelerating international expansion while keeping the UK at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation.”

“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,” added Ben Harper, Co-founder and CTO. “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 drives global growth and delivers lasting social and economic value.”

Backed by Leading Deeptech Investors

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.”

Why Secure Network Performance Defines Customer Loyalty

The modern digital economy runs on trust. Whether you’re streaming an encrypted video call or executing high-value transactions, the expectation is simple: fast, seamless, and secure connectivity, all at once. But behind the scenes, telcos are often wrestling with an invisible enemy, the performance trade-offs introduced by encryption.

When Encryption Becomes a Bottleneck

As mobile data volumes surge, end-to-end encryption protocols like IPsec have become non-negotiable. They’re the backbone of privacy, compliance, and cyber resilience for telcos and their customers. But encrypting every packet of data takes a heavy toll on legacy security gateways. These older systems struggle to process high volumes of small packets, the kind that dominate real-time traffic like Zoom calls, VoIP, and financial transactions. The result?

• Packet loss, leading to frozen video streams and dropped calls
• Latency spikes, which cause time-sensitive applications to stutter or fail
• Jitter and retransmissions, degrading user experiences and increasing operational costs

For enterprises and consumers alike, these issues are more than technical nuisances. They erode confidence and trust in a brand. A single failed video pitch, delayed payment, or slow market trading insight can be the difference between success and failure.

The Loyalty Factor

In today’s always-on world, secure network performance is a customer loyalty and business growth driver. A recent shift in business and consumer behaviour shows that connectivity issues, especially on encrypted services, are among the top reasons for switching providers. People are highly intolerant of downtime or lag, particularly when sensitive data is at stake.

Telcos now face a simple but daunting equation, can they deliver high-speed, low-latency services without compromising on encryption strength? Those that can’t, will see customers migrate to competitors that can.

A Call to Modernize

The pressure is on telcos to overhaul their mobile-to-fixed network edge. Modern, high-throughput solutions are capable of handling encryption at speed, ensuring:

• Zero compromise on data security
• Consistent performance for real-time apps
• Smoother digital experiences that build trust

The outcome?  Video calls that don’t stutter, transactions that complete instantly, and information at someone’s fingertips at high speed. For businesses, it means operational resilience and fewer headaches. For telcos, it means retaining customers in an era where loyalty is earned by securing performance, not just providing it.

To find out more, request our Telco focused white paper: info@sitehop.com

Sitehop. Engineered for speed.
Built for the future.

Or call us on: +44 (0)114 478 2366

Data is moving faster and in greater volumes than ever before, and the demands on network infrastructure are at an all-time high. AI is fuelling an explosion of data, while cyber threats grow more sophisticated by the day.

By 2025, global data creation is expected to reach 181 zettabytes, up from just 64.2 zettabytes in 2020 (IDC). With AI-driven traffic growing at a staggering rate, AI workloads alone will account for a significant share. Meanwhile, cyber threats continue to escalate, with ransomware attacks increasing and quantum computing threats fast approaching.

The problem? The very encryption designed to protect this data is now slowing networks down.

Four Trends Reshaping Network Speed & Security

1. AI’s Data Surge – AI models need to process enormous datasets in real time, putting unprecedented pressure on networks, so without high-speed, high-security infrastructure, AI-driven services will struggle with delays, bottlenecks, and security vulnerabilities.
2. Rising Global Cyber Threats – Ransomware, state-sponsored attacks, and cyber espionage are more sophisticated than ever, which means stronger encryption is crucial to safeguarding sensitive data, but traditional methods can slow down network performance.
3. The Race to Quantum-Safe Security – Quantum computing will render many encryption standards obsolete, requiring new cryptographic approaches. Organizations that don’t prepare now risk being exposed to “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, where encrypted data is stolen today and cracked once quantum technology matures.
4. Demand for Low-Latency Applications – Real-time financial transactions, 5G networks, and remote collaboration all require sub-millisecond latency. Legacy encryption solutions add too much processing overhead, making them unsuitable for modern low-latency use cases.

The Trade-Off Nobody Talks About

Right now, many network operators, cloud providers, and data centres are being forced to choose between encryption and speed. The more robust the encryption, the slower the network. To maintain throughput, security risks being dialled back, exposing critical data in motion to risk.

Key problems and solutions

1. AI-driven data growth is pushing networks to their limits.
   Invest in high-performance infrastructure that can scale with AI-driven demands. Harness advanced encryption solutions designed to keep up with the demands of high-speed, high-volume data transmission.

2. Encryption is slowing networks down, forcing compromises on security.
   Stop choosing between speed and security, demand solutions that deliver both.
   Plan for hardware-based encryption that secures data in motion without impacting network performance.

3. The post-quantum era will demand even more computing power.
   Start PQC migration planning now to future-proof your network. PQC-ready encryption that ensures long-term security without disrupting existing infrastructure.
4. Speed and security must go hand in hand, not compete.
   Prioritize solutions that eliminate trade-offs, rather than accepting performance losses. Engage partners with purpose-built encryption technology that accelerates security without adding latency.
5. Hardware-first encryption is the only way to achieve both.
   It’s time to move away from software-based encryption that slows data transmission down. Dedicated encryption hardware that delivers scalable, high-speed protection for evolving network demands is a must have.

The Future of Network Security Starts Now

The AI-driven data explosion, rising cyber risks, and PQC demands aren’t future problems, they’re here today. Don’t let security be the bottleneck that holds your business back. With the right encryption approach, you can secure your network at speed. Are you ready?

Sitehop. Engineered for speed. Built for the future.