Jack & Bry, a producer of plant-based meat alternatives, has secured £1.25 million in seed funding.  The round was led by SFC Capital, with other backers including KM Capital, Rubix Ventures, and a number of high net worth private investors. The investment comes at a time of rapid growth for Jack & Bry, and follows the recent appointment of FMCG industry veterans including former Quorn chairman Clive Sharpe and Singha Europe MD David Flower to the management team. The funding will support further product innovation as the jackfruit pioneer targets more big-name customer acquisitions. AI to help develop more jackfruit products that closely mimic the texture of meat using its proprietary manufacturing process.

SujiBFR, a health and fitness startup based in Edinburgh, has received a six-figure investment to support the development of a smart fitness device that can dramatically reduce pain and increase muscle strength during exercise. The technology, named Suji Device, improves muscular performance and offers a solution to fitness enthusiasts and elite athletes who experience pain when exercising or playing sport.

Based on blood flow restriction (BFR) training principles, the AI-powered device utilises low-intensity and bodyweight exercise to offer the same training benefits achieved with high-intensity weight training.

A Bristol-based technology business which manages household bills for students has received vital early-stage investment from Bristol Private Equity Club (BPEC).  Easy Student Living was set up by Elliott Herrod-Taylor in 2017, during his second year at the University of Leeds.

British Business Investments, a commercial subsidiary of the British Business Bank, has announced a £10m commitment to Cambridge-based venture capitalist Syndicate Room.  The £10m commitment from British Business Investments’ Regional Angels Programme will be invested by Syndicate Room, which is one of the most active early stage investors in the UK. Over the five-year investment period, Syndicate Room plans to target a minimum of 250 investments, supporting the Regional Angels Programme’s objective to address regional imbalances and diversify the availability of angel finance.

ACF Investors (formerly the Angel CoFund) has launched the Delta Fund, a fast-track investment fund that provides equity or convertible loans to UK businesses that have been backed by a syndicate of angel investors with deep sector knowledge. The new funding model allows ACF Investors to provide high-potential businesses with access to larger sums of capital, faster.

Quirk, a consumer fintech startup that uses unique personality testing to deliver tailored financial advice to young professionals, has raised £300,000 in pre-seed funding from SFC Capital and angel investors. Quirk will use the funding to grow its team, expand its product offering, and fuel its broader mission to build financial freedom for everyone. 

Subsea technology firm, Rovco, has completed a £3.9 million Series A investment from Foresight group via the Foresight Williams Technology EIS Fund and Foresight VCTs. The investment was part of a larger round totalling £5 million which included funds from existing shareholders including Green Angel Syndicate. 

The funds will be used to support its international expansion and Rovco’s continued development of its state-of-the-art 3D Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence subsea technology.

Skyqraft, an AI-driven powerline inspection solution-provider from Sweden, has raised $2.2 million in seed funding. The latest fundraise was led by Subvenio Invest, and also include participation from Antler, Next Human Ventures and selected angel investors. The company is on a mission to become the leading powerline issue detection system globally enabling its customers to conduct smarter and safer powerline inspections in a more cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable way.

A group of successful Bristol-based entrepreneurs has invested £192,500 into a research and development project in the city that is searching for faster diagnosis and treatment of Sepsis, which is the number one cause of death worldwide.  Sixteen members of Bristol Private Equity Club have backed GenomeKey, which is carrying out the pioneering research programme in Bristol. The investment will enable GenomeKey to leverage additional grant funding.

RevGlue, a platform that enables affiliates and online publishers to easily monetise their websites, blogs, mobile apps and social channels, has secured investment of £300k from GC Angels and Admitad to scale up its sales and marketing activity in the UK.

Nick Lyth is Founder and Director of Green Angel Syndicate, the only angel investment syndicate in the UK specialising in the fight against Climate Change and Global Warming. 

In an unprecedented crisis never apparently experienced before, as Climate Change, is it possible to learn lessons from history?

We are considering Climate Change with no sense of previous experience to guide us. There is an explicit demonstration of this in all the language used. "Never before", "existential", "extinction" are all words appearing in accounts of the problem. The scale of the challenge is considered to be unique.

Investors are looking for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs are looking for investors, but it is not just a case of putting the two parties together.  The fit needs to be right and the relationship needs to last – and be a positive experience for both sides.