Angel CoFund backed energy technology company Limejump is to be acquired by Shell*.  With this deal Limejump’s technology and management team will enable both companies to continue to take steps to support the UK energy system’s transition to a lower carbon future.  Upon completion Limejump will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell.

Aston University and University of Birmingham Enterprise have teamed up with Minerva, one of the UK’s largest traditional angel investor networks, to expand the funding opportunities available to start-up businesses in the West Midlands by launching a network of ‘business angels with insight’ for Birmingham. 

Minerva Business Angels is part of the University of Warwick Science Park. The new Minerva Birmingham network will meet regularly at Aston University to provide access to investment for innovative businesses in the region looking to grow.  University of Birmingham Enterprise will provide pitch training and mentoring for those local businesses seeking investment from the network, while Minerva will contribute its tried-and-tested angel investment model.

FLOWERBX, the online, wholesale, flower-delivery service, has announced it has closed a £4.2m ($5.5m US) fundraising round. The new funding will pave the way for the company’s US launch, scheduled for May 2019.

Gradtouch, a Manchester Based job matching business, has received a funding boost of £150K from GC Angels, the angel investment arm of the Growth Company.

Angel-backed peer-to-peer tasking app Pinga has announced its expansion across Central London, following a successful launch in Hackney last year. 

Investors have pumped £300,000 into the company behind operations and issue management software used at golf’s Ryder Cup and athletics’ European Championships.

The funding for Glasgow-based Raven Controls is coming from business angels David Fletcher, Malcolm Jones and Clark Wilson.

The cash will be used to create up to five jobs at the company, adding to the teams in house development capability in addition to growing Raven’s sales and marketing.

Two tech entrepreneurs aim to transform cybersecurity with a new software platform that allows businesses to monitor the whole of their cybersecurity from one easy-to-use dashboard.

Angel-backed company PBD Biotech has had its novel Actiphage® testing technology named as the winner of the Royal Dairy Innovation Award at Dairy-Tech 2019.

The Royal Dairy Innovation trophy and certificate are awarded for research and development in the field of dairy farming. With the award going to the most practical, relevant product, which is likely to be the most significant innovation for the future of dairying.

Acceleris Capital investment Redag Crop Protection Ltd, a UK agrochemical discovery company, has sold its discovery and early development division to Globachem NV, retaining the lead assets for continued development to commercialisation.

With this new acquisition, Globachem continues its already fast-growing development. Globachem Discovery Ltd, the new name of the acquired company, will enhance and strengthen Globachem Group capabilities in Research and Development.

The partial sale will allow Redag to focus on the development of the two lead assets, a broad spectrum herbicide and a potato blight fungicide with a view to licensing them once further field trials and data packages have been created.

HBAN plans to recruit 75 new business angels in 2019. The new investors will have a combined total of at least €15 million available to invest in start-ups based in the island of Ireland.

The recruitment drive will begin at HBAN’s All-Island Business Angels Conference which takes place on Thursday, 14th February, in Powerscourt Hotel, Co. Wicklow. This year’s conference will focus on diversity and how a varied investment portfolio yields better returns for angel investors. A number of prominent Irish and international entrepreneurs and angel investors will be speaking at the event.

Helena Murphy, founder of Raising Partners, comments on the recent British Business Bank report which highlights the fundraising challenges faced by female entrepreneurs and shares her tips on how female founders can access the funding they need. 

'It is a great honour to announce that H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, President of Croatia, will be attending the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) 2019 World Congress of Angel Investors with a strong delegation.