The first half of 2017 saw a record amount invested into UK high-growth businesses, despite deal numbers failing to recover from last year’s slump.

Key findings from the last six months:

• 74.7% increase in amount invested compared to H2 2016, to a record £3.03bn.
• Two of the three largest deals on record, involving virtual reality firm Improbable (£389m) and e-commerce site FarFetch (£313m).
• The number of deals involving non-UK funds rose 26.7% from the previous quarter.
• Deal numbers are down 3.54% compared to H1 2016.
• Later stage companies saw a 7.6% decline in deal numbers from the previous half.
• Deal numbers from crowdfunding platforms were up slightly (2.6%) from H2 2016, but have fallen by 18% in the last three months.

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SMEs in Britain are increasingly concerned over their ability to gain funding in the run up to Brexit, a recent survey has revealed. The study, commissioned by specialist insurer Hiscox, has found that recent economic and political uncertainty has adversely affected business confidence, and caused concern for the future as Britain’s withdrawal from the EU becomes nearer. https://www.hiscox.co.uk/business-blog/finding-the-funds-how-british-businesses-did-it/

An overwhelming majority (74 percent) of institutional and family office investors expect to allocate capital into a venture capital (VC) fund in the next two years, according to a new survey from Ariadne Capital.

Asset Match has surveyed 1,100 UK investors to uncover their sentiments towards British businesses and the private sector’s capabilities amidst the onset of Brexit and the formation of a Conservative minority Government. 

• UK investors rally behind post-Brexit business, but have NO faith in Theresa May and the DUP
• 57% of UK investors are backing SMEs as the champions of the nation’s post-Brexit economy
• But a staggering 59% have dwindling faith in the weakened Government’s ability to support the growth of the private sector

The investment company sector has experienced a strong first half of 2017. Industry assets reached an all-time high of £167.9bn at the end of May 2017. Secondary issuance by AIC members reached £3.3bn, a record level over a half-year period and a significant increase compared to £1.8bn over the same period last year. 

European venture capital fundraising last year hit €6.4 billion — the highest level since 2007 — according to a report launched today by Invest Europe. Nearly 10% of this capital was from North American institutional investors, as Europe’s growing economies, thriving investment ecosystem and the unprecedented rise of its tech industry make it an attractive investment destination, reveals the association’s new publication, The Acceleration Point: Why Now is the Time for European Venture Capital. 

VCs have woken up and smelt the robo-coffee. A bottom up estimate* shows close to $2bn in VC investments for 2016, up from approximately $1.3bn in 2015. Yet clearly this is still a relatively 'young' space, in that there are as yet not many mega-exits, and the amounts invested still pale in comparison to the digital tech/mobile space. It is not yet clear to investors what may be the winning 'formula' that would enable a scale-up of investment flows in the robotics space.

* The Robot Report 2017

The Invest Europe Yearbook - 2016 European Private Equity Activity - is the most comprehensive source for European private equity fundraising, investment and divestment data. With data on more than 1,200 European private equity firms, the 2016 statistics cover 88% of the €600bn capital under management on the European market.

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European Buy & Build activity reaches highest level on record in 201

• Silverfleet’s 2016 Buy & Build Monitor reported 537 add-ons, making 2016 a record year for European add-on activity
• The UK & Ireland region was once again the most popular for add-ons with 111 transactions in the year
• The Nordic region saw a 40% year-on-year increase in add-ons, driven by Sweden and Denmark
• Average deal values increased by 74% vs. 2015
• Add-on activity outside of Europe dipped slightly year-on-year 

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July 2017

EBAN has published the 2016 edition of its annual review of co-investment funds operating with business angels in Europe. The publication focuses on co-investment funds, includes an overview of the different types of existing funds country by country, and a brief presentation of the main characteristics of some selected funds in Europe.

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EBAN presents the latest edition of its annual mapping of fiscal incentives available to business angels in Europe in 2016. EBAN, the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds, and other Early Stage Market Players, joined efforts with BOFIDI this year to develop its annual publication.

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Despite fears that the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics into the workforce will usurp jobs, 85 percent of tech experts believe they will have a positive effect on the UK economy within the next five years, according to research from Silicon Valley Bank.