Ascension Ventures, the London-based investment firm, re cent funding round will see the addition of 14 new Venture Partners. The group strengthens Ascension’s core belief in entrepreneurs investing in entrepreneurs, bringing in active UK and US investors with a number of them already successfully-exited entrepreneurs. Ascension’s bolstered experience in early stage investments and deep sector knowledge will increase deal-flow and support portfolio companies as they develop and scale in the UK and beyond.

HBAN plans to recruit 50 new female business angel investors over the next three years.  HBAN will run a series of events to encourage more female investors to invest in ambitious start-ups based on the island of Ireland seeking to expand internationally. The new female investors will bring a combined €10 million of new business angel funds.

Giles Andrews OBE, co-founder of Zopa, the world’s first marketplace lender, will join Dynamic Credit as Chairman of their Supervisory Board, subject to regulatory approval. The Board will have three members and serves to strengthen the corporate governance of Dynamic Credit Group (DCG), which comprises of the asset manager and direct lender Dynamic Credit and the investor servicing platform LoanClear.

Maven Capital Partners has further expanded its investment team with the appointment of Gareth Price. Joining as an investment director, Gareth is responsible for sourcing VCT opportunities, investments for Maven’s MBO fund, and its private equity co-investor partner network in the South West, as well as managing portfolio investments in the region.

LNC Therapeutics, a French biotech company specializing in gut microbiome-based drug discovery, has expanded its Board of Directors, 

The British Business Bank has appointed Geoff Whiteland to a new position as UK Network Director, North of England and the Midlands.

NVM Private Equity has strengthened its  investment team with the recruitment of Sam Sinclair, Ishaan Chilkoti, Charlotte Clarke and Carmine Circelli.  NVM is building a dedicated and focused VCT team to develop the business in a changed environment by bringing in people with experience in new, fast-emerging technology, finance and life science sectors.

Sam joins NVM as Talent Director and has over 10 years’ experience in executive search, assessment and advisory experience in the technology markets. NVM believes that access to the right people and expertise can make all the difference when it comes to scaling a business and Sam’s primary remit will be to build, develop and evolve NVM’s network of board directors and advisors whilst working closely with NVM’s portfolio businesses.

Kuber Ventures, the alternative investment platform specialising in EIS and SEIS, has announced the appointment of a new Head of Client Services to continue to drive the platform’s fast-paced expansion. Anne Butler, a former Associate Director of Fidelity International has joined the senior management team to lead on all elements of client services as the company adapts to an increasing demand for tax efficient investment products.

Strategic land investment platform Intro Crowd is pleased to welcome a new member to their board of directors this week.

Market Gravity, the proposition design consultancy, hosted its ninth annual Corporate Entrepreneur Awards on Thursday 22^nd November at the Design Museum London, celebrating big business innovation and recognising the individuals and teams behind it.

Mercia backed price management and optimisation company, BlackCurve, has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of software entrepreneur Martin Fincham as Chairman and Chee Wong, the former COO of Shazam, as Technical Advisor.

This follows a £500,000 investment from Mercia Fund Managers and software entrepreneur and investor, Nick Kingsbury, earlier this year. Since raising the seed round, BlackCurve has continued to bolster its team, expand its client base and make strong progress building out its product, including key integrations with BigCommerce, Magento and Shopify.

Experience and interact with the latest developments in robotics technology at this year's VCT & EIS Investor Forum on the 30th November in London.  At our 'Invested Investor EXPO' at the Forum we will be showcasing six companies, backed by specialists robotics investors Britbots, who are at the forefront of the UKs robotics sector.