Dataseat, a London-based tech startup, helping mobile app advertisers to manage programmatic media buying in-house, has launched with its first seed round of funding of £1.75m through Play Ventures, Backed.vc and SAATCHiNVEST. The impressive funding syndicate also includes angel investors, ex Criteo, Eric Eichmann (CEO) and Jonathan Wolf (CPO).

eFront, the leading financial software and solutions provider dedicated to Alternative Investments, has published its latest Quarterly Private Equity Performance report, showing that venture capital funds globally reached their best ever performance in Q2 2019, surpassing the previous high recorded one year earlier. 

Dazzle, the automated conversation platform, has closed its first seed funding round raising £2.3m from global corporates, government accelerators and individuals including Telefonica and Finance Birmingham.

BookingLive has secured £1.31 million in new investment from Blackfinch Ventures and the Development Bank of Wales. The funding will help BookingLive with its plans to more than double revenues during 2020, and coincides with a decision to relocate the company headquarters to Cardiff.

Founded by CEO Vinnie Morgan in 2014, BookingLive provides online booking and reservation software to over 700 private and public sector customers. Its Enterprise system clients including Microsoft, BMW, Universal Music Group, the BBC, CAPITA, The City of Westminster, and numerous other public sector agencies across the UK.

Maven Equity Finance, managed by Maven Capital Partners and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, has invested £250,000 in healthy snacking brand Real Handful Limited. The funding will allow the business to invest in product development as well as its sales and marketing activities to develop its commercial offering and expand its team, creating 14 new jobs in the Manchester region.

Clean energy solutions provider, Logan Energy, has secured £1 million investment from Kelvin Capital via their International collaboration with Henan Lanxing Power Equipment Co Ltd (Lanxing) to build on its hydrogen technology capabilities and develop operations in the Chinese market.

This joint venture with Lanxing will kick off in 2020 and will see Logan Energy perform similar business functions in China to its current hydrogen tech activities throughout the UK and Europe.

Work on the third phase of Glan yr Afon Industrial Estate in Aberystwyth has begun with confirmation of a commercial property loan for developers Ellis Development Company (Wales) Ltd  by the Development Bank of Wales.

Speaking on Monday 13 January 2020, Ken Skates, Minister for Economy and Transport welcomed the first investment from the £55 million Wales Commercial Property Fund managed by  the Development Bank of Wales.

Leading Global Tech Executive Duncan Tait FRSA is adding his remarkable global experience and connections to ScaleUp Group* the unique team of successful technology entrepreneurs (over £4Bn in exits) formed to #GrowGlobalChampions from the UK tech sector.

Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm, has appointed Roy Mani as a partner.  Roy has over 20 years’ experience as a private equity investor, 

BGF has invested in The Chemistry Group (TCG), the London-based disruptive HR consultancy.

TCG is a fast-growing talent strategy consultancy that increases the value of companies by improving the performance of their people.  Founded in 2003 by CEO Roger Philby on the belief that everybody should have the opportunity to be brilliant at work, the business partners with clients to understand their context and strategy, and to help business leaders answer the critical questions regarding their talent through data analytics, technology and behavioural science.

You & Mr Jones, the brandtech group founded by former Havas chief executive David Jones, has invested in ethical video startup Good-Loop. The UK-based firm has closed a US $1.6m seed funding round.

Great Point Media, the London-based media and investment group, has appointed Jamie Lowe as Head of Institutional Distribution. Lowe will oversee the structuring and launch of Great Point’s global institutional project finance fund which will look to invest in large-scale media projects and finance film and television programming globally. Lowe joined Great Point from The Ingenious Group where he was a board director and Head of Institutional distribution.