The winners of the 17^th annual Investor Allstars Awards were revealed last Thursday, at an awards ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane, London.

The Awards brought together those instrumental in shaping Europe’s tech landscape – the entrepreneurs, investors, and advisers that have driven the exceptional growth of the European digital economy in the past year.

Vertical Future, a London-based food technology company, announced the completion of its Seed Round, raising £4m of equity finance, with further investment expected in the coming months. 

Grown in the capital and delivered by bicycle and electric van, the company uses technology to produce high-quality, ethical food (primarily baby leaf vegetables and herbs), in controlled environments. They also develop efficient and sustainable methods of food production and supply systems, with a long-term commitment to improving health and reducing CO2 emissions in cities.

Foresight Group LLP has announced a further £749k equity investment into Footfalls and Heartbeats Limited through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), leading a £1.5m round with additional backing from the University of Nottingham and several new and existing High Net Worth Investors.

The independent Iberian alternative assets manager GED Capital has taken a further step in the development of its multi-product strategy with the launch of its maiden venture capital fund Conexo Ventures. This new activity of GED Capital in the venture capital segment adds to the already existing strategies of the GP in private equity and infrastructure. With a target size of 40 million euros, Conexo Ventures will make around 20 investments, of which around 50% will be follow-up investments.

An entrepreneur who set out to help save struggling high streets has raised £325,000 to deliver his idea.  Chris Reed has secured investment from the North East Venture Fund (NEVF), which is supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Mercia, and former TV ‘dragon’ Jenny Campbell.

DeckSender.com, the startup platform that aims to democratize access to investment announces it’s 1 year Beta stage completion and some seriously interesting numbers.

Maven Capital Partners, one of the UK’s most active private equity houses, has led the £12 million investment in LIMA Networks Ltd and Data Centre UK Ltd (LIMA Group), a Managed Services, Hybrid Cloud and Data Centre solutions provider.  Established in 1997 and located in Salford, LIMA Group is a leading technology services and infrastructure solutions provider. With a team of highly experienced technical consultants, LIMA specialises in designing and implementing intelligent IT infrastructure solutions across a wide range of sectors and industries, from SMEs to enterprise level and public sector organisations.

Keensight Capital, one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout[1] investments, replaces CAPZA as majority stakeholder of Geodesial, a leading developer and distributor of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) software for infrastructure.

eFront, the leading financial software and solutions provider dedicated to Alternative Investments, has published its latest annual Global Private Equity Performance Series, which shows that, despite political and economic uncertainty created by Brexit, the UK improved its already attractive risk-return profile for private equity investors. 

QVentures, manager of 29PP Pre-Seed Fund, has led the funding round in Rosecut Technologies, a digital wealthmanager. Founded by Qiaojia Li, a former Coutts and Credit Suisse private banker, and Gustavo Silva, an experienced entrepreneur and machine learning specialist, Rosecut creates bespoke investment solutions that combine artificial intelligence with top-tier human advice.

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund Debt Finance, managed by Maven Capital Partners, has provided Lincolnshire-based, Jepco, with a £900,000 funding package, which will enable the horticulture firm to acquire the hydroponic technology and equipment needed to expand production all year round. The finance package will also create 14 new jobs in the region. This is the second MEIF loan made to the Jepco Group.

Growth and funding ambitions have strengthened amongst SMEs over the course of 2019, according to the latest report by Independent Growth Finance (IGF), the leading independent asset based lender. Almost three quarters (73%) expect to see their revenues climb in the next 12 months, compared to 69 percent at the start of the year. Of those seeking to raise funds to support growth, the average amount has also increased by 22 percent – or £250,000.

Despite a turbulent year, IGF’s Powering Freedom Report finds that British businesses turning over between £1 million and £500 million are determined to secure a brighter future. Little has proved effective in reducing Brexit concerns amongst SMEs – up from 90% to 93% since January. Yet, new findings suggest investment is high on the agenda for 2020.