Crowdcube has helped fuel the growth of three out of 16 of the UK’s active unicorns - or 19% of the herd. The three are BrewDog, Revolut and Monzo. Harnessing their customer-facing brands, the craft beer, money transfer and challenger bank have built huge campaigns with Crowdcube’s fundraising platform so customers could take a stake in the businesses. 

Crowdcube leads the UK market in crowdfunding. In the last 12 months, Crowdcube has fuelled the raises of 196 companies on its platform totalling £165.5m. Crowdcube has raised £552m for funded companies and had a total of £787m invested through the platform since it began in 2011.

Bethnal Green Ventures, Europe's leading early-stage tech for good VC, has announced its latest cohort of teams using technology for good! The ventures joining the firm's Autumn 2019 programme range from companies tackling climate crisis, to helping people with visual impairments to live independently, to companies enabling people from all walks of life become well and stay healthy. Twelve amazing teams embarking on their journey to build, launch and scale their tech for good businesses.

BEAT81, one of the fastest growing fitness tech companies in Europe, has raised a €6.4m Series A funding round, led by EQT Ventures. The company will use the investment to continue to help people build physical and mental strength via BEAT81’s systematic approach of training smarter with technology and within a supportive team.

BEAT81 combines high-intensity group training, motivational coaching and heart rate technology to ensure people hit their fitness goals, fast. The heart rate sensor worn during each workout shows people exactly how their heart is responding to every squat, sit-up and sprint in real-time. This is where BEAT81’s name originates from. People’s optimal training zone is at least 81% of their maximum heart rate and when they BEAT81 they maximise the fitness benefits.

BGF has expanded its Reading team with the appointment of Guy Pope as an investor. Guy joins BGF from BCMS Corporate, where he specialised in all aspects of mid-market transactions for various sectors including engineering, retail pharmacy and exhibitions.

ShieldIOT, an IoT security company, offers service providers network-wide cyber protection, increasing revenue streams and securing millions of connected devices.

ShieldIOT, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity software company, has raised $3.6M in a seed funding round.

The round was led by innogy Innovation Hub, the accelerator and venture capital arm of innogy SE, a leading German energy company. The round was joined by additional new and existing investors including Janvest Capital Partners, Danmar Capital, Minvest and private investors.

London-based Lifted has raised £1.5m in seed funding to transform the home care sector. The startup has been founded by Zero 1, a new corporate venture builder which is working with FTSE 100 corporate partners, to build companies that can tackle the world’s biggest challenges. 

Orbital Education has received a minority investment from BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active investor in growing businesses, to support the group’s global growth ambitions.

Headquartered in Manchester, Orbital Education operates premium international schools for local and expat families looking to educate their children within an English-speaking, high-quality school environment. The group was started by serial entrepreneur Kevin McNeany, best known as the founder of Nord Anglia Education, which he led to an IPO in 1997 and is now the world’s largest private education business.

Ometria, the customer marketing platform for retailers, today announces that it has raised $21m in Series B funding to further innovate its AI technology which enables retailers to better understand and better communicate with their customers. The round was led by Octopus Ventures, with Sonae IM and a number of other investors participating as well.

Savers in defined contribution pension schemes are missing out on higher returns due to a lack of investment in some of the UK’s fastest growing and most innovative companies reveals a new report.

Retirement savings for the average 22-year old could be increased by as much as 7-12 per cent if schemes made a small allocation to venture capital and growth equity funds. This is according to The Future of Defined Contribution Pensions, a new report published by the British Business Bank and global management consultancy, Oliver Wyman.

Cambridge China Centre  (CCF) has arranged an exclusive pitching event with 14 of China’s top investment firms signalling the continued appetite for Chinese collaboration and investment in UK tech in the face of Brexit.

Next month, up to 30 of the UK’s most innovative tech startups will be making their presentations to the prestigious gathering on the second day of the 2nd annual Cambridge China Forum where investors from TusStar VC, China Science & Merchants Capital Management, ShengJing 360, Beihang Investment, Puhua Capital, Herald Investment Management, UK China Enterprise Fund and the Sino-UK Fund will be among those attending.

The Riverside Company has signed a definitive agreement to invest in German cycling e-commerce specialist Bike24. Bike24’s business focuses on bicycle parts, accessories and clothing, with a strong market position catering to ‘bicycle enthusiasts’ in Germany and across Europe. The acquisition from WiggleCRC is expected to close later this year. 

Bike24 has the largest product and brand assortment in the market paired with ample availability and fast delivery; its niche focus and level of expertise result in enhanced website content and customer service. This is Riverside’s second partnership with the company, having made its first investment in 2015.