BlockClaim, the first hybrid artificial intelligence and blockchain technology solution developed for the insurance industry, has successfully completed its seed funding round with a £500,000 investment.

Technology advisory and investment firm GP Bullhound’s Fund IV holds its final close at EUR113 million, continuing its successful strategy of investing in some of the best technology entrepreneurs, with a focus on growth stage businesses in the Software, Entertainment, Digital Services, Marketplaces and Fintech sectors. Recent investments include Slack, Unity, Tradeshift, Glovo and LendInvest.  In addition to independent deal sourcing, the fund benefits from a unique deal flow through GP Bullhound's merchant bank organisation with 110 professionals across nine offices on three continents. 

London-based investment manager Downing LLP has appointed Richard Lamb to its growing Property Finance investment team.

London-based insurtech firm Zego has raised $42million in one of the largest funding rounds for a European insurtech start-up. 

hero, a health tech and wellbeing strategy provider formed to have a positive influence on individuals, organisations and communities by supporting proactive wellness across all areas of physical, mental and financial health, has closed its latest funding round, raising over £1.3 million to tackle these issues head on.  

Having already established itself in the workplace and developer markets and the professional sports sector, hero works with over 100 clients across the UK including names like the NHS, HSBC, Legal and General, Caddick Construction and Inspired Villages. hero has developed and launched a unique digital platform - Navigator to enable employers and organisation to create a full service solution to deliver preventive and personalised experiences for end users.  

A new senior executive leadership team has been put in place at Montezuma’s following investment from Edinburgh-based private equity firm, Inverleith LLP, last year.

QuarterOne, the sales forecasting software start-up for SMEs, raises first major investment from Seedcamp, the influential European seed fund

Keensight Capital, a leading private equity manager dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout investments, has appointed Christophe Lavigne as Operating Partner.

Palamon Capital Partners, a European growth buyout private equity firm, has signed an agreement to sell Il Bisonte to Tokyo Stock exchange-listed fashion distribution specialist, Look Holdings Inc.  The transaction will value Il Bisonte at an Enterprise Value of €100 million, 3 times the entry price paid by Palamon, producing a 26% Gross IRR for Palamon European Equity III.

Funderbeam, the global funding and trading platform, has raised US$ 4.5 million in Series A funding, led by UK-based Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV). The round includes new investors such as GK-Plug and Play Indonesia, Pandan Ventures, with existing investors including Draper Associates, Draper Venture Partners, IQ Capital, and Mistletoe also taking part.

Nexeon, the company developing and supplying battery materials for rechargeable Li-ion batteries, is leading a new project to optimise coating technology for its silicon material. This approach will result in improved cell performance, and also extend the system compatibility of silicon anode materials, allowing use of lower cost electrolyte formulations and lower overall battery cell costs.

YFM Equity Partners has completed the first close of its Buy-Out-Fund II with £60m of investment committed.  This follows the £45m raised for its Buy-Out Fund I, which had a final close in April 2017.  Only two years later, and following the recent investment in The Protein Works, this fund is now almost two thirds invested.