AlbionVC, the technology investment arm of Albion Capital, today published a new study which establishes a clear link between a company’s ‘fitness to scale’ - an analysis of five internal benchmarks - and commercial success. It also identifies certain elements of a company’s workplace culture that enable hyper-fast growth, and others likely to constrain it. 

Keensight Capital, one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout[1] investments, announces the first and final closing of its new fund, Keensight V, at the €1 billion hard cap, exceeding the fund target of €750 million.

The fund was substantially oversubscribed with strong support from existing LPs, as well as new investors from Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. The globally diverse LP base for Keensight V comprises c. 90% of subscriptions from institutional investors (asset managers, pension funds, insurance companies, banks and sovereign wealth funds), and c.10% from former portfolio company CEOs and family offices.

BGF has invested £11.6m in Invenio, a UK-headquartered and global provider of business focussed technology solutions and consulting services, to support the business’s continued growth.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Reading, Invenio provides consulting services and technology solutions for organisations in the media, manufacturing & logistics, and public sector verticals.

London and Tel Aviv based HR tech platform Hibob has raised $20m in Series A+ funding, led by existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Battery Ventures, Eight Roads, Arbor Ventures, and Presidio Ventures.

This latest investment will support the company’s next phase of hyper growth, helping to establish Hibob as the platform of choice for mid-size fast-growing companies, accelerating its US presence, expanding to more countries across Europe and hiring more tech talent people into the organisation.

By Sophia Matveeva, CEO and Co-Founder of Enty, talks about why female start-up founders are missing out on billions of pounds of investment and what can be done to change the status quo.

Glasgow based investment syndicate Kelvin Capital has moved into its tenth year of business by completing its biggest investment year yet.

A total of £10.5 million was invested across nine businesses in its portfolio in 2018, made up by eight follow on investments and one new investment. 

The Kelvin Capital portfolio covers sectors including internet and app technology, biotech, life sciences and electronic manufacturing and medical technologies and continues to support disruptive technologies with global ambitions. 

London-based VC fund Fuel Ventures has expanded its portfolio of early-stage companies, investing £2 million in CreditDigital which provides instant finance of up to £250,000 to businesses online or at point of sale.  CreditDigital is an instalment payment option where businesses can spread the cost of their purchase over 12 months, whilst their vendors and suppliers get paid upfront and in full.  The platform can approve purchases of up to £15,000 instantly and up to £250,000 within one working day with competitive rates and flexible payment options.

Draper Esprit has led a £7 million investment in Hadean, the London headquartered deep tech company . The round also includes Aster and specialist gaming investor London Venture Partners. Existing investors Luminous Ventures and Entrepreneur First also participated.

Beanuhurst marked International Women's Day by highlighting the continuing gender imbalance in the UK's high-growth sector. In its latest report Beauhurst has analysed funding trends into female-founded companies and found that women entrepreneurs secured just 16% of equity deals in 2018.  

eFront, the leading financial software and solutions provider dedicated to Alternative Investments, today publishes its first LP Proficiency Survey – the most comprehensive study into the sophistication of private equity’s fund investors. 

The report, which canvassed the opinions of LPs ranging from high net worth individuals to major pension plans, finds that investors are falling short of industry best practice in areas such as negotiation, reporting and position monitoring. In all, 179 investors from across the globe rated their approach to 10 private equity investment competencies, selecting from answers graded in terms of sophistication.

Downing has appointed John Pollington as Investment Director, and Oliver Pettafor, as a Loan Servicing Analyst, to its growing Property Finance  investment team.

innogy Innovation Hub, which identifies, funds, and mentors game-changing technologies and ideas, today announced it has completed a seed investment in UK-headquartered AI powered CCTV monitoring company, Calipsa. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The investment will enable Calipsa to further refine its product and support its growth strategy in the UK and Europe, leveraging the Innovation Hub’s extensive global network.