ASTI Mobile Robotics is partnering with Keensight Capital, one of the leading players in Growth Buyout, to support the growth of the company. Through this agreement, Keensight Capital, as its strategic and financial partner, has entered in the company with a relevant minority stake.

Tech Nation, the UK network for ambitious digital tech entrepreneurs, is seeking 20 startups with the potential to go head to head with some of the biggest players in the global cyber security market. Applications are invited for the UK’s first nationwide scaleup programme for startups in cyber security, designed to build on Britain’s existing heritage in this key sector and produce the global leaders of tomorrow.

The value of private equity business in Guernsey reached its highest-ever level the end of September 2018, according to the latest fund statistics from the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.

The Clwyd Pension Fund has confirmed a £10 million equity investment in the £25 million Wales Management Succession Fund. This is the first time an institutional equity investor has backed a fund managed by the Development Bank of Wales or its predecessor Finance Wales. 

The Wales Management Succession Fund was first launched in 2016 by Welsh Government with an initial £10 million investment alongside £5 million of legacy funding. The fund provides ambitious Welsh business owners and management teams with the funding they need to buy established Welsh small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) when their current owners retire or sell. Equity investments of between £500,000 and £3 million are available.

Earth Capital has successfully exited from the UK Energy Efficiency Investments Fund, through the sale of the Fund’s assets via a £100m IPO.  Earth Capital’s Nobel Sustainability Fund was invested in UKEEI alongside the Green Investment Bank, Earth Capital investee SDCL EEco LLP, the European Investment Bank and other institutional LPs.

Innovative biometric tracking service, Forth, which helps people to navigate their way to better health using simply at-home finger-prick blood tests, has secured new investment from its first institutional investor.  The new investment came from The Development Bank of Wales, together with a group of angels from Angels Invest Wales and South West based angel investors, including Craig Gulliford, CEO of Creo Medical.

Gulliford, who was an early investor in the company during its first raise on Crowdcube in 2017 and has since joined the board, said: “I have an affinity for technology-based companies that have an innovative and disruptive proposition backed by great people. Forth ticks this box and the management team crucially also have the energy, passion, determination to succeed at all costs”.

Edge Investments, the leading creative industries specialist, has invested £3.5m into Festicket, the world's largest platform for music festival experiences, headquartered in London.  Edge’s investment follows a pivotal year for Festicket, which closed the year with an earlier series D funding round led by transatlantic venture capital firm Beringea.

Festicket partners with festivals to provide standard and VIP packages that combine accommodation, transfers and admission for festivals worldwide – creating a complete and hassle-free one-stop shop for festival-goers. It has four additional offices in the EU and US.

Helena Murphy, founder of Raising Partners, comments on the recent British Business Bank report which highlights the fundraising challenges faced by female entrepreneurs and shares her tips on how female founders can access the funding they need. 

Foresight Group has announced the €17.3 million arrangement and subscription of a Project Bond issued by Pagano & Ascolillo S.p.A. and listed on Borsa Italiana, for the installation of LED street lights in six municipalities in Umbria, Molise and Campania, on behalf of the Foresight Italian Green Bond Fund.

Finatext, one of Japan’s leading trading brokerages, has invested £2 million to support the launch and development of a new and educational FCA-regulated platform, designed to make trading more accessible to a new generation of users.

Philanthropic start-up accelerator, The Seed Fund opened for entry on Friday 1 February, offering 12 places on its summer Academy run in partnership with Great Taste, the world’s most coveted food awards. With a packed schedule covering branding, funding, finance, PR, social media and more, this year’s Academy will also feature a brand new investment Pitch Day held at Piper Private Equity in Notting Hill.

In a marketplace where 90% of food and drink start-ups currently fail, The Seed Fund sets out to provide the knowledge, mentoring and opportunities to ensure that these fledgling businesses are able to survive and thrive during their early years. Supported by handpicked industry experts including Renée Elliott, founder of Planet Organic, the Guild of Fine Food’s John Farrand and Camilla Barnard from Rude Health, the Academy delivers a game-changing series of workshops, presentations and one-on-one sessions, run between May and September.

Ashish Life Science, an export focussed, veterinary pharmaceuticals company has raised INR 45 crores in Series A funding. Eight Roads Ventures India led the round with participation from Netherlands-based, food and agriculture-focussed specialist fund, Anterra Capital.  The Company will use this first round of external capital to scale the business in its current geographies and expand into regulated markets.