Mercia invested £59.7million in 2018, with over 90 per cent of the funding going to businesses outside of London and the South East. The figure, up from £48.0million the previous year, highlights Mercia’s role as one of the UK’s most active investors and a key source of funding for regional SMEs.

Dymag Group, the British designer and manufacturer of carbon hybrid automotive wheels, is predicting a record 2019 following a £3.6m investment from Puma Private Equity.

Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm, has announced the closing of its new fund, Bowmark Capital Partners VI, having reached its target of £600 million in just 10 weeks.  The fund is 60 per cent larger than Bowmark’s previous £375 million fund, with 94 per cent of the capital committed by investors in its prior funds.

Impact investing platform Bamboo Capital Partners has secured additional investment following a successful funding round as part of its continued drive for scale.

Since its establishment, Bamboo has raised over USD$400 million impact capital for emerging markets. The company was founded in 2007 by impact investing pioneer Jean-Philippe de Schrevel, who also co-founded BlueOrchard Finance in 2000. Bamboo has recently launched a new generation of blended finance funds, partnering with UNCDF, IFAD, World Bank and CARE, amongst others.

Sigmavision, which has developed an innovative tool to check the safety of vehicle tyres, has secured £1m funding to help roll it out to the global automotive aftersales market.

Parklands Group, one of the largest independent care home providers in the north of Scotland, has received a £5m investment from BGF, the UK’s most active investor in growing businesses, to further accelerate its growth.

Credit Fintech provider TotallyMoney has agreed £29 million of funding from Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited (Elliott) and existing investors Scottish Equity Partners (SEP). The investment, which is subject to FCA approval, will be used to accelerate customer acquisition, build out the market leading technology platform and, through continued innovation, provide better credit for UK consumers.

New research from eFront shows an inverse correlation between the pace of capital deployment and fund performance.  

Limited partners in private equity funds should be wary of putting managers under pressure to deploy capital – that is the conclusion of new research published by eFront, the world’s leading alternative investment management software and solutions provider.

eFront’s research shows that there is an inverse correlation between the level of capital deployed during the first year of a fund’s investment period, and its eventual performance.

The economic contribution of the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford Growth Corridor to the UK’s post-Brexit economy could reach £400billion by 2050, Bidwells’ latest research reveals.

But delivery of a planned Expressway Road and a re-opened Varsity Line linking the region’s economic centres is essential to maintain the impressive growth seen in the Corridor since 2013.

The Corridor’s economy would grow to £400billion if it continues expanding at the pace of recent years. The Corridor’s Gross Value Added (GVA) will surpass £300billion by 2050, even if the region’s growth slowed below the long-term average rates seen since 1998.

Patrick McMahon, Bidwells Senior Partner, said: “The Growth Corridor is the UK’s next Economic Powerhouse. This knowledge-intensive region is already big on ideas but is set to become much bigger in economic value too.

Northleaf Capital Partners has launched an initial closing of Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund II (NVCF II) as part of the Government of Canada’s Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative. NVCF II provides investors with access to Canada’s top venture capital funds as well as direct investments in high-potential, innovative Canadian companies.

YFM Equity Partners has sold its stake in Gill Marine Holdings Limited for an undisclosed sum to the Myers family office, working in conjunction with Pop Capital, a specialist brand investor. Gill, the iconic British performance apparel brand, has more than 40 years of heritage in designing technical clothing, footwear and accessories for elite sailors and marine enthusiasts within its global distribution network.  The Company is led by CEO Jamie Tunnicliffe and his team of COO Ian Poore, Commercial Director Dominic McCarthy and Product Director Matt Clark.

Ascension Ventures, the London-based investment firm, re cent funding round will see the addition of 14 new Venture Partners. The group strengthens Ascension’s core belief in entrepreneurs investing in entrepreneurs, bringing in active UK and US investors with a number of them already successfully-exited entrepreneurs. Ascension’s bolstered experience in early stage investments and deep sector knowledge will increase deal-flow and support portfolio companies as they develop and scale in the UK and beyond.