Private equity and venture capital investment into companies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) reached a record €3.5 billion in 2017, new data from Invest Europe reveals.

A 113% year-on-year increase, this amount surpasses the region’s previous peak in 2008 by 40%, according to the industry association’s Central and Eastern Europe Private Equity Statistics 2017 report, which also shows strong results across fundraising and exits. CEE’s consumer goods and services sector attracted the majority of investment capital with three-quarters of the total, while technology (ICT) followed with 11%. Polish companies were the big draw, receiving 71% of the total amount, followed by those in Romania, Hungary and Latvia respectively.

UCLTF funded Orchard Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with rare disorders through innovative gene therapies, has announced the completion of an oversubscribed $150 million Series C financing.  Deerfield Management led the financing with significant new investments from RA Capital Management, Venrock, Foresite Capital, Perceptive Advisors, Cormorant Asset Management LP, ArrowMark Partners, Sphera Global Healthcare, Medison Ventures, Driehaus Capital Management and Ghost Tree Capital Group, LP, as well as additional U.S. based healthcare focused funds. Existing investors also participated including Temasek, Baillie Gifford, RTW Investments, LP, Cowen Healthcare Investments and Agent Capital.

Luxcara, one of Europe’s leading asset managers for renewable energy investments, will build the solar project El Salobral with Grupotec Servicios Avanzados S.A. as EPC contractor.

A Manchester solicitor who has developed an app to help law firms communicate more effectively with clients has closed a £344,000 investment round backed by NPIF - Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, as well as existing and new angel investors.  Lauren Riley, a former BBC The Apprentice star, founded The Link App in 2014 after working in a law firm and becoming frustrated at outdated working practices, including having to send sensitive documents by email and post.

Rotageek provides cloud-based, data-driven scheduling technology to help multi-site businesses more accurately predict customer demand, schedule staff and improve operational efficiency.

Leading brands, including high street names like The Perfume Shop, Dune, Pets at Home and O_2, already use Rotageek’s intelligent software across their UK stores to more effectively schedule staff, provide better cover for shifts and to manage leave during busy periods.

BGF has successfully exited its investment into Leicester-headquartered MPK Garages, an independent operator of fuel forecourts under the Texaco and Gulf brands. The company has been acquired by Stratford Retail Group as part of its strategy to build a group of fuel and retail forecourts in the UK.

Following a significant loan from the Development Bank of Wales, a north Wales company will save salmon farmers millions of pounds a year while simultaneously supporting efforts of superior sustainability practices. 

Ocean Matters, based at Penmon, Anglesey, is using a natural solution to fight the continuing biosecurity challenges associated with the parasites. It breeds lumpfish, a type of cleaner fish that feeds off sea lice and in doing so provides a cleaner growing environment for farmed salmon.  

The developers of a technology that helps clinicians and healthcare professionals to treat people suffering from sleeping problems more effectively has received two high-profile accolades.

Roomex, an ambitious global travel software business headquartered in Dublin, today announces it has raised €8 million series A funding, led by Draper Esprit.

Co-founded by Jack Donaghy (CEO) and Karl Glennon (CTO), Roomex allows businesses to book hotel rooms globally through its platform, enabling its clients to save time and money by centralising all bookings and invoices in one account. Focused initially on Ireland, Roomex has now grown to cover global travel markets and customers now include Musgraves, Dairygold, Kepak, Mitsubishi and Muller.

Rinicare Limited, a leading intelligent healthcare company has announced the completion of its financing round by welcoming new investors Catapult Ventures and NPIF - Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

The funding will be used to support the commercialisation of Rinicare’s digital healthcare portfolio, which is designed to provide solutions that improve outcomes and reduce costs in a number of settings such as emergency, primary and community care as well as progress its AI-powered predictive algorithm for intensive care.

On the dot, the machine learning-driven last mile delivery start-up, and part of CitySprint Group, has announced today it has received an additional investment of £8 million from its parent company, which is itself PE-funded. This new round will help fund On the dot’s further growth: product development, senior hires and international expansion, and builds on the £17.7 million invested in On the dot since its establishment in 2015. Globally, more than $11 billion (£8.5 billion) has been invested in start-ups disrupting the last mile delivery market since 2007.

Edinburgh based private equity fund, Inverleith LLP, has invested further into Braham and Murray Good Hemp, a plant based food and drink brand which manufactures products from hemp seed.

Inverleith LLP invests into consumer brand companies within the health & wellbeing, lifestyle and heritage sectors. It specialises in internationalising and commercialising brands, helping them to realise their full potential. Its Partners are ex Chairman and Chief Executive of Noble Group, Ben Thomson and ex Chief Executive of The Glenmorangie Company and Partner L Capital (LVMH), Paul Skipworth.