Is Cambridge's "Silicon Fen" becoming increasingly visible on the global stage? Beauhurst has analysed the city's tech sector. 

snap40, an AI-enabled healthcare company with the mission to protect the health of every human being, today announced it has secured US $8 million in seed financing led by ADV, with participation from MMC Ventures. Total funding to date is US $10 million, and the latest investment is the largest seed financing round for a digital healthcare company in the U.K. snap40 monitors the human body in real-time using its wearable device, with accuracy equivalent to ICU monitoring. Using this real-time data, the company’s proprietary algorithms identify those whose health is at risk and proactively bring healthcare to them. Initially, snap40 is deploying this with top healthcare providers in the U.K. and the U.S.

Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. and TxCell S.A. have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement on July 20, 2018 pursuant to which Sangamo will, following the completion of the contemplated acquisition of a majority stake of TxCell, file a simplified cash tender offer for the purchase of all then outstanding ordinary shares of TxCell, at a price of EUR 2.58 per share in cash, or approximately EUR 72 million, on a debt-free and cash-free basis. Subject to satisfaction of closing conditions (including in particular those relating to regulations governing foreign investments in France), Sangamo expects to complete the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2018.

A surgical and high-precision engineering company that provides  bespoke full jaw dental implant solutions in a day to patients  has received a £4m investment from BGF. London-headquartered Evo will use the funding to expand its clinics, which feature on-site dental laboratories with the latest hi-tech medical manufacturing technology across the UK and explore international growth.

Evo’s advanced, proprietary solution provides life changing treatment for patients suffering from severe dental problems caused by advanced gum disease, congenital bone loss or accidents, and who require a full jaw reconstruction. 

Beauhurst presents its latest market update and analysis of all equity investment, which looks at every fundraising secured by the UK's high-growth businesses in the first half of 2018. 

The Resonance West Midlands Social Investment Tax Relief Fund (WMSITR Fund), launched earlier this year, has just received a boost from the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner’s Office (WM PCC), which has agreed to invest £100,000 into the Fund, to help deliver the commitments made in its Police & Crime Plan 2016-2020. 

By Miles, the company offering drivers real time pay-as-you-go car insurance by the mile, has closed a £1m funding round led by JamJar Investments, the venture capital fund of the innocent drinks founders. Original investors also participating include InsurTech Gateway, the insurance-focussed incubator set up by investor Hambro Perks and Lumleys, and InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover's venture capital fund.  

DYSIS Medical Ltd, the developer of the innovative DYSIS Ultra colposcope used in cervical cancer screening, has completed an £18 million ($25 million) investment.

BGF has invested £5m growth capital in Alnwick-based pharmaceutical company Arcinova following a period of rapid growth and development at its life sciences super site in Alnwick, Northumberland. The company will use the funding to drive continued innovation as well as international expansion.

Mission Mars, the North West operator behind hospitality concepts including Albert’s Schloss and Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza, has received £10m from BGF to continue with its ambitious growth plans.

The North West BGF team has invested nearly £70m since late 2017. This includes new investments such as digital mapping company Gaist and brake manufacturer, EBS as well as additional funding for portfolio companies High Access, NWC Group and Kids Planet. This year, BGF became the first and only investor to be honoured for Innovation in the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

A UCL Technology Fund investment,  MeiraGTx Holdings plc, a vertically integrated, clinical stage gene therapy company, has raised $75 million of gross proceeds upon close of the company’s initial public offering (IPO) on June 12 2018, selling 5,000,000 shares at a public offering price of $15.00 per share.  The shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

The UCL Technology Fund (UCLTF) is managed by Albion Capital in collaboration with UCL Business (UCLB), UCL’s commercialisation company, and is dedicated to bringing UCL’s world-class research in life and physical sciences to commercial reality. MeiraGTx is its first investment to IPO. MeiraGTx has strong roots in UCL; its rare eye diseases business was borne out of the laboratories of Professor Robin Ali, a human molecular genetics expert at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, a world leader in ocular gene therapy.

BlackFin Capital Partners has closed its BlackFin Tech 1 Fund with €180m. Top-tier institutional investors have joined the existing pool. Joining Bpifrance, Vaudoise Assurances Group, Groupama, Sogecap (Société Générale Insurance), Natixis Assurances and Swiss Life are further well-established European brands notably the German public bank KfW, Belgian insurer Securex, the groups MACIF, BNP Paribas, large family-offices from the sector as well as numerous regional entities of banking groups Crédit Agricole, Banque Populaire et Caisse d’Epargne.