NPIF – Maven Equity Finance, managed by Maven Capital Partners and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund has invested £750,000 in Blueberry Therapeutics Limited, a drug discovery and development company focused on developing innovative nanomedicines for difficult to treat skin and nail infections. The funding will support the business as it embarks on the next set of clinical trials for a new topical antifungal spray for the treatment of onychomycosis using its unique nanodelivery platform technology, as well as progressing other product development lines.

Foresight Group has announced the conditional sale of Ixaris Group Holdings Limited, a leader in travel payment technology, to Nium Pte. Limited, a leading global B2B payments platform based in Singapore.

Alantra has reached a first close with more than €80 million of commitments in their Klima Energy Transition Fund. The fund, which results from the partnership between Alantra and Enagás, aims to raise €150 million.

VenueScanner, the UK’s largest online venue booking platform, has secured a $1.5 million funding round led by Rianta Capital and ACF Investors.

Launched to enable individuals, businesses and event organisers to find better and more affordable venues, it is helping undiscovered and independent venues reimagine how they use their space and fill their downtime.

Rebecca Kelly, founder and CEO of VenueScanner, comments: “While the last year has taught us that we don’t need to be sitting next to each other to get our work done, it has also taught us how important it is to be together to create, to collaborate and to celebrate.

A software platform that helps businesses to connect with staff is aiming to double in size after raising a £780,000 investment.

WorkBuzz has secured the funding from Mercia and Foresight, both investing through equity finance from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) alongside private investors. The Milton Keynes-based company, which currently employs 16 staff, is planning to create 15 new jobs this year - and to achieve 100% growth in each of the following two years.

Inverleith LLP, a Scottish-based consumer brands investor, is celebrating the listing on AIM of its portfolio company, The Artisanal Spirits Company which has the largest collection of single malt single cask whiskies in the world, as well as a complementary range of premium spirits.

Iksuda Therapeutics, the developer of a new generation of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with raised therapeutic index, has completed a US $47 million (circa GB £34 million) financing round, co-led by Mirae Asset Capital and its subsidiaries, Celltrion and Premier Partners, with the Company being advised by Ashfords LLP. The funding will support the advancement of Iksuda’s lead ADC assets and expansion of its payload and conjugation platform technologies.

Clir Renewables (Clir), a company dedicated to maximizing project returns from renewable energy assets, has announced the closing of its CAD$27 million Series B funding round, which was co-led by Longbow Capital Inc. and ArcTern Ventures.

Teemyco, the Swedish online office provider, has raised $3.2m from German seed fund 42CAP, who led the round with participation from previous investors Antler, Luminar Ventures and numerous high profile angel investors; Mehdi Ghissassi (Head of Product, DeepMind) and Sameer Singh (Creator of Breadcrumb.vc), who are investing via the 2021 Atomico Angel Programme, and Keith Richman (Co-Founder of Voi & Partner at 31 Atlantic).

Divido, the world’s largest whitelabel platform for retail finance, has raised a $30 million Series B funding round to fuel international expansion, while continuing to build out its market-leading platform for lenders and merchants.

Atos and Huma, the digital health innovator, have announced a 5-year strategic global partnership to shift healthcare and clinical trials from hospital to home. The partnership will focus on Huma’s modular platform which can power digital ‘hospitals at home’ up to national scale, as well as support pharmaceutical and research industries to run complex global decentralized clinical trials. The platform is already used in the US and across Europe for illnesses ranging from atrial fibrillation to diabetes to Covid-19.

Heja, the vertical social platform for Team Sport communication, has scored a $4.2m seed round led by Amsterdam-based Peak Capital. Peak is joined by existing investors, including Luminar Ventures, Bonnier Ventures, Inbox Capital, and Max Ventures, as well as various high profile angels, namely Ted Nelson (ex-Truecaller CCO) and former NHL player Mattias Weinhandl.  Heja’s social platform allows coaches, parents and players to easily organize and communicate in one place.