NorthEdge-backed Lights4fun, one of Europe’s leading e-commerce retailers of decorative lighting, has appointed a new Chair and CFO, 

Keensight Capital, one of the principal private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout1 investments, has reached an agreement to invest alongside management in Symeres, a leading European drug discovery Contract Research Organization (CRO) and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). According to the terms of the agreement, Keensight Capital will acquire a majority stake in Symeres from the Gilde Healthcare Private Equity fund, a leading European specialist healthcare investor.

London-based soft prosthetics company, Koalaa, is celebrating after securing investment from British Design Fund (BDF), to help bring its innovative prosthetics to children and adults across the UK and beyond.

PALATINE Private Equity has successfully exited its investment in TTC Group, 

Foresight Group has completed the first close of the Foresight Regional Investment III LP (the “Fund”) at £65m. The Fund is cornerstoned by the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, with strong support from Clwyd and Merseyside Pension Funds.

Leading commission-free brokerage platform, Stake, has successfully raised US$30M from Tiger Global and partners of DST Global to fuel its expansion into new markets - including Europe - and broaden its product offering.

The value of venture capital raised by UK companies surged to the highest quarterly total in Q1 2021 according to research from Refinitiv Deals Intelligence.

UK companies raised £3.5bn from 206 deals in the first three months of 2021 – up from the £2.5bn in Q4 2020 from 140 deals.

Ankorstore, the curated marketplace connecting independent brands with the most loved local retailers, has raised $100 million in Series B funding led by Tiger Global and Bain Capital Ventures.

Stoke-on-Trent-based The Supply Register (TSR), has secured further funding from venture capital firm Midven through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF).

The company, which has created an online teacher recruitment platform, is using the funding to accelerate the next phase of its growth as schools return and Covid-19 restrictions ease. This follows The Supply Register experiencing a surge in demand for its services.

BGF has completed a £5.2 million investment in Odro, a Scottish-headquartered technology business that provides video interviewing and engagement software to the recruitment industry.

Velocity Capital Advisors, a leading UK EIS/SEIS investment fund focussed on consumer technology, has launched a new transformative growth capital product - Juice Ventures. Juice is created for the specific financing needs of early-stage companies primed for exponential growth through cost effective user acquisition.

A report issued this week paints a bright future for Midlands-based businesses and showcases the opportunity for investment in what appears to be an undercapitalised region in the UK. 

The report, commissioned by the Midlands Innovation Commercialisation of Research Accelerator (MICRA), and produced by Beauhurst, a platform that provides data on the UK's high-growth and innovative companies, is based on data from 3,453 high-growth Midlands-based companies.