Fertility Focus, the manufacturers of the OvuCore and OvuSense Pro family of leading fertility monitoring solutions, with class II medical device classification and 510k FDA clearance – has launched OvuFirst, a completely unique patented sensor designed to measure skin temperature, providing women with an understanding of when to try and conceive naturally, and enabling them to determine what issues they may have trying to conceive. Foresight Group has been a strategic partner with Fertility Focus since their £1.25 million investment in 2019.

A leading North East provider of business support is encouraging those aged 50 and over to consider self-employment, after it saw enquiries for start-up support increase throughout the pandemic.

Proving that entrepreneurship isn't just a young person's game, the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) reported that 21% of all their enquiries for start-up support came from people over the age of 50 during the Covid-19 crisis.

The businesses founded during the period spanned a wide range of sectors, from consultancy to cleaning and legal to tutoring services. The research also showed that, due to lockdowns and restrictions, more people also explored the possibilities of starting up businesses they can run from home.

YFM Equity Partners (YFM) has sold its stake in FourNet, the award-winning digital transformation and customer experience specialists whose clients include 10 Downing Street, the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and the Bank of England.  The secondary buyout deal backed by Palatine Private Equity generates a 6x return for YFM’s investors in less than four years.

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.

A Birmingham-based machining company has secured a £400,000 loan to help safeguard its 65 employees as well as creating 10 full time new jobs and apprentices over the next two to three years. AE Aerospace secured the finance from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) - provided by The FSE Group, Debt Finance Fund and backed by the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

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.

Kavida.ai – a supply chain resiliency startup, founded in 2020, has secured £300,000 ($425,000) in pre seed capital from strategic investors. The company provides enterprises with decision intelligence tools to prevent and mitigate supply chain disruptions in a range of sectors including apparel, FMCG, food, retail and pharma.