Praetura Group, the North West-based debt and equity capital provider to small and medium sized businesses, has celebrated a record £253m year as demand for its equity and debt services continues to grow.

MMC Ventures, the leading UK Series A investor, has promoted three individuals to its senior leadership team, and added a partner, following a record year in 2021 – during which MMC’s portfolio companies raised more than $1bn in funding.

Connection Capital, the specialist private client alternative investments business, saw its highest ever levels of demand from private investor clients for alternative asset investments last year, raising a record £77m of private capital across its direct private equity and debt transactions and third party managed alternative fund opportunities, in 2021.

Onoco, the parenting app designed to help organise families through planning, documenting infant care and tracking their development, has raised £150,000 from Jenson Funding Partners as part of an ongoing pre-seed round. The funding comes as demand for parent tech has spiked, with US companies in the sector raising $1.4bn in 2021 alone – over the total investment amount accumulated in the four years prior.

Scalpel, a healthcare services company that automates surgical protocols using sensor-driven event detection technology, has received investment from Henley Business Angels members as part of their Pre-Series A funding round.

Future Fertility, a fertility technology company developing AI-enabled and non-invasive fertility solutions to optimize clinical decision making in fertility care and in vitro fertilization (IVF), has successfully raised a Series A financing round. The investment was led by M Ventures (the corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global fertility leader), with participation from Whitecap Venture Partners.

Foresight Group, a leading listed private equity and infrastructure investment manager, has announced a £3.5 million investment into Hospital Services Limited (HSL).

The Association of Investment Companies has launched a new guide to investment companies for people who want to learn more about the key concepts of investing, the advantages of using diversified funds to invest, and the specific features of investment companies.

Bristol-based technology start-up, Matter, has just completed a successful Pre-Series A investment round securing $0.5m of new funding from Builders Vision’s Rising Tide Fund. This follows the recent £150,000 investment from the British Design Fund and the company’s entry into the Elemental Excelerator programme for climate technologies.

24Haymarket, the London and Edinburgh-based private capital group, has secured a £10m commitment from British Business Investments, 

Livingbridge has invested in UK-based Quorum Cyber, a leading security services firm delivering managed detect and response capabilities to teams and organisations globally.  Founded in 2016 by CEO Federico Charosky, Quorum Cyber’s innovative services enable enterprises including banks, cloud providers and major brands to thrive in an increasingly hostile digital landscape.

Cognomie, the Mental Fitness start-up, has raised £385,000 in its first crowdfunding campaign, set to drive global growth in 2022. The HRtech startup overfunded at 110% of its original £320k target, with a 5.90% equity stake in a pre-raise £6m valuation. It is expected that a Series A funding round will be announced this autumn.  Launched in 2019, Cognomie is on a mission to deliver Mental Fitness for everyone. Two years into the pandemic, the tech-enabled coaching platform has become a key resource for future-focused organisations seeking to proactively shape long-term employee wellbeing strategies and performance.