One of the UK’s largest independent Oracle partners, DSP-Explorer, a database and cloud managed services provider, has received an additional £8m of investment from YFM Equity Partners (YFM). The investment, made by the YFM-managed YFM Equity Partners Buyout II LP fund, will enable the business to continue its organic and acquisitive growth plans.

Leading insurance software solutions provider, Genasys, has announced a major investment of £12.25M from leading software Scale-Up investor, Frog Capital. The investment will see Frog take a significant stake in the business, with the Genasys management team retaining operational control.

Global venture capital firm Antler is set to enter 2022 in robust health, having closed its new UK fund beyond its initial target of $30m.

Talion, a leading cybersecurity specialist that provides services for some of the UK’s biggest companies has raised a seven-figure sum from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).

The funding will allow Talion to further expand its business in the UK and target new customers in the US.

Talion was launched by BAE Systems in 2012 to help protect the Olympic Games in London from ‘nation state’ cyber attacks. Previously known as Sy4 Security, it became a standalone business in April 2020 when industry veteran Mike Brown, the current CEO, and BAE Systems’ head of security Keven Knight, the COO, led a management buy-out.

Warwick Acoustics – the Midlands-based company which aims to disrupt the delivery of entertainment within the next generation of electric vehicles - has raised £2.8m from existing shareholders including Mercia Asset Management, and a small number of high net worth investors.

QVentures has made an investment into Alectro, a Virtual Sustainability Officer for small-medium businesses to track, audit and offset their carbon footprint.

Alectro is bringing climate measurement to every employee. The dynamic online measurement platform has the vision to empower every organisation to become carbon neutral so that they can be climate champions for this generation and the next. Their mission is to supercharge sustainability and offset 1 million tonnes of carbon by 2030.

Pirum Systems, a leading provider of post-trade automation and collateral management technology for the global securities finance industry, announces that Hg, a leading software and services investor, will become a significant shareholder in the company.

Inflexion Private Equity Partners has launched a Healthcare Advisory Board to help shape its investment strategy and drive value across healthcare investments, both in the UK and internationally.

UK-based auto fintech startup Bumper has raised $12M in Series A funding to roll out its car repair financing platform across Europe. The round is led by Silicon Valley based Autotech Ventures, with participation from Jaguar Land Rover’s fund InMotion Ventures, and a group of prominent angel investors. The latest round brings total funds raised by the company to $17.5m.

Stoke-On-Trent business Wade Ceramics, has secured a £400,000 investment to help safeguard its current employees and allow the company to enter new partnerships and grow its product range.

Seedrs and Republic, the major US private investing platform founded in 2016, recently announced Republic’s purchase of Seedrs. James Murdoch shares his insights.

Karmacist, the world’s first nutrigenomics-based wellness supplement, has closed a £700k pre-seed investment led by Founders Factory and travel entrepreneur Craig Burkinshaw, as it brings to market the world’s first wellness supplement that draws on the relationship between genetics and nutrients to support the growing numbers of consumers investing in their wellbeing.