PALATINE the leading mid-market private equity investor has made a successful partial exit from CET Group with the sale of its tech-enabled insurance claims management division to HomeServe plc for £53m. Based in Castle Donington, CET is a leading provider of outsourced home emergency, drainage and subsidence services to one in eight UK households. 

Climate Solutions Exchange Ltd. has received an initial £500,000 investment from Maughan Capital, a strategic investment fund which manages the investment portfolio of the British businessman, ESG investor and philanthropist, Nick Maughan. Maughan Capital is focused on emerging technologies and market-based solutions for ecosystem service payments through habitat restoration. CSX uses a combination of drones, satellites, ground truthing and detailed carbon analysis and modelling to measure carbon. 

A majority (62%) of private capital fund managers in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia will increase the amount of automation and new technologies used to administer their funds over the next five years.

A number of experts have submitted comments on yesterday's budget; a selection of them is below:

Green Angel Syndicate Climate Change Fund 3 is now raising between £500k and £2m.  Visit Funding for for Entrepreneurs for more information.

The EU lags behind both the US and China in its number of high growth entrepreneurial firms (HGFs). These firms play a critical role in economic development as sources of innovation, investment and employment.

NorthEdge-backed Altia has acquired VeriSaaS, a field intelligence and evidence collection software business.

The digital insurer Getsafe received its insurance licence from Germany's financial regulator, BaFin. The licence will allow Getsafe to accelerate its expansion to the rest of Europe.

Turquoise, the UK merchant bank specialising in energy, environment and efficiency, has announced a follow-on investment by Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 (LCIF2) in its existing portfolio company, Spark EV Technology. The investment is part of the company’s £250,000 capital raising round involving both existing and new shareholders. 

ACF Investors, the UK venture capital fund that works alongside sector expert business angels to invest in high potential businesses, has passed its 100^th company investment. 

Female founders raise only 15 per cent of all equity funding, which is a shortfall of £1.6bn per year, according to a report published by the Female Founders Forum, a partnership by think tank The Entrepreneurs Network and Barclays. In Inspiring Innovation, the think tank calls on the Government to close the gender funding gap and provide more opportunities for women to be inspired into entrepreneurship.

Pharmacierge, the healthtech company that offers same-day prescription medicine delivery in London and next day delivery throughout the UK, has raised £1.25m from a number of leading clinicians and angel investors.  Investors include Alex Chesterman OBE, founder of Cazoo and Zoopla and Simon Franks, who co-founded Lovefilm. In a show of confidence from the medical profession, many practitioner users have also invested in the round,