Market-leading private market digital platform VALK is building for expansion after achieving $4 billion-plus in assets and deals managed on its platform in a year

Pembroke VCT, the venture capital trust focused on backing early-stage businesses with exceptional founders and management teams, has invested £2m into JustWears, the men’s basic wear brand focused on comfortable, sustainable and high-performance fabrics.

Managed by Maven Capital Partners and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, NPIF - Maven Equity Finance, has exited Intec Business Solutions; a group offering end-to-end technology consultancy and specialist support services for SMEs.

The British Business Bank has announced that the Recovery Loan Scheme has passed a significant milestone, with 76 accredited lenders having offered over £1bn to smaller UK businesses as they steer a path towards a sustainable recovery.

A UK company that provides an ethical alternative to the ad tracking techniques used by tech giants such as Facebook and Google has raised a £1.5m investment to build its global presence.  CitizenMe has secured funding from the North East Venture Fund (NEVF), supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Mercia, alongside funds from 1818 Capital and private investors.  The platform was developed in response to concerns over current practices, where consumers’ data is collected via apps or website cookies and may be used by multiple companies for marketing purposes.

Aiven, a software company that combines the best open source technologies with cloud infrastructure, has announced a $60M Series C extension at a $2B valuation, 

The Embark Investor Confidence Barometer has revealed that the majority of investors believe that it is their responsibility to invest in a way that doesn't contribute to climate change.

Par Equity has made a multi-million pound investment in Artus, the designer and supplier of innovative HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) solutions.

Artus’ ground-breaking HVAC system represents a step forward over existing solutions, the technology for which has remained largely unchanged for the past thirty years. It not only transforms the way buildings are cooled and heated but will also significantly reduce the amount of energy consumed and carbon generated.

Form Ventures has reached the final close of a £30m ($39m) Fund II at its target fund size. Form invests in startups at pre seed and seed stage in sectors directly shaped by policy and regulation, and helps founders build game-changing businesses while managing the complexity that comes with being on government's radar.

Oliver Woolley from Envestors asks 'What budget do you need for a fundraise?' 

Seedrs has launched Seedrs Private Deal Room, a new feature to improve professional investor access to angel, private equity, and venture capital opportunities. The launch of Private Deal Room is another step towards Seedrs’ mission to become the world’s largest private equity marketplace. 

eFront's latest Quarterly Private Equity Performance Overview, covering the period to the end of Q1 2021, shows that following the massive pandemic shock-driven correction in the first quarter of 2020, the following 12 months (Q2 2020 – Q1 2021) brought a persistent recovery and further growth to the global Buyout and VC markets. In the first quarter of this year, VC funds have globally generated a quarterly return of 12.9%, while the Buyout funds produced 9.6% over the same period.