Zouk Capital has committed an initial £30m investment to launch a new public EV charging company called Zest, supported by the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF). Zest intends to democratise EV ownership by rapidly filling the gaps in the UK’s maturing EV infrastructure.

Today’s EV infrastructure has evolved to serve early adopters, prioritising home driveway and rapid en-route charging. The Zest mission is to make the shift to EV a realistic option for everyone, by rapidly growing a network that makes fast charging available where people regularly park for more than 30 minutes, whether it is when shopping, at leisure or at work.

The world’s most entrepreneur-friendly cities have been revealed in a new report by the personal finance experts at money.co.uk.

North west-based multi-family investment office Arete, has led a £1.6m investment into Travel Seen, an early stage business co-founded by award-winning entrepreneur and travel professional, Jen Atkinson.

Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (SVC2UK) has unveiled its annual list of the 50 most ambitious, high-growth technology businesses in the UK joining the 2021 ‘Scale Up Club’. The club celebrates some of the UK’s fastest growing tech companies each year, providing unique opportunities to gain invaluable insight and mentoring from some of the world’s most high-profile business leaders and entrepreneurs. 

Getsafe, the digital insurer targeting millennial buyers in Germany and the UK, has expanded its Series B funding round to $93M. The company is now serving a quarter of a million customers in Germany and the UK, consolidating its position as Europe's largest neo-insurer.

Imophoron, a developer of a novel, next generation rapid-response vaccine platform, ADDomer(TM), to combat present and future infectious diseases, has secured £4 million in an oversubscribed fundraising round. 

More than four in ten businesses in the UK were using external finance in 2021 but a lack of local investors means economic potential continues to be wasted 

JPIN Venture Catalysts Ltd, a world-leading startup investment bank, has joined Cambridge Cleantech  as an ‘Investor in Residence’ with a lead focus on UK-India opportunities, alongside business leaders including fellow investors, corporates, entrepreneurs, academia and government.

Rapidly growing biomass fuel manufacturer Land Energy (LE) has secured £6 million in funding from Independent Growth Finance (IGF). The asset business lending (ABL) package includes invoice finance, inventory and equipment facilities. The significant working capital will enable the company to expand its operations and develop a new, clean-burning briquette aimed at the domestic solid fuel market.

GP Bullhound has announced that Fund V has closed oversubscribed at the hard cap of €300m.

Foresight Group, an award-winning listed alternative investment manager, has provided a senior secured debt facility of up to £15 million to Channel Islands multi-product specialist lender Reto Finance.

Bowers Electrical Engineering Services Ltd has secured £250,000 from Maven Capital Partners E&SE Midlands Debt Finance fund, through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) and backed by the Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme Loan (CBILS).