Ntropy, a company removing data barriers to understand financial transactions, has announced a $3.2M seed round led by QED Investors, who has previously invested in fintech unicorns Nubank, Klarna, and Current. Ntropy’s API enables businesses to convert raw data into contextualised and structured information understood by both man and machine.  January Ventures also participated in the investment round, along with founders and executives from Ramp, Square and Stripe.

The successful close of the second round of the GAS EIS Climate Change Fund on 15th July suggests that investors are waking up to the seriousness of the climate crisis, according to GAS CIO, Antoine Pradayrol. Exceptional heat waves in Canada, the north-west US, northern Europe and Siberia and raging wildfires, as well as the most recent horrific floods in Germany and Belgium, cannot be ignored.

TravelPerk cofounder launches mental health startup Oliva backed by Moonfire Ventures.

Bowmark Capital has further strengthened its investment, portfolio and origination teams with six new appointments.

Claire Alvarez has been promoted to Partner by Foresight Group, the leading listed infrastructure and private equity investment manager.

Viracoat, a subsidiary of Viracorp set up to develop and produce PPE that begins killing COVID-19 and other viruses on contact, has raised £2million ($4million Australian dollars) to fund final stages of accreditation and further UK based research. The funding comes from J.J. Richards & Sons Pty Ltd, an Australian, family owned and operated business that provides waste management service solutions throughout Australia and New Zealand and already has a successful scientific and medical distribution subsidiary.

Sweden’s largest providers of digital healthcare, Doktor.se, has secured €29.5 million from Tencent Holdings.

The Calculus Creative Content EIS Fund, together with other funds managed or advised by Calculus, has invested in Brouhaha Entertainment, a newly formed production company combining the slates of Gabrielle Tana, Troy Lum and Andrew Mason. Brouhaha Entertainment is based in both London and Sydney (Australia) and will have extended reach beyond borders due to the unique connections of the principal producers.

AD Williams – a leading accident repair group – has received a multi-million-pound investment from BGF. The funding will be used for the partial realisation of shareholder value and to facilitate the long-term growth of the group.

London-based startup, BEPPS Snacks, has raised £400,000 investment from early-stage venture capital investors, Ascension Ventures, 

Multi-family investment office, Arete, has made a significant investment as part of a multi-million-pound deal in North West based, Vivify. The scale-up provides a digital platform as well as a fully managed service where under-utilised school facilities can be listed for hire to maximise social and physical activities within communities and generate much-needed revenue for schools.

Alex Kennedy of Gannons looks at how to deal with the next phase of Covid regulations

Employers are thinking about how to manage their employees' return to work under the lifting of lockdown restrictions. We are hearing from employers unsure about their position: what changes they have to make and what requests for change from employees they can refuse.

Gannons has set out an overview of the key employment law requirements for employers post lock down designed to help employers rebuild their businesses.