Clearco, the world's largest e-commerce investor and the company revolutionizing the way founders grow their businesses, has announced ambitious international expansion plans supported by two key executive hires

Gresham House Ventures – a growth equity investor specialising in software and digitally driven businesses in the consumer, healthcare and services sectors – has invested €5m into Scurri, a cloud-based software provider connecting and optimising e-commerce ordering, shipping, and delivery.  The investment is part of a €9m fundraising round that will support the creation of more than 100 jobs over the next two years, grow Scurri’s operations in the UK, and allow them to invest in marketing, sales and product development.

Ochre Bio, a biotech company developing RNA medicines for chronic liver diseases, has raised $9.6M seed financing led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Backed VC, Apollo Health Ventures, Selvedge, Hoxton and Hermes-Epitek. The funding will be used to advance the development of Ochre Bio’s RNA therapies and expand their deep phenotyping platform to identify and validate new liver targets.

New research from investment holding company MBH Corporation shows SME bosses are worried that access to finance will become harder over the next three years as they continue to grapple with the late payment of invoices.

Maven Capital Partners, one of the UK’s most active investors in growth businesses, has invested £2 million in London-based Guru Systems. Guru is a trusted supplier of B2B IoT hardware, software, and analytics solutions to energy companies, house builders, developers and housing associations looking to reduce their carbon footprint and operating costs, meet their regulatory obligations, and deliver the most efficient and cost-effective service to their own customers.

Episode 1 backed car buying comparison leader, carwow has acquired used car buying platform,Wizzle.

A Midlands software company which uses the power of video games to help businesses manage and motivate their sales teams has raised a further £600,000 for expansion.  Stormburst Studios secured funding from the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), and Mercia’s EIS funds. The latest investment follows an earlier funding round of £150,000 in 2017 from Mercia’s EIS funds.

YFM Equity Partners-advised funds have sold their shareholding in Deep Secure Limited to Forcepoint Federal LLC, a global cyber security solutions business specialising in serving government and critical infrastructure clients for an undisclosed sum. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in or before August 2021.

Polaris has intensified its sustainability work and published its first annual sustainability report, outlining the efforts in 2020 across the investment process, its portfolio companies and Polaris Management. The work will continue in the coming years based on dialogue with investors, portfolio companies, employees and other stakeholders.

The North East Development Capital Fund (NEDCF), supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Maven Capital Partners,

Keensight Capital, one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout1 investments, has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Adista, the leading alternative B2B hosted services provider. Upon completion of the transaction, Keensight will take over from Equistone Partners Europe as Adista’s majority shareholder alongside FEF, the co-investment partnership between Mubadala and Bpifrance and the management team led by Patrice Bélie.

Hertility Health, the new women’s health start-up revolutionising the world of hormone and reproductive health, has announced the closing of a £4.2 million Seed funding round led by LocalGlobe - one of the UK's most prolific seed investors, Venrex, and some key angel investors including former CEO of Bupa, Evelyn Bourke, CEO of Nested and the unicorn company GoCardless, Matt Robinson.