As an interested observer of the unquoted UK funding market, I have long been curious about what is really going on around the symmetry between fundraising entrepreneurs and investors, be they crowdfunders, angels, VC or HM Government (via EIS, the Future Fund, £750m from InnovateUK grant funding, and £10bns from BBILs and CBILs). 

Stakeholderz Venture Relations Manager Megan Snijman explores the opportunity and sheer value being lost to investors as female entrepreneurs continue to be underrepresented and underfunded.

Aqua Digital Rising, the Fintech company developing tradable indices based on human performance and achievement, has completed its Bnk to the Future crowdfunding round.

The one-month funding round ended on the 29^th November 2020 with Aqua outperforming its original target, closing the raise at US$1.4 million.

Outfund, the fintech company changing the way online businesses raise funds, has closed a £37million late seed round of capital, including debt and equity. The funding round was led by Fuel Ventures and sees TMT Investments and Force Over Mass also invest in Outfund as it provides a faster, fairer and more affordable way for SMEs to raise growth capital. 

C-Link, a property procurement start-up founded in 2015 by Paul Heming and Chris Barber, has successfully raised a six figure investment from private investors through investment non-profit, NorthInvest.

Steve Richardson, Sales Director at Reparo Finance, gives his perspective on why Government-backed COVID-19 loans aren’t necessarily helping SMEs address the financial disruption of the pandemic.  

Vala Capital, the entrepreneur-led venture capital firm, has launched the Vala Sustainable Growth EIS targeting small companies focused on sustainable solutions.

Visit Funding Page for more information.

BGF has made a further substantial investment in the expansion of Yorkshire-headquartered bakery business, Cooplands, as the 135-year-old business looks ahead to its next chapter of growth. 

Three years after BGF’s initial £8.5m investment, the business has grown to more than 165 stores, 12 cafes and 36 sandwich vans. Cooplands has opened seven new stores since March 2020 and plans to roll-out an additional 30 stores a year in locations such as South Yorkshire, as well as expanding further in the current geographical footprint. 

Karakuri, the world-leading food robotics company, is bringing the future of food to life as it lifts the lid to unveil the world’s first automated canteen to make meals, the DK-One.  Karakuri’s robotic system will revolutionise how and what we eat in restaurants, canteens, buffets, hotels and supermarkets as demand for personalised nutrition grows and the industry’s looks for new ways to operate in a post-Covid world. 

Derbyshire-based fleet management software provider has secured a £1.5m funding boost to develop its cloud-based product and create 20 new skilled jobs.  Nathan Grace Holdings Limited, which trades under the Chevin Fleet Solutions name, secured the £1.5m loan from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) E&SEM Debt Finance fund, managed by Maven Capital Partners.

A Leicestershire based food safety technology business has secured a £500,000 investment to scale-up operations and boost their ambitious growth plans. Navitas Digital Safety Ltd, which operates out of Phoenix Park in Coalville, has secured the finance from The FSE Group Debt Finance Fund through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF).