Buy & build activity in first half of 2020 shows resilience in the face of Covid-19 according to Silverfleet’s European Buy & Build Monitor for H1 2020.

• Silverfleet’s European Buy & Build Monitor for H1 2020 reports 253¹ add-ons, down from 387 in H1 2019
• TMT sector most resilient during the pandemic, outpacing other sectors
• The Nordic region was the most active, with the UK & Ireland in second place
• The DACH, Benelux and Iberia regions showed relative resilience in number of add-ons compared to H1 2019

NorthEdge-backed Catalis Group is expanding its North American footprint with a second bolt-on acquisition completed during lockdown.

Mills & Reeve advises on £23m acquisition by Delta Financial Systems. The deal broadens both Delta and Bravura’s product and services to their client bases and enhance customer experience.

Navenio, the healthcare scale-up whose location-based technology has been shown to double the throughput of hospital teams, has secured a £400,000 grant from the UK government and Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, to address the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals.

Two regional investors have agreed a new strategic partnership to provide enhanced support for early-stage tech firms in the Northern Powerhouse region.  DSW Ventures and NorthInvest have been working together for some time, with the former having invested in two North East companies – PopTop and OneUtilityBill – as a result. The newly formalised partnership will see closer collaboration between the two organisations, providing quicker access for NorthInvest companies to venture capital funding from DSW Ventures.

New research from The Entrepreneurs Network, in partnership with The Enterprise Trust, finds the majority of entrepreneurs believe the shift to a greener economy represents an opportunity for business and a boost for the economy. 

In its second year, British Patient Capital has continued to deliver strongly against its business plan with total commitments over over £1 billion.

Employee engagement SaaS solution secures funding after enjoying strong growth and doubling revenue in the last 12 months.  £1.75 million funding round includes £500,000 investment from the North East Development Capital Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund.

The North East Development Capital Fund has co-led a £1.75 million funding round for Newcastle-based Hive HR Ltd, an innovative employee engagement Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. The Fund, which is managed by Maven Capital Partners, has invested £500,000, alongside £1 million of funding from Maven’s VCTs and £250,000 from existing shareholders.

The Creative Industries Federation and Creative England have announced that their crowdfund will be dedicated to helping those facing real hardship – for every £ raised, they’re aiming to give the creatives who need it most the tools they need to get back on their feet.

Triple Point has announced that Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council has successfully secured £6,591,000 of Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) grant funding to support the commercialisation and construction phases of the Solihull Town Centre Low Carbon Energy Network. 

In October 2019, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council recognised a climate emergency and voted unanimously to ensure that the Council’s own activities are carbon neutral by 2030. In addition, the Council is working closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority towards meeting the region’s wider target of ‘net-zero emissions’ by 2041. More than a year earlier they had embarked on a mission to deliver affordable, low carbon heat to homes and businesses in the town centre. 

A spin-out from Cranfield University whose technology can detect and predict corrosion in pipelines has raised a further £900,000 to expand its global client base.  CorrosionRADAR, which has offices in Cranfield and Cambridge, secured the investment from the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, as well as the government’s Future Fund and existing shareholders.

Downing Ventures led an investment in BBC Maestro, a new e-learning service designed in partnership with BBC Studios. Additional funding was provided by Great Point Ventures. BBC Maestro offers courses that are taught by some of the most experienced and talented creators in the world – the Maestros - including Gary Barlow, David Walliams, Jed Mercurio and Marco Pierre White.