Igloo Vision, the Shropshire-based immersive technology company, has raised an additional £435,000 in funding under the UK Government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme.  Igloo creates immersive projection spaces, such as domes, cylinders, cubes, and immersive workspaces. Igloo’s technology can display any 360° or Virtual Reality (VR) content. And, because entire teams can get inside the immersive spaces and engage with the content, the technology is well-suited to training, simulation, and visualisation, as well as events and experiences.

Leading US universities including Harvard and Arizona State University have engaged British tech start-up StageClip to facilitate “virtual graduations” for their seniors in light of in-person ceremonies having to be postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Experts from the University of Birmingham’s Medical & Dental School, Health Technologies Institute, and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have designed a new piece of equipment to help prevent transmission of COVID-19 from patients to medical staff.  

Cohesity has comleted a $250 million Series E funding, led by DFJ Growth, Foundation Capital, Greenspring Associates, and Wing Venture Capital. DFJ Growth and Greenspring Associates are new investors as are Baillie Gifford and Sozo Ventures.

The round also includes broad support from existing investors, including Sequoia Capital and SoftBank Vision Fund 1, as well as strategic investors Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco Investments. Cohesity is now valued at $2.5 billion, more than double the valuation from the company’s Series D round less than two years ago. With the new funding, Cohesity’s total funding since inception exceeds $650 million.

Innovate UK has launched a £20m competition looking for business-led innovation in response to global disruption, closing 17 Apr. Up to £50k/project.

Almost a third of businesses in the Midlands and the North of England are at high risk of collapse due to COVID-19 impacting on their supply chain, according to a recent report from Durham University Business School.

James Murdoch takes a considered look back over his portfolio performance from the last year and shares his observations on the ups and downs of equity crowdfunding. 

Jenson Funding Partners has completed an investment in Survey54, a business SaaS platform for consumer surveys in continental Africa. 

Jenson Funding Partners has made investment in Not In The Guidebooks, providing local, authentic, immersive, responsible travel experiences for discerning independent travelers.

Maven Capital Partners has led an investment in Nano Interactive, an advertising technology business which specialises in intent targeting based on multiple signals including online search. Alongside the equity investment from Maven, the transaction has been supported by existing shareholders including Foresight Group.

The investment by Maven and Foresight will go towards supporting growth in sales and marketing operations, continued product development, as well as the establishment of an operation in the US.

Capital on Tap has revealed the world’s most sustainable corporations and startups, analysing where they are based and the industries they are in to determine who is leading the way in the rise of sustainable businesses. 

April 2020: Capital on Tap has analysed the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations to reveal which countries and industries are driving the working world to a more sustainable future. In addition, the analysis reveals the emerging startups that are committing to creating a more environmentally friendly world of work. 

Dr Maria Rana, expert in economics and finance at the University of Salford Business School, looks at how the UK economy is coping so far under coronavirus lockdown and gives some ways the government can intervene to help a recovery once the crisis is over.