Latest tech sector response to newly announced Government measures: five policy asks

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has announced COVID-19 Response & Community Support initiatives that stem from SVB’s mission to increase its clients’ probability of success, champion the innovation economy and support the global communities in which the company operates. 

InvestSuite has raised a seed extension round led by PMV with participation from existing and new business angels, management and employees. This €2 million is bringing its total funding since its start in June 2018 to €6 million.

Bart Vanhaeren, CEO and co-founder of InvestSuite states that, “This funding enables InvestSuite to expand its market reach and products, grow the team and bring unparalleled innovations to customers around the globe”.

PeoplePerHour, the UK’s largest freelance marketplace, has been focused on helping support small businesses and self-employed freelancers for the last 12 years and in this time of crisis are now going further by pledging £10m to help this community.

Beauhurst has looked at the initial figures for Q1 2020, and more specifically at the last two weeks, to see what's happening now and what may come next.

Brookfield Asset Management, through its Strategic Real Estate Partners III Fund, has acquired a 50% stake in Harwell Campus, as private shareholder partner of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus Limited Partnership, the public/private joint venture that manages and develops Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. Brookfield has acquired the stake formerly owned by U and I Group PLC (“U+I”) and Harwell Oxford Partners Ltd.

Mergermarket has released its Global M&A roundup for the first quarter (Q1) of 2020, including its financial advisors league tables. Take a look at the report below and don’t forget to review the charts breaking down the activity by sector, value, year-to-year analysis. 

The North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) has launched the region’s first social enterprise incubator – designed to nurture entrepreneurs who want to use business as a force for good. 

Innovate for Good is a facility designed to hothouse entrepreneurs who share an aim to change the world for the better with their ideas, products, processes or services. 

Based within the BIC’s new Innovation Zone at its Sunderland business park, the incubator is designed to provide the collaborative working space, practical tools and specialist support to stimulate new ideas and solutions to challenges of today’s world. 

Blackfinch Group's Blackfinch Spring VCT has raised over £3.3 million to invest in a portfolio of technology and technology-enabled companies, since its launch in December. The Spring VCT has been a natural follow-on funder for the Blackfinch Ventures EIS Portfolios, which invests in technology-focused companies at the start of their growth journey.

Smart Separations, a leading specialist in innovative microfiltration (MF) technology, has signed up to the national SPRINT business support programme. SPRINT will provide Smart Separations with funded access to expertise from programme partner, the University of Surrey, to collaborate on the development of a unique approach to producing monopropellant thrusters for small satellite launches.

You can help.  The EIS Association is collecting evidence to replay to the Government to show them the affect current situation is having on small businesses who are struggling to fundraise as a result of the pandemic crisis.  Please take the time to complete the short survey. 

Big Society Capital and Guy’s and St Thomas’s Charity have partnered to fund Good Food Fund, a new Accelerator and Venture Fund which will be backing food and drink challenger SME and start-up brands to help tackle childhood obesity. Business owners are invited to apply for a cut of the £1.8m Good Food Fund to come together in the fight against childhood obesity. The prototype fund will provide business support and allocate finances to brands committed to bringing healthier children’s brands to market. The Accelerator will be run by Mission Ventures and the Venture Capital Fund will be managed by Ascension Ventures.