Aventus, the London-based B2B insurtech business and insurance operating system originally created for the MGA Homelyfe, has closed a £2.6m investment led by Outward VC and Notion Capital with participation from TriplePoint and Downing Ventures. The £2.6m investment will be used to scale up the business.

Aventus's modular Insurance Operating System, allows insurers to create policies and automatically quote and bind in under a minute, asking minimal questions. 

The Accelerator Network, in partnership with White Horse Capital, welcomes Piers Linney as ScaleUp Entrepreneur-In-Residence for The ScaleUp Accelerator programme and Venture Partner at White Horse Capital. 

The o2h Therapeutics and AI Fund, an early stage S/EIS fund investing in biotechnology therapeutics and related AI opportunities, has invested in Pencil Biosciences, a novel gene modulation biotech company based at Alderley Park, Cheshire.

Pencil Biosciences is developing a truly innovative gene modulation technology that can have an impact across a range of applications, including new therapeutic options for patients with rare diseases.

UK companies raised a record amount of venture capital in 2019 – the highest in Europe – according to research by Refinitiv. £8.1bn was raised – an 85% increase year on year – while deal volumes were also slightly up with 560 in this period compared to 554 in 2018.

The British Business Bank’s 2020 Small Business Finance Markets report highlights significant long-term growth in alternative finance volumes over the last five years.

Manchester-based entertainment brand Vistavenus, has received its first angel investment of £200,000 from renowned businessman David Walter, giving Vistavenus a pre-market valuation of over £4 million.

Speedinvest, a European venture capital fund with offices in London, Berlin, Vienna, Munich and San Francisco, has raised €190 million for its third flagship fund, surpassing its original target ahead of schedule due to high investor demand. The oversubscribed round increases Speedinvest’s total AUM to more than €400M.

AND Digital has secured an £11m equity investment from BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active investor in growing businesses, to support its continued growth and global expansion.

Established in 2014, AND Digital is one of Europe’s fastest growing tech companies, employing over 600 people and generating an annual turnover of £42m. In this year’s The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For, AND was ranked at number 10, demonstrating its people first focus for tech talent.

Foresight Group has made the first investment from its East of England Fund, supporting the Buy-in Management Buyout of McIntyre Electrical Limited and the opening of its new office in Cambridge.

McIntyre Electrical is a leading provider of safety-critical fire and electrical inspection and maintenance services, primarily for housing associations. Based in Peterborough, McIntyre Electrical was established by Joe McIntyre and John Clifford in 2006 and today employs 158 people. 

In February 2020 Henley Business Angels hit the landmark of over £1 million invested by its members and guests.

Since first being established in October 2016, Henley Business Angels has received applications from 179 companies, of which 64 have presented to members over 13 investment rounds. A total of 19 companies have received investment from HBA members and guests, with 10 of those companies resubmitting for more than one round, towards a total of £1.1m.

The o2h Therapeutics and AI Fund, an early stage S/EIS fund investing in biotechnology therapeutics and related AI opportunities, has made an investment in Turbine, a simulation-based drug discovery company.

Based on a decade of research, Turbine’s biologists, bioinformaticians, data scientists, and AI engineers built the Simulated Cell. This platform is comprised of a dynamic computational model of the human cell and the underlying simulation technology to find the smartest route to novel targets, biomarkers, and combination therapies.

Award winnning Active Needle is seeking £150,000 for market entry.