Beauhurst this week launched The Scaleup Index 2019. This report, in partnership with The ScaleUp Institute, examines the 5,456 unique visible scaleup businesses across the UK. It analyses everything from investments, investors and growth rate demographics, to geographical distribution, founders and executives. 

Foresight Group has made a £749,000 growth capital investment into Promethean Particles Limited, a company specialising in the manufacturing of nanomaterials.  The finance boost will allow the firm to create new jobs, scale its production capabilities and enter untapped global markets.

The investment has been made using finance from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund and is part of a £1.25m funding round led by Foresight and supported by the University of Nottingham, East Midlands Early Growth Fund (managed by the British Business Financial Services), and other existing investors.

Freshworks Inc., the customer engagement software company, has announced the signing of definitive agreements for a $150 million series H round of funding at a post-financing valuation of $3.5 billion. The round was led by existing investors Sequoia Capital, CapitalG, and Freshworks’ first investor, Accel. The capital will be used to further Freshworks’ worldwide expansion as well as accelerate investment in its integrated SaaS platform. 

UK small and medium-sized businesses are holding record levels of cash as uncertainty surrounding Brexit persists – and it is costing them billions of pounds a year, new analysis reveals.

Shopblocks has raised funding from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s GM Investment Fund, its existing investor Dow Schofield Watts Angels (DSW Angels), and members of the management team to support its expansion in the UK and overseas.

CapitalRise, the prime property investment platform, has secured the backing of Revolt Ventures. Revolt has provided £1 million equity funding to accelerate the growth of the business. This follows CapitalRise’s highly successful Seedrs crowdfunding raise earlier this year and brings the total funds raised in this round to £3.3 million.

Foresight Group has made a £3 million investment into Biotherapy Services Limited, a biopharmaceutical company specialising in regenerative medicine for the treatment of complex wounds.  One of its products is currently undergoing a clinical trial for treating chronic diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).  

Warwickshire-based Oneskee has secured a six-figure investment from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), Equity Finance Fund managed by venture capital firm Midven.

Keensight Capital, one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout investment, along with Naxicap, mid cap investor, has announced the signing of an exclusivity agreement with a view to buying a majority stake in the group Sogelink, a leading provider of vertical software solutions for infrastructure sector professionals. Keensight Capital will become the majority shareholder of Sogelink, alongside Naxicap, management and employees.

Balderton is launching the fund against a backdrop of unprecedented momentum within the European tech ecosystem. 

Visionable, the healthcare technology company providing a single video collaboration platform that enables clinicians to deliver better patient care, has raised £9.1m, following a 50% oversubscribed funding round, valuing the company at £47.6m.

Led by West Hill Capital, which has a reputation for backing British companies that are making a real difference, the funding round signals the next stage in the growth of the British health start-up. Having seen a busy 2019, which involved the trial of a connected ambulance with O2, the latest funds will allow Visionable to build on this momentum and continue to have a positive impact globally on the lives of patients and clinicians.

Angular Ventures has closed its debut fund at $41M for early-stage deep technology enterprise companies with global expansion plans based in Europe and Israel. The firm, which has been operating in stealth mode for nearly two years, has already built a portfolio of 12 companies with plans to make 5-7 new investments per year.