UK boards are seriously lacking non-executive directors with skills and expertise in technology, new research from Russell Reynolds Associates a leading global leadership advisory and search firm, reveals.

Fewer than half (44 percent) of FTSE 100 companies have a technology expert on their board, falling to 37 percent for FTSE 350 businesses (excluding technology and telecoms companies). Russell Reynolds Associates defines a technology expert as someone with substantial technology experience, gained through either a senior commercial role in a technology company or a technology role in a corporate (e.g., CIO or CTO) [2].

Specialist property peer-to-peer lender CrowdProperty has hit two more major milestones after fully funding the 92nd project on the CrowdProperty platform. CrowdProperty has now funded the development of 600 Great British homes, worth over £100,000,000 having lent almost £40 million.

With a huge shift in emphasis towards regional funding support, the Connected Investing event series, hosted by the UK Business Angels Association, will lift the lid on the latest initiatives open to both the investor and start-up communities. 

With the government driven Digital Economy Council announcing that twenty-two Unicorn businesses have originated outside of London, these events focusing on regional investment could not be more timely. The event will feature the latest updates from newly emerging funds, including the British Business Investments £100m fund and Innovate UK’s regional angel investment accelerator.

Palamon Capital Partners, a European growth buyout private equity firm, has signed an agreement to sell Il Bisonte to Tokyo Stock exchange-listed fashion distribution specialist, Look Holdings Inc.  The transaction will value Il Bisonte at an Enterprise Value of €100 million, 3 times the entry price paid by Palamon, producing a 26% Gross IRR for Palamon European Equity III.

Funderbeam, the global funding and trading platform, has raised US$ 4.5 million in Series A funding, led by UK-based Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV). The round includes new investors such as GK-Plug and Play Indonesia, Pandan Ventures, with existing investors including Draper Associates, Draper Venture Partners, IQ Capital, and Mistletoe also taking part.

Nexeon, the company developing and supplying battery materials for rechargeable Li-ion batteries, is leading a new project to optimise coating technology for its silicon material. This approach will result in improved cell performance, and also extend the system compatibility of silicon anode materials, allowing use of lower cost electrolyte formulations and lower overall battery cell costs.

Funding Options has appointed David Keene to its senior leadership team as Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, David will be responsible for leading the marketing function at Funding Options to expand its customer base in the UK, Netherlands and Europe while also launching new products and solutions designed to support small businesses.

YFM Equity Partners has completed the first close of its Buy-Out-Fund II with £60m of investment committed.  This follows the £45m raised for its Buy-Out Fund I, which had a final close in April 2017.  Only two years later, and following the recent investment in The Protein Works, this fund is now almost two thirds invested.

Maven Capital Partners has invested a further £750,000, in disruptive car insurance platform, Honcho Markets Ltd. The funding has been provided by Maven VCTs (£322,500), North East Development Capital Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund (£322,500) and the Finance Durham Fund, established by Durham County Council (£105,000). The follow-on investment will support the business as it enters its next phase of development to launch the product nationally, add new insurance product lines and make significant enhancements to its platform. The investment will also support the creation of 10 jobs over the next 12 months, bringing the total staff numbers to 15.

The diversity of investor types in the UK contributes to the success of the nation's high-growth scene, as different companies have varying requirements from their backers. In Part 1 of a new blog series, Beauhurst has compiled a rundown of the most active types of investors in the UK and how they function, from venture capital to crowdfunding and angel networks. 

The amount of equity invested in smaller UK businesses rose 5% to £6.7bn in 2018, the highest amount recorded, reveals British Business Bank’s annual Small Business Equity Tracker report.

Ocado has announced a £17 million investment into the vertical farming industry, including an investment into Jones Food, Europe’s largest vertical farm. The investment into Jones Food, represents one of the largest investments into a UK agritech company so far this year. Law firm, Ashfords, advised Guinness Asset Management, the majority shareholder of Jones Food, in the transaction.