Par Equity has been awarded ‘Best EIS Investment Exit’ at the EIS Association Awards 2019. The win completed a hat-trick of awards recognising the firm’s 76x return on investment turnaround of online educator ICS Learn.

The EIS Association Awards 2019 were announced at the trade body’s Chairman’s Reception event held at the House of Lords. Entries to the prestigious awards are judged by a panel of independent industry experts

The firm also won both “Exit of the Year” at the Growth Investor Awards and “Best Exit of the Year” at Investment Week’s Tax Efficiency Awards in November of last year.

Two tech entrepreneurs aim to transform cybersecurity with a new software platform that allows businesses to monitor the whole of their cybersecurity from one easy-to-use dashboard.

This month's Invested Investor's Start-up Spotlight features an interview with entrepreneur Sue Keogh, Director of Cambridge digital marketing agency Sookio.

A specialist in digital content, Sue was a website editor for the BBC, Yahoo and AOL, and Project Manager for ITV.com before founding Sookio in 2008. She regularly shares her expertise on the radio and at conferences, through the Sage Business Expert programme, and in the newly launched Sookio School range of online courses. A finalist two years running in the Best Business Women Awards, she talks us through her growth story and tells us what advice she would share with new entrepreneurs. 

ASTI Mobile Robotics is partnering with Keensight Capital, one of the leading players in Growth Buyout, to support the growth of the company. Through this agreement, Keensight Capital, as its strategic and financial partner, has entered in the company with a relevant minority stake.

The latest Fintech M&A Market Report from international technology mergers and acquisitions advisor, Hampleton Partners, reveals that 2018 witnessed the highest level of investment in 

Tech Nation, the UK network for ambitious digital tech entrepreneurs, is seeking 20 startups with the potential to go head to head with some of the biggest players in the global cyber security market. Applications are invited for the UK’s first nationwide scaleup programme for startups in cyber security, designed to build on Britain’s existing heritage in this key sector and produce the global leaders of tomorrow.

The value of private equity business in Guernsey reached its highest-ever level the end of September 2018, according to the latest fund statistics from the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.

Angel-backed company PBD Biotech has had its novel Actiphage® testing technology named as the winner of the Royal Dairy Innovation Award at Dairy-Tech 2019.

The Royal Dairy Innovation trophy and certificate are awarded for research and development in the field of dairy farming. With the award going to the most practical, relevant product, which is likely to be the most significant innovation for the future of dairying.

Kuber Ventures, one of the UK’s most innovative fintech platforms used by financial advisers has been shortlisted for the WealthBriefingEuropean Awards 2019.

Showcasing ‘best of breed’ providers in the global private banking, wealth management and trusted advisor communities, the awards were designed to recognise companies, teams and individuals which the prestigious panel of judges deemed to have ‘demonstrated innovation and excellence during 2018’. 

The Clwyd Pension Fund has confirmed a £10 million equity investment in the £25 million Wales Management Succession Fund. This is the first time an institutional equity investor has backed a fund managed by the Development Bank of Wales or its predecessor Finance Wales. 

The Wales Management Succession Fund was first launched in 2016 by Welsh Government with an initial £10 million investment alongside £5 million of legacy funding. The fund provides ambitious Welsh business owners and management teams with the funding they need to buy established Welsh small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) when their current owners retire or sell. Equity investments of between £500,000 and £3 million are available.

Earth Capital has successfully exited from the UK Energy Efficiency Investments Fund, through the sale of the Fund’s assets via a £100m IPO.  Earth Capital’s Nobel Sustainability Fund was invested in UKEEI alongside the Green Investment Bank, Earth Capital investee SDCL EEco LLP, the European Investment Bank and other institutional LPs.

Acceleris Capital investment Redag Crop Protection Ltd, a UK agrochemical discovery company, has sold its discovery and early development division to Globachem NV, retaining the lead assets for continued development to commercialisation.

With this new acquisition, Globachem continues its already fast-growing development. Globachem Discovery Ltd, the new name of the acquired company, will enhance and strengthen Globachem Group capabilities in Research and Development.

The partial sale will allow Redag to focus on the development of the two lead assets, a broad spectrum herbicide and a potato blight fungicide with a view to licensing them once further field trials and data packages have been created.