Lein Applied Diagnostics, a company that specialises in innovative and precise optical technology, have closed their latest funding round, receiving investment from two members of Henley Business Angels. This is the second time that Lein have gone through Henley Business Angels for funding, having previously raised a total of £440,000 back in 2017.

Puma Private Equity, the private equity division of Puma Investments, has closed an investment of £3.6 million into Dymag Group, the British designer and manufacturer of carbon hybrid automotive wheels. Established in 1974, Dymag is a pioneer in carbon wheel technology and expects a record 2019, with the investment fuelling its global growth plans. Tommy O’Sullivan, Managing Director at Puma Private Equity, commented: “Dymag is positively disrupting the automotive wheel market with its new carbon wheel products.

Transaction Network Services (TNS) is increasing its financial services offerings to include a new Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution that provides low-cost, secure connectivity to the TNS Secure Trading Extranet.

This new P2P VPN is a simplified solution which can help organizations significantly reduce the total cost of ownership of their VPN estate and allow TNS customers to reach TNS’ extensive global financial community of interest.  

Tom Elliott, deVere Group’s International Investment Strategist, comments on what we can expect in 2019, after a turbulent start to the year on global financial markets.

Albion Capital, the leading independent investment manager, is seeking to raise up to £36 million through top up offers for its six venture capital trusts. 

The fundraising targets £6 million for each of the six Albion VCTs: Albion Venture Capital Trust PLC, Albion Development VCT PLC, Albion Enterprise VCT PLC, Albion Technology & General VCT PLC, Crown Place VCT PLC and Kings Arms Yard VCT PLC. Investments spread across all six portfolios will receive a monthly dividend with a yield of approximately 5.5 per cent*, or 7.8 per cent after tax relief, a potentially attractive income source in the current low interest rate environment. 

Investors who apply before 2 p.m. on 28 February for the first £10 million of shares will be entitled to an "early bird" reduction in the offer costs. Existing Albion investors will receive a 1.0 per cent reduction and new investors will receive a 0.5 per cent reduction.

Graham Bishop, investment director at Heartwood Investment Management, gives his insight on what we can expect in 2019.

Benjamin Vedrenne-Cloquet, Chief Executive of EdtechX Holdings, the Nasdaq-listed education technology acquisition company, discusses why the future is bright for EdTech companies.

UK buyout investor, WestBridge, has promoted Tim Whittard to director and Edward Minton to Investment Manager.

Crowdcube hit its best-ever figures across a range of measures in 2018, as crowdfunding continues to cement its popularity with entrepreneurs and investors, despite a backdrop of broader economic uncertainty and concerns around Brexit.

2018 revenue is up 50% to £6m, from £4m in 2017, while investment pledged to growing companies through the platform is up 72% to £224m, from £130m the previous year. The number of successful raises on the platform, at 198, is 35% larger than the previous year’s total of 147.

Q4 2018 was Crowdcube’s most successful quarter ever, with revenue at £1.8m (up 50% from £1.2m in Q4 2017), and investment pledged at £84.6m (up 94% from £43.6m). The number of successful raises rose from 45 to 49, an increase of 9%, while the average amount per successful raise went up from £732,000 to £1,430,000, an increase of 95%.

The research, conducted among 200 intermediaries by Foresight Group LLP, a leading independent infrastructure and private equity investment manager, reveals that three-quarters (75%) expect to see more infrastructure funds recommended to clients.

UK infrastructure’s rapid transition from a niche to an increasingly mainstream asset class has been underlined by a new study, which reveals that over six-in-ten (62%) financial advisers are looking to increase their clients’ allocation to infrastructure over the next three years, a dramatic increase from 32% last year.

Healthcare venture investment in the U.S. and Europe reached a new high in 2018, according to Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the world’s most innovative companies and their investors. Investment totals in 2018 grew more than 50 percent over 2017, with the activity due in large part to record Series A investments in U.S. biopharma companies.

In 1997 Benross’s CEO Jon Everitt set out with a singular vision: to launch a sports brand that would produce top quality golfing equipment, without the prohibitive price tag. Twenty-one years later, the golf brand has grown to become the largest golfing manufacturer in the UK. It remains privately owned and has become synonymous with quality and appeal. Now it is poised for European growth with a £2M boost to working capital funds from Independent Growth Finance, IGF.