In 2018, InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s venture capital arm backed six start-ups that could change the way we travel. In addition, InMotion’s incubator, Studio 107 launched its first service: Carpe for all-inclusive car subscription.

InMotion Ventures continues to invest in urban transportation, mobility and travel, but this year extended its reach to include active outdoor experiences.

Total lending facilitated by P2PFA platforms passed £10 billion during the third quarter of 2018 with the sector’s contribution to the UK economy approaching nearly £11 billion by the end of September – with the most pronounced growth continuing to be found in lending to small businesses.

The quarterly data – which for the first time includes statistics from CrowdProperty which joined the P2PFA in July – reveal that during 2018, platforms have lent more than £900 million each quarter, with the net lending flow of capital increasing between the second and third quarters of the year.

techspert.io has secured £1M in second round funding for its pioneering expert-finding and evaluating technology.

The British Business Bank has appointed Geoff Whiteland to a new position as UK Network Director, North of England and the Midlands.

In its latest interview Invested Investor talks to Bridget Connell, an Invested Investor who started investing four years ago and has completed five deals since. Bridget previously worked in technology, so she supports tech startups and mentors female investors and entrepreneurs through the syndicate Angel Academe. Bridget is a strong believer in the importance of  due diligence when working on a project; she stays close to each company she works with and supports them by drawing other investors close as well. She talks here about her desire to see more diversity in the investment world and is a strong champion for ‘Women in Investments’.   

iDefigo Group Ltd, which offers IoT (Internet of Things) solutions for the surveillance industry, has raised £1.5m as part of their latest round. This is the Unicorn Ascension Fund’s second deal over the course of one month. UAF has participated in this round as a co-investor with other early stage investors including Ascension Ventures, which is also one of the partners in UAF.

eHealth Ventures, the leading Digital Health technological incubator in Israel, has announced the acceptance of its 8^th portfolio company - Engineering for All ("EfA"), managed by Yoel Ezra, an elite IDF technology unit veteran with many years of R&D management experience. eHealth Ventures has invested $900,000 in the company's seed financing round.

The demise of online estate agency eMoov is a cautionary tale of how difficult it is to succeed in a ruthlessly competitive B2C market, even when making what appear to be all the right moves.

It wasn’t lack of a great product that caused eMoov to fold. Nor was it strategic or management mistakes. And it certainly wasn’t because the company lacked good leadership. In Russell Quirk, eMoov had an excellent CEO who did a great job building the business to become one of the UK’s biggest hybrid estate agents. He also hired an impressive C level team with experience from Just Eat, BookaTable and Groupon.

So, if it wasn’t any of those things, what did go wrong?

David Absolon, Investment Director at Heartwood Investment Management, looks ahead and assesses the market for credit investors.

Seedrs, Europe’s leading equity investment  platform, announces that shareholders of portfolio company Oppo Brothers have received an offer to buyout all of their shares.

Seedrs investors have invested over £1.1 million into Oppo over the course of three rounds. The buyout offer will see investors receive £6.15 per share, which represents a significant profit for all of them:

• Seedrs investors who invested in Oppo in their 2015 round did so at a price of £1.414 per share, meaning that they will earn a 4.35x return on their investment. This goes up to 6.21x, and no CGT to pay, for those who were able to take advantage of EIS tax reliefs.
• Oppo raised a second round through Seedrs in 2016 at £2.85 per share, so this offer represents at 2.16x return (3.08x, and no CGT to pay, after tax reliefs) for them.
• Seedrs investors also invested in an Oppo convertible instrument in 2017, and they will receive a 1.5x return on their investment.

Foresight portfolio company, The Naked Deli, has opened a new city centre outlet in Grey Street.

Launched in 2014, The Naked Deli offers a health-conscious and clean-eating experience and provides a range of gluten and dairy-free, vegan and paleo dishes. With a keen focus on locally-sourced foods, The Naked Deli uses high quality meats, responsibly sourced fish, and organic eggs and dairy.

Foresight invested £2.5 million into The Naked Deli in June 2018, providing growth capital to bolster systems and infrastructure and continue the rollout of additional sites around the UK. Foresight also introduced John Upton, ex MD of LEON, who has been appointed Chairman.

Eva Rez from Episode 1 gives her explores Investing in Computing Architecture in the second part of this series.