Brexit remains the largest concern for small businesses in 2018, as uncertainty remains over whether a deal of any sort will be reached by the March 2019 deadline, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Uncertainty surrounding a no deal remains the biggest issue, with existing arrangements for exporters and importers under threat. Similarly, sectors, such as construction, are heavily reliant on migrant workers.

GlobalData’s 2018 UK SME Insurance Survey found that over a third of respondents (36.8%) stated they were either concerned or very concerned about Brexit. This indicates there is a sizeable market for insurers to include cover for losses as a direct result of Brexit in their business policies in the short term.

MEIF Maven Debt Finance has provided Automotive MacIiver Limited, the designer of the only multiple car seats for children with a £150,000 debt funding package. The funding will enable the business to invest in its product range, improving efficiencies in its batch manufacturing process, increase stock to meet growing sales and support the appointment of two new business development roles in the Birmingham area.

Multimac, invented by Automotive Macliver, is a unique, multi-child car seat which delivers a completely new concept in child car seat safety. By allowing three to four children to be seated in a row, Multimac removes the dangers associated with a seven-seater vehicle, which places children in the boot space of the car, commonly known as the ‘crumple zone’. The Multimac enables up to four children from 0-12 years to be seated in a row of even the smallest cars and is approved for adult use. 

H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity investment firm with over €26 billion of equity capital under management, is pleased to announce that its portfolio company Groupe Ecore (“Ecore”) successfully completed a high-yield bond placement. The Group issued €255 million in senior secured floating rate notes, with Barclays acting as sole bookrunner.

9 companies reached their funding targets with Seedrs in November

PIMFA, the trade association for wealth managers and financial advisers, officially launched the third in the series of their flagship Millennial Forum research, following the theme of ‘Life in the 21^st Century’, at its Millennial Forum Conference, hosted by KPMG, in London’s West End.

Influencer marketing has risen to the forefront in recent years, particularly when harnessed with live video trends on social channels. Many brands have looked to influencers to promote their products in a seemingly 'natural' way - that comes across as a genuine recommendation - and it had proved to be a much cheaper marketing strategy than PPC or Advertising.

The British Business Bank, the UK government-owned economic development bank, has today announced a £10.5m commitment to WhiteRock Capital Partners LLP’s new Growth Finance Fund. This is the first time that the Bank has invested in a fund aimed exclusively at supporting growing businesses in Northern Ireland.

The Growth Finance Fund will support loans from £500,000 up to £2m to established smaller growing businesses in Northern Ireland over the next four years.Companies seeking funding – the majority of which are expected to be operating in the manufacturing, engineering or tradable services sectors – must be based in Northern Ireland and be demonstrating existing growth.

Four of Wales’ top entrepreneurs have been named as the first four lead investors for the Development Bank of Wales’ £8 million Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.  Using their knowledge, networks and expertise, the lead investors will form syndicates to support start-ups and growth businesses in strategically important sectors in Wales. Unlike the development bank’s other funds, the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund is investor led with the bank providing match funding up to a maximum of £250,000 per project.

NVM Private Equity has strengthened its  investment team with the recruitment of Sam Sinclair, Ishaan Chilkoti, Charlotte Clarke and Carmine Circelli.  NVM is building a dedicated and focused VCT team to develop the business in a changed environment by bringing in people with experience in new, fast-emerging technology, finance and life science sectors.

Sam joins NVM as Talent Director and has over 10 years’ experience in executive search, assessment and advisory experience in the technology markets. NVM believes that access to the right people and expertise can make all the difference when it comes to scaling a business and Sam’s primary remit will be to build, develop and evolve NVM’s network of board directors and advisors whilst working closely with NVM’s portfolio businesses.

3 years on from saving the business from Administration in a £7.5m deal, Seneca backed Foodpack Limited, the St Helen’s based specialist food manufacturing and packaging business, has been sold to Integrated Packaging Services Ltd (“IPS”).

This is the latest exit from Seneca’s EIS growth capital investment team and delivers a net tax free return of c.3.3x for their investors.

Tim Murphy of Seneca, who was a Director of Foodpack throughout the investment, commented:

Making a success of a business bought out of Administration is notoriously difficult and involves many highs and lows along the way. Bringing Foodpack back from the brink and turning it into a high quality operation has been a great result for our Investors and all stakeholders, not least the 150 colleagues who work in the business but also the wider community of St Helens that benefits from those jobs being secured.  

Kudos, the award-winning service for maximising the reach and impact of academic research, has closed a Series A investment round led by Mobeus.

The global research sector is undergoing significant and accelerating change. In the pursuit of greater efficiency, the way in which projects are funded, published and evaluated is being overhauled. With over £150bn* invested annually in research through universities worldwide – much of this funded by taxpayers – innovation is needed to improve the return on this expenditure; effective communication of research results is central to this.

Capital Step has successfully funded the management buy-out of Brightwater, a leading independent recruitment consultancy with offices in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. The Company provides permanent, contract and executive search and selection services, with a focus on professional services.