EcoMachines Ventures (EMV) announces the launch of the EMV EIS Fund I. The Fund will be focused on investments into EIS-eligible companies disrupting the energy, industrial high-tech, resource efficiency and transport sectors, and is targeting a close of up to £10m by March 2018. EMV is acting as exclusive investment advisor to the Fund, bringing its established expertise and analytical framework within high-growth technology sectors.

A new report from VentureFounders, in conjunction with Beauhurst, has found that 56% of UK tech founders expect that their business will sell for £50m or less, but 80% want to re-enter the tech ecosystem and support it post-exit. 

See report here

Mercia Fund Managers, which manages part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), is celebrating a milestone, having invested over £5m from the fund to support businesses throughout Yorkshire, the Humber and Tees Valley. 

HBAN (Halo Business Angel Network) has appointed Rowan Devereux to the Chair of the Bloom Equity Syndicate. Rowan succeeds Anthony Bermingham as Chair and in his new role, he aims to recruit new angels, build the profile of the syndicate and work with HBAN in selecting high potential start-ups to present at monthly syndicate meetings.

Calculus Capital has invested £2.2m in Brighton-based Every1Mobile, which has developed a mobile communications platform that is helping to deliver measurable socio-economic inclusion programmes at scale across Africa.

Verv, a brand, which sits under machine learning experts Green Running Ltd, has successfully raised £1,234,500 on Crowdcube in return for a 4.72% stake in the business.

Mojiworks, the leading start-up dedicated to creating games for the world’s fast-growing chat and messaging platforms, has raised £2.1 million in funding led by Balderton Capital, Europe’s largest early stage venture capital investor.

Now that equity crowdfunding is firmly established in the funding ecosystem the EIS statistics are getting more interesting to analyse – especially the table on the amounts investors are allocating to the scheme each year. 

Henry Morgan procured his seed capital in a manner decidedly more unusual than most.

On 17th November the BBC will once again be holding its Children in Need fundraiser.  You can donate at https://mydonatetelethonsappeals.bt.com/donate/cin2017/.

Mercia Technologies is one of the loudest proponents of Patient Capital and its recent exit shows why. 

An Edinburgh-based startup enabling broadcasters and publishers to obtain the digital rights to Instagram photographs has secured almost £250,000 in seed funding from angels in syndicates such as Equity Gap and Gabriel with the support of the Scottish Investment Bank.