The Association of Investment Companies’ (AIC) review of Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), ‘Transforming small business’, highlights the role VCTs play in providing patient capital to UK businesses. This is particularly relevant as HM Treasury is currently conducting a review, ‘Financing Growth in Innovate Firms’, which is considering how the UK investment community can support growing innovative firms by providing increased access to long-term investment (patient capital).

See AIC VCT review: “Transforming small business”

See HM Treasury’s “Patient Capital” consultation paper

Research commissioned by YFM Equity Partners has established that shareholders consider the ability to support growing UK businesses and the dividend yield resulting from that growth as significant factors, alongside tax relief, when investing in VCTs.

Crowdcube announces that it is partnering with SeedInvest – America’s leading equity crowdfunding platform – in order to give UK investors access to American companies being funded on the SeedInvest platform. The collaboration is the first time a UK crowdfunding platform has partnered up with an American counterpart in this way.

VCT and EIS funds managed by Downing LLP have invested £5 million to support Exclusive Events Venues (EEV) to acquire and redevelop Chester’s Old Bishop’s Palace into an exclusive-use wedding and events venue.

University Cribs, the online platform for student property rental, announces today the completion of their seed funding round. Strategic investors from a range of related industries have committed capital to seeing the business further grow.

Foresight Group LLP, confirms strong levels of interest in its innovative Foresight Smart Bonds Fund, which offers investors the choice to invest over 1, 2 or 3 year fixed terms for between 4.07% and 4.83% rates of interest per annum.   The Fund will close Tranche "A" on 13 October 2017.

Peak has announced their £2.5m series A funding round led by MMC Ventures, bringing the total amount raised by the company so far to £3.5m. Peak’s data analytics-as-a-service model helps companies of all sizes use data, machine learning and AI technologies to drive growth. This latest injection of capital will be used to will fund the company’s ongoing investment in machine learning and AI technologies and further accelerate sales growth.

The Mobeus VCTs has opened a new share offers to raise, in aggregate, up to £50 million, with over-allotment facilities to raise, in aggregate, up to a further £30 million. Mobeus’s existing VCT asset base is approximately £200 million.

OfferMoments, the world’s most innovative advertising platform, has received a £1.5 million injection to fund a brand new project that will revolutionise Out-Of-Home (OOH) advertising. This new wave of investment has been led by Michael Edelson, who has been a director of Manchester United since 1982.

The entrepreneurial ecosystems of 10 more countries are now more connected with each other and the rest of the world, with the appointment of High Commissioners for Bahrain, Brazil, Ghana, Iceland, Jordan, Macedonia, Morocco, Ukraine, USA and Zimbabwe.

Jenson Funding Partners is delighted to announce that Piers Denne, industry veteran, has joined as Head of Distribution.

Scotland’s first dedicated pre-seed tech accelerator, Seed Haus, has launched in Edinburgh backed by a stellar line-up of investment partners. Seed Haus’ mission is to trigger Scotland’s next billion-dollar startup and the partners joining the team in realising this goal include: Alistair Forbes, James Watt of BrewDog; Gavin Dutch, Paul Walton, Judy Wilson, Rob Dobson, Paddy Burns, Chris van der Kuyl, Paul Davidson, and Sir Tom Hunter.