May 2017 

The news yesterday that Seedrs will be commencing Trading Tuesdays with a limited secondary market opportunity for Seedrs funded businesses, following hot on the heels of Crowdcube’s buyers led secondary market, is the latest piece of activity in the obvious development of the next stage in the private investor equity market. Meanwhile, established secondary markets like AIM, Asset Match, NEX Exchange and JPJ Jenkins are seeing an upsurge of interest as more and more investors look to deal with the challenge of taking up the right to sell something they were previously given the right to buy.

Pharmacy2u.co.uk, the UK’s leading NHS approved online only pharmacy, has secured a further £7m of investment from BGF (Business Growth Fund) and other shareholders to continue to support the rapid growth of its home delivery repeat prescriptions service for NHS patients.

• In response to huge investor demand, the Neil Woodford-backed equity crowdfunding platform announces the launch of a secondary market.
• Investors will have the opportunity to sell shares of companies they invested in through Seedrs, thereby realising early returns. Meanwhile, investors who want to add to their position in a Seedrs company will be able to buy shares through this market.
• Entrepreneurs will benefit from the flexibility this provides their investors, reducing pressure to exit the business prematurely.
• Businesses considering raising money through Seedrs are likely to find that the prospect of secondary sales makes it easier for them to attract capital.

Easy-access accounts are less lucrative and riskier for peer-to-peer investors, new research claims.

A number of P2P platforms offer easy- or free-access accounts, which attract investors who want the option to withdraw their money swiftly. However, lenders who choose these accounts earn nearly two per cent less interest per year and early access is not guaranteed, warns 4^th Way. The independent P2P research and ratings firm found that the average interest rate on accounts that offer free early access is 3.16 per cent, while the average rate on other P2P accounts is 4.91 per cent – a 1.76 per cent increase.

First published in P2PFN on 3 May

Darius built the largest Empire the world had yet seen, stretching from India to Eastern Europe, and containing c. 45% of the world’s population. He built a bridge of boats across the Danube, crushed 19 separate rebellions in one year and launched the invasion fleet which was defeated at Marathon by 9,000 Athenians. His claim to be an Angel Investor, however, lies in the fact that he built the Persian Royal Road, at that time the largest infrastructure project attempted outside Egypt.

The charity for this month that deserves highlighting is Heropreneurs which is creating the pride of business from the UK Armed Forces. www.heropreneurs.co.uk.

Okappy, has announced the launch of its investment pitch on the AngelsDen equity crowdfunding platform. Aiming to raise £500,000 from the crowd, the pitch is open to anyone interested in supporting Okappy’s innovative new communications platform.

The 2016 HALO Report provides economic developers, community and business leaders, entrepreneurs and early-stage investors with best-in-class research reports to better understand how startups are funded.

Download the full HALO 2016 Report here

MPP Global, a high growth technology business delivering digital monetization services to the media, sport and retail sectors, has completed a £12m ($15M) Series B financing round from Albion Ventures and Grafton Capital.

Enterprise Ventures, part of Mercia Technologies PLC, has expanded both its debt and equity teams with four new appointments in its Yorkshire offices as a result of the £108m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) contracts which it secured in February.

Vyaire Medical, the healthcare industry's largest pure-play "breathing" company, announced it has acquired Ciel Medical, a medical device company focused on solving unmet needs of medical professionals caring for intubated patients.

Crowdcube enabled 29 fast growing business to raise over £23 million, 2.7 times the nearest competitor according to the latest figures from Beauhurst (full report to be announced this week). The Q1 figures put the business on a trajectory to beat last year’s investment record of over £80 million raised.