Oxford Capital has backed online market research platform Attest in a US$3.1m funding round.  Oxford Capital and Episode 1 led the round, alongside new angel investors. The investment will be used to roll out the full version of Attest’s platform, and expand its offering to new sectors and use cases.

The fund with the target size of €40 million will invest mainly in Finnish startups offering software to B2B customers. The investors are Finnish institutional investors, foundations, family offices and private investors.

Tagtronics Limited, a business that specialises in the delivery and maintenance of software solutions for the domiciliary care industry, has secured six figure funding from the Enterprise Ventures SME Loans to support the acquisition of a London-based company.

Olympic Fixings Group, the Lancashire-based business which supplies hardware products to the merchant trade throughout the UK and Ireland, is all set for growth after a £6m combined investment from PHD Equity Partners and Secure Trust Bank.

It can be tempting to assess a startup like a rock and roll band. Focus all your energy on the attributes of the lead singer, and remain oblivious to the musicians, backing vocalists, managers and other behind-the-scenes staff. Yet behind every Bono there is The Edge, and forgetting about that can be a costly investment decision for you too...

Results from the Smith & Williamson Enterprise Index Q1 2017 show the highest growth in small business confidence in four years.

While Theresa May can’t guarantee the support of the small business community, she can be reassured that its confidence in its own growth is the highest in four years, according to the latest Enterprise Index results from Smith & Williamson, the accountancy, tax and investment management group.

The Enterprise Index, a quarterly barometer testing the views of over 200 business leaders and entrepreneurs, reveals that 85% of entrepreneurs and small business owners are planning for growth and 80% are optimistic about their own prospects over the next 12 months. Crucially, they are nearly 30% more positive about their own growth than at the end of 2016, the highest point since mid-2013.

Download full report here

Beauhurst's new report on Funding Innovation the first study of how combined grant and equity funding affects innovative businesses. 

Download report here

Mobeus Equity Partners has appointed Josh Levy as Investment Executive to join the growth investment team. Josh joins from Mercia Technologies PLC where he spent three and a half years investing in venture and growth stage technology companies. Sector experience includes Software, Virtual Reality, Gaming and E-commerce.

Mark Brownridge, Director General of the EIS Association, comments on the 2015-16 Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) statistics, issued by HMRC.

The figures show a drop of some £230m in EIS fundraising in 2015-16 compared to the previous year, though the figure raised of £1.65bn was still the second highest ever amount raised since EIS began in 1993. There was a reduction of £8m in SEIS fundraising, which fell to £169m.

Figures published by the Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) today, covering lending volumes for its nine member platforms for the first three months of 2017, underscore the continued development of the sector with the maintenance of impressive expansion in lending volumes and investor participation.

Winton Group has invested £750,000 as part of a £1.25m investment round into Exonar Limited, a British company that is redefining how organisations can map and understand their data to minimise risk and ensure compliance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). Amadeus Capital Partners has joined Winton and existing angels in providing investment for Exonar.

HMRC Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme Statistics for April 2017.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/611200/April_2017_Commentary_EIS_SEIS_Official_Statistics_v5.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/611201/Combined_tables_to_publish.pdf