Five Star Parks & Attractions, backed by Fruition Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm, has completed the acquisition of two separate companies that operate family entertainment centres (FEC’s) in a move that significantly expands its offerings throughout the Midwest and southern United States. The transactions combine a portfolio of five

Loyal Guru, a B2B SaaS company that operates the world’s only customer data platform with integrated loyalty capabilities built specifically with retailers in mind, has secured EUR8 million in the Series A round led by Nauta Capital. Existing investors include Greycroft and THCap. Loyal Guru provides a state-of-the-art cloud-based solution

Alchemy Machinesm an AI startup using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) to transcribe, analyse, and summarise legal-specific web meetings and phone calls, has raised USD400,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by SFC Capital. The funding – which includes Innovate UK grant funding – will support

Silico, an AI-powered decision making platform, has completed a GBP3.4 million seed round led by Join Capital. Existing investors Forward Partners and high-profile angel investors from the B2B and Enterprise Automation space, also particpated. Silico empowers organisations to continuously test the impact of different outcomes in a ‘risk-free’ simulation environment

Praetura Ventures has invested GBP1.5 million into a Manchester-based start-up that uses AI and in-depth data to help big brand merchandising teams make better stock buying and pricing decisions. Sparkbox’s solution, which is trusted by River Island and Matchesfashion.com, enables retailers to forecast demand, optimise their pricing and promotions and

NPIF – Maven Equity Finance, managed by Maven Capital Partners (Maven) and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) has invested GBP500,000 in Yimba Ltd (Yimba). Yimba has developed a digital wallet technology that allows banks to deliver personalised banking services to their consumers via mobile banking and payment wallet

Plum Life has closed a USD5.3 million seed round led by ManchesterStory with additional participation from MTech Capital, Sonostar Ventures and other investors. This round of funding will be used to make several key hires, continue the enhancement the platform and drive sales through targeted advisor outreach. Plum Life offers

FluidOne, a portfolio company of UK mid-market private equity investor Livingbridge, has acquired SAS Global Group (SAS), a provider of managed networks and IT services to mid-market and enterprise customers. This transaction marks FluidOne’s third bolt-on during Livingbridge’s tenure. Founded in 1989, SAS designs, deploys and manages SD-WAN hybrid networks,

Digital agency CTI Group (CTI) has secured a GBP25 million minority investment from mid-market private equity firm LDC, to support the next stage of its international growth plans. Headquartered in Manchester, award-winning CTI helps companies to grow and develop through digital transformation, providing a range of services that includes digital