Labster, a platform for virtual labs and interactive science, has raised USD47 million in a funding round led by Sofia Group and Pirate Impact. Existing investors Owl Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, EduCapital, NPF Technologies, and GGV Capital, also participated in the round. They are joining the Series C round announced in 2021 led by Andreessen Horowitz. Additional investors included Balderton Capital, Northzone, Swisscom Ventures, and David Helgason, founder of Unity Technologies. This new capital infusion will enable Labster to further develop in Europe and the United States and to establish itself within Asia and Latin America.  Total investment in Labster now

Modulize, a collaborative software solution for offsite construction that optimises design, planning, and procurement, has raised a EUR1.9 million seed round led by KOMPAS. Pi Labs, Investinor, real estate developer Møller Eiendom, and Antler also participated in the round.  The funding will allow Modulize to develop its product and grow its existing organisation as it expands into different European markets.

Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 (LCIF2) has invested in Adaptavate Limited as part of a capital raising round of over GBP1.3 million. Other investors include Counteract, One Planet Capital and Perivoli Innovations. The company has also secured a grant of over GBP800,000 from Innovate UK under its Transforming Foundation Industries programme. Adaptavate is developing Breathaboard, a low carbon, bio-based plasterboard whose sustainability credentials are superior to standard gypsum-based wallboards. The company also supplies Breathaplasta, a lime-based plaster that regulates moisture and improves insulation to deliver a healthier and more energy efficient environment.

Lightyear Capital (Lightyear), a New York-based private equity firm focused on financial services, has appointed Maria Veltre as a Senior Advisor to Lightyear Fund V and its parallel investment vehicles (Lightyear Fund V). Veltre brings more than three decades of experience working in marketing, customer experience, digital platform development, pricing strategy, and product development, as well as regulatory compliance. Veltre was appointed to the Board of Allworth Financial, a Lightyear Fund V portfolio company, in September 2021. Previously, she was the US Head of Digital and Innovation at Santander, a role she took on from 2018 to 2020.

LinkSquares, the company behind an AI-powered contract management platform, has raised USD100 million in a Series C financing lround ed by G Squared. New investor G2 Venture Partners as well as existing investors also participated in the round which brings the company’s total funding to USD161.5 million, at a current valuation of USD800 million. 

Franklin Resources, a global investment management organisation operating as Franklin Templeton, has completed its acquisition of Lexington Partners (Lexington), a global manager of secondary private equity and co-investment funds. With this closing, Franklin Templeton has significantly expanded the breadth and scale of its alternative asset strategies with over USD200 billion in aggregate alternative assets under management.  Franklin Templeton now includes specialist investment managers focused on private real estate through Clarion Partners, alternative credit through Benefit Street Partners, hedge fund strategies via K2 Advisors and secondary private equity and co-investments via Lexington.

BGF has exited its investment in Virtual1, a London-based cloud and connectivity service provider, which it backed in 2017 with a GBP10 million investment, via a sale to TalkTalk Group. TalkTalk Group provides fibre, broadband, TV and landline services to over four million UK customers, and operates Britain’s biggest unbundled broadband network, covering 96 per cent of the population.    Virtual1 is a provider of B2B connectivity to businesses around the UK. It delivers cloud and connectivity services exclusively to the wholesale market, aggregating its own cutting-edge London-based network with networks from other carriers onto a single scalable platform.   

European blockchain start-up Nous Systems has launched a seven-figure seed fund raise based on a EUR30 million valuation as it develops the world’s first decentralised investment platform, which will be launched later this year, allowing investors access to automated asset management services. Despite the proliferation in products and services offering retail investors “access to markets,” little has been done to democratise access to the systems and services offered to more sophisticated, HNW clients of hedge and quantitative funds.   Since 1995, the top 1 per cent have captured nearly 20 times more of global wealth than the bottom 50 per

Spirant Group has secured GBP9.5 million in funding from the alternative lender BOOST&Co to support the business in its international expansion and ongoing growth. The investment will be used to develop the firm’s outsourcing strategy and legal-tech offering and is anticipated to provide a single funding solution across the entire group that will enable growth in all areas of the organisation.   The Liverpool-based group is a multi-service legal, technology and medical services organisation that supports clients across the UK, USA, and Australia. This year, the group is celebrating its ten year anniversary and has grown from being just a

CVC Capital Partners VIII (CVC Fund VIII), has invested in Radwell International (Radwell), a global distributor of new and surplus industrial automation components. CVC Fund VIII is acquiring an interest in the company from founder & CEO Brian Radwell and Greenbriar Equity Group (Greenbriar), both of whom will remain significant shareholders going forward. Financial terms of the private transaction have not been disclosed. Founded in 1979, Radwell is a leading specialty distribution and light manufacturing business that provides new and refurbished industrial automation components for the repair and maintenance of production and processing equipment on plant floors.  The investment from