FORWARD FEATURES CALENDAR

Allocations

Toca, provider of no code apps and automation fabric, has raised an additional GBP2 million of funding from private investors – an extension to the GBP1.4 million raised in a 2018 seed round. 
VSS Capital Partners (VSS), a private investment firm investing in the healthcare, information, business services and education industries, has completed the sale of Coretelligent (the Company) to Norwest Equity Partners.  Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Coretelligent is a leading provider of comprehensive managed IT, cybersecurity, and cloud services to customers within the financial services, life sciences, professional services, and related sectors. VSS will participate in Coretelligent’s next phase of growth as a minority investor in the Company.  Coretelligent is a provider of comprehensive managed and co-managed white glove IT support, cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery as well as cloud
Promus Ventures’ Orbital Ventures Fund has closed at EUR120 million. Anchored in Luxembourg, the Fund is focusing on early-stage, space-related companies. The European Investment Fund committed EUR40 million, adding to the Fund’s international exposure. Other investors include international corporate, institutional, and private investors, as well as public actors. Among them is the Luxembourg Government via the Ministry of the Economy and the National Credit and Investment Institution (SNCI) which have invested in the Fund, reaffirming the country’s leading position on the international space stage.   Orbital Ventures has invested in several companies providing solutions to the challenges facing the space
Kirkland & Ellis is advising international investment firm BC Partners in connection with the extension of BC Partners’ investment in Springer Nature, a Fund IX asset.  The investment was transferred to a new Single Asset Acquisition Fund. In total, the fund has attracted more than EUR1 billion of investment, making it one of the largest such vehicles in Europe. The fund is capitalised by lead investor Neuberger Berman, as well as syndicate investors, reinvesting BCEC Fund IX investors and BC Partners’ most recent fund, Fund XI.   Springer Nature Group is a global publisher with brands including Springer Nature and
Ironwood Capital has exited its investment in precision manufacturer Momentum Manufacturing Group (MMG), a provider of multi-operation metal contract manufacturing and precision machining based in North East USA. “The investment thesis for MMG, when Ironwood Capital originally invested in late 2017, was to grow the company organically and through strategic acquisitions in an effort to build a leading domestic engineered products manufacturer, providing a wide variety of finished, specialty products and sub-systems with metal components for diverse applications as a key strategic partner to customers,” notes Alex Levental, partner at Ironwood Capital.  Over the past three years MMG has invested
ACF Investors, a UK venture capital fund that works alongside sector expert business angels to invest in high potential businesses, has passed its 100th company investment.  The angel-partnership investment model has been highly successful, funding businesses through multiple investment rounds and is validated by the fact that the funds investments have almost tripled their initial value.    Almost half of ACF’s investments over the past decade have been in companies outside of London and the South East. Its commitment to the regions has showcased some of the amazing talent and businesses that can be found across the country such as
China Ping An Insurance Overseas (Holdings) Limited, the main offshore investment and asset management platform of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd (2318 HK, 601318 SH), together with its subsidiaries (Ping An Overseas Holdings), has successfully closed Ping An Global Equity Selection Fund II (the Selection Fund II), and Ping An GP Opportunities Fund (the GP Opportunities Fund) (collectively the Funds).
Turquoise, the UK merchant bank specialising in energy, environment and efficiency, has made a follow-on investment by Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 (LCIF2) in its existing portfolio company, Spark EV Technology. The investment is part of the company’s GBP250,000 capital raising round involving both existing and new shareholders.  Spark EV Technology works in energy optimisation and range prediction technology for electric vehicles (EVs) of all sizes. Spark seeks to accelerate the mass adoption of EVs by working with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to implement its technology globally.  Ian Thomas, managing director at Turquoise, comments: “LCIF2 is pleased to make
Derbyshire-based manufacturer Denby Pottery is reinforcing its UK and international footprint as it partners with Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance through a GBP10 million combined facility which replaces a similar arrangement.  Denby has been crafting pottery for more than 200 years in the Derbyshire village after which it is named, and the facility from Secure Trust Bank will be used to support the day-to-day cash requirements of its UK manufacturing base and multi-channel sales growth both domestically and internationally.   The business, which employs over 700 people in the UK, operates in the domestic market through wholesale partners, an e-commerce
A UK company that provides an ethical alternative to the ad tracking techniques used by tech giants such as Facebook and Google has raised a GBP1.5 million investment to build its global presence. CitizenMe has secured funding from the North East Venture Fund (NEVF), supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Mercia, alongside funds from 1818 Capital and private investors.   The platform was developed in response to concerns over current practices, where consumers’ data is collected via apps or website cookies and may be used by multiple companies for marketing purposes.   Using CitizenMe’s technology, customers

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