Allocations
GPS Group, a growing storage and logistics provider, and VARO Energy (VARO), a downstream energy company active in North West Europe, are to construct of a new railway line and ethanol storage tanks, at the Port of Amsterdam.This investment is the next step in GPS’s strategic partnership with VARO. VARO, on the other hand, will support GPS in maximising opportunities across its markets and will continue to play a vital role in the logistics provider’s ambitious expansion plans.
The new railway line and ethanol storage tanks are set to connect to 17 Class 1 tanks in the Port of
Railsbank, a global Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform, has raised USD37 million as part of continued equity funding to support its global growth and product expansion. MiddleGame Ventures and Ventura Capital, both existing investors in Railsbank, co-led the round, with Anthos Capital, Global Brains, Clocktower Technology Ventures, Moneta VC, Mitsui Fudosan and Firestartr also participating.
The new investment will enable Railsbank to continue to expand its global footprint, further strengthen its core product proposition, launch Credit Cards as a Service and help increase its lead in the embedded finance market as the world’s pre-eminent BaaS platform, enabling start-ups and established brands to
IK Investment Partners’ (IK) IK Small Cap II Fund has reached an agreement with Peter Vermeesch, Stijn Stragier and Sofindev to acquire a majority stake in GeoDynamics, a SaaS provider specialising in location-based software solutions for mobile workforces. Financial terms have not been disclosed.GeoDynamics was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Kortrijk, Belgium. The Company’s software solutions serve over 2,700 customers across construction, utilities, technical and manufacturing services, in addition to local municipalities. The proprietary cloud-based platform allows customers to manage their vehicle fleets in real-time and account for mobile workers’ time and activity registration.
IK will be
The London Technology Club (LTC), which includes some of the world’s leading technology investors, has invested in Outdoorsy, a web and application-based peer-to-peer marketplace for Recreational Vehicle (RV) rentals. LTC members are working with, and investing alongside venture capitalists such as Autotech Ventures, to enable the Outdoorsy platform to harness the significant growth in demand for hiring RVs.
Outdoorsy, which enables travellers to make a direct reservation without a middleman and unlocks the opportunity for RV owners to make a tangible income from renting their vehicles has experienced exponential growth since its launch in 2014. In the USA, 12 per cent
Par Equity has sold its stake in Edinburgh based portfolio company Symphonic Software alongside other shareholders and investors in an all cash transaction for a headline price of USD31 million. Par Equity achieved a blended 8.3x return across two rounds of investment for its EIS Fund, over a period of 6.8 years. Par’s earliest EIS Fund investors secured a 9.5x return.
Edinburgh-based Symphonic provides software that enables organisations to go beyond authentication to identify what information they are entitled to see. For instance, in a healthcare situation Symphonic could check whether a patient had given authorisation for a hospital doctor to
VC investment into London’s tech companies has increased by nearly eight times between 2015 and 2020, while the city has attracted growing amounts of VC capital from North American investors in recent years, data from London & Partners and Dealroom.co shows.
London has added three new impact unicorns to its list this year; Octopus Energy, Arrival and Gousto, which takes London’s impact unicorns total up to four, including Babylon Health.
According to research produced by Dealroom.co, VC investment into impact tech startups in London has grown by almost 800 percent since 2015, compared to 3.1 times in Europe as a
Infrastructure investment manager I Squared Capital has expanded its European social infrastructure footprint with the acquisition of a portfolio of elderly and specialist health care homes in South West Germany, currently operated by Römergarten Residenzen and Römergarten Senioren-Residenzen Ba-Wü.Established in 2012 and based in Schifferstadt, South West Germany, Römergarten currently operates elderly care residences in the federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg, providing a range of services, including nursing care, assisted living and specialised dementia care. Römergarten has a portfolio of modern nursing homes across 20 sites, with 2,000-plus beds.
I Squared Capital recognises the need for new and
Fast-growth manufacturing business, Joloda International Limited (JIL), has acquired US-based Loading Automation Inc (LAI) as part of its ambitious global expansion. The company’s progress is underpinned by the boom in the global ecommerce market and the increased adoption of warehouse and logistics automation.
Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, LAI has been a distributor of JIL’s products across North America for more than 15 years. JIL designs and manufactures loading technology systems that improve or automate the process of loading and unloading cargo onto vehicles. Demand for this critical automation infrastructure has accelerated this year as it drives benefits through the
Pacer Ventures, a venture firm for sub-Saharan Africa, has launched a USD3 million fund for early-stage startups, aimed at solving the most critical problem on the continent. Registered in Delaware, with operational offices in Lagos and Johannesburg, Pacer VC is focusing on verticals that are expedient to the African continent, including healthcare, financial inclusion, education and agriculture.
The UN projects that Africa will have a population of 1.68 billion people by 2030, while the GSMA Mobile Economy Report states that 84 per cent of Africa’s population or 1 billion people will have access to a SIM connection by 2025.
“We see
Onecom, one of the UK’s largest independent business telecommunications providers, has acquired Nice Network for an undisclosed sum as part of its ambitious three-year expansion strategy.The acquisition, Onecom’s second of 2020, sees Sunderland-headquartered Nice Network become a Onecom company. It strengthens Onecom’s presence in the North East of England, and creates significant opportunities to scale its business in the region through market-leading mobile, cloud-based hosted voice, connectivity and cyber security services.
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Whiteley, Hampshire, Onecom has doubled its revenues over the last five years. It employs almost 400 people across seven regional offices and
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
