Allocations
SPOKE, a direct to consumer menswear brand, has raised GBP8.5m of new equity capital in a Series B round led by BGF and supported by existing shareholders Forward Partners, Oxford Capital, and 24 Haymarket.
The new funds will be used to accelerate growth in four core areas: technology, product innovation, brand building and international expansion.
An early adopter of the direct to consumer model, Spoke has applied machine learning tools and an agile approach to inventory to create and sell ‘legendary legwear’.
“We believe that fit matters most” explains founder and CEO, Ben Farren. “Mr. Average doesn’t exist
NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, has invested GBP500 thousand in Airship Services Ltd, a provider of customer relationship and marketing platforms.
The funding will allow the Sheffield-based company to further develop its technology and create eight new jobs in the coming months for additional developers, sales and customer service staff.
The company’s first product, Airship is used by over 50 customers across more than 600 locations. Airship draws together data from different sources to help operators understand more about their customers and their visiting habits.
Capitala Group, a provider of capital to lower middle market companies, has entered into a strategic partnership with, and sold a minority non-controlling interest of its management firm, to Mitsui & Co (USA), Inc (Mitsui USA).
Mitsui USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co Ltd, trading, investment and service enterprises in the world. The partnership combines Capitala’s 20-year track record with Mitsui USA’s global reach and capabilities.
Capitala’s current management team will remain in place, continue to execute their vision, investment process, and provide day-to-day management.
“For 20 years, Capitala Group has invested and supported lower
Sykes Holiday Cottages has secured fresh investment from private equity firm Vitruvian Partners to fund the fast-growing firm’s plans for further UK and international expansion.
The transaction sees Vitruvian invest an undisclosed sum for a majority stake in Sykes, replacing existing backers Livingbridge following their five-year partnership with the company.
At the time of Livingbridge’s investment in January 2015, Sykes managed 5,000 properties in the UK and Ireland and generated GBP17 million revenue. The business today manages over 17,500 properties, having delivered market leading organic growth and completed 12 acquisitions underpinned by a highly effective digital transformation strategy.
Sykes enjoyed a record year in
Specialist eCommerce platform Online Poundshop has secured considerable investment from venture capital firm Midven, allowing the company to upgrade current warehouse systems, and create a range of new positions across the business – including marketing and distribution roles.
The investment has come from the GBP35 million West Midlands equity portion of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF).
Based in Wednesbury and founded in 2014, Online Poundshop offers a wide variety of top brands and essential products at a discounted price direct to customers across the UK. The company has seen rapid growth since its inception largely due to a
BGF has exited its investment in 3sun Group Ltd, a specialist provider of products and services to the global renewable energy industry.
The business has been acquired by Worley Ltd, the Australian-listed supplier of project and asset services for the energy, chemicals and resources sector.
BGF first made its first investment in 3sun Group in 2014 with GBP10 million to support the expansion of its Great Yarmouth base and advance further opportunities in the UK and northern Europe. 3sun Group was BGF’s first investment in the East of England.
Led by founder and CEO Graham Hacon, 3sun Group
SK Capital, a private investment firm focused on the specialty materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors, has completed its previously announced acquisition of the Performance Products & Solutions business from PolyOne Corporation.
The business has been renamed GEON Performance Solutions (GEON).
GEON, headquartered in Avon Lake, Ohio, is a global leader in plastic compounded solutions, holding the preeminent global brand in polyvinyl chloride compounds, as well as offering a broad range of formulated polypropylene and other thermoplastic polyolefin products and contract manufacturing services. The Company operates twelve manufacturing locations across both North America and Asia and employs approximately 1,100 people.
GP Bullhound has invested USD10 million in RavenPack, a provider of alternative data and insights for financial institutions.
The company’s database, comprising over 19,000 sources spanning over 20 years, is used by financial institutions who subscribe to the platform in order to enhance performance and manage risk. RavenPack will use the proceeds to expand in Asia, as well as to go into other sectors beyond financial services.
RavenPack’s platform is used by some of the best performing hedge funds and largest banks worldwide. RavenPack uses AI to turn highly fragmented unstructured content into organised structured data for easier analysis
New investment company Impel Healthcare Catalysts (Impel) has completed its first deal by acquiring a majority stake in pioneering ostomy company Trio Healthcare (Trio).
This is the first major deal for Knutsford-based Impel, which was launched earlier this month by entrepreneurs Richard Anderson and Spencer Kerry – previously part of the management team behind Crawford Healthcare – to be a catalyst for innovation and growth in the healthcare sector.
Founded by Lloyd Pearce in 2006, Trio has bases in Buckinghamshire and Skipton where it manufactures a range of novel ostomy products, which have consistently delivered year-on-year growth for the
VONQ, a European smart recruitment technology specialist, has sold a majority stake to capital D, a private equity fund investing in disruptive mid-market companies across Europe.
VONQ’s recruitment marketing technology aims to enable companies to bypass the expensive, slower recruitment agency model and market to potential recruits with pinpoint accuracy.
VONQ’s commercial objective is to apply its technology to enable corporate recruiters to attract the right talent themselves without administrative burden. By integrating with more than 2,000 job boards, VONQ’s recruitment marketing platform addresses the major challenges of the traditional recruitment agency model – cost and speed to hire
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
