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Privae UK fundraising within the professional services sector recorded a significant increase in 2021, up 78 per cent on 2020 and 70 per cent higher than in 2019, according to new research.
Analysis by Arden Partners (Arden), a small and mid-cap investment bank, also reveals that the value of acquisitions amongst private businesses in the sector more than tripled in 2021, with 403 acquisitions worth a combined GBP3 billion. This collective value is 22 per cent higher than pre-pandemic figures in 2019.
The growth in acquisition activity was driven by a strong final quarter, where acquisitions reached more than GBP1
AutoVantage, a Romanian platform where new car buyers can compare offers from car dealers all over the country and choose the best one for their needs, is the newest startup soon to be listed on Rōnin. The company is raising EUR150,000 through Rōnin, at a EUR2,000,000 valuation.
Rōnin is an investment platform that supports entrepreneurs in various fields finance their business ideas with interested investors being able to pre-register to get exclusive priority access for 48h and be the first to invest in a company’s development plans.
The team behind the Rōnin platform aims to facilitate the connection between entrepreneurs
Market-disruptive property lender Blend Network (Blend) has secured GBP10 million in funding in its latest investment round, which was led by emerging VC investor Nico Paraskevas, a former senior executive at Glencore.
The funding round was capped at this level following an oversubscription.
Existing investors, who also participated in this round, include Cyrus Ardalan, former Barclays Vice Chairman and current Chairman of both OakNorth Bank and CAF Financial Solutions Limited, and Jean-Philippe Blochet, co-founder of macro hedge fund Brevan Howard, which as of October 2021 has USD20 billion in assets under management.
Backed by family offices since 2019, the
Last year’s record volume of technology M&A activity has been fuelled by a tidal wave of private equity (PE) money. Given the large amount of global PE investment capital waiting to be deployed, tech-focused investment bank ICON Corporate Finance predicts this trend will continue and says that it is an opportune time to consider a PE deal.
Umazi, a due diligence platform automating enterprise identity verification, has secured a USD1 million investment from Innovate UK and other angel investors, as it announces a spate of high-profile partnerships with Artesian:DueDil and ComplyAdvantage to simplify their due diligence systems.
The USD1 million pre-seed investment which involved angel investors across the world will help fuel the regtech startup’s ambition to set the global standard for cross-industry digital identity and compliance.
Umazi is currently in Founders Factory’s accelerator programme where it has been collaborating with Aviva on potential opportunities to automate and streamline onboarding of suppliers for enterprise businesses. The
Slate Asset Management (Slate), a global alternative investment platform targeting real assets, has launched an impact investment strategy focused on infrastructure and appointed Christian Schmid as Managing Director and Global Head of Infrastructure.
Schmid will lead the firm’s new Cities and Communities Impact Infrastructure Strategy, which will target infrastructure assets that advance the global energy transition and drive reductions in carbon emissions associated with our cities and communities.
Schmid has more than 15 years of experience in public and private infrastructure investments, having led the origination and execution of infrastructure transactions valued at approximately USD40 billion across Europe, North America
Vitesse PSP (Vitesse), a global payment, liquidity and treasury management platform, has raised USD26 million in a Series B funding led by Prime Ventures.
The round also includes investments from Octopus Ventures – one of Europe’s largest and most active venture capital investors – who led the 2020 Series A funding, as well as Hannover Digital Investments, the corporate venture capital fund of HDI Group, one of Europe’s largest insurance companies.
Additional participants include existing angel investors and industry heavyweights such as Ron Kalifa, OBE, former Worldpay CEO and author of the Kalifa Review and Shane Happach, CEO of Mollie,
Amati’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) VCT has sold out within five days of launching its offer, raising GBP25 million from private investors, GBP13 million of which was in the first 90 minutes and GBP21 million was raised on the first day.
This beats its previous record of raising more than GBP7 million within the first 90 minutes of its fund raise in February 2019. It comes in a record year for VCTs sales with more than GBP821 million sold, with six more weeks until the tax year end.
The offer launched at 10am on Wednesday 16th February and one
UK space firm, Satellite Vu – one of Seraphim Space’s lead portfolio companies – has signed a launch deal with Elon Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX, to launch the world’s highest resolution thermal imaging satellite in early 2023.
Satellite Vu will be part of a rideshare launch on one of SpaceX’s Transporter missions aboard Falcon 9, which has proven to be the most reliable rockets to launch satellites into orbit in recent years.
The mission will launch the first of Satellite Vu’s seven UK built satellites into a low earth orbit. Satellite Vu has been well funded, so far raising
Onex Renewables (Onex), low-carbon subsidiary of privately led infrastructure investment group Onex Holding, has confirmed the closing of a 221MW Portuguese wind portfolio transaction.
Onex has appointed Exus Management Partners (Exus), leading experts in powering sustainable investments through operational excellence – across a 9GW global portfolio – to deliver expert support and strategic advice in the sourcing, structuring and execution of the deal, including the syndication process and financing provided by Banco Santander.
Previously owned by EDP Renewables, the portfolio consists of five wind projects and comes with an 18-year PPA attached. Announced in July 2021, the conditions precedent have been verified
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