Sharper Shape Group, a company in powerline inspection solutions for the utility industry has completed an $18 million Series B round, with Michael Harvey Trust leading the round. The investment will support Sharper Shape’s ambition to enhance its Shaper CORE Living Digital Twin (LDT) offering, delivering improved safety, efficiency, accuracy and operational cost saving to utilities through enhanced digital inspection workflow decision making and management.  

Pension Insurance Corporation plc (PIC), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension schemes, has completed a £130 million debt investment with Raven Housing Trust (Raven), which will be used to finance the development of 630 homes by 2026. 58% of the homes will be for social or affordable rent and 30% will be for Shared Ownership accommodation. PIC has invested £3.3 billion in social housing across the UK since 2012 and was chosen as sole lender following a full market tender due to its flexibility on maturity and deferral capabilities.

Permira, the global private equity firm, has agreed to sell Althea Group SpA (Althea), an independent provider of technology management services to the European healthcare industry, to a consortium formed by F2i, Italy’s largest independent infrastructure fund manager, and DWS, a global infrastructure investor, via its portfolio company Inframedica. The transaction remains subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022. The Permira Funds were advised by Rothschild & Co, EY, Giliberti and Triscornia e Associati.

Pembroke VCT plc, the venture capital trust focused on backing early-stage businesses, has achieved a record fundraise of £46 million. New investors have gained immediate access to a maturing portfolio of growing businesses and to a well-established dividend paying VCT. The portfolio includes high growth, innovative brands – such as Popsa, One Plan, COAT Paints, LYMA, and Thriva – in the design, education, food, beverage & hospitality, wellness, digital services and media sectors.

Maven Capital Partners (Maven), a UK investor, has made a £15 million investment in ProofID, provider of identity and access management (IAM) services. Founded in 2014, ProofID provides consultancy and managed services for enterprise customers across the UK, Europe and North America from its headquarters in Manchester and offices in Colorado Springs. 

Foresight Group (Foresight), a listed private equity and infrastructure investment manager, has led a £1.7 million funding round into Nebu~Flow, an innovative medical device company developing surface acoustic wave (SAW) nebulisers, enabling the delivery of next-generation respiratory pharmaceuticals. The investment round was led by Foresight Williams Technology (FWT), a joint venture between Foresight and Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE).

Guider has raised $3 million seed investment with leading early-stage VC, Fuel Ventures, to grow its career development platform and expand its international operations.

GLAS, an independent provider of institutional debt administration services, has received an investment from mid-market private equity firm, Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP).

The first close of Allianz Global Investors’ Asia Pacific private credit fund has raised €450 million, according to a report from Citywire.