Investors have rewarded the commercial success of Spotta’s smart pest systems with a $1.18 million seed funding round.  This investment reflects Spotta’s huge potential in global markets in farming, forestry, hospitality, and other sectors to solve the £320 bn ($400 bn) problem of insect pests while dramatically reducing pesticide use.  Representatives of Cambridge Angels and REMUS, a US-based VC firm, will join Spotta’s board as part of the £934,000 ($1,184,287*) investment deal. Other major investors include Martlet Capital, Wren Capital, and the Angel CoFund. 

Cowboy, a leading manufacturer of the beautifully-designed, connected electric bike, has completed its Series B funding round, totalling €23M. Leading the round is Exor Seeds, the early stage investment arm of Exor, controlling shareholder of Ferrari and FCA, HCVC, and Isomer Capital, joined by Future Positive Capital and Index Ventures, each of whom are known to support entrepreneurship and impact innovation in Europe

Zedify, the network of first and last mile delivery operations across the UK, have recently raised over £300,000 from a group of private investors led by Green Angel Syndicate (GAS). 

The investment signals the confidence investors have placed in Zedify, and the huge market potential for efficient, consolidated first and last-mile urban deliveries. Antoine Pradayrol, who joins the board as investment director noted the pioneering work Zedify has done to demonstrate the business case for using cargo bikes in the burgeoning urban delivery market.

Draper Esprit has participated in the latest £25m Series C funding round in Cazoo, the UK's leading online car retailer. Cazoo allows customers to buy a used car entirely online and have it delivered to their door in as little as 72 hours.

Luxury homeware wholesaler, Fifty One Percent Limited, has received a £250k finance package from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund Debt Finance, managed by Maven Capital Partners.  The funding will allow the Leicestershire-based business to hire four additional staff, while expanding its product line and sales and marketing function.

Loopster, the online platform which closes the loop between the use and reuse of second-hand clothes, has secured a six-figure seed equity funding round led by the Development Bank of Wales.

Investing alongside the Development Bank is business angel Jim Lewcock, who owns the internet-focused venture capital Blue14, and experienced non-executive director and angel investor Kate Methuen-Ley. The funding will help Loopster to further develop and commercialise their technology, enabling their platform to catalogue second-hand clothes faster. The Newport-based company will also use the funding to recruit six members of staff. This process is currently underway.

Stained Glass artists Cariad Glass have seen a boost in online sales during lockdown after developing a fun make at home glass mosaic kit to give crafty customers a creative fix. The Llandysul business received a micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales to support their growth plans and give them working capital shortly before lockdown.

BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active investor in growing businesses, has invested in Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists.

BGF’s investment will be used to support the independent opticians and audiologists group’s organic growth – including further roll-out of its audiology services – as well as its acquisition strategy to double the number of sites over the next four years. 

One in seven small business owners (14%) say they are transitioning towards becoming fully or mainly online enterprises since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK, according to new research from Hitachi Capital Business Finance.

BGF has exited Direct Online Services (‘DOS’), the UK’s leading ecommerce retailer of kitchen worktops, following an acquisition by Broadview Holding. DOS will continue its successful growth strategy and European expansion, following several years of high growth. 

The world's leading online Karaoke channel, Sing King, has raised £550,000 via Angel Investment Network (AIN), the world’s largest online angel investment platform as part of a seed funding round. Sing King offers high quality karaoke content via its YouTube channel and has over 90 million views per month

The raise took just seven weeks on the platform (the original £400k target was notably achieved within 4 days) with the money raised being used for launching standalone apps across IOS & Android as well as a web platform.

Manchester-based sustainable and ethical marketplace, Know the Origin has received a £300,000 investment from GC Angels to support the growth of the business as it looks to expand its team and product offering.