It’s no secret that the world’s oceans are rapidly becoming unrecognizable as the impact from human activity strips them of marine life. Over 85% of the world's oceans are said to be dying, with plastic pollution and excess chemicals playing a significant role.

The Development Bank of Wales has invested £200,000 to support the leasehold purchase and refurbishment of the Costcutter store in Knighton, Powys.  

Online sales are driving rapid growth at a Bristol-based father and son beachwear business.  Tom & Teddy, a beachwear range offering matching attire for fathers and sons, was the brainchild of husband and wife team Jelle de Jong and Michelle L’Huillier. 

Inc & Co Group has acquired the operations of Laundrapp, the U.K.’s largest on-demand laundry service. Laundrapp provides a fast, efficient and premium laundry & dry cleaning service via their award-winning app - they collect, clean and deliver your items back to your door at a time that suits.

Electric vehicle charge-point maker, Pod Point, which raised funds three times on Crowdcube, has announced it has been acquired by energy company, EDF. Pod Point successfully raised £3.71m with Crowdcube in 2015, 2016 and 2017, with its vision of a world where travel doesn’t damage the earth 1,428 people were inspired to invest. 

The sale to EDF tops AB InBev’s £85m acquisition of Camden Town Brewery, which had raised on Crowdcube in 2015.

NURVV, the biomechanics innovator using British science to disrupt the global wearables industry, has closed its first venture funding round, led by Hiro Capital.

One of the world’s fastest-growing marketplaces, which has created a fair and transparent global platform for both buyers and sellers, has received £3 million in VC funding after finalising a private investment round earlier this month.

UK-founded marketplace OnBuy.com has announced it has secured a £3 million investment from London-based VC fund Fuel Ventures after receiving numerous investment offers. The funding will facilitate the launch into more than 20 countries by the end of 2020, including the USA, Canada, Australia and the UAE.

Direct to Consumer brand Wild Cosmetics has raised £500K of seed capital from Angel investors to disrupt sustainability in the bathroom with the imminent launch of their natural, refill deodorants. 

BGF-backed Kids Planet has raised new funds to support its next growth phase and has acquired North West-based Kids Allowed in a deal which makes it the UK’s third biggest nursery group. 

Livingbridge is re-investing as a minority shareholder in Sykes Holiday Cottages, the UK’s leading independent holiday home provider with over 25 years’ experience in the market.

Livingbridge first invested in Sykes in January 2015, when the business managed 5,000 properties in the UK and Ireland.  Livingbridge successfully sold Sykes to private equity firm Vitruvian Partners in October 2019, at which time it managed over 17,500 properties, having successfully delivered market leading organic growth and completed 12 acquisitions underpinned by a highly effective digital transformation strategy. 

Coffi heads are enjoying a new experience in Cardiff Bay following a refurbishment and extension of Coffi Co’s Mermaid Quay store.

Foresight Group has made a £7.5 million investment into Roxy Leisure Limited, a social entertainment bar group operating sites under the Roxy Ball Room, Roxy Lanes and Roxy Arcade banners across the North and Midlands. The investment was made by the Foresight Regional Investment LP and the Foresight VCTs.

Matt and Ben Jones launched the first Roxy site in 2013, becoming pioneers of in-bar entertainment, utilising their extensive experience in the industry to create a fast-growing and unique entertainment and leisure concept.