Pembroke VCT, the venture capital trust focused on building the brands of tomorrow, has made an initial investment into COAT, the high-grade, sustainable paint company. COAT, which has been carbon-neutral since launch, is revolutionising the home decorating experience by redefining the customer experience of purchasing paint.

VenueScanner, the UK’s largest online venue booking platform, has secured a $1.5 million funding round led by Rianta Capital and ACF Investors.

Launched to enable individuals, businesses and event organisers to find better and more affordable venues, it is helping undiscovered and independent venues reimagine how they use their space and fill their downtime.

Rebecca Kelly, founder and CEO of VenueScanner, comments: “While the last year has taught us that we don’t need to be sitting next to each other to get our work done, it has also taught us how important it is to be together to create, to collaborate and to celebrate.

NorthEdge-backed Lights4fun, one of Europe’s leading e-commerce retailers of decorative lighting, has appointed a new Chair and CFO, 

Ankorstore, the curated marketplace connecting independent brands with the most loved local retailers, has raised $100 million in Series B funding led by Tiger Global and Bain Capital Ventures.

Brighton based augmented reality technology startup Percept Imagery has raised £300k in its latest funding round to further enhance their immersive try-on platform, Sprie, which enables personalised shopping experiences that blend the online and real worlds together.

Toy innovator and distributor Wow! Stuff has secured a £4.5 million facility from Independent Growth Finance (IGF) to help support its ongoing growth aspirations. As a company working with global brands, the Wolverhampton-headquartered business, with offices in LA and Hong Kong, were looking for funding to assist growth in the European market. The additional funding will allow the business to expand its branded range on a commercial-led timeline throughout the pandemic and beyond.  

Percival Menswear, a London-based contemporary menswear fashion brand, has secured a further £3m investment from growth capital investor VGC Partners, following an initial investment of £150,000 in 2018.

The Hackney-based brand, which employs eight people, has set itself apart in recent years by creating collections that subvert the classics of the male wardrobe. This includes featuring in the David Beckham Eyewear campaign and curating a custom tour wardrobe of Niall Horan, as well as more recently collaborating with Brighton-based artist and illustrator Sophy Hollington.

Sesamy, the startup allowing people to purchase audio and ebooks online for any kind of device, has announced that it has raised €4 million in a major seed funding round from investors.

Pure Pet Food, a Yorkshire company which manufactures personalised pet food using only natural ingredients, has secured a multi-million pound investment to accelerate its growth.  

The company has raised the funds from Mercia's Northern Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Funds and NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. The latest funding round follows a £2m investment by the Northern VCTs in 2019 and will allow the Cleckheaton-based company to continue to support its ambitious growth plans and development of its software as a service (SaaS) platform and data capabilities.

Foresight Group has made a £1.25 million growth capital investment under the Scottish Growth Scheme into FURTHER.SPACE Limited, a luxury glamping pod holiday company, providing outdoor premium short breaks in Scotland and Ireland.

The company is well placed to benefit from the growth in staycations with COVID-19 likely impacting international tourism for some time to come and more broadly to serve a growing segment of consumers concerned about the carbon footprint of air travel.

Ecommerce startup aisle 3 has completed a successful follow on funding round, raising £250,000 via Angel Investment Network, the world’s largest online angel investment network. Aiming to become ‘the Wikipedia of product search’ the business secured the funds in just six weeks with the company’s valuation more than doubling in the past five months. Experienced angel investors have backed the founders’ vision for a new, disruptive ecommerce marketplace  offering truly personalised experiences for large networks of engaged shoppers.

Odore, the beauty tech start-up working with global brands including Guerlain, Clive Christian and L’Oréal has raised $830k to revolutionise how cosmetics and beauty businesses market their products to consumers. The round was led by SFC Capital and joined by RLC Ventures.