Nottingham-based, Lazy Flora, has secured £500,000 from venture capital firm, Midven, through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) in a deal that will create over 20 new jobs over the next three years.  The investment will help to expand Lazy Flora’s marketing efforts - building on its success over the last 12 months which has seen its revenues increase by 600 per cent, following increased demand for its online plant delivery service.

Same-day grocery delivery startup Grocemania has raised more than £170,000 on the crowdfunding platform Seedrs. 

The London-based business has exceeded its funding target of £100,000 at a valuation of £2.4 million. In this latest funding round, which concluded on 29th March 2021, more than 340 investors invested a combined £173,000 in Grocemania. 

Maven Capital Partners has led the £3 million funding round for Atterley.com, an online fashion retailer which enables independent fashion boutiques and brands to increase their reach and sell to customers across the UK and beyond.

The investment, which also includes commitments from Scottish Enterprise and existing shareholders will allow Atterley to execute its planned growth strategy with a key focus on developing its international footprint, particularly in the US.

Reckitt’s London-based purpose-led venture arm, has announced a new strategic partnership between heritage clothes care brand Vanish and space-age laundry and dry-cleaning startup Oxwash. The ‘Oxwash, powered by Vanish’ partnership will see Oxwash use the new Vanish sustainable formula - Vanish 0% - in its London state of the art washing facilities, also known as lagoons, to help give old clothes a new life, preventing tonnes of clothes from ending up in landfill. 

Circular economy parenting app YoungPlanet has raised £500,000 through an “Equity for Parents” crowdfunding campaign as it looks to expand its offering following a year of seismic growth. 

YoungPlanet provides a ‘cashless’ platform based on a sharing economy model where parents can list or request a range of different children’s items; from books and clothes to toys and baby equipment. Everything on the app is always given or received for free.

New staycation holiday specialist Caledonian Leisure Ltd has secured a multi-million-pound investment from Mobeus Equity Partners, the investors behind the recent IPO of Virgin Wines and the proposed IPO of Parsley Box.

BGF has completed a £5.7 million investment in Source BMX, the world’s leading omni-channel BMX retailer. The funding will be used to grow the company’s e-commerce offering and fast-track international expansion plans.

Source BMX was founded by brothers Rich and Marc Moore in 2003 and has grown to offer the largest selection of BMX bikes, parts and accessories anywhere on the market, sold direct to consumers via its website.

Fy!, the next gen home, living and lifestyle retail platform for today’s modern shopper, has announced a £5 million funding round led by Hoxton Ventures, with additional investment from a number of angel investors. The funding will enable the team to focus on growth in international territories including the USA, Australia and the EU, and speed up the innovation of their proprietary, machine learning driven technology platform.

To support their growth ambitions, London based Taylor & Hart has secured a total of £500,000 in loan funding  from The FSE Group, via The Greater London Investment Fund (GLIF) this includes £250,000 in conjunction with the government backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

Pembroke VCT, the venture capital trust focused on building the brands of tomorrow, has announced that portfolio company Boom Cycle, England’s first boutique cycling chain, has partnered with KOBOX to launch the boutique fitness ‘supergroup’ United Fitness Brands. 

The Funky Appliance Company has partnered with London based Forster Chase Ventures for a Series A funding campaign. To date, The Funky Appliance Company, founded by husband-and-wife team Joe and Sadie Sillett in June 2016, has raised all its capital on Europe’s leading equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs and counts 360 investors in over 25 countries. The company takes popular household appliances and gives them a funky twist. 

GP Bullhound has announced a follow-on investment into wallapop, Spain’s leading classifieds marketplace app for unique and second-hand goods, as part of a Series G funding round of €157 million bringing the company’s valuation to €690 million. The round is led by Korelya Capital and backed by NAVER, Korea’s leading Internet company, with existing shareholders including Accel, Insight Venture Partners, 14W and Northzone.