Downing has completed an investment in Spaghetti Bridge Ltd in the UK, which is improving the lives and demonstrating strong education and care outcomes for children in the South West of England.

Spaghetti Bridge is a business that was established in 2020 alongside a highly experienced management team to build a leading Special Educational Needs (SEN) platform in the UK. It is estimated that of the 8.9 million pupils in England, 1.4 million have SEN of which approximately 300,000 are eligible for ringfenced funding under the government’s High Needs Budget.

Tech Nation, the leading scaleup accelerator for UK tech companies, has announced the 30 companies joining its newest growth programme, Libra, which is designed to equip ambitious Black and multiracial (with Black heritage) entrepreneurs with the knowledge, tools and networks they need to scale their business in today’s world.

Pitalia Capital, the North West-based investment firm, has backed Bolton-headquartered CCM Motorcycles (CCM) with a significant investment as the company looks to kickstart an international growth drive.

Founded in 1971 by the late Alan Clews, CCM is a specialist motorcycle manufacturer renowned for innovative design and synonymous with multiple successes in motocross, flat-track, trials, supermoto and road racing competitions.

The Imperial College Innovation Fund has led a £1 million seed investment round for UK energy storage startup, Cheesecake Energy Ltd. The round, which includes Perivoli Innovations, and prominent business angels, will fund the development of CEL’s’s manufacturing capabilities and its lead eTanker storage system.

ICIF, which invested £300,000 in this round, is an early-stge investment fund launched at Imperial in early 2020. It invests in startup companies with a strong connection to Imperial College London, such as those founded by students, members of staff or alumni, or companies which have engaged extensively with Imperial’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Turquoise, the UK merchant bank specialising in energy, environment and efficiency, has announced its 12th deal for the Low Carbon Innovation Fund 2 (LCIF2). The investment in Outfield Technologies is part of a £576,000 round that also includes Cambridge Agritech and Amadeus. 

Livingbridge, one of the UK’s leading mid-market private equity investors, has invested in Venatus, a global advertising technology platform targeting video gaming and entertainment audiences.

Co-founded in 2010 by CEO Rob Gay and COO Matt Cannon, Venatus is headquartered in London with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, and Seoul. The firm connects advertisers and their agencies with video gaming content and community website owners (“publishers”), giving them access to the hard-to-reach and highly valuable global gaming audience.

Sanome, a European health start-up, has raised £2m as its first round of funding from a number of leading UK and European HealthTech specialist investors. The round was led by Heal Capital, with participation from Crista Galli Ventures, Selvedge Ventures, o2h Ventures, Meltwind and a number of high-profile angels including David Cleevely and Pam Garside.

Book Salon, a Finnish payment and booking service provider specializing in hair, beauty, and wellness companies, has announced the successful closure of a €1M funding round led by Big Bets VC. Sontek Ventures and well-known business angel Lennu Keinänen also participated in the round. The funding will be used to further expand its operations, and prepare for further growth in Europe as the company looks to expand its offering.

Vuealta, the connected planning specialist, has secured a multi-million pound investment backed by YFM Equity partners, which will enable the company to maintain its consistent growth and support ambitious plans for overseas expansion.

Vuealta was founded in 2017 and delivers scenario planning and forecasting solutions for supply chain, finance and operations. The business has grown rapidly to a team of 70 staff, with offices in four countries spanning the EMEA, North America and APAC regions.

NorthEdge and The Belfield Group have completed the sale of Usleep, a specialist mattress manufacturer, to The Vita Group a manufacturer of premium foam products, for an undisclosed sum.

Invest Europe, in partnership with the European Investment Fund (EIF), has published ‘The VC Factor - Pandemic Edition’, 

A London-based, textile brand which promotes, social, ecological, and cultural development has secured £250,000 to further develop its products and recruit additional senior staff.

London-based Ananas Anam UK Limited secured the finance from the Greater London Investment Fund (GLIF), provided by The FSE Group and backed by the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS). The company is the creator of PIÑATEXÒ, an innovative material made from pineapple leaves, a by-product of the pineapple harvest.