Passionfruit has raised $4.3m with the support of firstminute Capital and Playfair who lead the round. They are joined by FJ Labs and Portfolio Ventures, along with scouts from Atomico, Accel, and Notion. Additionally supporting the round are founders and early execs from companies such as Stripe, AirBnB, Deliveroo, Turo, Trouva and Workday, plus operating partners from Softbank and L Catterton.

The latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) show that inheritance tax receipts received by HMRC increased by £300 million to £1.8bn in the three months period of April 2022 to June 2022.  This is an increase from the same period in the previous year, and continues the upwards trend over the last ten years.

Revolutionary synthetic diamond production business, Dyman Advanced Materials, based at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) in County Durham, is set to further disrupt the $12bn market in 2022 after raising over £882,000 after successful third and fourth rounds of investment this year. 

WiseWorks AI, the communications intelligence platform, has secured a $1.2m investment to build a one-stop solution for financial institutions to analyse surging virtual communications for compliance and to automate everyday tasks.

Demand for funding from early-stage businesses in Northern Ireland remains strong, with more than 20 co-investment deals closed in the second quarter of this year, according to the managers of the Co-Fund NI co-investment fund.

Investors with an interest in space innovation recently joined representatives from across government, industry and academia, at a special event held in Norfolk showcasing the developing area of 'Space as a Service'.

Hintsa Performance has raised €5.1 million funding from notable investors, 

The tech sector was not what it is today when most angel investors graduated from university. This is why, in the UK especially, the majority of angel investors have backgrounds in traditional industries like finance, law or real estate.

University spinouts [1] that emerged from research council investments and receive funding from both the British Business Bank and Innovate UK are more likely to have better business and employment outcomes according to a new report published today.

The ‘Backing innovation-led businesses: the role of public investment’ report, published by the British Business Bank and UK Research and Innovation, including Innovate UK, explores the role of public funding and financing of innovation in the UK.

The 2022 UKBAA awards recognise the outstanding achievements of early stage investors and the businesses they back.

In part 3, our five investors share what they have learned about risk and reward approach, use of funds and asset allocation.  Knowing your limitations – whether they are financial, sector knowledge or regional preference - can be as important to crowdfunding success as picking the best opportunities out there.

Investment Opportunity: Innovation Agri-Tech Group (IAG) is a British agricultural technology company providing a cutting-edge solution to the traditional challenges of farming. To find out more, please CLICK HERE.