Following musicMagpie’s successful admission to AIM, NVM Private Equity has generated proceeds and retained value at the IPO price of £72.5 million, a 12.1x return against the cost of the original investment.

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.

YFM Equity Partners is continuing to expand its team with the appointment of Tiffany Young as investment manager, based at its London office. Tiffany will join YFM’s investment team to support the origination and execution of new investments across both growth capital and buyout opportunities.

CareLineLive, the homecare management software that increases efficiency, capacity, compliance and communication between managers and carers by digitising their workflows, has announced that it has fundraised £1.2 million to support its national and international expansion. The investment, led by Haatch Ventures, will see CareLineLive’s headcount continue to grow, with a 30% headcount increase already seen since September 2020. Alongside this, the investment will accelerate CareLineLive’s expansion into international markets, with 10% of its customers currently outside the UK, including recent client wins in Australia, Malta and Zimbabwe.

The Baronsmead Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), managed by Gresham House, have successfully raised £65m this year. 

Ensono, a leading hybrid IT services provider, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, has announced that KKR has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ensono from Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners. The new investment follows multiple years of strong performance by Ensono, including robust growth in 2020 and its recently completed acquisition of Amido, a UK-based cloud native consultancy.

Pembroke VCT has achieved a record fundraise, selling out of the £40 million offer, with the initial offer and overallotment facility now fully subscribed as at 29 March.

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.

The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has published the amount of money raised by VCTs for the 2020/21 tax year. During the pandemic and at a time when the UK’s young companies have needed it most, the VCT sector has raised £685 million for investment in small, innovative UK businesses.

More than four-fifths of investors in VCTs (81%) feel the pandemic has made supporting smaller UK businesses more important according to new research from the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) conducted by Research in Finance.

Pembroke VCT, the venture capital trust focused on building the brands of tomorrow, has made an initial investment of £1.75 million into Dropless, the eco-friendly vehicle maintenance company revolutionising its sector.

Dropless was launched in 2018 by co-founders Christian Duncan and Mike Grindy, to bring digital and sustainable innovation, alongside exceptional customer service, to vehicle owners globally.

Albion Capital has made a successful exit from its investment in three high-end care homes managed by Berkley Care Group, the boutique care home operator. The care homes with a total of 201 beds have been sold to Korian SA, the leading European care services group for elderly and fragile people, for an undisclosed sum.