Aceleron, the UK company which is pioneering sustainable battery technology, has raised a further £2.5m as it continues to expand its global sales.

The latest funding has come from existing investors BGF, the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, and Mercia’s EIS funds. It brings the total raised by the company so far to £5.4m.

A report published by NatWest sets out the potential opportunity that exists for the UK economy from the transition to net-zero, finding that SMEs could create up to 130,000 new jobs, produce around 30,000 new businesses and result in an estimated £160 billion opportunity for the UK economy. The report finds that there is a significant opportunity for the UK to be a global leader in the transition to net-zero.

Borrower wellbeing app, ilumoni has officially launched and is now available to download on Android and iOS devices.  The app, which has received £1.63 million in investment since inception and gained FCA authorisation earlier this year, has successfully completed its Beta testing and is now available to the wider market.  

Materials Market, founded in November 2020 by Co-Founders Samuel Hunt and Andrew Haehn, has raised £1.5m to grow its digital building materials marketplace.  Materials Market’s creative solution to ease supply chain issues sparked the interest of seed venture capitalist fund, Fuel Ventures, who invested £1.5m in the new tech start-up in September 2021. Investing in the most ambitious technology companies, Fuel Ventures is a leading early/growth stage seed EIS Fund based in London, UK.

Lotanna Ezeike, co-founder of XPO, considers the increase interest amongst investors in opportunities in the creator sector.

Velobici Ltd, a cycling apparel manufacturer, has secured a £500,000 investment to fuel expansion and strengthen its position in global markets. 

The funding has been secured from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) – managed by The FSE Group Debt Finance Fund and backed by the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

General Electric (GE) has announced a five-year, $3.5 million (£2.5m) investment in the UK as part of its global Next Engineers programme, to increase the diversity of young people entering engineering. The UK programme will be based in Staffordshire, where GE operates three sites that design, develop, and service products used throughout the power and renewable energy industries.

Angular Ventures has closed its second fund, and that David Peterson has joined founder Gil Dibner as the firm’s second full partner. With the $80M second fund, Angular will double down on its strategy of backing European and Israeli companies with their first check, at the earliest and riskiest stages. 

9fin, a leading provider of data, news and predictive analytics for debt capital markets, has announced an £8m Series A round to fuel its expansion into the US. The company is opening a New York office following increased demand from existing customers in Europe.  The latest investment was led by Redalpine, alongside previous investors in the company, Fly Ventures. Angel investors Paul Forster, Co-Founder of Indeed, and Alan Morgan, Co-Founder of MMC Ventures, also participated, along with Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital and a number of high net worth individuals

Luke Davis, CEO of IW Capital, discusses why small businesses and the support given to them will be key to continuing this growth.

QVentures portfolio company Go Instore has been acquired by Emplifi, a leading unified customer experience platform. Go Instore enables live commerce by connecting online customers with in-store product experts using immersive HD live video. Go Instore’s cutting-edge video technology provides brands with a new channel via which they can engage with and serve their customers.

72 countries celebrate the World Business Angel Investors Week, 18 – 24 October 2021.