EMV Capital, the deeptech and venture capital specialist, a wholly owned subsidiary of NetScientific plc, the international life sciences and sustainable technology investment and commercialisation group, is delighted to announce that it has led an investment round in Edinburgh based Sofant Technologies Ltd.  NetScientific, Scottish Enterprise, Kelvin Capital Limited, and The Future Fund joined EMVC in this investment round.

A new independent report which has been published today by Warwick Economics and Development estimates that companies supported by the SETsquared Partnership ecosystem have contributed £15.7bn to the UK economy over the last 20 years.

New research from the British Business Bank finds that fund valuations for recent fund vintages have held up in the year to 31st March 2022.

According to the British Business Bank’s latest report, UK Venture Capital Financial Returns 2022, UK VC funds with a 2008 to 2013 vintage have generated a pooled Total Value to Paid In Capital (TVPI[1]) multiple of 2.20, which is 0.11 points higher than last year, demonstrating that UK VC fund valuations have so far been resilient to the adverse headwinds affecting global financial markets.

Cardigan-based green tech company Harvst has successfully closed a funding round with SFC Capital as lead investor. They aim to use the funds to expand their team, commercial partnerships and product range.

Founded in the Welsh coastal town of Cardigan in 2020, the green tech brand helps gardeners extend the growing season, whilst saving time through smart automation and control of their growing environment. Their range of mini-greenhouses and watering systems are ‘Made in Britain’, and are ideal for people who want the self-sufficient benefits of growing their own food all year round, but who can’t attend to their plants every day.

In its 16th year, GP Bullhound’s Technology Predictions report has established a reputation as an industry-leading analysis of the trends and innovations shaping the global technology sector with nearly 90% accuracy in the past five years and over 80% in the past decade.

Healthtech startup, Virtue Health Group Limited (Virtue), has secured £1 million in seed funding in an investment round led by the Midlands Engine Investment Fun (MEIF) managed by Midven, part of the Future Planet Capital Group. The company has secured £500,000 from the MEIF as well as further investments from QVentures and a number of business angels.

Manchester-based green tech start-up enee.io has secured over £1 million of investment in its latest funding round led by Green Angel Syndicate and US venture development firm Factor[e].

Duppy Share, the London-based Caribbean rum brand has just completed a fundraising round of £2 million, recruiting a new stellar set of investors who have joined the rum revolutio.

The diverse shareholder base includes British billionaire investor Jim Mellon, the Irish horse racing Magnier family and UK energy entrepreneur Stephen Fitzpatrick. Joining them to back the company are well-known personalities including ex-professional footballer Ian Wright and Fraser T Smith, one of the UK’s most prolific music producers.

Belgium: Classified Cycling, a Belgium-based company developing innovative technology for the cycling industry, today announces it has closed a funding round of €22 million led by Active Partners, the investors behind well-known cycling brands Rapha and Evans Cycles. Existing investor Bridford Investments Limited continue to support Classified by participating in the round. The company’s investors also include well-respected Olympic and World Champion riders, Tom Boonen, Anna Van der Breggen, Andre Greipel and Marcel Kittel.

Rita Sakus, co-founder of the Lithuanian Business Angel Network (LitBAN) & board member of the European Business Angel Network (EBAN), talks about the significant difference angel investors can make to the businesses they invest in.

FRANCE: Pathway – the female-led deeptech startup unlocking the power of real-time data  – has announced it has made its machine learning platform free and open to all developers worldwide.

To understand the barriers facing high-growth female founders, the Female Founders Forum has brought together a panel of the UK’s most successful female entrepreneurs.