The Government has appointed Stephen Welton CBE as the new Non-executive Chair of the British Business Bank.

Stephen Welton takes over from Lord Smith of Kelvin, who has held the position for six years since September 2017. In 2013, Stephen was appointed as an advisor to the UK Government regarding the establishment of the British Business Bank and, in 2017, served as a member of the Industry Panel advising HM Treasury on the Patient Capital Review. He was also a member of the Prime Minister’s 2021 Business Council and member of the Innovate Council 2018-2021.

The final of the Business Angel of the Year Award has just ended: Roberto Marsella is the "Best Angel Investor of Italy 2023".

The OnePlanetCapital Climate Change EIS fund has led a £1.7m round into the groundbreaking technology company MDFRecovery. MDF Recovery has a patented solution for the only effective industrialised process to recycle Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) at scale.

The Gower Electric Company started life as part of Gower Power and has grown into an independent Community Interest Company that supplies locally produced electricity to a small number of customers in Swansea and the surrounds.

Venture capital investor Northstar Ventures celebrates the milestone of investing over £95m into small and medium-sized businesses and social enterprises across the North East of England since 2010.

Renew Risk, a London-based clean-energy risk analytics SaaS startup, has raised £1.7 million seed funding to improve the financing, planning and insurance for renewable energy assets. The funding round is led by strategic investor Insurtech Gateway with participation from ClimateTech fund One Planet Capital, the University of Surrey, and super angels Chris Adelsbach and Rahul Munjal.

StudentCrowd, a company which aims to be the ‘Tripadvisor of higher education’ has raised over £2.5m through the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia Ventures and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), Mercia’s EIS funds and existing private investors.

StudentCrowd’s platform provides in-depth information on universities, courses and accommodation and produces its own league tables based on reviews from existing students. The funding will enable the Wolverhampton-based company to enhance its platform and expand it to cover other student services.

Kelvin Capital, the Scottish based investment syndicate, has closed the first half of 2023 having concluded record investment totalling £7.8m, 22% higher than the same period in 2022.

Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) SMEs say that recruiting and developing adequately skilled staff is their biggest barrier to growth, a think tank has revealed.

Bethnal Green Ventures (BGV), in partnership with HSBC Innovation Banking UK and Floww has released the “Tech for Good Angels” report, revealing that despite a venture funding downturn, angels are doubling down to invest in tech for good businesses.  

Cleantech for UK, a coalition designed to lead the policy debate for climate change investment, has invited Green Angel Ventures to join as its 11th member. Alongside giants including Octopus Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Legal & General Capital, and Imperial College, Green Angel Ventures brings to the coalition a specialisation in early-stage investment in cleantech.

Bristol based health tech start-up, Milbotix™, whose wearable SmartSocks™ help identify early signs of distress in people living with dementia, has received a £125,000 investment from the British Design Fund.