Each month I have the pleasure of reviewing the successful equity funding news across the West of England and wider South West. Drawing on data ably compiled by our friends at Beauhurst, it’s always interesting to see how many companies have raised equity funding and to what degree. In May, 11 companies had success with equity funding across the South West, just two of which were in the West of England.
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The successful 11 companies range from sanitation to gin, biotech to fintech and much more between. Between them they raised more than £6.4M but the vast majority of that is not yet disclosed. In fact, just 3 companies have hit the headlines with their investment news this month:
- Inclusive Media Solutions in North Somerset – Bristol-based educational technology developer AutonoMe has raised over £400k in its latest funding round to further enhance its support for vulnerable people in Education and Social Care settings. The investment, which has been made by City Funds, South East Angels, Bristol Private Equity Club and current shareholders, will help AutonoMe to expand its support for children and young people by providing further access to its services in schools and colleges, aiding their journey towards more independent living. Read more here.
- SageTech Medical Equipment in Devon – SageTech’s flexible, low-capex, modular system allows hospitals to capture waste anaesthetic gas exhaled by patients in absorbent, reusable canisters in the operating theatre. The firm is currently developing technology which will allow this gas to be recycled, purified and sold commercially. SageTech Medical Equipment Ltd (SageTech) has completed a £2.9million pre-series A investment, including a £1.6million investment introduced by specialist venture capitalist EMV Capital. Read more here.
- Burrington Estates in Exeter – On a different note to our usual tech focus, Beaufort Capital has completed a mezzanine finance facility for Burrington Estates to finance the construction of 40 family homes in Binfield, Berkshire. The mezzanine facility is combined with a senior debt loan provided by an undisclosed lender to total approximately £15m. Read more here.
In just a few weeks (24 June) we will be hosting our second Quarterly Investment Briefing event of the year. If you are a startup or scaleup business raising investment in the South West, and you’d like us to share your proposition with our community of investors, please upload your pitch deck or one pager here.
Oh and one last thing – in May, Beauhurst published this lovely run-down of Bristol and what makes it such a good startup ecosystem – check it out here.
This article is written as part of the Investment Activator Programme (IAP) in the West of England. This programme is run by TechSPARK and is kindly sponsored by TLT LLP, delaware, West of England Combined Authority, UWE, Sanderson, Engine Shed and Rocketmakers. Find out more about the IAP: https://invest-southwest.com/
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And finally, if you are raising investment for your business and you would like to submit your one page proposition for the next QIB event, please find more information at the bottom of this page.
