Illuminate Financial closes $100m round with backing from JP Morgan and Barclays March 17, 2021 London-based VC firm Illuminate Financial has closed a $100m round with backing from JP Morgan Chase and Barclays. The fund, which is Illuminate’s second, was anchored by Deutsche Borse and IHS Markit, with additional backing from Draper Esprit and family offices. It was launched in early 2019 before closing in January 2021. “It has been [...]
Inovia Capital expands European presence with $450m fund March 16, 2021 Canadian venture capital firm Inovia Capital has closed its first transatlantic fund at $450m doubling down on its commitment to invest in European growth-stage firms. The firm opened in London two years ago and is led by investor Patrick Pichette, who also chairs Twitter’s Board of Directors. Early stage investment in European startups has hit [...]
Hunting for unicorns could see us miss the easy targets February 8, 2021 Every year, the health of Britain’s venture economy, and particularly tech, ecosystem is judged by the number of unicorns – companies that have secured billion-dollar valuations. The number of unicorns goes up, and the growing strength of the emerging next generation of UK businesses is celebrated. At the pinnacle of the apex, it’s a good [...]
Astia launches $100m venture fund for growth companies with women at the helm February 8, 2021 Astia has launched a $100m early-stage venture fund that will invest globally in high-growth companies that have at least one woman in an executive, equity-holding position. The fund was created to help to address the disparity in funding for companies that include women in founding or executive roles. Mastercard is the fund’s main investor. Astia [...]
Future Fund: Early-stage startups missed out on funding February 2, 2021 Startups in their earliest stage missed out on funding with the majority of the government’s Future Fund investment going to companies at a venture or growth stage. The Future Fund was launched in May to provide support to startups ineligible for the government’s other support schemes. It was designed to provide support to startups through [...]
Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. launches sustainable venture fund January 28, 2021 Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. is launching a rolling venture fund focused on investing in sustainable technology.
Angel CoFund rebrands as it launches new £30m ‘fast-track’ fund January 26, 2021 Angel CoFund has rebranded to ACF Investors as it launches a new £30m fund for early-stage UK businesses as angel activity drops off. The VC firm, which is in its tenth year, makes equity investments of between £100,000 and £1m in the UK’s smaller businesses and invests alongside angel investors. Speaking to Morning Wire, managing [...]
Global investors flock to London in ‘golden age’ for tech January 14, 2021 London has cemented its role as Europe’s leading tech hub after a near-record year of investment as overseas investors circle in on the capital’s best firms. Global tech investors are piling into the capital with a total $10.5bn (£7.7bn) investment recorded in 2020, a quarter of Europe’s whole VC investment for the year. The amount [...]
Startup predictions for 2021: Why the climate will be key January 4, 2021 The overarching story of 2020 for startups was the pandemic and the battle to innovate and to survive. This year the rise of healthtech and fintech startups will inevitably continue after record levels of investment last year with IPOs on the horizon for many. But away from the pandemic another crisis will become just as, [...]
Beringea: VCs will regret overpaying during the pandemic December 23, 2020 2020 is on track for a record year of VC investment but after a slow start followed by an avalanche of deals in September VCs should be in self-reflection mode. Morning Wire spoke to the refreshingly honest Karen McCormick, chief investment officer of Beringea about the lessons learned from the pandemic and where VCs went [...]