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September 2017 

PWC’s latest Moneytree report from Q2 2017 shows a worldwide trend towards more money going into private tech companies, driven by the US and Asia.

Download full report here

September 2017 

Go4Venture's June Bulletin showed the continuing upward trend from the past few months For the first half of 2017, the European Headline Transaction Index (HTI) is 75% up by value, driven in particular by larger mega transactions (≥€100m). Scaleups (€5-100m) are also up more than 50% by number and close to 30% by value.

Download the full June Bulletin HERE

September 2017 



Patient capital supports small firms to grow into large, world-leading businesses. These firms increase productivity by introducing new ideas into markets. The UK provides a fertile ground for world-leading innovation, but a lack of effective supply of patient capital continues to hold some UK firms back from commercialising this innovation successfully.

This consultation sets out the evidence around a gap in the supply of patient capital in the UK. It then considers potential policy options that might help to address any gap. Responses are welcomed from all stakeholders with an interest in how the government supports growing innovative firms.

To respond, see the options below – either write in, email, or respond online.

The consultation is being published as part of the Treasury’s Patient Capital Review. The terms of reference for the review were published in January 2017. The review is also being supported by a panel of industry experts convened by Sir Damon Buffini. The terms of reference for and members of the Industry Panel were published in February 2017. The role of the panel has been to shape some of themes of this consultation and it will provide its formal recommendations in response to this consultation alongside other responses to the consultation.

July 2017

The Invest Europe Yearbook - 2016 European Private Equity Activity - is the most comprehensive source for European private equity fundraising, investment and divestment data. With data on more than 1,200 European private equity firms, the 2016 statistics cover 88% of the €600bn capital under management on the European market.

Download Report

July 2017 

European Buy & Build activity reaches highest level on record in 201

• Silverfleet’s 2016 Buy & Build Monitor reported 537 add-ons, making 2016 a record year for European add-on activity
• The UK & Ireland region was once again the most popular for add-ons with 111 transactions in the year
• The Nordic region saw a 40% year-on-year increase in add-ons, driven by Sweden and Denmark
• Average deal values increased by 74% vs. 2015
• Add-on activity outside of Europe dipped slightly year-on-year 

Download

July 2017

EBAN has published the 2016 edition of its annual review of co-investment funds operating with business angels in Europe. The publication focuses on co-investment funds, includes an overview of the different types of existing funds country by country, and a brief presentation of the main characteristics of some selected funds in Europe.

Download report

July 2017

EBAN presents the latest edition of its annual mapping of fiscal incentives available to business angels in Europe in 2016. EBAN, the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds, and other Early Stage Market Players, joined efforts with BOFIDI this year to develop its annual publication.

Download report

July 2017

Check out the P2P Lending EcoSystem developed by Orca to celebrate growth of the UK P2P sector - with more than £10bn now invested across 23 of the country’s P2P platforms.

June 2017

For six months, Diversity VC worked with the BVCA and Craft.co to analyse more than 1,500 senior investment professionals at 160 U.K. firms. While not exhaustive, this report is the very first of its type, and provides a valuable insight into the decision makers who are helping create the companies, jobs, cultures and products of the future.

Download the report here

June 2017 

The Go Beyond Investor report provides an update to the 2015 and 2016 reports on business angel portfolio strategies and performance and includes the following key findings: 

• Go Beyond Investing’s community as of December 31 2016, included 439 early stage investors. 374 have invested at least once and 291 have already invested multiple times. Members come from 33 countries across 5 continents, with the majority in Europe. 42% are women. Members interact virtually and meet in various locations throughout Europe and the US. In 2016, Go Beyond Investing began activities in Africa and the Middle East.

• Go Beyond Investing’s community have made investments in 60 companies from 14 countries through 143 investment rounds. These innovative startups come from a wide variety of sectors.

• Go Beyond Investing’s community have portfolio returns and liquidity: CHF 17.6m has been invested returning CHF 15.7m in cash, before fees, to investors up to December 2016. Of the 60 companies invested; 4 have exited positively and 51 are still active. 88% of members who made at least one investment have a break even or positive portfolio return. 37% have annualized returns >= 20%. Investors with 5 or more investments have an average portfolio annualized return of 16%.

May 2017

The 2016 HALO Report provides economic developers, community and business leaders, entrepreneurs and early-stage investors with best-in-class research reports to better understand how startups are funded.

Download the full HALO 2016 Report here

May 2017 

Results from the Smith & Williamson Enterprise Index Q1 2017 show the highest growth in small business confidence in four years.

While Theresa May can’t guarantee the support of the small business community, she can be reassured that its confidence in its own growth is the highest in four years, according to the latest Enterprise Index results from Smith & Williamson, the accountancy, tax and investment management group.

The Enterprise Index, a quarterly barometer testing the views of over 200 business leaders and entrepreneurs, reveals that 85% of entrepreneurs and small business owners are planning for growth and 80% are optimistic about their own prospects over the next 12 months. Crucially, they are nearly 30% more positive about their own growth than at the end of 2016, the highest point since mid-2013.

Download full report here

May 2017 

Beauhurst's new report on Funding Innovation the first study of how combined grant and equity funding affects innovative businesses. 

Download report here

May 2017

GrowthEnabler has launched a Scoring System for the Internet of Things (IoT) market in the UK.

The rating is revealed in the company’s new Market Pulse Report on IoT, which uncovers key trends and insights on what is rapidly becoming one of the UK’s most innovative technology sectors.

The UK’s IoT market is set to receive £81 billion of investment and create 67,000 jobs by 2020 and the startups identified by GrowthEnabler will be fuelling this revolution. The rating includes 21 top disruptive UK IoT startups that have the potential to transform the way that we live and do business.

This new research categorises the top disruptive startups into early, mid and late-stage companies, assigning them a GrowthEnabler Score based on core parameters of business success.

May 2017

The total amount raised by VCTs in 2016/17 demonstrated the strongest demand in a decade. But which offers raised the most? Which closed earliest – and which raised money the fastest?

The answers might surprise you. We put together an infographic showing the offers that opened in the 2016/17 tax year. 

Offers are listed in the order they closed. The size of the circle indicates the amount raised. Two circles indicates over-allotment, where the initial target is met and the offer is extended.

https://www.wealthclub.co.uk/articles/investment-news/vct-fundraising-2016-17-infographic/

May 2017

The latest OFF3R Index Report revealed that just over £40 million was invested in early stage businesses in March 2017 via some of the leading Equity Crowdfunding platforms in the UK.

This record breaking figure smashed the previous monthly high, set back in July 2015, by over £13 Million; making March the most successful month for the total amount raised via equity crowdfunding platforms in the young life of the asset class by a considerable margin.

Equity crowdfunding had a very strong finish to 2016 but had so far seen a slow start to the year. Therefore, this record breaking month comes as a boost to the sector. The OFF3R Index delivers a monthly view on the amount raised via some of the leading equity crowdfunding platforms in the UK (including Crowdcube, SynidcateRoom,  and Seedrs).

March saw some larger raises that contributed to the record breaking figure and OFF3R partner SyndicateRoom had a particularly strong month. Some notable raises last month included Monzo on Crowdcube and Hibergene Diagnostics on SyndicateRoom.

May 2017

Every quarter we deep-dive into data to get a clear overview of the global funding of start-ups. This current report recaps how this industry has behaved during the first three months of 2017 and so far, the year has not started out on a very positive note. Overall, we’re seeing a pretty significant drop in the total funding of startups.

Download the report from Funderbeam

April 2017 

The European technology venture and growth equity market continues to do well. As of the end of February, two months into the year, figures are up by amount invested (+23%), and the number of transactions reported by the professional press is roaring ahead (nearly doubled). As far as larger transactions are concerned (≥€10 million) however, the market is simply stable.

Download the report here

April 2017

Untapped Unicorns

In 2016, The Entrepreneurs Network partnered with Barclays on the Female Founders Forum – a group of some of the UK’s most successful female entrepreneurs, who’ve joined heads to come up with tangible, actionable recommendations for tackling the funding issue. The project’s first report, Untapped Unicorns, outlines how Britain can scale up female entrepreneurship.

You can acess the full report here

• Yearly deal numbers fell for the first time, by 18%.
• The total amount invested also fell by 12% from 2015.
• Crowdfunding deals at growth-stage increased 10%, with 80% of these deals being completed by companies crowdfunding for the first time.
• There was no significant drop in deal numbers after the EU referendum, suggesting Brexit has so far had little to no short-term impact on equity investment.
• Investment into early-stage life sciences companies is booming. Seed-stage life sciences businesses saw a 19% increase in deals, and a record £202m invested.
• Wales and Northern Ireland bucked the general trend, seeing a 30% and 8% increase in deal numbers respectively.

Read the full report here

March 2017

The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) recently released their latest report, highlighting several key issues for Government to address in order to support the growth and scale-up of the UK’s early-stage tech and digital companies.

Drawing on the insights of founders, investors and policy experts across the UK, Coadec delivered headline recommendations, which pertained to four key areas: investment, trade, skills and talent.

Coadec is calling for more software development apprenticeships, changes to the tax and regulatory environment in which investors operate and a decision from the European Commission relating to startups’ access to EU data.

You can access the full report HERE

March 2017 

Shareholder Sentiment Index 2017: Shareholders Frustrated by Lack of Equity Liquidity

Asset Match has launched the Shareholder Sentiment Index 2017 to delve further into the constructs of Britain’s share-holding population, analysing the sentiments, challenges and desires that define the profile of what is an integral community of SME investors. The nationally representative survey of 2,000 adults dissects investor interest in relation to the nation’s private sector capabilities, revealing the challenges faced by investors looking to buy and sell shares in private companies. The research also delves into post-Brexit sentiment towards growth finance and the general appetite for small to mid-cap shares in the current economic climate.

Download the full report HERE

March 2017

Lark research reveals that cyber risks tops the list of concerns for UK wealth management firms

Lark recently carried out a survey of UK wealth management firms that collectively manage £130 billion of assets, representing almost a fifth of the industry, the senior decision makers interviewed believe that data breaches by cyber hackers are the most damaging threat facing the industry.

With the main concerns being about cyber crime, regulation and relationships with insurance brokers, it is unsurprising that the findings in this report can easily be extrapolated and applied to a wide variety of financial institutions.

Click here to download the full report or view the infographic highlighting the key findings here.

March 2017

No region immune to venture capital market downswing

Following 2015’s peak funding levels, 2016 was a challenging year for venture capital (VC) investment across the globe, with decreases in both the number of deals and the total value of VC investment, according to Venture Pulse Q4 2016, a quarterly report on global VC trends published by KPMG Enterprise. Worldwide venture capital activity declined by 24 percent year over year, though total global venture capital investment remained substantial at USD$127.4 billion.*

February 2017

The Enterprise Index, a quarterly barometer of owner managers and entrepreneurs, found that confidence in the UK economy grew five points from the previous quarter, with 50% of respondents expecting the economy to improve in the next 12 months.  Optimism in their own business prospects was also high, with three quarters (76%) optimistic about the year ahead.

Download report here

February 2017

A strong Q4 for equity crowdfunding and P2P lending kept both sectors growing in 2016 according to the latest data from the OFF3R Index. Equity crowdfunding grew by a steady 9% whilst the total amount via P2P lending grew by 38%.

Download report here

January 2017

The UK is currently on track to become a ‘scaleup nation,’ according to the 2016 ScaleUp Review conducted by the ScaleUp Institute.  The 2016 survey of ScaleUp CEOs, published in December 2016, reflects that more than four out of five (83%) scaleup leaders expect their growth to continue despite the uncertainties created by Brexit. It also found two out of three survey respondents are already exporters; Europe and North America remain the core markets of focus for those seeking international expansion, followed by Asia.

Download report here

January 2017

The scale of transformation throughout the technology sector in the past decade is unprecedented.  To think that Facebook became the fifth largest company in the world earlier this year, having been launched little over twelve years ago, gives a sense of the pace of innovation and growth that the industry has set.

GP Bullhound’s Technology Predictions, now in its tenth year, has sought to bring order to this rapidly shifting landscape.

This year’s research examines the now, near and next of the global technology sector, mapping the trends and innovations destined to drive growth for months and years to come. The research is compiled through analysis of global investment data alongside the expert insights of GP Bullhound’s worldwide team, leading investors, and entrepreneurs.

Get the Report

December 2016

Following the UKBAA ANgel Investment Summit, This Report presents highlights from the event, where 40 thought leaders and over 200 delegates gathered to discuss the early-stage investment ecosystem and how to progress at a time of such uncertainty.

Read the report here.

December 2016

• New research by Crowdfinders has found that 35% of entrepreneurial Britain would resort to personal savings if they were to start or grow a business – that equates to 18 million in the UK who would dip into their own bank account to fund a business
• 28% of business-minded British adults would turn to banks and institutions, while the third most popular option was friends and family (15%)
• When asked if friends and family had the financial means to support their venture, almost two-thirds (64%) said they would not
• Nearly half (45%) would not even know where to turn for funding – meaning 23 million people across Britain are unsure of how to fund a business
• Tomorrow’s entrepreneurs are even more in the dark, with 52% of 18-34 year olds saying they would not know where to turn for business fundin

Download the full report here

December 2016

Beauhurst's The Deal for Q3 2016 analyses all equity investment in UK startups and high-growth companies between 1 July - 30 September 2016.

December 2016

SyndicateRoom launched Rise of the Growth Hunters to support UK investors who are looking for faster growth in 2017.

Investor returns have been dwindling for years in the popular asset classes, with recent global events like Brexit and Trump adding more volatility to the markets. The low-yield investor environment we’re experiencing is the new normal.

And people are being seriously affected by it.

Rise of the growth hunters provides a comprehensive body of evidence for the long-term returns and significant growth potential of early-stage investing.

Most importantly, it’s a call to the whole industry – investors, advisors, bankers, entrepreneurs, platforms, commentators, regulators and the government – to tear down these barriers. With investor demand at record highs, now is the time to work together to keep building a more accessible and transparent asset class.

Download the report here 

December 2016

Silverfleet Capital has analysed the trends in Buy & Build activity within the European private equity market since 2003.

Based on data from respected research company mergermarket, this report on the first half of 2016 analyses global add-on activity undertaken by European headquartered companies backed by private equity in the six months ending 30th June 2016.

Download the full report here

December 2016

The report, published to mark the British Business Bank’s two-year anniversary, draws on the Bank’s own research together with other publicly-available data. It highlights the significant opportunities for ambitious, high-growth businesses in the North of England ahead of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF)’s formal launch in early 2017.

Download the report here

November 2016

Invest Europe's Pension Fund Guide to Private Equity and Venture Capital

At a time when many investors are seeking to increase their allocations to private equity and venture capital, Invest Europe has published a new guide for pension funds on investing in the asset class.

November 2016 

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of small businesses with over five employees plan to grow dramatically or moderately over the next two years, according to a new report1 launched by Albion Ventures, one of the largest independent venture capital investors in the UK. Only 5% think they will shrink or wind down.

November 2016 

With the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) commencing its post-implementation review of the crowdfunding market, including both peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and equity-based crowdfunding, the Peer-to-Peer Finance Association (P2PFA) asked Oxera to conduct an independent economic assessment of P2P lending.

November 2016 

The Smith & Williamson Entreprise Index Q3 2016

The latest Smith & Williamson Enterprise Index found that 73% of business owners were confident in their own prospects for the next 12 months, a surge of 20 points on the previous quarter.  While economic confidence has recovered, SMEs faith in the government’s commitment to supporting private enterprise fell five points to 54 per cent, the lowest since 2014.  

Full Report

October 2016

The latest  Tech Track 100, announced in the Sunday Times in September, revealed that over 37 of the top 100 tech companies in the UK had received VC or Angel backing.

View the full TechTrack 100 list

October 2016 

BDRC Continental's SME Finance Monitor surveys 4,500 businesses every quarter about past borrowing events and future borrowing intentions.

It is the largest such survey in the UK.

Get the full report here

September 2016

InterTradeIreland has published a unique all island report into the Business Angel investor market. According to the report, “Funding for growth: The Business Angels Market on the Island of Ireland”, Business Angel investment on the island is estimated to be worth between €70 million and €120 million annually. 

You can download the full report here

September 2016

Private equity and venture capital investment in Central and Eastern Europe last year hit its highest amount since 2009, according to new data from Invest Europe.

The total investment amount increased 25% year-on-year to €1.6 billion, with the number of companies backed matching 2014’s record level. The figures are taken from Invest Europe’s Central and Eastern European Private Equity Statistics 2015 report.

Download the full report here

August 2016

The latest edition of The Deal, published by Beauhurst, provides an in-depth analysis of equity investment into the UK's high-growth businesses for the period from January to June 2016.

Highlights include: 

Deal numbers in H1 2016 have fallen over 20% compared to H2 2015, with the EU referendum and its impact on investor confidence looking like it has had a significant effect in the second quarter of this year.

The number of deals completed on crowdfunding platforms has fallen for the first time on record. Deal numbers are down 17% against H2 2015.

Although fewer individual investments are being made, the average deal size is growing. Deals over £10m were the only investment bracket to increase in frequency, whilst investments under £250k declined by almost a third.

Read the full report here

August 2016

Report Highlights:

The second quarter of 2016 saw venture capital funding activity rise slightly following 2 quarters of declines, while del activity fell for the fourth consecutive quarter.  Large rounds by companies like Uber, Snapchat and Didi Chuxing helped buoy investment despite the ongoing decline in the number of deals

While the Brexit referendum in the UK caused many investors to hold back from making significant investments, over the quarter, specifically in the UK, the upcoming presidential election, the potential increase in US interest rates and a economic slowdown in China also added to investor caution.

Click here to download the full report

July 2016

The most recent report from GP Bullhound European Unicorns 2016 Survival of the Fittest shows the continuing trend of how the UK is  leading the way in AI, open data, block chain and tech enabled verticals from bio, to health, to education to fin and reg tech.

The report also notes that Europe’s tech Unicorns are starting to outperform their American counterparts, particularly in terms of revenue generation.

“When you look at businesses in the $1bn to $3bn range, what we lack in quantity we more than make up for in terms of quality,” says GP Bullhound’s Manish Madhvani, who believes that “the ecosystem exists for one of our Unicorns to push forward and reach a $10bn or $100bn valuation in the next five years.”

Read the full report here 

July 2016

EBAN's 2015 Statistics Compendium for Angel Investing Market show

• an 8.3% increase in European angel investing to €6.1 billion.  
• European angel investment community is made up of approximately 303.650 angel investors

Read full report here 

July 2016

The 2016 Go Beyond Investor Report updates and continues with data published in The 2015 Go Beyond Investor Report.

Introducing Angel Investing as an Asset Class for all Investors. It covers the performance of angel portfolios each of its members has built using the Go Beyond Investing approach.  This current report covers data from 2008 through 2015.

This report analyzes the 1500 investment tickets made by Go Beyond Angels. 

- 92% of our members have already invested, 80% of our members have a positive return and 77% have received cash back after two years.
- Both smaller and larger investors can make money with angel investing.
- A portfolio approach to angel investing strongly enhances the likelihood of positive returns.
- Keeping funds for follow-on rounds is critical because they can boost portfolio returns
- Angel investing can be cross-border and scalable.

Download the full report here

July 2016

Invest Europe’s 2015 European Private Equity Activity report is the most comprehensive and authoritative source of private equity fundraising, investment and divestment data for the European industry. The trade association’s report provides verified data gathered directly from more than 1,200 European private equity firms, covering 91% of the €564 billion in capital under management in Europe.

Click here for the full report 

July 2016

ICAEW and the British Business Bank (BBB) have teamed up with more than 20 other business organisations to help SMEs find the best options for financing growth

The Business Finance Guide - A Jouorney from Start-up too Growth provides a comprehensive overview of the financing options available to growing businesses. Whatever the challenges faced, the right financing decisions are critical. For business owners and management, awareness of the choices available allows the business to make a well-informed financing decision.

July 2016

A new report looks at how a combination of SEIS and Intelligent Crowdfunding investments could have a positive impact on the UK economy and on investors' personal investment portfolios.

Download  the report here

June 2016

The Women's Business Council & Deloitte report seeks too answer the question 'How can we better develop and enhance female entrepreneurs in the UK?'

June 2016

Research shows 58% increase in equity investment in 2015 and £3.5 billion investment into UJK Smaller Businesses.

June 2016

In this issue of Enterprise, Smith & Williamson considers many of the important strategic and people issues that are so fundamental to business success, including an exclusive interview with Leicester City FC manager Claudio Ranieri.

Invest Europe's European Private Equity Activity report

The most comprehensive and authoritative source of private equity fundraising, investment and divestment data for the European industry

Bridging the Equity Divide

Syndicate Room has launched a consumer research report showing that more than half of those surveyed recognise their net wealth would increase if they invested in equities.

How will Angel Investing be affected by Brexit?

Have your say in the UK Business Angels Association poll 

Latest HMRC Stats on Companies Raising Funds Under EIS & SEIS Schemes

The latest figures demonstrate that EIS is a vital part of the company funding cycle.

• CrowdRating - is the crowd indifferent to the financials?
• Halo report gives insights into US angel investment activity

• The FT Non-Executive Director's Diploma

• The Seed & EIS Hour at StartUp 2016
• Nesta's 10 predictions for 2016

• Crowdsurfer and EY release European crowd finance study

• European uncertainty challenges SMEs
• HMRC statistics for EIS funding

• D-CENT: Research on digital identity ecosystems 
• The Value of Being Human
• To B or not to B

• Top Ten insights from the UKBAA Summit 2015
• Political Futures Tracker developed by the GATE team at the University of Sheffield

• Summer Budget predictions: SMEs and entrepreneurs could face a raft of tax changes with increases in many 'minor' taxes
• Congratulations - An Invitatation to the White House

• Crowdfunding companies raise at twice the valuation compared with other markets
• Evidence from Go Beyond Investing AG shows that angel investing can deliver returns 

• Supercharging your retirement portfolio with SEIS and Intelligent Crowd funding
• Angel Group Valuations Continue Three-Quarter Climb : Q2 Halo Report

• We are a Nation of Angels
• EISA Annual Awards 2014
• FCA Review for Crowdfunding
• European alternative finance market could top E7bn in 2015 

• Global Market Sentiment Survey 
• CFA Institute members offer an outlook on financial markets, integrity, and performance