Latest from Banking & Finance
Armchair Dragons
The directors of Crowdcube give us the lowdown on their start-up crowdfunding business.
The need for seed
Abandoned by the venture capital industry in the era of cheap debt and easy returns, early-stage finance is making a comeback. GrowthBusiness talks to investors active in the space.
Index Ventures leads $35 million round for Outbrain
Content discovery platform Outbrain has announced funding of $35 million (£22.5 million) led by Index Ventures which brings its total funding to $64 million (£41.2 million).
On the edge
With the Eurozone in crisis and economists putting the chances of a double-dip recession at 50-50, entrepreneurs and experts give their outlook for 2012.
Equistone sells Firstassist
Private equity and VCT firm Equistone (previously Barclays Private Equity) has sold after-the-event insurance provider Firstassist Legal Assistance for £28 million.
LDC completes first deal from specialist fund
Lloyds Development Capital (LDC) has invested in mechanical engineering company PJD Group using capital from a recently-launched £200 million specialist manufacturing and engineering fund.
Clampdown on EIS and VCT criteria
The government is tightening the rules on the enterprise investment scheme (EIS) and venture capital trusts (VCTs) in a bid to focus the initiatives more at higher risk companies.
PowerOasis secures £4.5m funding
YFM Equity Partners has invested in a £4.5 million round of equity funding into wireless power specialists, PowerOasis.
Santander tackles equity gap with £200 million fund
High street bank Santander has launched a £200 million mezzanine debt fund that will compete against the Business Growth Fund in making investments to high-growth regional UK companies.
More from GrowthBusiness
The Entrepreneur
Space: The final entrepreneurial frontier
Despite it taking until 2013 for the UK to have its first ‘official astronaut’, Britain’s space industry offers many opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Growing A Business
Light touch regulation: Friend or foe?
Sophia Harrison, director of financial and professional services at Grayling, looks at how a new exchange platform out of Sweden could strike the right chord of regulation for SMEs.
Comment & Analysis
Partnering with larger businesses for growth
Building a high-growth business stage three: Choosing to partner with larger firms to collaborate on projects.
Research
The rise of cash shells
New research from GrowthBusiness shows that the number of UK cash shells is climbing. We speak to new entrants to the market and those that have recently closed deals to find out what’s driving shells’ increasing popularity.
