The British Business Bank has made its first investment through the Regional Angels Programme new co-investment platform.
Automated toolset provider JECO has secured £960,000 in growth funding under the programme’s £7m platform.
The company, which is led by Forbes 30Under30 entrepreneur Emily Bailey, has designed its toolset specifically for video game software developers and digital creatives looking to streamline their development processes and future-proof their products.
The deal was led by Games Angels, with British Business Bank participating in the round.
It marks the first investment under the Regional Angels Programme, which was launched in 2019 with the objective of addressing regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance.
It targets angel networks and other early-stage investors outside of London.
“We are delighted to make this first co-investment with the Games Angels as part of the Regional Angels Programme,” said Mark Barry, senior investment director at British Business Bank.
“The investment into JECO aligns with our programme goals to strengthen the UK’s regional economy and leverage investment potential into innovating entrepreneurs in key sectors.”
CEO and co-founder, Emily Bailey, added: “JECO was born out of the belief that if developers are given frictionless ways to improve and enhance their development processes, they can find quicker, cost effective routes to market, and can also start to play an important role in addressing wider environmental issues that may impact our industry in the future.
“Simon (Barratt, co-founder) and I are incredibly grateful to all our investors for supporting us in our mission; to support developers in making positive behavioural changes through the power of technology.”