Author: Chris Maguire

Liverpool-based eCommerce solution provide Made With Intent is looking to expand globally after raising £2.4m in investment.

The company has developed an AI-powered model that, when added to eCommerce websites, provides real-time customer insights by analysing over 800 onsite signals.

The approach has been likened to Moneyball and looks at indicators like clicks to predict intent which retailers can the use to inform marketing and website experience.

The company was founded by David Mannheim and has raised £2.4m in an investment round led by NPIFII – PXN Equity Finance.

Customers have been able to boost revenues by almost 10 per cent by delivering personalised experiences.

Author: Chris Maguire

Epetōme, the fast-growing gut health company founded by nutritionist and social media influencer Emily English, has secured a multi-million pound investment.

The funding, led by Active Partners and Redrice Ventures, will enable the fast-growing gut health brand to scale globally.

Founded in 2023, Epetōme has experienced rapid growth, building a highly loyal consumer base alongside celebrity backing.

English said: “I truly believe our gut health underpins everything, and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved over the past year. This funding marks an exciting next step for Epetōme, and it is only the beginning.”

Epetōme’s ambition is to build the UK’s leading gut health company and the capital will enable the brand to increase investment into clinical testing across both probiotics and prebiotics.

Jimmy Hill, co-founder and executive chair of Epetōme, said: “The growth of Epetōme over the past 12 months has truly been amazing to be a part of.

“We are proud to announce Active Partners and Redrice Ventures as our new business partners on this exciting project of building the biggest gut health company in the UK.

“We can now double down on our investment into science, international growth and our already brilliant team here at Epetōme.”

Axol Bioscience, a leading provider of induced pluripotent stem cell technologies for drug discovery and research, has acquired the ophthalmology business of Newcells Biotech.

The acquisition of Newcastle-based Newcells’ ophthalmology business includes its specialist team, facilities and intellectual property related to supply of proprietary iPSC-derived products and ophthalmology research services to biopharma, biotechnology and CRO customers across Europe and the US.

The news follows Cambridge-based Axol’s recent $2.8m financing, led by US life sciences investor BroadOak Capital Partners, which is supporting expansion of its US commercial operations, product development and manufacturing scale-up.

Liam Taylor, CEO of Axol Bioscience, said: “Following our recent financing and continued strong revenue growth, we are executing on a clear strategy to scale Axol internationally and deepen our scientific capabilities.

“The addition of Newcells’ retinal organoid business is our third acquisition in five years and significantly enhances our ophthalmology offering, combining complementary expertise and intellectual property to create the most comprehensive independent portfolio of iPSC-derived retinal models globally.”

AIM-listed Malvern International, the global learning and skills development partner, has announced a £2m fundraise through a share issue.

The corporate team at regional law firm Knights supported Malvern International on its successful fundraising, comprising a placing, retail offer and, potentially, a directors subscription.

Malvern International will deploy this funding to help scale up four pathway contracts recently won with the universities of Wolverhampton, Cumbria and Liverpool, and a new 15-year contract with London Metropolitan University.

Karen Proctor, corporate Partner at Knights in Manchester, said: “We are delighted to have helped our long-standing client access further funding for this promising next phase of growth via its listing on AIM.

“Hopefully, this marks the start of an anticipated uptick in secondary placings and other capital market fundraises this year, as the simplified regime has removed the need for an FCA-approved prospectus for many more raises.

“The new rules also allow for easier participation of retail investors, so we expect to see more companies including their retail shareholder base in capital fundraises as Malvern has done here.

“The board at Malvern, as well as the team at Zeus Capital, who are nominated advisers and brokers to the company, have been highly supportive throughout the process, and we look forward to continuing work with them again in future.”

 

Leeds-based ClotProtect has raised £1.2m through a combination of Innovate UK funding and angel investment from the Lifted Ventures Angel Network

The company, which develops innovative solutions to improve patient safety and reduce the risks associated with blood clots, came through Lifted Ventures’ Elevate Her Accelerator programme.

Since completing the programme, ClotProtect has continued to receive support from the Lifted team, including ongoing mentorship from co-founder Jordan Dargue.

As part of the funding round, Lifted Ventures and its angel network helped unlock Innovate UK Investor Partnership funding and, together with its angels, contributed £600,000, playing a key role in enabling ClotProtect to secure both public and private investment to support its growth.

Helen Philippou, founder of ClotProtect, said: “Taking part in the Elevate Her Accelerator was a turning point for ClotProtect.

“The support, mentorship and belief from the Lifted team, particularly from Jordan, has been instrumental in helping us secure Innovate UK funding and close this £1.2m round.

“This investment gives us the platform to scale faster and bring our technology to more patients who need it.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The chair of YouGov, the international research and data analytics group, is to step down as its share price continues to fall.

Deborah Davis, who joined the board in June 2024 and was appointed chair on an interim basis in February 2025, has decided to step down as chair and from the board with effect from today.

Ian Griffiths, who joined the board in September 2025, has been appointed permanent chair.

He was deputy CEO and CFO of market intelligence agency Kantar from 2020 to 2022. Before that he was CFO and COO of ITV plc for more than 10 years and before that CFO of EMAP plc.  

YouGov’s share price is down 47% in the last 12 months and 19% in the year-to-date. Earlier this month the firm replaced its long-term CFO with an interim appointment.

 

The UK inflation rate fell to 3 per cent in January, according to the Office for National Statistics, sparking hopes of a cut in interest rates.

The inflation rate is now at its lowest level since March 2025 and has been driven partly by the costs of bread, cereal and petrol.

It follows yesterday’s news that the UK employment rate has climbed to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December – the highest rate in nearly five years.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

FYLD, a frontline intelligence platform for the global infrastructure sector, has announced a Series B funding round of £32 million.

The London firm, which serves the energy, construction and water sectors, said the round was led by New-York based Energy Impact Partners LP, with participation from European growth equity specialist Partech through its Growth Impact Fund. 

The raise comes as FYLD closed out another year of global momentum with 82% year-over-year growth. 

FYLD turns frontline work into a real-time source of operational intelligence. Field teams capture short videos instead of completing static forms, and FYLD’s AI analyses conditions to identify safety, quality, and delivery risks before they escalate. 

Managers get live visibility across jobs without adding site visits or headcount, and every action is automatically documented for compliance and audit purposes. 

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Beauty Bay has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.

The Salford-based online cosmetics retailer has taken down its website, which now shows a holding page with the message: “We’ll Be Back Soon. BEAUTY BAY is offline right now, we’ll be back shortly.”

The company, founded by owners Arron and David Gabbie as Fragrance Bay in 1999, has been seeking a sale or investment in recent weeks with advisory firm Interpath.

The brothers also launched a sale process in 2022, but that did not result in a transaction.

Having filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, Beauty Bay now has 10 days in which creditors cannot pursue any action against it.

Author: Chris Maguire

Liverpool-based sports nutrition, health and wellness brand Applied Nutrition saw a 6 per cent jump in its share price yesterday (Tuesday) after a positive trading update.

The firm’s share price closed on 256.50p – giving it a market cap of £641.25m.

It means Applied Nutrition now has a higher market cap than Manchester-headquartered eCommerce retailer THG, which stands at £586.60m.

Applied Nutrition has updated its full year forecasts for 2026 after performing significantly ahead of management expectations.

Revenues increased 57 per cent to £74.5m for the six months to the end of January 2026 (up from £47.6m on H1 FY25).

Author: Chris Maguire

Shares in Boohoo Group dropped 14 per cent yesterday after plans were announced for a £35m equity fundraise as it continues its turnaround strategy.

Founder Mahmud Kamani, group CEO Dan Finley and non-executive director Iain McDonald all intend to participate in Debenhams Group’s planned fundraise at an issue price of 20p per ordinary share of £0.01 each in the company.

In an update, the company said it had already received strong support for its plans from directors and shareholders in excess of £24m.

The firm said its turnaround plan was ‘going apace’ but Boohoo Group’s share price tumbled 14 per cent on Tuesday following the announcement.

Online retail giant Boohoo Group rebranded as Debenhams Group in 2025 and its brands include Debenhams, Karen Millen, boohoo, MAN and PLT.

Debenhams Group outlined its plans for the £35m fundraise in a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday morning in ‘response to speculation’.

Author: Chris Maguire

Activist investor Kelso Group Holdings has announced its latest investment in CVS Group, a leading integrated veterinary service provider.

It follows the purchase of 130,000 shares at an average price of 1,387p in recent weeks. CVS’s market capitalisation was £971m at the close of business yesterday (February 16^th).

On the back of the news CVS’s share price spiked to 1,408p, giving it a market cap of £989m.

Kelso, which is also an investor in NCC Group and THG, recently invested in over-50s group Saga and saw a 40 per cent rise in its investment in the first six weeks.

Sir Nigel Knowles, chairman of Kelso, said: “CVS has built a high-quality resilient platform operating in a structurally attractive market and has delivered an exceptional long-term record of consistent growth.

“Kelso’s investment reflects our conviction that the current valuation does not reflect the strength of the business, the quality of its earnings or its long-term strategic value.

“We believe disciplined capital allocation will be increasingly important in unlocking future shareholder value.

“Kelso is a supportive long-term shareholder, and we look forward to engaging constructively with management over time.”

fulfilment.com has secured up to £4m in a late seed investment round.

Founded in early 2024 by James Olsen, fulfilment.com was born from a direct frustration with the opaque, fragmented and outdated process of eCommerce firms finding third-party logistics partners.

fulfilment.com replaces these slow, manual processes with a data-driven marketplace utilising instant quoting, smart matching algorithms and real-time performance insights.

The round was led by Blackfinch Ventures, with participation from Haatch Ventures.

It will be used to scale fulfilment.com’s proprietary technology, accelerate team expansion, and strengthen the platform’s infrastructure to support a growing global user base, with an initial focus on the UK, EU, US, Canadian, and Australian markets.

Slough-based EnviroTech Organicco has secured £250,000 funding.

Founded in 2018 by Jonathan Ure and Gopal Jeyasundra, Organicco has developed a suite of modular ‘waste‑to‑value’ systems to convert industrial and organic waste into useful products such as biofertiliser, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), energy, hydrogen, food‑grade CO₂ and carbon credits.

The funding comes from the FSE Group, and via the Thames Valley Berkshire Funding Escalator.

HealthTech startup Nul has raised $1m seed funding to develop its platform helping people to reduce their alcohol consumption.

Founded by Matus Maar, a former VC and co-founder of Talis Capital, Nul combines clinical care and prescription medication, digital treatment pathways and behavioural support.

Following the 2023 venture capital downturn, Maar found himself drinking daily – and took the opportunity to go travelling with his family and reset.
When he returned he founded Nul in London. The company’s programme is based on naltrexone, a medication used to reduce alcohol cravings by targeting reward pathways.

The round was led by dmg ventures and BYVP, with participation from angel investors.

Innovators across the UK are being offered £20 million of government funding to develop cutting‑edge medicines, medical technologies and digital tools to tackle drug and alcohol addiction.

Thousands of people die every year from substance misuse and addiction – with hundreds of thousands more suffering.

Grants, delivered through Innovate UK, will support the development and deployment of new technologies designed to improve treatment, strengthen recovery and reduce harm from drug and alcohol addiction.

Meaningful Planet has closed a seed funding round led by SFC Capital to address structural failures in the business mobile market.

Meaningful Planet provides business mobile connectivity through its own network offering, with MILO, its integrated management platform, using predictive analytics and machine learning to monitor usage across entire SIM estates, detect inefficiencies before they become costly, and automatically optimise plans.

Legacy mobile providers often profit from complexity and limited oversight. Meaningful Planet takes the opposite approach, giving businesses confidence, clarity, and control by automatically optimising entire SIM estates to eliminate inefficiency and reduce ongoing admin, rather than monetising overages or accidental roaming.

The British Business Bank has made a cornerstone commitment of up to £45m to Redrice Ventures’ targeted £75m Fund II to support the UK’s creative industries.

The Bank previously backed Redrice’s Fund 1 in 2021 with a £36m cornerstone commitment, catalysing private investment into the oversubscribed fund.

Founded in 2018, Redrice Ventures is a London-based venture capital firm that specialises in seed-stage investments across the creative industries sector, supporting premium, purpose-driven consumer brands and related B2B technology.

Redrice invests at the intersection of creativity and commerce, backing high-growth brands primarily across media, sport, health and wellness where creativity is central to value creation.

Newcastle-based performance intelligence company Leaf has announced the launch of Leaf Signal, a fully-managed server-side conversion tracking & AI-powered monitoring solution for eCommerce brands. 

Signal addresses what Leaf describes as the most critical but underinvested part of the performance marketing chain: conversion tracking. According to Leaf, broken tracking affects 97% of the eCommerce brands it audits, silently and significantly undermining paid media performance, analytics accuracy and marketing profitability.

Leaf Signal improves the abundance, accuracy, richness and reliability of data flowing into ads, email and analytics platforms through a combination of advanced browser and server-side tracking, first-party data enrichment, AI-powered monitoring and ongoing expert support. The result is enhanced attribution, improved data integrity and stronger foundations for profitable performance marketing, in a privacy-first era.

More than £3m has been invested into 13 Northern Ireland companies by Co-Fund III in the first year since the co-investment fund was launched last December, according to new figures released today.

A key part of Invest Northern Ireland’s Access to Finance suite of loan and equity funds, Co-Fund III is a £39m equity investment fund managed by Clarendon Fund Managers which invests in SME businesses alongside private investors and business angels.

The first-year total of £3.1m invested by Co-Fund III has been matched by £5.4m of private investment, with an additional £1.9m of leveraged funding. The fund makes equity investments of between £150,000 and £500,000 in high-growth businesses and to date, 16 investments have been completed in 13 local SMEs across various sectors, including health sciences, fintech and agriculture.

Among the companies that have received investment, four are female-founded businesses – representing 31% of the total investment portfolio this year alone. It is expected that Co-Fund III will invest in approximately 65 companies over a 10-year period, with average initial investments set at around £250,000. One recipient of funding was Senergy Innovations, a female-founded, Carryduff-based company that specialises in the design, supply and installation of complete solar thermal hot water solutions to homes and businesses.

The company’s innovative Sentherm conductive polymers have tailored filler networks and anisotropic material design and manufacturing process control that achieve hybrid polymers for EVs, batteries and automotive related electronics with 95% of aluminium’s thermal performance and 25-45% reduced component weight.

Senergy received funding of £500,000 from Co-Fund III, as part of a £1.25m round, which has been used by the business to increase sales of their solar solution, build out the team and develop new products for the automotive market.