GC Angels, the venture capital investment arm of The Growth Company – the largest social enterprise institution in Greater Manchester – has announced the second cohort of its Venture Forward accelerator programme.

The Innovate UK initiative supports underrepresented founders in the North of England to prepare for their first institutional investment round.

The programme is delivered by the investment managers that make investment decisions for GC Angels. This equips early-stage founders with first-hand knowledge, tools and investor connections needed to raise their first VC investment within the next 12 months.

Following the successful delivery of Cohort 1 between October and December 2025 in Manchester – where five of the 30 participating founders secured investment within two months of completing the programme – Cohort 2 will now support a further 22 high-potential businesses from across the North.

Running over eight weeks in Leeds, the programme offers founders expert-led workshops, one-to-one mentoring, practical fundraising guidance and direct access to investors. Following completion, GC Angels will offer up to £500k of equity investment to standout founders, providing the capital needed to scale their businesses and accelerate growth.

The Lifted Angel Network, part of Lifted Ventures, has announced the successful close of three recent investments.

Eco Green Living, a Manchester-based business providing plastic-free, compostable household essentials, has successfully closed a £502,000 funding round, with support from the Lifted Angel Network.

Founded by Julie Cook, Julie pitched to the Lifted Angel Network before going on to complete the round with backing from a wider group of angel investors.

Operating on a purpose-before-profit ethos, Eco Green Living offers certified compostable alternatives to everyday disposable products. The business sells direct-to-consumer and B2B, and partners with environmental initiatives, including tree-planting programmes.

Nc’nean Distillery, an independent organic whisky producer based on the west coast of Scotland has secured a new round of growth funding to the value of £2.5 million, combining investment from the Lifted Angel Network and private investor Lortus Investments.

The funding will support the distillery’s continued commitment to sustainable production, expansion of its spirits range, and the scaling of distribution to meet growing global demand.

Nc’nean, led by founder Annabel Thomas, is widely recognised for its pioneering environmental credentials. The distillery is powered entirely by renewable energy, uses only organic Scottish barley, bottles its whisky in 100% recycled glass, and is certified net-zero.

Haazar, a Manchester-based tech startup founded by entrepreneur Harriet Noy, has also secured backing with the support of The Lifted Angel Network.

Hazaar is the UK’s first marketplace built exclusively for students, helping brands unlock students & sell slower moving stock. Hazaar is flipping the current student discount model on its head – allowing brands to turn excess stock into lifelong customers.

Manufacturing platform Fractory has announced its expansion into Italy and France, establishing a dedicated presence as part of the company’s continued growth. 

Founded in Estonia and operating its UK headquarters from Manchester, Fractory connects companies with a vetted network of manufacturing partners through its digital platform. 

The move establishes dedicated market operations to support engineering and manufacturing businesses across the new regions. 

The expansion enables the company to deliver its full-service manufacturing model directly within Southern and Western Europe, strengthening customer relationships and accelerating project delivery across key industrial regions. 

Fractory has appointed its first team members in both markets, including local account management and operational support roles. 

These hires will support businesses in navigating complex, multi-process projects, ranging from laser cutting and CNC machining to surface finishes and assembly. 

Synectics plc, a provider of advanced security and surveillance solutions, has reported growth in annual revenue and profits.

The AIM-listed firm said revenue increased by 22% to £68.1 million in the year ended 30th November 2025.

Adjusted EBITDA increased by 36.1% to £8.5m for the period.

FTSE 250 firm IG Group Holdings plc has appointed a new chair.

Andrew Barron, former COO of Virgin Media, has joined the provider of online trading platforms and educational resources.

Barron currently holds non-executive director roles at Openreach and Verisure. He is also a senior operating partner at Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, representing it on the boards of Delta Fiber and Astound.

He succeeds Mike McTighe, who has served as chair of IG for more than six years.

IG offers customers access to over 21,000 financial markets worldwide.

 

 

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Baltic Ventures, a flagship early-stage tech accelerator and investment platform based in Liverpool City Region, has appointed co-founder and chair Carl Wong as its new CEO.

The appointment follows a recruitment process that began in November 2025 following the announcement that Claire Lewis is to step down from the role.

Wong is a Liverpool-born entrepreneur and technology founder. Alongside David Woods, he co-founded LivingLens, a research technology platform built in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle and acquired by global experience management company Medallia in 2020. 

Woods will now also join the executive team, taking on the role of chief commercial & operating officer. 

Manchester-based compliance specialist Mercury Support and software developer Zapt.ai have joined forces to launch a new cloud-based compliance platform designed to simplify health, safety and risk management for modern businesses. 

The partnership was formed while both teams were participating in ASCEND, GM Business Growth Hub’s flagship scale-up programme. 

Recognising the opportunity to combine deep operational compliance experience with specialist software development, the two companies collaborated to build a platform that blends intuitive technology with real-world expertise. 

 

The board of CyanConnode has welcomed a £37.5 million takeover approach.

The Cambridge company, an IoT communication and smart metering solutions provider, is anticipating the all-cash offer from Dubai-based Esyasoft Holding Ltd.

The potential offer of 10.44 pence per share represents a 44% premium to CyanConnode’s middle-market closing price of 7.25p on 2nd February, the last business day prior to the offer period when Esyasoft’s interest in a potential £35m bid was reported.

Shares in the company are up 27% in the year to date having jumped 10% in the first 10 minutes of trading this morning to 9p.

 

Author: Chris Maguire

Ruth Percival is at the helm of one of UK’s fastest growing companies.

In just 18 months, built environment consultancy Contollo Group has grown to 230 staff and £35m turnover on the back of five acquisitions. 

Percival is also married to legendary dealmaker Jonathan Boyers and co-host of the Dealmaker Uncut podcast.

In  the latest episode of  the Dealmaker Uncut podcast, she opened up about the highs and lows of her remarkable career.

Percival has enjoyed a 20-year career in M&A and made her name as a partner at BDO, where she had a track record for advising clients on exits and buy and build strategies.

She said: “I really hope there is less misogyny today than there was then. However, most of the challenges are exactly the same.

“To succeed you need to win work.  If you don’t play golf or have a passion for sport, it’s tough. You need to be doubly good at building trusted relationships within the professional environment.

“A culture of boozing doesn’t help women trying to get on at all either. Alcohol is generally not an ally for a woman trying to get on.

“My focus was really on selling businesses for entrepreneurs. I think you have to perform out of your skin to compete with an average male counterpart.”

Among the winners on the FTSE 100 index in February were tech stocks BAE Systems, BT Group and Rolls-Royce Holdings.

The biggest tech losers on the London Stock Exchange’s premium index were The Sage Group, Rightmove and Auto Trader Group.

Among the winners on the FTSE 250 index in February were tech and investment stocks Allianz Technology Trust PLC, AJ Bell PLC, Baltic Classifieds Group PLC and Raspberry Pi Holdings PLC.

The biggest losers were AO World PLC, Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC and Softcat PLC.

 

How did companies creating technology – and from associated sectors – fare in February?

Author: Chris Maguire

Manchester-based tech startup Versori has been acquired by US tech giant Avalara.

Versori, which was founded in 2022 by Sean Brown and Daniel Jones, is a next-generation integration platform specialist.

The deal size has not been disclosed but the acquisition includes Versori’s technology and its team of 23 staff.

Both Brown and Jones are staying with the business, which will operate as Versori, by Avalara.

Versori graduated from the famous Y Combinator accelerator in March 2023 and has since worked with companies like Frasers Group, Macy’s and the MoD.

Brown, who has previously worked at Mercarto and Social Chain, said the deal was good news for Manchester.

“It’s proof that Manchester can grow companies like Versori,” he said. “Hopefully it will bring more investment into Manchester and more talent.

“Versori has built game-changing technology. I’ve never done it for the rewards. I love building things and I’m looking forward to keep building things with Versori. I’ve got a lot of unfinished business.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Brave Bison shares have dropped on news of a strategic investment into fellow listed firm System1 and accompanying share placing.

The share-for-share exchange with John Kearon, System1’s founder and largest shareholder, and on-market purchases totalling £1.3 million, have led to a strategic 28% investment into System1 Group PLC.

The deal has seemingly caused shares in marketing and tech group Brave Bison to fall 2% today, with new shares having been issued. It stands at 72.4 pence at the time of writing.

 

Author: Jonathan Symcox

SkinBioTherapeutics plc has appointed an interim CEO for the next six months as its former leader is investigated over concerns that he misrepresented results.

Rachel Parsonage, who currently runs her own advisory consultancy, has agreed to take the role on a temporary basis after former CEO Stuart Ashman resigned recently.

Alyson Levett, who only joined the company’s board and as chair of its audit committee in January, is overseeing a ‘forensic’ investigation into the actions of Ashman.

The Newcastle firm’s share price fell from 19.5 pence to almost 5p after the news broke of the potential misrepresentation and Ashman’s immediate resignation.

However it has since recovered to 9p at the time of writing, helped by a 12.5% jump today following news of Parsonage’s appointment.

Fieldwork Robotics, developers of autonomous and selective robotic harvesting solutions, has appointed Michelle Collis as chief financial officer.

Collis brings extensive experience across a wide range of transactions including fundraises, M&A, as well as a record-breaking IPO for one of the largest BioTech firms in Cambridge.

Her expertise will support Fieldwork as it accelerates commercialisation and international expansion, transitioning from startup to scaleup and preparing for future investment rounds.

Private equity-backed professional services firm Leonard Curtis is expanding its restructuring advisory service with Liam Griffin joining from Teneo to lead the firm’s offering alongside Dane O’Hara.

Griffin, who will be based out of Manchester, has extensive experience advising corporates and their stakeholders to deliver positive outcomes in a range of challenging situations involving financial distress.

He has worked with businesses from local mid-market operations to large, national and international corporate groups across a range of sectors including retail, manufacturing, technology and construction.

The Rise Report has exposed the funding barriers against female entrepreneurship.

The new nationwide study – commissioned by one of the UK’s biggest communities of female founders, Female Founders Rise, in partnership with Barclays – has found that UK female entrepreneurs identify human connection as the cornerstone of resilience, growth and business success. 

The research, launched at the Barclays Eagle Labs’ Innovation Hub in London, is one of largest grassroots studies of its kind. 

The findings captured the detailed views, stories and experiences of 2,225 UK-based female founders – who collectively generate £1 billion in annual turnover – and recorded 436,000 words of qualitative data.

 

Audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK has announced the appointment of Jamie Baker as consulting partner and head of digital forensics.

Baker joins RSM from Deloitte, where he gained over 25 years’ experience, including his most recent role as forensic technology lead partner. 

His expertise spans digital forensics, e-discovery, data analytics, investigations and software development.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The new CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies has begun work today as he takes over from founder Gordon Sanghera.

Francis Van Parys will now lead the FTSE 250 MedTech, which is eyeing profitability after also reporting its results for 2025.

The DNA sequencing specialist reported revenues of £223.9 million, up 22.2% year-on-year, while adjusted EBITDA losses shrank 31.2% to £86.7m. Actual losses shrank 1% to £145.2m.

The firm reaffirmed its commitment to reach adjusted EBITDA breakeven in FY27 and become cash flow positive in FY28.

A trial has been set for 2027 for IP infringement against its products, while separately it has issued proceedings in the High Court alleging trade secrets infringement against the same defendant.