Bite-size news and insight from UK business and tech – including funding, deals and appointments
Published: April 20, 2026 at 4:37 pm
The exited founder behind Blueprint and Relo has raised £25 million for his latest venture – synthetic fuel firm Rivan.
Harvey Hodd previously founded SMS marketing firm Blueprint, acquired by Klaviyo in 2022, and predictive repeat revenue eCommerce platform Relo, acquired by Relay Commerce in 2024-25.
The round into Rivan was led by IQ Capital. Previous investor Plural participated, with new investor Fundomo and angels including Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face), Matt Clifford (Entrepreneur First) and Markus Villig (Bolt) joining, bringing the total raised to $46m.
The new funding will support the deployment of Europe’s largest synthetic natural gas (SNG) plant, the opening of a new 50,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in London and more than double the team to 100 people.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 4:10 pm
An activist investor has scuppered the mooted £287 million US takeover of CAB Payments.
The FinTech said today it is ‘deeply concerned’ that shareholder Helios Consortium will reject the 10 pence-per-share offer from American payments giant StoneX as it pursues its own £213m bid.
Fortune 500 firm StoneX is listed on New York’s Nasdaq exchange.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 3:53 pm
Shares in Raspberry Pi have fallen 8% today after it announced bonuses for three leadership figures.
Founder Eben Upton, general counsel Carol Copland and CCO Mike Buffham are to be rewarded under the firm’s long-term incentive plan.
CEO Upton will receive 278,655 shares, with 216,732 apiece for Copland and Buffham.
Meanwhile Buffham sold 40,000 shares on Friday, while non-executive director Daniel Labbad sold around a quarter of that on the same day.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 3:25 pm
Debenhams Group has appointed Paul Aspden as chief technology officer.
The parent company of boohoo said Aspden will help to accelerate its technology strategy as it enters its next phase of growth.
Aspden brings more than a decade of experience leading technology and digital transformation across the retail sector. Since joining Debenhams Group in 2023, he has played a pivotal role in establishing the business as an early adopter of innovative technology, transforming how the group trades, creates and serves customers.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 3:15 pm
Brick Kiln Composites Ltd, a precision engineering firm that supplies all but one of the current UK-headquartered Formula 1teams, has secured a £4m term loan from Growth Lending to complete a management buy-out and accelerate its next stage of expansion.
The facility, which includes £3m advanced on day one, strengthens the company’s ability to scale production, broaden its client portfolio and invest further in advanced composites innovation.
The Banbury-based business employs around 70 people and manufactures high-tolerance composite components, including engine coo ling pipes and brake system parts, used in some of the world’s most demanding engineering environments.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Harper James, a commercial law firm built for growth-focused SMEs, has appointed Lottie Hugo as Corporate Partner.
Lottie brings over a decade of transactional expertise, spanning private M&A, private equity, and cross-border deals ranging from £1m to £500m.
Lottie joins from Freeths, where she was Partner.
She steps into a 16-strong corporate team at Harper James, which has an innovative model that makes top-tier legal advice genuinely accessible.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 10:27 am
The British Business Bank has made a commitment of up to £35 million to Episode 1’s Fund IV. The commitment follows the Bank’s previous investments into Episode 1’s 2014 vintage Fund I, 2018 Fund II, and 2022 Fund III.
Episode 1 is an investor backing early stage companies, primarily at the pre-seed and seed stages. It takes an algorithmic approach to finding and evaluating software-driven UK companies with a specific focus on AI, Software Infrastructure, Deep Tech and Tech Bio.
Episode 1’s strategy demonstrates strong alignment with the UK’s Industrial Strategy sectors, with a significant majority of the Fund III portfolio mapping to five of the eight priority sectors – digital and technology, financial services, professional and business services, clean energy, and life sciences. Fund IV will continue to largely back businesses within the Industrial Strategy sectors.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 9:41 am
Anisa Khan may have missed out on being crowned The Apprentice winner in 2025, but that has not stopped her business hitting £1m in revenue for the first time.
The 27-year-old former analyst at Accenture was runner-up to air conditioning boss Dean Franklin, who walked away with Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment and mentorship.
At the time, she said she ‘felt like my world had ended’, but the disappointment has not halted the growth of her business, Bombay Pizza.
She founded the business during Covid, putting her personal stamp on the industry with bold Indian-Italian fusion flavours.
Khan said: “A year ago, I received a call backstage at ‘The Apprentice: You’re Hired’, one year after filming and one week before the episode went live. That was the moment I found out I had not won the £250,000 investment.
“At the time, it felt like my world had ended. I made a decision that day. Every goal that Anisa on that show had set out to achieve, I was going to achieve without the investment.
“12 months on, Bombay Pizza has grown to 11 locations, surpassed £1m in revenue and now ships pizzas nationwide across the UK. Every single goal. Done.”
Published: April 20, 2026 at 9:26 am
Profit before tax plunged 75% at advertising and marketing giant M&C Saatchi – which currently doesn’t have a CEO – in 2025.
The group reported PBT of £4.6 million for the calendar year, down from £18.1m in 2024.
Total net revenue was £210m, down 9.2%, with an operating profit of £10.2m (2024: £22.5m), driven by the closure of its Australian media buying business in September 2025 and one-off items including restructuring costs.
Zaid Al-Qassab, a former CMO at Channel 4, left ‘by mutual consent’ at the start of the month. He joined in 2024 to help stabilise the business and it has introduced cost savings.
Dame Heather Rabbatts moved from non-executive chair to executive chair on an interim basis while it seeks a successor. Tech powerhouse Vin Murria OBE, a substantial and long-term investor in the business both privately and through her company AdvancedAdvT, was appointed deputy chair. She has seen takeover approaches rebuffed in the past.
Published: April 20, 2026 at 8:59 am
The CEO of Auction Technology Group is to step down after more than a decade in the role.
John-Paul Savant will leave the group, which owns 10 marketplaces and connects auction houses with bidders globally, after a short handover period.
ATG, which also announced its half-year results this morning, said its board is at an advanced stage of its process to appoint a successor.
The London-listed firm recently rejected a remarkable 12 takeover bids from its largest shareholder FitzWalter Capital, the latest for £491 million.
FitzWalter, headquartered in London, slammed the company for failing to grant it access to conduct due diligence and accused the ATG board of ‘extreme value destruction’.
Published: April 19, 2026 at 6:30 am
Gizmo, an AI-powered learning platform on a mission to make studying addictive, has raised £16 million in Series A funding.
CEO Petros Christodoulou co-founded Gizmo with two friends and fellow University of Cambridge graduates, Robin Jack (CTO), and Paul Evangelou (CPO).
Used by more than 13 million learners across 120+ countries, Gizmo is redefining how the world studies by transforming the mechanics of screen addiction into a force for personal growth.
Published: April 17, 2026 at 8:46 am
The founder of essensys plc has agreed a deal to take the PropTech firm private with the backing of high-profile investors Sir Terry Leahy and William Currie.
Amid a restructuring of the business, essensys also this morning reported shrinking profits and falling revenues in its latest half-year results.
Mark Furness founded the firm in 2006 and it floated in 2019 at a valuation of £72.6m, raising £28m from investors. Its share price peaked above 300p in 2021.
It has a current market cap of £10.58m after shares dropped in early trading this morning following the announcement of the takeover agreement and results.
Published: April 17, 2026 at 8:32 am
Manchester-based taxi dispatch software provider Autocab has appointed Frans Hiemstra as its new CEO.
The appointment will see Safa Alkateb leave in June after 14 years to ‘explore a new entrepreneurial challenge’.
Hiemstra brings over a decade of experience working across international markets in taxi, fleet and private hire vehicle businesses.
Hiemstra said: “I couldn’t be more excited to work with the team to help Autocab’s continued growth.”
Published: April 17, 2026 at 8:23 am
Alexander Brennan has stepped back from his executive director role at listed Manchester firm Altitude.
After Nichole Stella left Altitude Group plc in July 2025 after eight years in the role, Brennan stepped up from his position of non-exec chair to support COO Deborah Wilkinson then also CFO Drew Whibley, who joined in September 2025.
The business subsequently reported a rise in annual revenues – and Brennan has now concluded his tenure as exec chair and returned to his role as non-exec chairman.
Published: April 17, 2026 at 8:08 am
Experienced Colin Greene has joined maritime robotics startup ScrubMarine as a non-exec director and commercial advisor.
He used to work at Apple and met Steve Jobs on several occasions.
Greene said: “My investment thesis is pretty simple – great founder and team, amazing product innovation, and untouchable quality of execution. So happy to join the board of ScrubMarine and be part of their journey.”
Scrubmarine was founded by 21-year-old engineer Rohith Devanathan and recently raised £740k in pre-seed funding from PXN Ventures to scale its DeepTech platform for hull cleaning and inspection.
Published: April 17, 2026 at 7:42 am
Optima Health, a provider of technology-enabled corporate health and wellbeing solutions, expects FY26 adjusted EBITDA to be ahead of market expectations by around 10%.
The AIM-listed firm said the recent acquisition of PAM, which completed on 26th March 2026, positions the enlarged group to capitalise on market opportunity and benefit from significant operational and cost synergies.
Published: April 16, 2026 at 6:22 pm
Boohoo, which trades as Debenhams Group, has appointed experienced Nikki Tattersall as its new chief product officer.
She previously spent 15 years at ASOS and Daniel Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said she had an ‘outstanding track record’ across buying and product.
He added: “She brings a sharp instinct for what customers want – and what they don’t even know they want yet – alongside a proven ability to discover, build, and scale brands that truly resonate.
“This is a pivotal moment for our youth brands. As we accelerate their turnaround and enter their next chapter of growth, Nikki will lead product strategy across the portfolio – sharpening the offer, deepening each brand’s identity, and bringing us even closer to what our customers want now, and what they will want next.
“There is real momentum behind the group. With strengthened performance, an expanding marketplace model, and a loyal global customer base, we are building the foundations for what comes next.”
Tattersall said: “I’m thrilled to be on this journey and to unlock the huge potential in our youth brands as we shape what comes next.”
Published: April 16, 2026 at 6:07 pm
Global recruitment specialist Oscar has relocated its Manchester HQ to the Globe Building in the city’s Enterprise City district.
The business has taken space on Level 1 at the landmark development, where it will accommodate their Manchester team.
LEVEL advised Oscar on the deal.
Matthew Southworth, managing director at Oscar, said: “This move marks an exciting step for Oscar as we continue to grow our Manchester headquarters.
“Enterprise City has a real momentum to it, bringing together innovative businesses in a collaborative environment.”
Joe Averill, at LEVEL, added: “We worked closely with Oscar to understand their brief and brought forward a select number of options aligned to their requirements. Enterprise City stood out as the clear choice.”
Published: April 16, 2026 at 4:05 pm
The parent company of CurrentBody has reported its 2025 results – and it is good news for shareholders.
The Beauty Tech Group plc said in January that it expected revenues and adjusted EBITDA of at least £136 million and £35.5m respectively, compared with earlier projections of £128m and £32m.
Today it reported the final results, with total revenue coming in at £141m – 39.4% higher than 2024 – and adjusted EBITDA of £37.5m (+63.8%).
The Cheshire firm launched on the London Stock Exchange in October with a share price of 271 pence – valuing it at £300m.
It is down slightly in trading today but up 7% in the year to date and 8% on its IPO price.
Published: April 16, 2026 at 3:41 pm
Shares in Mercia Asset Management PLC has risen 10% so far today after it said this morning that it expects FY26 EBITDA to be ‘materially ahead of expectations’.
The regionally focused investor, which has over £2 billion of assets under management, pointed to notification of proposed increases to existing fund mandates, plus successful VCT and EIS fundraises, in the final three months of the year.
These totalled in excess of £200 million, which Mercia said “represents a strong and continuing endorsement of our asset management growth strategy, particularly in the context of the current turbulent market conditions”.
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