Bite-size news in business & technology, from big breaking stories to funding, appointments & deals
Published: October 17, 2025 at 9:15 am
Eversheds Sutherland advised Fourteen IP Group, a portfolio company of Beech Tree Private Equity, on its merger with US-based ClearlyIP.
The deal came just six months after Beech Tree initially backed Fourteen IP CEO Neil Tolley.
James Rosthorn, investment director at Beech Tree, said: “Really pleased to announce the merger of Fourteen IP ad ClearlyIP – just six months and seven days after we initially backed Neil Tolley and the team in April 2025.
Published: October 17, 2025 at 9:00 am
FTSE 100 firm Smiths Group plc has agreed a £1.3 billion disposal.
US electronics firm Molex, part of industrial conglomerate Koch, has agreed the mammoth deal for the London-headquartered company’s Smiths Interconnect subsidiary.
The cash deal – expected to complete in the second half of fiscal year 2026 – represents 15.1x headline EBITDA of £86.1m for the fiscal year 2025.
Smiths said it was a notable step forward in its strategy to become a more focused industrial engineering company. It had come under pressure from US activist investor Engine Capital to break up the business. A demerger or sale of Smiths Detection, which makes baggage-screening scanners used in airports, will now be explored.
Published: October 17, 2025 at 8:44 am
AIM-listed Duke Capital has made a follow-on investment of £3.7 million into its existing capital partner, Step Investments.
The funding will enable Step’s radio-focused subsidiary, Bay Broadcasting, to complete the acquisition of Western Community Broadcasting Services, the firm behind Galway Bay FM.
Step is a diversified investment group, with core interests in the cinema advertising, digital outdoor advertising and radio stations across the UK and Ireland.
Published: October 17, 2025 at 8:39 am
Manchester-based eCommerce agency PushON has made a trio of senior hires to support its continued growth.
Phil Page joins as senior developer and dev-ops manager, Rob Bamber as senior back end developer, and Rob Aimes as front end developer – bringing decades of experience to PushON’s growing development team.
PushON founder Simon Wharton, said: “These three appointments mark a significant step in strengthening our development capabilities.
“Each bring outstanding technical expertise, innovation, and leadership that will directly benefit our clients.
“Their arrival also reflects our ongoing investment in people to match the pace of client growth and new business wins. We’re delighted to welcome them to the team.”
Published: October 17, 2025 at 8:35 am
Sophie Pugh has joined Applied Nutrition as chief marketing officer. She previously spent nine years at THG.
Last year Liverpool-based Applied Nutrition floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Pugh said: “I’m excited to join such a fast-growing, game-changing brand. I can’t wait to get stuck in and I’m looking forward to working with the team to accelerate our impact and take the brand to the next level.”
Meanwhile Liz Chapman has joined @Sedulo Group as chief marketing officer after spending 11 years at Carat UK
Published: October 17, 2025 at 8:35 am
Tap Global Group plc has appointed Manuel De Luque Muntaner as non-executive chair of its board with immediate effect.
The digital finance hub brings money payments and crypto settlement services together in a single app.
He replaces Peter Wall who has now resigned as a director of the company to pursue a full-time position within the Government of Canada.
Muntaner has worked at Citi, Lloyds Bank and Credit Suisse. As founder and CEO of Block Asset Management, he launched the world’s first Blockchain & Digital Assets Fund of Funds (2017), pioneering institutional access to crypto.
Published: October 17, 2025 at 8:31 am
Dylan Bogg has stepped down as chief creative officer of The MISSION Group plc with immediate effect.
Bogg was appointed to the board in 2010, having joined the Group in 2006 when his business, Big Communications, was acquired. He held various agency senior leadership roles before taking on the role of group CCO in 2023.
Published: October 17, 2025 at 8:16 am
Here is the full story of Francisco Gimenez’s successful deal on Dragons’ Den last night.
Published: October 17, 2025 at 8:15 am
The founder of food and drink gift company IMP & MAKER says her business is thriving despite failing to secure investment on Dragons’ Den.
Millions of viewers of the hit BBC show watched Sarah Louise Fairburn leave the Den empty-handed after seeking £100k for a 10 per cent stake in her business.
However, far from being despondent, the award-winning entrepreneur has gone on to raise £500k from an angel investor in a deal that valued IMP & MAKER at £2m, expand the company’s partnership with retail giant Costco and is on track to report its first profit this year.
Published: October 16, 2025 at 9:02 pm
So what did you think? Who impressed you the most?
Leave a comment by clicking above.
In the meantime, read about a successful business from earlier in the series by clicking below – or see the previous investments made by Sara Davies, Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett, Touker Suleyman and Deborah Meaden.
BBC Dragon Sara Davies helps Good Wash Day smash sales records
Published: October 16, 2025 at 9:00 pm
He doesn’t mess about – he accepts the offers of Davies and Bartlett!
“£500k is the biggest investment we’ve ever had in the Den,” says Jones.
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:57 pm
Sara Davies offers him the £250k for 1%!
Emma Grede says she can’t match that as she’d want 3% for £250k.
Peter Jones says he wants 3% advisory shares on top. “Not everyone is equal on that cap table… but it would be your shares so it doesn’t dilute the cap table and no one gets offended.”
Deborah Meaden wants 2% for the £250k.
Steven Bartlett also offers the £250k for 1%.
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:54 pm
The business is set to turn over £1m this year and is targeting £6m next year.
“We’ve raised north of £5m so far,” says Francisco.
He says this is part of a larger fundraising effort of £4m. They are three-quarters of the way through.
“I don’t get out of bed for 1%,” says Touker. He’s OUT.
Does anyone thing he looks like Pep Guardiola?
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:50 pm
He’s asking for £250k for just 1% of the business. Jones may have changed his mind!
Salons pay a rent for the machines which mix the colours, along with an iPad which can store customers’ colour profile.
It also reduces waste as salons right now throw out tubes which aren’t finished.
“When they see this, the salon owners get it,” says Francisco.
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:48 pm
Francisco tells the Dragons it is his second hair colour tech business.
“I sold the first for £200m,” he says.
“Francisco, I want to invest,” says Peter Jones. “You can give me as much equity as you want!”
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:46 pm
The final company featured in tonight’s episode is Yuv Beauty, a cutting-edge beauty tech company specialising in AI-powered hair colour technology and sustainability.
Yuv Beauty’s flagship innovation, the Yuv Lab, is a patented smart device system designed to transform professional hair colouring for salons.
CEO and founder Fracisco Gimenez tells the Dragons that the technology represents the future of professional hair colour.
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:43 pm
Peter Jones was very touched by the pitch but feels it is very early and is OUT.
Sara Davies says as an investor she wouldn’t feel comfortable as an investor making money from people’s grief. But is quick to say there is nothing wrong with Jay making a good living from the business. She it OUT.
The other Dragons are also OUT.
“I believe in the business,” says Jay.
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:38 pm
McGregor has voiced shows including Gogglebox.
She is looking to recruit a nationwide network of local cleaners.
She charges £110 for a one-off clean. “It feels very expensive to me,” says Davies, “if you’re getting a clean every month.”
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:34 pm
TV personality Jaynika ‘Jay’ McGregor enters the Den seeking investment for her mobile grave-tending service Graceful Graves.
McGregor, who describes herself as a ‘presenter, broadcaster and content creator, admitted she started the award-winning grave cleaning and maintenance service ‘by accident’ after the death of her dad.
She said: “From tending my dad’s grave to building a community of care, it started in grief and turned into grace.
“I know that my dad would be beaming at the fact, that his first-born is on television doing something that honours him.”
She is looking for £70k for 10% of the business.
“That pitch was perfection,” says Grede.
Published: October 16, 2025 at 8:30 pm
Bartlett says she is one of the most resilient entrepreneurs he has ever seen – but it isn’t an investment for him.
Grede urges her to scale it down and go back to fundamentals.
The other Dragons are also out.
“Obviously I’m disappointed I didn’t get investment, but I’m hoping to price them wrong,” says Sarah Louise.
“I can see a path through to greatness for the business.”
“The combination brings together two similarly sized unified communications and AI businesses, creating a $50M revenue group with nearly 200 employees, now serving over one million hotel rooms across 27 countries.
“The merger delivers on our investment thesis of supporting Fourteen IP’s expansion into new vertical markets, while creating a strong platform for further M&A over the next few years.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work closely with Neil Tolley, Paul Franks and now Tony Lewis, who joins the board. Great to see both teams come together around a shared vision and plan for growth.”