Toy innovator and distributor Wow! Stuff has secured a £4.5 million facility from Independent Growth Finance (IGF) to help support its ongoing growth aspirations. As a company working with global brands, the Wolverhampton-headquartered business, with offices in LA and Hong Kong, were looking for funding to assist growth in the European market. The additional funding will allow the business to expand its branded range on a commercial-led timeline throughout the pandemic and beyond.  

Percival Menswear, a London-based contemporary menswear fashion brand, has secured a further £3m investment from growth capital investor VGC Partners, following an initial investment of £150,000 in 2018.

The Hackney-based brand, which employs eight people, has set itself apart in recent years by creating collections that subvert the classics of the male wardrobe. This includes featuring in the David Beckham Eyewear campaign and curating a custom tour wardrobe of Niall Horan, as well as more recently collaborating with Brighton-based artist and illustrator Sophy Hollington.

Sesamy, the startup allowing people to purchase audio and ebooks online for any kind of device, has announced that it has raised €4 million in a major seed funding round from investors.

Pure Pet Food, a Yorkshire company which manufactures personalised pet food using only natural ingredients, has secured a multi-million pound investment to accelerate its growth.  

The company has raised the funds from Mercia's Northern Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Funds and NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. The latest funding round follows a £2m investment by the Northern VCTs in 2019 and will allow the Cleckheaton-based company to continue to support its ambitious growth plans and development of its software as a service (SaaS) platform and data capabilities.

Foresight Group has made a £1.25 million growth capital investment under the Scottish Growth Scheme into FURTHER.SPACE Limited, a luxury glamping pod holiday company, providing outdoor premium short breaks in Scotland and Ireland.

The company is well placed to benefit from the growth in staycations with COVID-19 likely impacting international tourism for some time to come and more broadly to serve a growing segment of consumers concerned about the carbon footprint of air travel.

Ecommerce startup aisle 3 has completed a successful follow on funding round, raising £250,000 via Angel Investment Network, the world’s largest online angel investment network. Aiming to become ‘the Wikipedia of product search’ the business secured the funds in just six weeks with the company’s valuation more than doubling in the past five months. Experienced angel investors have backed the founders’ vision for a new, disruptive ecommerce marketplace  offering truly personalised experiences for large networks of engaged shoppers.

Odore, the beauty tech start-up working with global brands including Guerlain, Clive Christian and L’Oréal has raised $830k to revolutionise how cosmetics and beauty businesses market their products to consumers. The round was led by SFC Capital and joined by RLC Ventures. 

Skin & Tonic, a skincare and wellbeing brand founded in Hackney, London, has secured £830,000 in funding, enabling it to fulfil increased production demands and expand its operations to Manchester. Driven by GC Angels, this includes a £605,000 investment from the angel investment service alongside private investors, as well as a £225,000 loan from NPIF – FW Capital, managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF). 

Circularity Capital LLP has announced a follow-on investment in consumer technology subscriptions expert Grover. Coming as part of the company’s €60m Series B funding round, the commitment will support Grover in its ambitions of tripling subscriptions before the end of the year and driving an industry shift toward a more circular approach to consumer electronics.

Nottingham-based, Lazy Flora, has secured £500,000 from venture capital firm, Midven, through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) in a deal that will create over 20 new jobs over the next three years.  The investment will help to expand Lazy Flora’s marketing efforts - building on its success over the last 12 months which has seen its revenues increase by 600 per cent, following increased demand for its online plant delivery service.

Same-day grocery delivery startup Grocemania has raised more than £170,000 on the crowdfunding platform Seedrs. 

The London-based business has exceeded its funding target of £100,000 at a valuation of £2.4 million. In this latest funding round, which concluded on 29th March 2021, more than 340 investors invested a combined £173,000 in Grocemania. 

Maven Capital Partners has led the £3 million funding round for Atterley.com, an online fashion retailer which enables independent fashion boutiques and brands to increase their reach and sell to customers across the UK and beyond.

The investment, which also includes commitments from Scottish Enterprise and existing shareholders will allow Atterley to execute its planned growth strategy with a key focus on developing its international footprint, particularly in the US.