Global venture capital firm Antler is set to enter 2022 in robust health, having closed its new UK fund beyond its initial target of $30m.

Talion, a leading cybersecurity specialist that provides services for some of the UK’s biggest companies has raised a seven-figure sum from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).

The funding will allow Talion to further expand its business in the UK and target new customers in the US.

Talion was launched by BAE Systems in 2012 to help protect the Olympic Games in London from ‘nation state’ cyber attacks. Previously known as Sy4 Security, it became a standalone business in April 2020 when industry veteran Mike Brown, the current CEO, and BAE Systems’ head of security Keven Knight, the COO, led a management buy-out.

Warwick Acoustics – the Midlands-based company which aims to disrupt the delivery of entertainment within the next generation of electric vehicles - has raised £2.8m from existing shareholders including Mercia Asset Management, and a small number of high net worth investors.

QVentures has made an investment into Alectro, a Virtual Sustainability Officer for small-medium businesses to track, audit and offset their carbon footprint.

Alectro is bringing climate measurement to every employee. The dynamic online measurement platform has the vision to empower every organisation to become carbon neutral so that they can be climate champions for this generation and the next. Their mission is to supercharge sustainability and offset 1 million tonnes of carbon by 2030.

Pirum Systems, a leading provider of post-trade automation and collateral management technology for the global securities finance industry, announces that Hg, a leading software and services investor, will become a significant shareholder in the company.

Inflexion Private Equity Partners has launched a Healthcare Advisory Board to help shape its investment strategy and drive value across healthcare investments, both in the UK and internationally.

UK-based auto fintech startup Bumper has raised $12M in Series A funding to roll out its car repair financing platform across Europe. The round is led by Silicon Valley based Autotech Ventures, with participation from Jaguar Land Rover’s fund InMotion Ventures, and a group of prominent angel investors. The latest round brings total funds raised by the company to $17.5m.

Karmacist, the world’s first nutrigenomics-based wellness supplement, has closed a £700k pre-seed investment led by Founders Factory and travel entrepreneur Craig Burkinshaw, as it brings to market the world’s first wellness supplement that draws on the relationship between genetics and nutrients to support the growing numbers of consumers investing in their wellbeing. 

BGF has made a £8 million investment in Operational Solutions Ltd (OSL), a leading counter drone technologies business based in Reading.

OSL actively supports major international airports, national infrastructure projects and defence markets with solutions to the growing challenges posed by the increasing prevalence of unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS” or “drones”) in airspaces around the world.

Circularity Capital has continued to build its portfolio of European growth-stage businesses enabling the circular economy, with an £8m investment in P2i – a global leader in liquid repellent nanotechnology products. 

Founded in 2004, P2i works with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to enhance devices by making them liquid resistant, providing waterproof protection, improving their reliability and enabling them to survive liquid exposure from everyday accidents. P2i’s range of innovative coating solutions delivers up to IPX8 lifetime protection without the need for mechanical seals or gaskets.  

The national SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) business support programme has been awarded additional funding worth £200,000 from the UK Space Agency to extend its reach to all UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Atom Learning, the fast-growth adaptive learning edtech platform, announces that it has raised $25m in a Series A round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.

SoftBank Vision Fund 2 will become the only private investor in Atom Learning, which since launching in 2018 has grown without external funding and is already profitable.