£6.5m rolls in for used car management company
IT Fleet Automotive, a managing company for used car programmes of several major manufacturers in UK, has received a £6.5m facility comprising a £4.5m receivables finance line, together with an additional £2m CBILS term loan from Arbuthnot Commercial ABL.
The combined refinance package provides further liquidity for the business to manage the impact of COVID-19 and an increase in working capital to fund future growth.
Darren Guiver looking to shake things up with £500,000 investment
Moneyshake, the car leasing price comparison site, has secured a £500,000 of seed investment from Darren Guiver, who was the managing director of Group 1 Automotive’s UK division.
The capital will help Moneyshake further growth of its business, create new jobs and roll out the next stage of its price comparison technology.
Guiver will play an active role in guiding the existing management team to deliver on the business plan.
Snowplow looks to bridge US and European markets after £7.3m deal
Snowplow, the behavioural data management platform, has raised $10m (£7.3m) in Series A2 funding. The round was led by global growth technology investor Atlantic Bridge, with participation from existing Series A investor MMC Ventures.
The funding will drive Snowplow’s continued expansion in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, including supporting the global community of Snowplow open-source users.
Atlantic Bridge is a global growth technology investment firm with over €1bn of assets under management across seven funds, investing in deep tech companies in Europe and the US.
ETF Partners delivers £5m investment in The Modern Milkman
The Modern Milkman, a fast-growth UK start-up committed to building a more convenient and sustainable approach to grocery shopping, has received a £5m investment from ETF Partners (The Environmental Technologies Fund).
With the new financing, The Modern Milkman will expand beyond Northern England across the UK, fulfilling its target to help consumers shift away from single-use plastic.
Poptop caps week with £440,000 funding round
Poptop, the Newcastle-based events booking platform, has raised £440,000, with funding coming from existing investors DSW Ventures and NorthStar Ventures, which was investing through its North East Innovation Fund supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
The new funding will allow Poptop to further enhance the platform and start to expand internationally and into new sectors.
DSW Ventures is an investor in early-stage scale-up businesses requiring venture funding of more than £250,000, primarily on an EIS basis.
Spill’s cup runneth over after £2m seed round
Spill, a London-based startup which provides remote mental health support for companies, has raised £2m in a seed round led by Ada Ventures, along with Seedcamp and the government’s Future Fund initiative. Partner Francesca Warner will join the Spill board as part of the deal.
Spill will use the money to develop proactive tools that help to create a more psychologically considerate workplace, moving from mental health treatment towards prevention. The raise follows a pre-seed investment of £650k in 2019 led by Passion Capital.
sennder barreling forward after £117m investment sees it achieve unicorn status
sennder, a European digital road freight forwarder, has raised $160m (£116.9m) in Series D financing, surpassing a $1bn (£730.6m) valuation. Accel, Lakestar, HV Capital, Project A and Scania all particupated in the round. To date, sennder has raised more than $260m (£190m).
The investment will expand the 200-person technology team and accelerate research and development into the automation, digitalization, optimization and decarbonization of road freight. Additional funding will be channeled towards driving expansion into new European markets.
Weezy breath easy with £14.6m deal
Weezy, an on-demand superfast supermarket which delivers groceries in only 15 minutes, has raised $20m (£14.6m) in Series A funding round, led by New York-based venture capital fund Left Lane Capital, with UK-based fund DN Capital, Heartcore Capital and angel investors, notably Chris Muhr, the Groupon founder also participating.
The funding will help expand the company’s London-based team by 50 employees over the next four months, in addition to extra fulfilment centre staff.
No need at panic as Kuato Studios rasies £4.5m
Kuato Studios, UK-based edtech gaming studio, has raised £4.5m in a round led by Horizons Ventures and is launching ‘Panic Room’, a cross-platform, socially-interactive virtual reality game.
Horizons Ventures, the private investment arm of Mr Li Ka-shing, is a leading investor in some of the world’s most innovative companies and disruptive technologies including Spotify, Zoom, DeepMind, Perfect Day, Impossible Foods and Genvid.
Sana Labs gains £13m in Series A funding
Sana Labs, a global leader in AI-powered personalized learning for multi-sector professionals, has secured $18m (£13m) in a Series A round led by EQT Ventures.
The new funding will be used to invest more in technology R&D, sales-focused marketing, and people to make this happen.
EQT Ventures is a multi-stage VC fund that partners with the most ambitious and boldest founders in Europe and the US. The fund is based in Luxembourg and has investment advisors stationed in Stockholm, Amsterdam, London, San Francisco, Berlin and Paris.
Budbee causing a buzz with £46m round
Budbee, the Stockholm-based logtech startup which offers a sustainably-focused delivery service, has raised €52m (£46m) in a round led by AMF, a Swedenish pension company.
Budbee will use the funding for international expansion, invest in technology and further enhance the sustainability aspects and customer experience of its services.
Shippeo powered by Battery after £23.4m deal
Shippeo, the European leader in real-time transportation visibility, has secured a $32m (£23.4m) investment. The round is co-led by Battery Ventures and existing investors NGP Capital, ETF Partners, Partech and Bpifrance Digital Venture.
Shippeo will use the investment to strengthen its market position and continue delivering on product innovation.
Battery partners with founders and management teams to develop businesses in markets including software and services, enterprise infrastructure, online marketplaces, healthcare IT and industrial technology. The firm backs companies at all stages, ranging from seed and early to growth and buyout.
Greenhouse raise huge £377m for UK expansion
Greenhouse Software, a company providing a level playing field for all through structured hiring technology, announced a investment by TPG Growth and The Rise Fund for around £377m. This will allow Greenhouse to further expand across the UK.
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