Last week I talked about the recent Xero research which found that overall, small business owner wellbeing is currently below that of the general population. This was seen as a global problem, rather than a local one. Some of the factors contributing to this included business-related stress spilling over into personal lives; the ability to
The Equity Fund Managers from the British Business Bank’s regional funds – the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) and the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) have all become signatories of the Investing in Women Code, a commitment by financial services firms to improve female entrepreneurs’ access
Mercia has invested £1.6million as part of a £10.0million syndicated round into existing direct investment Locate Bio, a Nottingham-based business developing a range of orthobiologics. This investment into Locate Bio consists of a syndicated £10.0million Series A round in which Mercia has made a direct investment of £1.6million, alongside £4.0million from Mercia’s third party managed
Soccer Manager – the UK-based online soccer management game – has secured a further £3m to support its continued growth in a funding round led by its existing investor Mercia. The latest investment, which comes from Mercia’s own funds, the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and the Government’s Future Fund, will allow it to grow its
As at 30 September 2020, Software and eCommerce investments accounted for five out of the Group’s top 20 direct investments representing c.25% of the total direct portfolio by value and by number. Within its managed funds, software and eCommerce investments accounted for c.30% by number of the total Group portfolio of investments. Mercia is well
We are delighted to announce that Diane Seymour-Williams has been appointed as a Non-executive Director of Mercia with immediate effect. Diane is a non-executive director of Standard Life Private Equity Trust plc, PraxisIFM Group Limited and SEI Investments (Europe) Ltd and is a director of Acorn Capital Advisers Limited. Most recently, Diane was also a
Mercia is pleased to announce the profitable sale of one of its direct investments, Clear Review, for a total cash consideration of up to £26.0million. Mercia held a 4.0% fully diluted direct holding in Clear Review at the date of sale and will receive cash proceeds of £1.0million representing a 2x return on its investment and
Mercia is pleased to announce that its direct portfolio company Warwick Acoustics has secured £2.1million of recent syndicated investment, including £0.5million from Mercia. The Company has also recently won a £0.4million grant from Innovate UK, in conjunction with the University of Warwick. Warwick Acoustics is one of Mercia’s earliest investments, having received its first investment
Life Sciences investments accounted for seven out of Mercia’s top 20 direct investments as at 31 March 2020 and their cumulative fair value of £28.6million represented 32.7% of the total portfolio by value. All of Mercia’s Life Sciences direct investments originated from our third-party managed funds and in addition to these investments, We have a
Mercia’s year of progress is arguably best encapsulated by the growth of our team. From London to Edinburgh, the Mercia team now stands at over 100 staff with several additional new roles currently live on our website. This gives us a significant presence in the regions and brings with it a depth and breadth of