The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) caught many by surprise and for those that banked with the UK entity, widespread stress, panic and fear amongst those that did. Why? Was it because we had all forgotten (or were too young) to remember what happened to Northern Rock in 2008, when borrowing short and lending
The success of a start-up or scale-up often depends on the quality of financial decisions made at crucial points in a company’s development. As a founder or CEO, you might find yourself in the challenging position of determining when to bring on a full-time or plural financial director (FD) to help manage those decisions. The
Earlier this month, new rules were introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), our regulator, which affect investments in private companies, including EIS. VCTs are excluded from these regulations as they are more liquid. The FCA wants to introduce friction in the process of buying these types of investment in order to ensure investors have
Matthew Batchelor works with Mercia as a growth partner to help our portfolio businesses resolve challenges and accelerate growth. Drawing upon on his expertise as a CTO for businesses such as Thomson Reuters and FindMyPast, Matthew has worked with Mercia backed businesses; Pimberly as an adviser and Rockar Tech as interim CTO and then as
Former HR Director Natasha Wallace supports teams and leaders to optimise performance without compromising on wellbeing. Her business, the Conscious Leadership Company, seeks to help leaders to thrive in their roles using technology to continuously allow leaders to reflect and track how they feel so they can transform their leadership style. “Leaders who want to
Nigel Owens, Mercia Portfolio Director; Sarah Williams, Mercia General Counsel and Company Secretary; and serial non-executive Frank Collins, sat down to discuss exits to trade or secondary buyouts. With a combined 59 years of exit expertise, our panel advised our guests at our Chair Summit 2022 on how businesses can best prepare for exit. Prepare
A Nottinghamshire-based rubber products manufacturer has reported sustained growth after receiving a £250,000 loan from NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF). J-Flex provides innovative rubber solutions in over 50 global markets. It has expanded operations in sectors including electric vehicle manufacturing
Responsible investing is increasingly at the forefront of investors’ minds, and, while ESG provides the framework to support responsible investment, Mercia wanted to take this commitment further. Through a bespoke impact fund, Mercia is actively creating a strategy to support businesses that seek to create positive change and societal benefit. With this approach, Mercia is
Sheffield Steel remains the international benchmark for quality, and South Yorkshire owes much of its pre-eminence as a metal manufacturing hub to its geology: iron ore and coal were mined from the hills surrounding the city, and nearby quarries provided the sandstone that allowed grindstones to sharpen blades. At the outset of the industrial revolution,
Deep Tech is now a fashionable sector for investment. Since 2015, global investment in Deep Tech has increased 20% year-on-year[i]. This is not because the visionary ability of entrepreneurs has improved – there have always been big-picture thinkers – but the Deep Tech ecosystem around them has changed. Critical resources like financing, skilled workers and