What does the year ahead hold in store for early-stage businesses and scale-ups? Will Clark and Sandy Reid of Mercia Ventures identify seven key trends. Will Clark, Managing Director of Mercia Ventures, says: Scaling up will be harder Raising follow-on investment will be one of the biggest challenges for early-stage companies in 2025. Scaling
A Midlands commercial contractor that works on many high-profile retail developments is set for growth following a seven-figure management buyout supported by funding from Mercia Debt and Frontier Development Capital. GI Sykes, a third-generation family business based in Stourbridge, employs 40 permanent staff as well as dozens of independent contractors. The buy-out gives control of
A Yorkshire company that is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of raw pet food has secured a six-figure growth funding package from NPIF II – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Debt as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II). The funding will enable Naturaw Pet Food to continue its
A Yorkshire company that supplies marquees for some of the UK’s most exclusive events has raised a six-figure funding package from NPIF II – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Debt as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), to add a spectacular new structure to its range. The English Marquee
Card Industry Professionals – the Grimsby-based card payment solutions provider – has been acquired by Shift4, a US-based company that is a global leader in payments and commerce-enabling technology, listed on the New York Stock Exchange [NYSE:FOUR]. The deal provides an exit for Mercia Ventures, which backed the company in 2022 using funding from the first
Netacea, the cybersecurity specialist that helps companies prevent online fraud by protecting them against bot attacks, has raised a further £4m from Mercia Asset Management, which is investing from its own funds and the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF I). The latest investment will help Manchester-based Netacea to further extend its AI roadmap, expand
Newcells Biotech – whose laboratory models help speed up drug development and reduce reliance on animal testing – has raised a further £1.2m from existing investors Mercia Ventures, Northstar Ventures and North East Finance. The funding will enable the Newcastle-based company to build its customer base and seek new partnerships with companies with complementary products
Mercia Debt – which manages part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) – has marked a key milestone, having provided over £5m in debt finance since the launch of the fund earlier this year. Mercia has provided a total of £5.5m in business loans to 17 companies covering a wide range of
Radar Healthcare, the Leeds-based healthtech company, has been acquired by global investment firm Marlin Equity Partners. The deal provides an exit for Mercia Ventures, which had backed the company since 2017 using funding from the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), and which received £7.5m, a return of 4.1x. Radar Healthcare is a leading provider
An independent Newton Aycliffe vets’ practice has raised £400,000 from NPIF II – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Debt as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), to create a new purpose-built town centre clinic. Sore Paws Veterinary Clinic has taken on 2,800 sq ft of space at Cobbers Hall