Jake Lonsdale

It’s always nice to see lower mid market PE firms successfully raising capital. Yes, fund raising since beginning 2023 has shifted quite strongly into much larger hands making fund raising harder for the smaller funds. However, this news from Apiary Capital LLP shows that the mid market continues to have a compelling investment story to tell and owner-managed companies in this space that are looking for capital to grow should be encouraged. #privateequity #midmarket Stuart Clowser Francesca Merlini https://lnkd.in/ezdjEw3D

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SAVE THE DATE - 21 JUNE 11.00-12.00 The UK Business Angels Association has a brilliant brand new liquidity lens webinar series coming up and planD founder Rufus Pearl will be sharing his insights on ‘generating liquidity from zombies’ 21 June 11.00-12.00 - register here https://lnkd.in/eKy4Jcrx #planD #investments #eis #startups #fintech #investors #secondaries #exitviadiversification™ #ShEx #venturecapital #innovation #startupinvesting #glossaryventureterms #ventureterms #angelinvesting #lockedincapital #founders #ukbaa #liquidity

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The amount of VC funding raised by UK companies has slumped to a twenty-two-quarter low 📉 KPMG has just released its Q1 2024 Venture Pulse Report, offering a host of insights into the state of venture capital. Here are some of the highlights: 🔻 Global VC allocations dropped from $83.8 billion in Q4 2023 to $75.9 billion in Q1 2024, the lowest amount invested since Q2 2019 🇪🇺 European VC investment increased quarter over quarter. However, this was mostly driven by an enormous $5.2 billion raise completed by H2 Green Steel 🇬🇧 UK companies raised just $3 billion in Q1, the lowest amount in more than five years. These figures underscore the ongoing challenges innovative UK companies face when trying to secure equity investment. They also highlight the continued importance of alternative sources of funding such as grants, loans and R&D Tax Relief. https://lnkd.in/ehhjCzGF #venturecapital #VC #funding #innovation

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BullRush, a competitive gamified trading platform, has gained significant traction since its beta release on July 10th, attracting 13,700 traders from over 150 countries. The platform blends fantasy sports and trading, allowing participants to compete against each other in various trading competitions centered on CFDs, Forex, and other securities, as well as trivia tournaments and challenges. In a recent interview with Benzinga's All-Access, Trent Hoerr, CEO of BullRush, discussed the platform's unique approach. 'The platform rapidly gained traction after its beta release on July 10, gaining 13,700 traders from over 150 countries,' Hoerr stated. BullRush's gamified interactive trading competitions offer a thrilling experience for traders seeking a competitive edge while honing their skills. As the platform continues to grow, it presents an innovative way for traders to engage with the markets while embracing the excitement of fantasy sports-style competitions. #BullRush #GamifiedTrading

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What do Chelsea football club and your timesheet have in common? We've all been on the receiving end of an urgent email from finance about "CapEx allocation"… but how many of us really understand why it's important? In our latest article, we demystify CapEx. Here's what you'll learn: 1. What CapEx actually is - no jargon included! 2. Why accurate timesheeting impacts your organization's balance sheet directly. 3. The crucial role that CapEx plays in your organization's financial health. Click here for the article: https://lnkd.in/d5ZQJsmZ …and here to read about Chelsea: https://lnkd.in/dvrN5QKg

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⌽ Oxford Innovation Finance will present its latest selection of innovative start-up & early-stage companies at its upcoming OION Showcase event at The H B Allen Centre in Keble College, Oxford on 5 June 2024. The in-person event will showcase up to 10 companies as they each present their solutions to an audience of specialist Angel Investors.  💰 If you’re a company seeking investment and interested in pitching at a future OION Showcase event, register here: https://lnkd.in/eYnYVepW 👼 If you’re an investor interested in accessing the innovative ecosystem of Oxford Innovation Finance through its angel network, register here: https://lnkd.in/ep8s6kk2 If you are interested in investing in the Oxford Innovation EIS Growth Fund which provides access to a diverse selection of high-quality and high-growth early-stage companies from across the UK, and has its next close on 31st July 2024, visit our website where you’ll find all the relevant information. CAPITAL AT RISK - Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. #oxfordinnovationfinance #oion #angelinvesting #angelinvestors #earlystage #nextgeneration #scienceandtechnology

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Bitwise Asset Management has just announced its acquisition of London-based ETC Group, marking a significant expansion into Europe! This move adds nine European-listed crypto ETPs to Bitwise's growing portfolio. All ETC Group products will soon carry the Bitwise brand, bringing innovation and expertise to European investors without altering the successful strategies in place. Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley emphasized the firm's commitment to becoming the top global partner for investors in the crypto space. With this acquisition, Bitwise is set to offer even more global insights and cutting-edge products to financial advisors and investors. 🌍✨ Stay tuned as we continue to build a world-class crypto asset management firm! #Bitwise #ETCGroup #CryptoETPs #AssetManagement #CryptoExpansion #EuropeanMarkets #FinancialNews #CryptoInnovation #CryptoAssets

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Analysing this week's basket returns, we take a month-to-date (MTD) view to establish the performance of broader altcoins at the start of Q3. All altcoin baskets have produced negative returns since the start of Q3, with almost all baskets down at least 10%. Staking has been the most impacted on the downside, with legal challenges by the SEC against Consensys regarding staking services sending shockwaves through various staking protocols.This has negatively impacted the market's view of this basket, leading to a MTD return of -19.7%. The Memecoin basket has also experienced a significant drop in performance this month, with a MTD return of -16.5%, following large declines in June to close out the quarter. Additionally, the first phase of the 3-way token merger in crypto, between AI coins FET, AGIX, and OCEAN to form ASI, has begun. However, since the news became reality, the excitement has died down, resulting in the AI basket producing a MTD return of around -14.5%. In contrast, Exchange Tokens have again shown resilience, outperforming all other baskets to the downside with MTD returns of -9.4%. As previously discussed, Exchange Tokens exhibit the lowest volatility generally as a basket, mainly driven by BNB's strength since the start of the year.

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In this week’s episode of The Difference Engine podcast, Paul Maher and Jonathan Simnett consider the case of Mike Lynch, the outstanding UK tech entrepreneur. Co-founder of Autonomy – sold to HP $11bn (£8.6bn) in 2011 and Darktrace - recently bought by private equity firm Thoma Bravo. He was acquitted this month in California of fraud charges he faced in the US over the sale of Autonomy, after being extradited thanks to an unbalanced treaty between UK and US. But, were there ever really charges to answer? Or was it just a case designed to cover up a fundamentally mismanaged takeover with poor due diligence and subsequent corporate culture clash exposed in the rush by HP to close the acquisition of Autonomy? SaaStr `the world's largest community for SaaS B2B founders, rolled into London recently led by the irrepressible Jason M. Lemkin. He ended the event with an essential list – The Top Ten mistakes companies make when they try to go to market . Paul and Jonathan review his recommendations on what is a critical part of the Category creation journey Everything from not hiring a sales VP who won’t carry a bag`, to avoiding any marketing VP with the word `strategy` in the first line of their cv and, contentiously, not jumping properly onto the AI bandwagon can ruin their chances. Lastly, they review the lessons of the $2.6bn acquisition of VoIP Category leader Skype by online auction Category leader eBay. A cautionary tale that putting together two Category leaders isn’t automatically a good strategy if you can’t successfully re-frame your customers’ expectations or give them something they clearly need. But what was a loss for the West Coast became a win for Europe... Click the link in the comments to listen to Episode 22 and all previous episodes 👇 #category #categorycreation #mikelynch #HP #autonomy #thomabravo #saastr #jasonlemkin #eBay #Skype #ai #artificialintelligence #voip #NiklasZennstrom #atomico #europe #categorydesign #california #tech #podcast #duediligence #mergers #acquistions #mergersandacqusitions #darktrace #cambridge #strategy #marketing #investment #vc #venturecapital 

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As private equity eyes the US gaming industry, could there be more deals on the horizon?   🔍 The U.S. gaming industry is seeing a surge in private equity deals, the most recent being Apollo Global Management's $6.3B acquisition of IGT and Everi.   💰 Bally’s is now the only major U.S. operator owned by private equity, following a buyout by Standard General (SG).   📈 As valuations remain low, experts predict that private equity may continue to drive consolidation in the gaming sector.

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Acquiring businesses isn't just for Private Equity funds. Every day, hard-working entrepreneurs are breathing new life into established companies and making impressive profits through acquisitions. A recent survey revealed that over 300,000 UK business owners are considering selling - but only a fraction will easily do so. This makes for a buyers' market. In the USA "Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition" is meeting this challenge, and in the UK this movement is growing fast, as an alternative to building a startup. So, BizCrunch is proud to sponsor the ETA Awards, and to be working with communities like The Grafter to increase the number of business that successfully sell, and to support ambitious entrepreneurs in acquiring them. If you're interested in becoming an Entrepreneur Through Acquisition, visit BizCrunch today to start your journey.

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VantagePoint A.I. Trading Software: Celebrating Decades of Trading Excellence and Innovation - https://lnkd.in/eGDQVBCG Join Rachael Mendelsohn (daughter of Vantagepoint A.I. President, Lane Mendelsohn) as she uncovers the secrets behind the remarkable longevity of VantagePoint. For over four decades, VantagePoint has been a cornerstone in the trading industry, earning trust and respect through continuous innovation and unwavering commitment to excellence in predictive artificial intelligence for traders. Hear from real VantagePoint Family Members and industry experts about why VantagePoint’s extensive history and experience give them confidence in their trading decisions. Discover how VantagePoint integrated A.I. in the early 1990s, long before anyone else in the financial trading space, and has evolved alongside technological advancements, staying ahead of the curve with cutting-edge A.I. and R&D efforts. VantagePoint is truly a trusted partner for traders worldwide. New to VantagePoint? Join a free live class – https://bit.ly/3I8DVL0 #VantagePoint #TradingExcellence #Finance #Innovation #AI #FinancialGrowth #MarketSuccess #TradingCommunity #OptionsTrading

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From Niche Market to Mainstream: Crypto Milestones 💯 FULL ARTICLE 👉 https://lnkd.in/epTjjB_F 👈 📈 Hartmann Capital reviews the past six years, during which the digital asset industry has evolved into a significant sector influencing events like the U.S. presidential elections. 🎮 3x Capital reviews the first quarter of 2024, in which the #Web3gaming sector has sustained leadership in gaming applications over the past year. 💰 RockawayX dives into the maturing and diversifying asset tokenization landscape, with over $150 billion across eight asset classes.  🌐 DFG explores data's pivotal role in the development and functionality of decentralized applications (dApps). 🖼 EMURGO wants to integrate #NFTs with #DeFi and go beyond NFT's initial use in media distribution and royalty systems. Visit Our Journal (https://lnkd.in/gXJPHN-s) for more articles on blue-chip VCs within the Web3 space! 📚💯 #VentureCapital #VCs #CryptoNews

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