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Latest Business Deals – Courtesy of GrowthBusiness.com

Growth Business News | Stock Market Deals, IPOs, Venture Capital Funds. Mergers and Acquisitions
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Growth Business News, covering UK venture capital funds, AIM and PLUS stock markets, latest fundraising deals, CEOs and entrepreneurs, managers, SMEs, market followers.

Regional gap broadens
The economic gulf between London and the rest of the UK widened during the credit crunch, official data reveals.
Small and mid-caps still underrated
Billion-pound companies are still trading at a premium to their faster-growing counterparts, according to research from DC Advisory Partners.

Monsal wins £14 million for expansion
Waste-to-energy business Monsal has secured up to £14 million from investment firm FourWinds Capital Management.
SRL Global attracts £7.5 million
A software provider to the asset management sector has raised £7.5 million from Augmentum Capital and Revere Capital Advisors.

Cleantech company raises €80 million
European renewable energy company 9REN has secured €80 million (£68 million) for five solar power projects.
Graphite backs Teaching Personnel buy-out
A provider of supply teachers to schools has undergone a management buy-out (MBO) for £45 million backed by Graphite Capital.

Graduates turn to business
One in three students graduating this year or next has a business idea and plans to become an entrepreneur in the near future, according to a survey.
Recovery may take two years
The UK will have to wait another one to two years for a full economic recovery, according to a survey of 406 professional services firms.

More directors face ban
Disqualification proceedings against company directors were up 17 per cent in the year to March, according to research.
Easynet sold for £100 million
Private equity investor LDC is to buy networking and hosting business Easynet Global Services from BSkyB for £100 million.

Finance Wales backs GeoVS
GeoVS, a company specialising in simulating underwater environments, has secured an investment of £250,000 from Finance Wales.
Zattikka raises $5.5 million
Browser and mobile games developer Zattikka has secured $5.5 million (£3.6 million) in a funding round led by Notion Capital.

MMC invests further in E-Trader
Online commerce group E-Trader has secured further funding and appointed a former director of Lastminute.com to its board.
Venture capital sinks to sub-dotcom levels
Investments by venture capital firms, and the number of exits from investee companies, have both fallen to their lowest levels for two decades.

Amplio acquires Puresep
Cleantech investor and operator Amplio Group has bought water purification company Puresep Holdings, its first acquisition in the UK.
Novacem to issue 'cement bond'
Environmentally friendly cement company Novacem is issuing a 'green cement bond' in the hope of raising £1 million.

Growing space for GroupSpaces
Group management website GroupSpaces has secured $1.3 million (£850,000) of investment from venture capital firm Index Ventures and angel investors.
CEOs: state support key to innovation
Government incentives are as important as private venture capital when it comes to innovation, a survey of 241 European CEOs finds.

HgCapital buys Teufel
Private equity investor HgCapital has purchased loudspeaker system designer Teufel Speakers from The Riverside Company.
Midven launches business growth fund
A new fund has been launched by venture capitalist Midven with £18 million to invest in growing businesses in the West Midlands.

Businesses split on Budget
GrowthBusiness readers are divided in their views on last week's emergency Budget, with a third of those polled saying it will help their business.
Octopus invests in Semafone
Call centre software specialist Semafone has received backing of £1.9 million from Octopus Ventures, investing from its Titan VCTs.

Funding round for eoSemi
Yorkshire-based semiconductor company eoSemi has secured £3 million in an investment round led by early-stage investors NESTA and Capital-E.
Masters Pharmaceuticals raises £2.65 million
A supplier of pharmaceuticals with offices in the UK, US and Singapore has raised £2.65 million from Albion Ventures.

Baronsmead VCTs back GettingPersonal
Gift retailer GettingPersonal.co.uk has received an investment of £4 million from ISIS Private Equity, which invested through its Baronsmead VCTs.

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