BLN MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Business Leaders Network (BLN) Membership
As we have built our community across the UK a gratifying number of people have asked how they can engage in more of our activities, not only in their own regions but in other areas in which we operate. We really want to stay in touch with, and pick the brains of other people in [...]
AVEVA shares soar on double acquisition
AVEVA Group plc, the Cambridge based engineering software pioneer, has turned the tables on the Vikings by using its war chest for a double raid in Scandinavia.
FT Sustainable Banking Report talks to BLN about business loans
Following our BLN BDO CFO Breakfast last week we were interviewed by the FT for a Report on Sustainable Banking. This came out today. Our Breakfast meeting discussed the state of the equity and debt markets with CFOs and FDs of high growth businesses across the region. They key takeaway from this discussion for me was [...]
Real Business – Don’t vote for a party that confuses CGT and Income Tax
Real Business pick up our Lib Dem CGT madness theme, “Thinking of voting Lib Dem tomorrow? Read this before you cast your vote. Entrepreneur Mark Littlewood assesses the damage that the Lib Dems’ alignment of capital gains tax (CGT) with income tax will cause to British entrepreneurs.”
Advent International buys Lord Kirkham’s DFS for £ 500 million
Not a bad day for Graham Kirkham who has sold his Doncaster based 74 store furniture retailer to Advent International for a reported £500 million.
Queen’s Awards for Enterprise Winners announced
US venture capital bounces back Q1 while Europe remains on critical list
The best places to meet entrepreneurs in the UK
This is what Real Business thinks.
Timetric closes investment round
Timetric announced that it has closed an investment round. Participants in the round included Stefan Glanzer, Alex Zubillaga, Sherry Coutu, Matteo Stefanel and Sean Park and Udayan Goyal of Nauiokas Park. Timetric intend to use the capital raised to accelerate the rollout of their network of novel statistical services.
BLN Recruiting – Events/Membership Manager
The Business Leaders Network (BLN) runs events – workshops, dinners and conferences – for entrepreneurs and investors engaged in building growth businesses. Founded in the month prior to the Lehman Bros crash, we have grown steadily over the past 18 months in a tough market environment. We now need some more people to help us!
Richemont to buy Net-a-Porter for £350 million
It was reported in the Sunday Telegraph this week and confirmed by insiders today. Richemont has been an investor in Net-a-Porter for many years and hold a 29% stake so it is not the biggest surprise that they have emerged as the purchaser of Net-a-Porter. They have had plenty of time to size up the [...]
BLN Internship Opportunities
Internship Period: Ongoing and urgent requirement! Can run for 3-4 months depending on candidate.
Kublax, UK’s answer to Mint.com going into administration as it fails to raise funding
Kublax, the UK’s answer to Mint.com is to go into administration as it reportedly failed to raise further financing. Kublax was one of the most interesting outputs of Seedcamp 2007 and promised to allow you to manage all of your bank accounts and credit cards in one place. Despite a reported $1 million first round [...]
Real-time location going mainstream with British firm at forefront
Airbus and Ubisense announced a ten year partnership to deliver precise real-time location systems at multiple Airbus facilities. Simply put, Ubisense helps companies like Airbus keep track of valuable stuff across large facilities and locations. The take up of real-time location systems has taken a while, largely because most of the solutions have been technology, [...]
Cleantech? Tesla CEO flies private jet to Washington to ask congress for loan
The irony. Congress berates Big Three automotive companies for flying one their corporate jets to ask for bailouts. while Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors flies into Washington on his private jet (and takes 10 flights in the year charged to Tesla the company) to finalise the details of Tesla’s loan. Victory for capitalism? Greenwash? [...]
AMEE closes $5.5 million Series B to measure the carbon footprint of everything
Amadeus Capital Partners led a $5.5 million round of investment into AMEE. AMEE aims to build a system that can measure the carbon footprint of anything. As regulatory and consumer pressure increase in an effort to tackle climate change, this is an emerging sector that could be worth up to $4 billion a year by [...]
Cognitive Match pulls in $2.5m for realtime content-matching
The Cognitive Match startup is applying artificial intelligence, learning mathematics, psychology and semantic technologies to match content (product, offers, or editorial) to realtime content. Last year it raised a Series A investment from Dawn Capital, rumoured to be in the $1m+ ballpark. Today Dawn has stepped in again with a follow-on Series B investment of $2.5m which [...]
Rumour – GSK to close Harlow facility and neuroscience across UK
Rumour: GSK, following their announcement reported in the FT on 31st January of a likely 3,000 job cuts globally, are to close their Harlow branch, formerly the Smith Kline Beecham flagship facility, with the likely loss of 2,000 jobs. Workers at the facility were told they would be made redundant on Thursday.
Autonomy raises guidance. Economic climate is, “winter with snowdrops”
Get behind us recession! Autonomy Corporation raised guidance on 2010 earnings and reported 43% rise in pre-tax profits. Saw spending on discretionary items up in fourth quarter of 2009. Mike Lynch anticipates increasing guidance further, ‘if things carry on as they are’. He described the economic climate in their annual results presentation as, ‘winter with [...]
Bridgepoint sells Pets at Home to KKR for £995 million
Good news! And so private equity lumbers into action again. Pets are big business.