News

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Business Development or Relationship Manager from a Business or Commercial Banking lending background to join a well-established team for a debt fund dedicated to the Yorkshire & Humber Region.

You will be responsible for origination, appraisal, and execution of loans to growing and innovative SME’s, up to £250k. The debt fund has been established to provide funding to scale up businesses which struggle to secure debt finance particularly new fast-growing companies which are too young to have a credit history.

You Will Be Expected To

•  Build a pipeline of suitable lending opportunities, developing relationships with introducers, and marketing the product to appropriate audiences.
• Carry out evaluation and due diligence on suitable proposals in line with the Fund’s Lending Policy and Operational Guidelines.
•  Present proposals to the credit committee
•  Manage completion matters post approval including completion of facility documentation.
•  Work alongside company solicitors to ensure all security requirements are met.
•  Pro-actively manage client portfolio, monitoring performance and identifying early potential default situations.
•  Contribute to fund reporting.

Desired Skills & Experience

•  Significant prior experience in lending to SMEs where the primary repayment source is future cash flow based on planned expansion.
• Strong ability to assess and structure loan propositions based on future business plans / cashflow.
• A professional network in the area defined is advantageous.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise deadlines to meet customer expectations.
•  Good presentation skills & ability to communicate and interact at all levels of management.
•  A high level of IT proficiency, particularly on Microsoft Office 365 products.
•  A diligent working style and experience using CRM systems to manage & track proposal activities.

What We Offer

•  A competitive base salary commensurate with your experience
•  25 days annual leave plus usual Bank holidays in England & Wales. Our offices are typically closed between Xmas and New Year, and you also get your birthday off and one day for a volunteering purpose.
•  Contribution to Workplace Pension Scheme
•  Ability to join the private medical scheme (50% employer contribution to premium)
•  Death in Service benefit equivalent to 4x salary.
• Opportunity to purchase 5 days additional holiday per year

About The FSE Group

Our primary goal is to provide tailored funding solutions and support for ambitious and innovative small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to help them achieve their maximum potential. With over £325m of debt and equity funds under management, the Group is continuing to grow and prides itself on taking a holistic approach to the funding needs of our clients. For more information see www.thefsegroup.com

About The Fund

The fund has been created to provide support to SME’s in the Yorkshire & Humber region where traditional forms of funding are unavailable due to lack of track record or security available.

Hybrid working arrangements.

This Fund will operate out of an office based in Barnsley, but we also have the technology to allow appropriate home working (access to good quality/speed home internet is a must).  The team is split to cover the whole of Yorkshire & Humber Region and we are therefore seeking people with knowledge/contacts of the SME market in your own particular area.

Job Types: Full-time, but open to requests for part time of 4 days per week minimum.

Applicants must have unrestricted access to work in the UK and should be located in the South/West Yorkshire/Humber area

ARC Marine, the developer of pioneering low-carbon concrete solutions for use in marine environments, has secured £1million from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF), as part of a £2million funding round, which also includes a Mulago Foundation grant and investment from Mercuria, one of the world’s largest independent energy and commodities groups.

The Truro based business has developed Marinecrete®, a proprietary non-toxic binder, which emits 90% less CO2 than Portland cement and has recently broken new ground on carbon neutral and carbon negative mix designs. It’s patented product, reef cubes®, can be used in a variety of marine applications across aquaculture, coastal defence, offshore wind, reef conservation and eco-engineering.

ARC’s innovation has the potential to transform the offshore wind farm sector by improving infrastructure installation while preserving marine biodiversity and this will be a key area of focus for the business.

This latest funding follows a previous CIOSIF investment in 2021 and will be used to scale up production and application of ARC’s market-disrupting solutions. Since the first CIOSIF investment ARC has more than doubled the number of employees and quadrupled its turnover and the new funding will be used to further increase headcount with the creation of several highly skilled roles over the next two years

Co-investor Mercuria strategically deploys multi-billion-dollar investments across the energy sector with a focus on the energy transition. With a discerning eye for value and impact, the team annually picks a select number of high-potential ventures that align with a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and market leadership. These carefully curated investments are poised for significant scalability and are instrumental in shaping the future landscape of the energy market. By focusing on transformative projects that bolster energy security and transition, Mercuria plays a pivotal role in driving progress within the industry, fortifying supply chains, and fostering long-term economic growth.

Tom Birbeck, ARC Marine founder and CEO, said: “We are delighted to have secured further CIOSIF funding, via The FSE Group, alongside our new co-investors. The first investment helped us grow our team and expand operations and we’re well on our way to proving our innovative solutions can work at scale. Mercuria recognises the potential of Marinecrete® and reef cubes® in the natural energy supply chain and their partnership will be instrumental in boosting the visibility of ARC.”

Meg Salt, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, appointed CIOSIF fund manager, added: “Since our initial investment, ARC has secured a number of blue-chip customers including multi-national energy companies. ARC is uniquely placed to support global carbon net zero targets. The opportunity in offshore wind projects alone is significant while there remains huge potential impact across many sectors beyond its current marine setting. We’re thrilled to work with the team as they take the next step in their growth journey.”

The £40m Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund was established by the British Business Bank in partnership with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to provide debt and equity finance to help growing small businesses across the region.

Funding through CIOSIF came to an end in December 2023 but wider funding is now available through the British Business Bank’s £200m South West Investment Fund providing loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m.

CIOSIF has been supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

RoleMapper, the AI-powered job management platform, has secured a £1million equity investment from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund (SWIF), via appointed fund manager The FSE Group.

The investment is part of a £2.1million funding round that will support job creation and overall growth of the business. The funding round includes investment from Mercia Ventures, South West-based venture capital firm QantX, and existing private investors.

The £200m South West Investment Fund covers the entire South West region and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead. The RoleMapper deal is the fund’s largest investment to date since its launch in July last year.

RoleMapper’s technology is disrupting how organisations manage jobs, skills, inclusivity and compliance. It can automate and transform how to plan and manage job designs and descriptions, with access to millions of jobs and skills across multiple industries, all integrated within existing human resources (HR) systems.

Sara Hill, RoleMapper Founder and CEO said: “We are thrilled to have the South West Investment Fund and FSE on board as new partners, enabling us to further strengthen our product, unique AI models and build capacity for further roll-out. We look forward to working with all our investors as we continue our growth journey and build on the progress we’ve made helping organisations create better jobs and build inclusive workplaces.”

The Exeter based business is already working with a number of large organisations including well-known global brands, local authorities and NHS trusts.

Ralph Singleton, Head of Equity, South West at The FSE Group added: “RoleMapper has a strong leadership team with experience building and scaling businesses in the B2B and HR space. They have recently pivoted their offering to address an identified market need and their AI powered tech is helping major corporates and public sector organisations manage their responsibilities as equal opportunity employers. We look forward to working with them as they expand.”

Jody Tableporter, Director, Nations and Regions Investment Funds said: “Rolemapper has gone from start-up to scale-up in just a few years, harnessing AI technology to transform how businesses and organisations manage their workforce strategy. We’re delighted the South West Investment Fund is supporting their further growth, with what is the fund’s largest deal to date.”

Mercia Ventures first backed RoleMapper in 2022. Rafael Joseph of Mercia added: “We’re pleased to continue to back the team at RoleMapper. They have shown great tenacity against a tough economic backdrop and successfully reshaped their strategy to solve the immediate issues facing clients. As a consequence, they’ve continued to win impressive blue-chip customers, proving the need for their solutions in the market. We expect them to have another strong year in 2024.”

The purpose of the South West Investment Fund is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the South West. The South West Investment Fund is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for South West smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.

A Worcestershire based e-commerce gym wear brand, has secured a £650,000 investment from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), provided by The FSE Group Debt Finance Fund and backed by the Recovery Loan Scheme.  

Silverback Gym Wear focuses on the strongman, strongwoman and strength sports markets. Their existing range is popular with professional athletes and avid gym goers alike, who prioritize quality and innovation over aesthetics when choosing their performance clothing. 

The development of their latest product range Fortis will see them branch out into other areas such as professional rugby and MMA. This standalone range has been co-developed with Britain’s Strongest Man, Adam Bishop. 

Silverback Gym Wear boasts 30,000 returning customers and is expanding its reach in the lucrative US market. To help them achieve this, alongside the development of new products, the MEIF funding will be used to create 12 new positions, fund the move to new larger premises and to boost the sales and marketing functions of the business.  

Richard Gardener, Founder of Silverback Gymwear, said: “The next stage in the development of our range is an incredibly exciting one as we branch out into more sports and interests at all levels of  competition. We’ll be releasing new products that are industry leading, accredited and used in top competitions, all utilising designs that are much more user friendly than current alternatives. The new staff hires that we’ll be able to bring on board thanks to this funding will continue this work and help us to expand further and faster as we disrupt the strength based sports sector, bringing more options to the sector.”   

Ryan Cartwright, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, commented: “Founders Richard and Pete are fantastically passionate about their brand. They are brimming with ideas and sector knowledge and in addition their enthusiasm for the sector as a whole is evident. The company’s new products and expansion plans are very encouraging and it has been wonderful working with the whole team to help them secure this funding. We look forward to seeing how the business progresses and spotting their clothing at more and more competitions and matches.” 

Mark Wilcockson, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, said:  The Midlands Engine Investment Fund continues to back smaller businesses across the region, so it’s great to see another business taking the opportunity for continued growth thanks to the MEIF. As we move towards the launch of MEIF II, we continue to remain committed to this objective.”  

The current MEIF investment phase has now completed with the British Business Bank launching the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II on February 29th. 2024. 

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2022 and the European Investment Bank. The FSE Group manages a section of MEIF that provides investments between £100,000 and £1.5 million to support growing SMEs across the region. For more information visit: www.thefsegroup.com/fund/midlands-engine-investment-fund-debt-finance. 

Investment from Finance Yorkshire is supporting a company specialising in data protection to grow its portfolio of clients.

ProvePrivacy, based in Bradford, is a secure, digital platform designed for data protection and information governance professionals to manage data protection compliance in their organisations.

A £74,200 investment from Finance Yorkshire’s business loans fund has enabled the business to drive marketing to gain more public and private sector clients. The investment is also supporting further development of the platform.

ProvePrivacy founder Mark Roebuck developed the platform after a career in data protection consultancy, leading large scale organisational data-led projects for blue-chip clients. It was clear during this time that there was a need for a solution to help organisations manage and monitor data protection compliance.

The introduction of GDPR led Mark to concentrate on his expertise in data protection and how organisations assess and minimise risks in the use of personal data.

Mark said: “My work in advising on GDPR led to the creation of the ProvePrivacy platform – I was working with organisations who were improving their systems to cope with GDPR and the risks associated with it.

“The platform supports organisations in the management of data as well as assessment to identify and minimise risks and demonstrate compliance, removing the need for a multitude of spreadsheets and allowing data champions of all skill levels to complete the necessary information.”

Mark carried out a proof of concept at Bradford City Football Club where he was previously an associate director. The platform was developed through the Covid 19 pandemic and launched 18 months ago.

Mark added: “I have been focussed on developing the product and now is the time to drive our marketing and build up our work particularly in the private sector. Finance Yorkshire’s investment enables us to do this while at the same time continuing to develop and enhance the platform’s features and functionality in line with data protection requirements and user needs.”

Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, said: “Mark has brought his wealth of experience in the field of data protection to develop an intuitive product which responds to the needs of organisations where the use and governance of personal data is paramount. We are pleased to support him in the development of his innovative platform and the growth of the business.”

Article by Finance Yorkshire.