News

Inyanga Marine Energy Group has raised a further £3.7m of investment from a group of investors that includes the British Business Bank via The FSE Group, Welsh Ministers via Local Partnerships, and business angels including the FSE Investor Network.  

Falmouth based Inyanga provides specialist project management, consultancy, and technology development services for the delivery of offshore renewable energy projects. The company is also a world leader in the development of tidal energy technology with its ground-breaking HydroWing technology. 

On the back of successfully executing complex tidal energy projects for world-leading developers, Inyanga was awarded two tidal energy contracts under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, which is the UK Government’s initiative for supporting new low-carbon power infrastructure.  

Inyanga’s patented HydroWing technology is right at the cutting edge of tidal energy devices and is on course to be deployed at Morlais Tidal Energy Project - a grid connected tidal stream project located in the Irish Sea off the coast of Anglesey, Wales, with the potential to generate up to 240MW of low carbon clean electricity. The landmark 35 km2 site will be operational from 2026, a key development in the move towards tidal stream technology being a significant contributor to renewable energy generation.  

Inyanga’s most recent funding round will be used to build a demonstrator for the project. The funding takes the total British Business Bank investment to £1.75million across four funding rounds over the past four years via its regional Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF), with a further £70,000 invested by business angels from FSE Investor Network. Although CIOSIF is closed to new investees, FSE is able to further support businesses that have previously benefited from the fund. 

Richard Parkinson, Inyanga Marine CEO, said: “This latest funding round is crucial to the next stage of this project, allowing us to build a demonstrator that includes a number of turbine improvements and developments. We’re delighted that our investors are backing us on this journey to be part of such an important step in tidal energy infrastructure. FSE in particular has been with us for a several years and it’s exciting to be moving towards an operational project at Morlais.”  

Mike Bowman, Investment Manager at The FSE Group added: “With contracts in place to supply 20MW of electricity over a 15 year period, Inyanga is at the forefront of the Morlais project. Their highly experienced and specialised team of offshore engineers are well-placed to deliver and we’re thrilled to be supporting the next phase of development and operations in this important venture.” 

Owned and managed by social enterprise Menter Môn, the Morlais tidal scheme is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and has the potential to generate enough energy for up to 180,000 typical households. 

Funding through CIOSIF came to an end for new investees 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. 

Quintex, a leading energy and grease management expert for commercial kitchens, is poised for further growth with a £150,000 growth loan from the Thames Valley Berkshire (TVB) Funding Escalator, via appointed fund manager, The FSE Group.  

This funding marks a third TVB investment in Quintex, following previous loans in 2020 and 2022, supporting research and development and marketing activity. This latest financial boost will enable the company to hire new staff and expand its cutting-edge solutions designed to help its customers meet environmental targets while enhancing profitability. 

Quintex's product offerings include the groundbreaking Cheetah Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation System, Ecofix automatic duct cleaning system, and Biofix biologically friendly drain treatment. These products are designed to significantly reduce energy consumption, lower maintenance costs, and enhance environmental sustainability. The Cheetah system, for instance, can reduce energy costs by up to 80% by optimising ventilation fan speeds to match cooking demands, while Biofix’s eco-friendly formulation of bacteria and green surfactants can effectively tackle Fatbergs by converting fat, grease and food particles to CO2 and water.  

Emma Brooks, Managing Director of Quintex, said: “We are thrilled to receive this growth loan, which will allow us to expand our team and continue our mission to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact in commercial kitchens across the UK. The support from The FSE Group over the past five years has been instrumental in our development and success and we look forward to continuing to work with them.” 

Established in 1996, Quintex has established itself as a pioneer in energy innovation, with over 6,000 installations across the retail, hospitality, leisure, and government sectors. The company offers a comprehensive turn-key service from design to installation, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance, all supported by on-site R&D and manufacturing at its Berkshire premises. 

Cheryl Weeks, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, commented on their continued investment in Quintex: “At The FSE Group, we are committed to supporting innovative companies that are making a tangible impact on sustainability. We have been impressed by Quintex’s consistent growth and dedication to providing cutting-edge energy solutions. This latest loan will help them further strengthen their position in the market and we look forward to being a continued part of their growth journey.” 

TVB Funding Escalator is an £11.3m initiative funded by The Skills and Business Hub. The escalator, which includes an Expansion Loan Scheme and a Trade Finance Loan Scheme, provides eligible companies with loans between £50,000 and £500,000 for activities that will deliver high-growth and employment opportunities. 

The British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland has delivered over £25 million in financial support to Scottish businesses since it launched 18 months ago, supporting 58 firms across the country to develop and grow.

Alongside the significant investment from the Bank, an additional £26 million in private sector funding has also been committed, making the total investment into Scotland over £52 million so far.

Launched in October 2023, the Investment Fund for Scotland aims to improve access to finance and boost the Scottish economy, with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million available to help small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead. Delivered through its dedicated fund managers – DSL Business Finance, The FSE Group and Maven Capital Partners.

Pets-Cetera, a luxury pet accessories boutique in the west end of Glasgow, is among the latest businesses to receive funding via the smaller loans portion of the fund, managed by DSL Business Finance. While on maternity leave from her day job, owner Catriona Blue seized the opportunity to acquire the established retail business, which had been put up for sale. After a year of planning, Catriona received the keys earlier this year following the agreement of a £50,000 loan.

Catriona said: 

"I grew up on a farm and helped my parents to run the business there, so I was keen to find another opportunity to be my own boss alongside my professional career. With a young family, it is inevitably busy, but the children will hopefully gain lots of happy memories of spending time at the shop. I am excited to see the business develop and in future would love to open Pets-Cetera in other locations and add dog grooming services to the offering."

F-CAD, a Glasgow-based engineering design firm, has also recently secured support from the Investment Fund for Scotland. The company provides advanced computer-aided design (CAD) modelling, reverse engineering – analysing existing products to recreate or improve them – and design-for-manufacture services. By partnering with businesses, F-CAD helps turn early-stage ideas into production-ready designs, strengthens in-house design capabilities, and shortens the time it takes to move from concept to market.

Ryan Ferguson, Managing Director at F-CAD, said: 

"We are an ambitious business based in Glasgow and the support through DSL Business Finance will enable us to accelerate growth plans. We’ll be expanding the team and investing in new equipment to allow the business to scale up and continue to diversify our customer base. In the months ahead, we hope to target additional international contracts in new markets, supporting manufacturing and innovation in the UK and further afield."

Other businesses that have been supported through the fund include Aberdeen based biotechnology firm NCIMB, Glasgow private healthcare provider Elanic Hospital, and Perthshire hospitality firm Bee Happy Breaks.

Mark Sterritt, Director, Nations and Regions Funds, at the British Business Bank, said: 

"Achieving this scale of investment in a relatively short time frame is great to see, and even more encouraging is the additional finance that has been committed through other institutions and syndicates. Scotland is a proud nation of small businesses, many supporting local economies and jobs, as well as embracing emerging technologies in exciting high-growth sectors that have the potential to shape industries.

The Investment Fund for Scotland has encouraged business owners in all parts of Scotland to use finance to build their teams, expand into new markets and develop new products, with many of them exploring debt finance for the first time. Common among these entrepreneurs is an appetite for growth and being able to access support along the way is a crucial aspect of success. The £150 million fund was established to improve access to finance for growing businesses with investment strategies that best meet their needs, regardless of who they are or where they are based, and it is great to see the impact so far."

Backed by Haatch and the South West Investment Fund, the startup automates the most painful parts of mortgage advice—starting with admin. 

Startup JammJar is coming out of stealth with a platform designed to overhaul how mortgage brokers operate—by eliminating the admin that slows them down. With backing from early-stage investors Haatch and the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund via fund manager The FSE Group, the company is launching publicly today with a goal to become the Al operating system for the UK's mortgage advice industry. 

The UK's mortgage market is worth £l .9 billion annually, with over 85% of mortgages arranged through brokers. But the tools those brokers rely on are "built for compliance, not productivity," says JammJar co-founder and CEO Karl Griffin. That means 14+ hours a week spent on repetitive tasks—data entry, note-taking, document management—often across siloed systems. 

JammJar replaces that with a single Al-native platform that listens to broker calls, updates the CRM in real time, auto-generates documents and suitability notes, and even matches clients with suitable lenders based on live eligibility criteria. 

"Most broker software hasn't evolved in a decade. We're rebuilding the tech stack around the advisor—not the admin," says Karl Griffin, CEO, a former enterprise sales lead at Zoopla and founder of a digital mortgage firm. 

JammJar is designed for how brokers actually work—by integrating phone calls, video, email, CRM, and sourcing in one place. As soon as an advisor finishes a client call, the system generates a complete Fact-Find and updates the case record, automatically. 

"It's been transformational," said Felicity Chappell, Director at Mortgage Select SW, an early customer. "The Al writes the Fact-Find instantly. Our advisors can focus on advice, not forms—and our clients get a smoother, faster experience." 

JammJar has already signed its first customers through a closed beta and is now opening a waitlist. Investors are betting that it can scale fast in a market long overdue for innovation.  

"JammJar are addressing a huge pain for mortgage advisors. Over 80% of clients fall out of the process due to clunky, manual workflows," said Charlie Weavers-Wright of Haatch. "The team have deep industry experience—we're proud to back them early." 

"We were deeply impressed by the exceptional quality of the founding team and the groundbreaking solutions they've brought to a market ripe for disruption," added Matt Browning of the South West Investment Fund, via appointed fund manager The FSE Group. 

Paul Jones, Senior Investment Manager from the British Business Bank said: “Supporting ambitious and innovative businesses like JammJar is what the South West Investment Fund is designed to do and we wish the team every success with the launch of their AI-powered platform.” 

The UK has over 37,000 regulated mortgage advisors, with most firms still using outdated CRMs or off-the-shelf solutions not built for financial services. Many operate virtually, under pressure from both compliance requirements and consumer demand for digital experiences. 

Griffin believes that gives JammJar a wedge: "We're not building a generic CRM or shiny chatbot. We're building infrastructure—one that brokers actually want to use because it saves time, improves compliance, and helps them grow." 

Backed by Haatch and the South West Investment Fund, the startup automates the most painful parts of mortgage advice—starting with admin. 

Startup JammJar is coming out of stealth with a platform designed to overhaul how mortgage brokers operate—by eliminating the admin that slows them down. With backing from early-stage investors Haatch and the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund via fund manager The FSE Group, the company is launching publicly today with a goal to become the Al operating system for the UK's mortgage advice industry. 

The UK's mortgage market is worth £l .9 billion annually, with over 85% of mortgages arranged through brokers. But the tools those brokers rely on are "built for compliance, not productivity," says JammJar co-founder and CEO Karl Griffin. That means 14+ hours a week spent on repetitive tasks—data entry, note-taking, document management—often across siloed systems. 

JammJar replaces that with a single Al-native platform that listens to broker calls, updates the CRM in real time, auto-generates documents and suitability notes, and even matches clients with suitable lenders based on live eligibility criteria. 

"Most broker software hasn't evolved in a decade. We're rebuilding the tech stack around the advisor—not the admin," says Karl Griffin, CEO, a former enterprise sales lead at Zoopla and founder of a digital mortgage firm. 

JammJar is designed for how brokers actually work—by integrating phone calls, video, email, CRM, and sourcing in one place. As soon as an advisor finishes a client call, the system generates a complete Fact-Find and updates the case record, automatically. 

"It's been transformational," said Felicity Chappell, Director at Mortgage Select SW, an early customer. "The Al writes the Fact-Find instantly. Our advisors can focus on advice, not forms—and our clients get a smoother, faster experience." 

JammJar has already signed its first customers through a closed beta and is now opening a waitlist. Investors are betting that it can scale fast in a market long overdue for innovation.  

"JammJar are addressing a huge pain for mortgage advisors. Over 80% of clients fall out of the process due to clunky, manual workflows," said Charlie Weavers-Wright of Haatch. "The team have deep industry experience—we're proud to back them early." 

"We were deeply impressed by the exceptional quality of the founding team and the groundbreaking solutions they've brought to a market ripe for disruption," added Matt Browning of the South West Investment Fund, via appointed fund manager The FSE Group. 

Paul Jones, Senior Investment Manager from the British Business Bank said: “Supporting ambitious and innovative businesses like JammJar is what the South West Investment Fund is designed to do and we wish the team every success with the launch of their AI-powered platform.” 

The UK has over 37,000 regulated mortgage advisors, with most firms still using outdated CRMs or off-the-shelf solutions not built for financial services. Many operate virtually, under pressure from both compliance requirements and consumer demand for digital experiences. 

Griffin believes that gives JammJar a wedge: "We're not building a generic CRM or shiny chatbot. We're building infrastructure—one that brokers actually want to use because it saves time, improves compliance, and helps them grow."