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With over £335 million under management across 19 separate funds and loan schemes, The FSE Group is in a unique position to bring exceptional deal opportunities to its network of business angel investors.

With all potential investees having been through FSE’s thorough vetting process and already successfully secured equity or growth debt funding via FSE, investors can be confident in the quality of deals on the table.

FSE Business Angels have recently co-invested in the following companies from within FSE’s wider portfolio:

• Inyanga Marine Energy Group provides specialist services for the delivery of offshore renewable energy projects and is a world leader in the development of tidal energy technology. To date the business has received over £1.75million of funding from the FSE managed Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund.
• Easology has developed software that transforms the user screens of phones and tablets, making them easy to use for older persons or those with visual or dexterity impairment, helping to ensure the digital revolution is accessible to everyone. To date the business has received £300,000 from the Enterprise M3 Funding Escalator.

These businesses are using the latest technology to drive innovation in their fields of operation and all are making significant strides with the funding and wider support provided by FSE.

FSE’s Investor Network Manager, Trevor Jones, commented: "As entertaining as a dragon’s den style event may be, we know that our investors are busy individuals focused on high-quality deals. The opportunities we bring them have already been through FSEs robust due diligence process and come with the extensive support and expertise of FSE’s dedicated Investment Managers, helping to maximise the potential for a successful future exit.”

The FSE Investor Network remains an exclusive platform for active angel investors. Spanning all sectors, the network offers investment opportunities in high-growth businesses that, importantly, are backed by FSE-managed funds. Our angels share a breadth of entrepreneurial, professional, and business experience and typically invest between £10,000 and £50,000 in each company, sometimes more.

Angel Investor Kevin Maguire, said: “The FSE Investor Network regularly brings forward high quality businesses with an ‘edge’, giving FSE members the opportunity to co-invest alongside an established and reputable funder who supports their portfolio companies beyond funding, to flourish and grow.”

For more information on investment opportunities or to join the FSE Investor Network, contact Trevor Jones.

BuyingStation, a leading procurement solutions company, has secured a £500,000 investment from the Thames Valley Berkshire Funding Escalator, via fund manager The FSE Group. 

Having identified a gap in procurement technology in 2016, BuyingStation developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to address this. Quickly becoming a much needed tool for over 1500 users to enhance clarity, control and confidence within a business’s portfolio of supplier spend.  

Following this success, a decision was made to build a proprietary cloud based procuretech solution - BuyingStation - a unified platform for contract and supplier management, eTendering, project pipelines and spend tracking, promoting best procurement practices and helping high growth businesses work with suppliers to achieve their sustainability goals. BuyingStation will use the funding to accelerate platform advancement and drive subscription sales. 

Kavita Cooper, BuyingStation founder and CEO, said: “We are excited to secure this funding, which is supporting our mission to promote purposeful procurement; helping more businesses have a positive impact on people, the planet and increasing profits. In FSE we have found a funder able to invest in our growth potential, we look forward to working with Cheryl and the team.”  

Cheryl Weeks, Head of Funds, South East at The FSE Group added: “With its targeted approach and dedication to tech innovation, BuyingStation is poised to drive sustained success in the world of procuretech. A future equity raise will accelerate the technology roadmap and position the Company as the leading tech-led procurement solution for high growth mid-size businesses in the UK and beyond. We are delighted to provide the finance they need to be in the strongest position to accelerate growth.” 

Mike Reeves, Partner at EY in the South East, who introduced BuyingStation to The FSE Group, commented: “While working with BuyingStation on their upcoming equity raise, we advised that introducing debt funding to accelerate platform development could position them to secure equity investment at a higher valuation later in their journey. We were pleased to have made the introduction to FSE who are a strong funder for deals where traditional high-street lending criteria may not be a match.” 

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. 

Grace & Green, a  sustainable menstrual care brand, has secured £500,000 equity from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund via appointed fund manager, The FSE Group, as part of a £1.3million funding round.  

A registered B Corporation on a mission to break the cycle of period waste, Grace & Green is an award-winning, South West based challenger brand dedicated to transforming the menstrual care market with a mission revolving around its three core principles of sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity. 

Over 2.4 million period products are flushed down UK toilets every day. Having spent over a decade in the water and sanitation sector, focusing on international development, environmental management and climate change, Grace & Green founder and CEO Frances Lucraft witnessed first hand the damaging impact of period products on global water systems and the wider environment.   

As well as providing its products to customers via its website and retailers, including 150 Boots stores across the UK, a key area of focus for Grace & Green is the B2B market via its Period Dignity scheme. The scheme works with hundreds of businesses and public sector organisations to help workplaces and public spaces provide freely accessible, sustainable menstrual products, as well as education and support. Grace & Green’s B2B offering is an affordable option for employers and local authorities, typically costing less per person than toilet roll or office coffee.  

The funding from the South West Investment Fund will be used to support the growth of the business including the development of a new sustainable product range, international expansion and a move into the incontinence market.  

Frances said: “This investment marks a hugely important milestone for Grace & Green. FSE’s belief in us, commitment to supporting our journey, and patience throughout the fundraising process has been invaluable. Only 1.8% of funding goes to women-led businesses, so support from FSE is not only fantastic, it’s vital in helping to close that gap. We’re grateful to both FSE and the South West Investment Fund for this crucial funding, which will help us bring our ground-breaking, health-led and sustainable products and period dignity education to more businesses and individuals across the globe.”    

Anna Staevska, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, added: “This innovative business, with its solid operational foundations, strong IP prospects and high sustainability credentials, demonstrates great potential for growth. The Grace & Green team have exciting plans, including strategic partnerships with key distribution chains, and we’re delighted to be supporting this female-founded and led business.”  

Paul Jones, Senior Investment Manager from the British Business Bank said: “Grace & Green combines a clear social mission to provide accessible and inclusive menstrual care, with a deep commitment to minimise the environmental impact of menstrual products. We’re delighted that the South West Investment Fund is able to support its next chapter of growth. Supporting women-led businesses is a priority for the British Business Bank, and investments like this are vital to helping close the funding gap and unlock the full potential of diverse founders across the South West.” 

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. It offers a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans from £25k to £100k, debt finance from £100k to £2m and equity investment up to £5 million. 

The 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. 

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.