News

Bedford based Influx Technology has secured a £300,000 regional growth loan via The FSE Group to scale the business.

Influx Technology’s leading automotive data logging solutions enable engineers to capture, record, and stream information from vehicles around the globe. The data collected can be analysed and used by car makers to help create safer, more reliable and more environmentally friendly vehicles.

Influx is already working with some of the industry’s most well-known manufacturers, including Lotus and Ford in the UK and Renault in France, and has offices and franchises across Bulgaria, Amsterdam, China and India.

The funding will be used for investment in sales and marketing activity, staff hires and new product development.

Lance Keen, Influx Technology CEO, said: “We are excited to have secured this funding, which will enable us to invest in our growth. Even as a well-established business with a strong product, finding a lender prepared to back new product development can be difficult. We are delighted to have secured this regional growth loan and look forward to working with FSE as we expand our offering and look to grow the business exponentially over the next three years.”

The demand for smart, interconnected systems in the automotive industry continues to rise and Influx’s innovative hardware and software is well-positioned to meet this demand.

Simon Elliott, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, commented: “With over 20 years’ experience in the industry and an established global presence, Influx has fostered strong relationships with key customers and built a robust reputation for its R&D. Its upcoming platform represents a significant innovation in the industry and we look forward to supporting the business on its growth journey.”

The Regional Growth Loan Scheme (RGLS) is managed by The FSE Group on behalf of Local Enterprise Partnerships in the East of England. Loans between £50,000 and £500,000 are available to established incorporated businesses based within the East of England that have a minimum annual turnover of £100,000. The funding can be used for a range of growth activities as well as to service short to medium-term trade and contract finance requirements. The scheme aims to stimulate job creation and economic prosperity and supports SMEs that have the potential to deliver high-growth and employment opportunities across the East of England region.

Reporting to: Head of SWIF Debt

Staff responsibilities: 0

Part time – 2 days a week

This would be ideal for an experienced Business Development Manager from a Business or Commercial Banking or SME lending background (including SME lending brokers) who is looking for a new and exciting opportunity to work with high-growth SMEs.  The finance FSE offers is “market gap” lending/investment which would not be provided by a Bank - looking at business plans and spend required to help the business grow. Our aim is to also increase the probability of success of those businesses, with our “more than money” support with the focus on strong relationship management.

Job responsibilities:

•  Responsibility for origination of lending and investment opportunities for South West Investment Fund (SWIF), including creation, management and development of prospective debt deal pipeline.
•  Marketing & promotion of the SWIF profile throughout Somerset and more widely in terms of potential partner organisations. Management of deal pipeline marketing & promotion.
•  Initial response to inbound enquiries, including preliminary eligibility review and referral through to  debt or equity Investment Managers as appropriate.
• Recording of deal enquiries/flow using CRM system
•  Proactive research of potential businesses suitable for SWIF support.
•  Support origination & appraisal of primarily debt funding proposals.
•  Presentation & meetings with funders, accountant & other potential introducers across the region
•  Attendance/speaking at relevant SWIF roadshows and partner events.
•  Attendance at relevant local or sector cluster networking events.
•  Relationship management of Growth Hub and other partners across the region.

• Signposting of SMEs to relevant support networks, where proposal is not investment ready or requires additional support prior to investment team engagement.

Required Skills & Experience: Based in south Somerset you should have

• demonstrable experience in originating, marketing, promotion & relationship building activity within funding or business support environment and associated SME & partner engagement activity.
• evidence of strong professional network of introducers within the Somerset area
• excellent presentation skills, especially with ability to market the funds to online prospects/introducers & ability to communicate and interact at all levels of management.
• a high level of IT proficiency, particularly Microsoft Office 365 products

 What we offer:

• A competitive base salary commensurate with your experience.
• Pro rata annual leave based on FTE of 25 days plus Bank holidays in England & Wales. You will also get your birthday off.
• Ability for you to use 1 day for Corporate Social Responsibility purposes annually.
• 8% employer contribution to pension scheme.
• Death in Service benefit equivalent to 4x salary
• 50% funded private medical scheme, income protection and health cash plan scheme.

The role is primarily home based however you should have own transport to travel to customers/introducers.  Access to a good quality/speed home internet is a must.

About The FSE Group:

For 20 years our primary goal has been 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 £335m of debt and equity funds under management, the Group is continuing to grow and prides itself on taking an integrated approach to the funding needs of our clients.

Our Purpose

With a passion for, and successful history in, managing and deploying market gap funds with an economic impact purpose, we focus on more than pure commercial return to support the growth of SMEs. We promote diversity. We support underrepresented geographies. We are insightful in determining how we can improve an evolving funding landscape and we stimulate sustainability by successfully recycling smaller funds. We are more than money.

The core values we live by as FSE employees are Collaboration, Innovation, Inclusivity, Sustainability and Delivery.

With one of our core values being inclusivity, we are committed to a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer and treat all applications fairly and welcome job applicants from all communities and affinity groups.

Job Type: Part time – 2 days per week.

Applicants must have unrestricted access to work in the UK.

For an informal chat about the role, please contact Tim Williams  Tim.Williams@thefsegroup.com

To apply, send your CV to HR@thefsegroup.com 

No agencies

A university spin-out that has developed technology to support the mining industry has received £175,000 equity from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund. 

The investment, via appointed fund manager The FSE Group, is part of a £300,000 funding round which includes investment from Mylor Ventures Angel Network (MyVAN). 

Kernow Mining Optimisation (KMO) Fleet is a spin-out from University of Exeter’s Camborne School of Mines and is now putting to commercial use its extensive research and development work around how technology could be used for monitoring and optimising mining activity.   

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. 

Mining is fundamental to the transition to net zero. Large mine operators have long been relied upon to provide the materials needed for green technologies. However, this is increasingly unsustainable and as demand grows, smaller operators are becoming a crucial part of meeting the shortfall in production. 

Large companies have been able to invest in expensive, sophisticated tech-enabled equipment to help reduce CO2 emissions and improve profitability but many of the smaller companies operate without the technology that can help them optimise their operations. 

KMO Fleet’s low-cost, easy-to-enable and use technology has been developed by the team’s leading experts in the field of mining to provide a technologically enabled fleet management solution to mining operators of any size.  

Matthew Eyre, KMO Fleet CEO, said: “Our technology means smaller mines can now access the same benefits as large operators, positively impacting environmental and productivity outputs across the sector. We are delighted to have secured this investment from the South West Investment Fund via FSE, which means we can recruit additional staff and increase marketing activity to support the rollout of our ground-breaking solution.” 

Anna Staevska, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, added: “Mining remains a growth industry and with this innovative technology, KMO Fleet is well positioned to help the sector move towards decarbonisation. The funding round is enabling the company to quickly expand services and capitalise on its first-mover-advantage. We look forward to working alongside this knowledgeable management team as they grow the business.” 

Rob Misselbrook, CEO of Mylor Ventures, commented: "MyVAN is delighted to invest in KMO.  This opportunity exemplifies our investment strategy - excellent management with very strong domain expertise and networks, global markets, SEIS compliant and technology de-risked by Innovate UK.  We are looking forward to working with Matthew and the team to progress the business." 

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 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 Hertfordshire based importer and wholesaler of organic food products is the latest business to be supported by the East of England Regional Growth Loan Scheme.

Established in 2015, Bio Dima, work with farms across Europe, importing fresh seasonal produce. All of the food is organic, plastic is kept to an absolute minimum and all products are certified by the Soil Association. Fruit, vegetables, pulses, spices and olive oils are all delivered to businesses in the Greater London Area.

The £100,000 growth funding will be used to add another string to the businesses bow by enabling them to prepare produce in their own kitchen using the food waste created from other products. Whilst making financial sense this will also have a huge impact on Bio Dima’s environmental footprint by reducing their waste. The growth loan will be used to purchase the required equipment, hire kitchen staff and expand the associated business operations. 

Sivan Korren, Managing Director at Bio Dima, said: “We are passionate about supplying high quality organic produce, something we know is important to our customers as across the UK, shoppers spend almost £8.5 million on organic products every day. Food from our farms and other select suppliers is delivered to our base in Borehamwood, and we’re excited to be expanding this range to include more of our own preprepared items to meet rising demand within our sector. Our thanks go to The FSE Group for understanding our belief that we should work in harmony with every part of the supply chain to benefit not only our customers, but the environment too.”

Simon Elliott, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, which manages the loan scheme, added: “We are delighted to have supported Bio Dima’s application as the leadership team’s ethos of building strong relationships with clients is to be admired. Sivan and her team encourage communication and long-term planning, showing a level of willingness which has resulted in the vast majority of clients coming from recommendations. Their growth plans echo this and we wish them every success as they build on their existing foothold in the food sector.”

The Regional Growth Loan Scheme (RGLS) is managed by The FSE Group on behalf of Local Enterprise Partnerships in the East of England. Loans between £50,000 and £500,000 are available to established incorporated businesses based within the East of England that have a minimum annual turnover of £100,000. The funding can be used for a range of growth activities as well as to service short to medium-term trade and contract finance requirements. The scheme aims to stimulate job creation and economic prosperity and supports SMEs that have the potential to deliver high-growth and employment opportunities across the East of England region.

A software company that helps charities with their fundraising efforts has received a £325,000 equity investment from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) via appointed fund manager, The FSE Group.

The CIOSIF investment is matched with funding from private investors and will support the growth of the business. Funds will be used to facilitate the development of new bespoke software, the recruitment of new staff and expansion into overseas markets.

The Kindness of Strangers, based in Liskeard, has created a fundraising platform specifically designed to assist small charities with their biggest challenge – raising money. It is estimated that there are over 400,000 non-profit causes in the UK alone, the vast majority of which operate at a local level, run mainly by volunteers who are not fundraising experts.

Mathew Neville, The Kindness of Strangers CEO, spent many years working in the voluntary sector where he witnessed how small charities play a crucial part in society, making a significant difference within communities but receiving little support.

Mathew said: “Smaller charities often miss out on funding opportunities to bigger charities, who can spend more and hire bigger teams. With The Kindness of Strangers, our aim is to level the playing field and give small charities the same expertise and technology as large charities. Our platform is already being used to connect with hundreds of UK charities across the UK and we look forward to working with FSE as we put this funding to use, increasing that reach both in the UK and globally.”

With the charity sector facing ever-increasing demand for its abundant and varied services alongside declining incomes, The Kindness of Strangers’ full-servicer platform is well-placed to help volunteers maximise their fundraising potential.

Anna Staevska, Investment Manager at The FSE Group commented: “The Kindness of Strangers have developed an innovative product with market disrupting technology that has the potential to make a real difference to charities across the globe. Mathew’s extensive experience comes with strong national and international connections that position the business well to serve evident demand in the sector. We’re delighted to be supporting this business as it expands into new overseas territories”.

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 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.