Marcus Watson

Cautious optimism is the theme in the 2026 edition of the Make UK Executive Survey, published in association with PwC UK. It’s great to see a positive effect from the Government’s Industrial Strategy, with two thirds of businesses seeing its introduction as a signal to bring forward investment plans. 56% believe the UK will remain a competitive location for manufacturing – up 7% on the 2025 data. The Industrial Strategy’s ambition to make the UK Europe’s leading defence exporter makes it particularly relevant in the South West, given our strength in the sector. The survey shows cautious positivity on international exports, with manufacturers viewing export into new markets as one of the biggest opportunities this year. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/dYMQdsEm

7

💡 Can UK spin-outs turn record investment into lasting impact? While investment is at record levels, the journey from lab to market isn’t without challenges - from regional disparities and early-stage funding gaps to collaboration hurdles. In our latest report, we bring together insights from an investor, a start-up founder, and a research commercialisation leader to explore what’s driving success and where opportunities lie to unlock the full potential of UK research and innovation. 🎥 Hear from Marty Reid, Executive Director at SETsquared, at the Investment Futures event and download the full report to dive deeper: https://lnkd.in/eqC5Q2cs #UKspinouts #innovation #researchcommercialisation #startupecosystem #investment

47

£62 million. That's how much British Business Bank capital now sits alongside Haatch. £30m committed to our pre-seed and seed funds, with £10m announced today. Plus the £32m angel syndicate platform we manage on their behalf. Largest of all their programme partners. Here's the part that matters to founders. Every company we back gets matched capital from the Bank. An extra £85,000 on top of each £250,000 SEIS cheque. More runway at the stage where runway is hardest to find. And 70% of our capital has gone into companies headquartered outside London. Great companies aren't built in one postcode. Full announcement on site and link in comments.

27

2 Kommentare

We're pleased to increase our commitment to Haatch's pre-seed and seed funds by a further £10 million.   This takes our total commitment to £30m through the Regional Angels Programme, which helps increase the availability of early-stage capital for businesses across the UK.   Combined with a separate £32m platform managed by Haatch on behalf of the Bank, our total backing now stands at £62m.   The additional investment will help Haatch maintain the pace of deployment across its pre-seed and seed funds while retaining its regional focus.   To date, the Bank and Haatch have co-invested in 208 companies, with that number continuing to grow.  

48

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Today and tomorrow, The Digital Forge CIC and Yorkshire AI Labs LLP, in partnership with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and Oberon Investments Ltd., are taking some of South Yorkshire’s most brilliant hard tech and deep tech companies to the heart of London’s financial community. Tomorrow morning, we will open the London Stock Exchange, led by Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, to send a clear signal that the North is not just ready for investment, it is leading the next industrial era. This trade mission is about connecting our region’s world-class innovators with the capital markets, investors, and partners that can help them scale globally. It’s about closing the valuation gap between the North and the City, and showing that British reindustrialisation starts here. We’re proud to be showcasing: Exciting Instruments – next-generation molecular measurement for life sciences Sitehop – quantum-resilient hardware encryption securing critical networks BOW – universal robotics software uniting automation and intelligence FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics – smart manufacturing analytics for modern factories DigitalCNC – AI-driven precision machining for advanced manufacturing South Yorkshire was once the 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, producing most of Britain’s steel and exporting innovation around the world. That same ingenuity now powers our future, built on AI, robotics, and industrial intelligence. This week, we’re showing London that 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻, 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. #SouthYorkshire #TheDigitalForge #YorkshireAILabs #Innovation #Investment #HardTech #DeepTech #AdvancedManufacturing #AI #Reindustrialisation #LSE #OberonInvestments #SYMCA

74

9 Kommentare