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Berkshire based software company Vigilant Applications has successfully completed its latest investment round, providing the necessary capital to fund further expansion of sales and operations resources in support of the company’s growth trajectory. The funding was led by The FSE Group with a combination of equity from the Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Fund, a group of business angels from the FSE Investor Network and others.

Vigilant Applications is a leading provider of software solutions that help organisations meet their IT Governance, Risk and Compliance obligations, mitigate exposure to risks arising from accidental or malicious actions of employees and identify fraudulent activity of various types. The company currently operates across a range of sectors - most notably Police, Healthcare and Financial Services. Its technology is also applied to Retail for identifying unusual or potentially fraudulent staff behaviour at point-of-sale terminals.

Andy Craig, Director at Vigilant Applications, “The potential market for our products is huge. With increasingly stringent Governance, Risk and Compliance obligations being placed on organisations in both the public and private sectors, demand for solutions that can help ensure standards are met without unduly impeding normal workflow continues to grow - and this is exactly where we sit. In Retail our products are geared towards the elimination of preventable loss and, in turn, protecting retailers’ operating margins. Since providing some initial debt funding, FSE have been very supportive and encouraging of our business. It’s refreshing to work with a funding partner that understands the challenges facing businesses going through significant but, at times, hard to predict growth.”

Bradley Jones, Fund Manager at the FSE Group, “We have known and worked with Vigilant Applications for a number of years. The company received initial debt support from us in 2013 and have since gone on to  increase their sector reach significantly, with a growing client base that includes a number of high profile organisations . This coupled with the company’s expanding partner base, makes us believe that this is the perfect opportunity for an equity investment. We wish the company all the best, and look forward to working with them in the future”.

About Vigilant Apps: Vigilant Applications Limited is a specialist provider of User Behaviour Management solutions. Its products detect and prevent unintentional, malicious or fraudulent activity, ensure business process integrity and secure regulatory, legislative and internal policy compliance - all proven by an irrefutable audit trail. Contact: mike.williams@vigilantapps.com

A company making waves in driverless car technology is setting its sights on global success with the help of an investment from the Enterprise M3 Growth Fund. Bedford born company, iAbra, are expanding in a move that will see Guildford become their sales and marketing base, creating a number of new jobs in the process.

The iAbra technology uses deep learning algorithms that enable computers to learn in a human like way. When applied to Machine Vision (MV), machines can process images from internal cameras and sensors to ‘see’ and interpret the world around them. For driverless car technology this means identifying objects in the traffic environment and responding appropriately e.g. the car ‘learns’ that a pedestrian at a zebra crossing means the car must stop. Already working with some of the industry’s key players in the automotive industry,

iAbra’s Machine Vision (MV) technology is fast gaining traction as a platform to be reckoned with in this field. Ian Taylor, iAbra CEO and co-founder, says: “Over the past year we have spent time really focusing on the application of our technology. Although there are a number of target markets, including surveillance and defence, the automotive industry is an exciting place to be right now with the race to driverless cars in full throttle. We have established strong relationships with some global companies who are equally excited by how our technology can help them be at the front of this race.”

This latest funding round, which will include further funding from the Bedford EIS Fund and angel investors, will facilitate the rapid expansion which the business is currently facing. The investment will be used to grow the infrastructure and increase headcount in both Bedford and Guildford.

Avent Bezuidenhoudt, Senior Fund Manager at The FSE Group which manages the Enterprise M3 Growth Fund and the Bedford Business EIS Fund, comments: “The FSE Group has been working with iAbra over the last 18 months following our first investment and we are delighted to be investing again in this latest funding round. By positioning themselves in the driverless car market they have found a niche with extremely high growth potential and we look forward to helping them maximise this with our continued support.”

The Enterprise M3 Growth Fund is part of the Enterprise M3 Funding Escalator, a £5.5million initiative funded by Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership. The escalator, which also includes an expansion loan scheme, provides eligible companies with loans and equity funding between £50,000 and £200,000 for activities that will deliver high-growth and employment opportunities. The Bedford Business EIS Fund was developed as a practical initiative for sustainable job creation in Bedford. This latest round of finance for iAbra leaves the fund fully invested.

A business that uses highly sophisticated IT technology to produce a range of innovative 3D software solutions has been successful in securing funding that will help it to achieve rapid growth.

Luton based AiSolve applies expertise in 3D visualisation and virtual reality to create products that are proving desirable in many environments, including theme parks, shopping malls, retail, architecture and interior design, and education.

Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer, Prajay Kamat, started the company while studying for a master’s degree in computer animation and later shifted his focus fully from academia to business so that he could put his research to use. This background has ensured that AiSolve has undertaken extensive research and development, investing a great deal into cultivating its cutting edge product range, which was launched last year.

In 2014 AiSolve successfully delivered a major project developing and installing a network of interactive attractions into a large indoor entertainment centre within Yas Mall, which is a leading shopping destination in Abu Dhabi. This, along with recently exhibiting at the top international trade shows within leisure, entertainment and retail markets (IAAPA in Orlando and MAPIC in Cannes), has resulted in a great deal of interest, which the company is now looking to capitalise upon.

AiSolve has turned to the East of England Regional Growth Loan Scheme, which is managed by Finance East, to help finance the expansion activity needed to fulfil this demand. A £100,000 loan will support cash flow and assist with expansion of the developer team, development of pilot programmes for potential clients and further marketing activity.

Devi Kolli, AiSolve Chief Executive Officer, says: “The attention that our software has attracted over the last six to 12 months presents us with considerable opportunities to scale the business, but to do this we need to have the necessary staff in place. This loan will allow us to retain a quality team so that we can deliver high value pipeline contracts.”

The East of England Regional Growth Loan Scheme, which is funded by UK Government, provides up to £200,000 of loan funding to established businesses based in the region that show strong growth potential and are seeking funding to deliver that growth. AiSolve is looking to use its funding to contribute to its growth plans of more than doubling its workforce by the end of 2017.

Finance East Fund Manager, Stuart Ager, comments: “AiSolve has established itself in a leading position in this niche sector. They have a strong creative and technical team, headed up by Prajay whose knowledge and expertise has won industry recognition. With significant market potential and a strong pipeline, the company is well-positioned for growth and we look forward to working with them to achieve this.”

AiSolve offers a suite of products and services which can be applied across a range of sectors and settings. They include: G.A.M.i.E – (Games, Animations, Movies, Interactive and Entertainment) is AiSolve’s proprietary modular virtual reality development platform that enables to create virtual reality based immersive and interactive gaming with real-time movie experience. Interactive Environs: a recognition driven virtual reality platform that enables to connect virtual world with real world to create interactive digital experiences, which can be presented on mobile devices or in customised kiosks and can cater to retailers, advertising/brand agencies, shopping malls, museums and science centres. Envision: a real-time visualization engine with advanced photo realism, which instantly connects and engages the end user, enabling them to experience e.g. their new home in 3D, allowing them to virtually walk through the environment, even making changes, such as wall colour, along the way. Serious Games: the ‘gamification’ of education and training content into simple and engaging interactive experiences. As well as schools, colleges and universities, it can also be used for: advanced surgical and clinical training for the health sector; engineering and maintenance training for aerospace, defence and automobile sectors; combat engineering and weaponry skills training for the military.

With 20 years experience in the security surveillance industry, Paul Elsey was well qualified to set up his own company designing and manufacturing security cameras and positioning systems in 2006. As a ‘white label’ or OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) goods supplier, Silent Sentinel was able to focus 100% of its efforts on developing a top quality product range for this expanding industry.

Paul says: “As designers and engineers, it has always been essential to us to develop innovative products which, in terms of their design, build quality, capabilities and performance, are at the forefront of what is available in the market. Working on an OEM basis allowed us to concentrate our efforts on these areas, without having to worry about the branding and marketing of the products.”

As such, Silent Sentinel now have a product range that rivals its competition with USPs to be reckoned with, including the only positioning system of its kind outside the military to use robotic technology, and a camera so robust it was the single design of several installed at Heathrow Airport to be unaffected by snow during the winters of 2010 and 2011.

Paul adds: “We really are very proud of what we produce here, whether it’s these off the shelf products or bespoke contracts that require a totally unique system design and build like one we created for the 2012 Olympics in London. R&D is very important to us and we’re constantly looking to improve on what we’ve created before, and the fact that we design, build and manufacture our products here in the UK is, we feel, an added selling point that many companies cannot claim.”

However, changes in market conditions over the last two years have led Paul and the team to a change in strategy; finding that the OEM approach was no longer offering the opportunities it once did, Silent Sentinel took the plunge in launching itself as a branded supplier direct to the end user market. This has brought with it new challenges, as the team now concentrate on revealing themselves to customers who may well have experience of their products, but without knowing it.

“We knew deciding to go straight to the market ourselves was the right decision and were confident that once the customer base could identify us as the owner of our products, they would want to buy from us. But you shouldn’t underestimate how much investment, both in terms of time and finances, such a task requires. Furthermore, we found that our bank wasn’t willing to lend additional money for this activity.”

At this point the Silent Sentinel’s accountant pointed them in the direction of the Regional Growth Loan Fund, managed by Finance East who agreed a £200,000 loan to support expansion of the marketing and sales strategy to enhance brand awareness of the company, as well as to assist in up-front costs of delivering a number of confirmed large-scale bespoke contracts.

Stuart Ager, Senior Fund Manager at Finance East commented: “We were impressed with Silent Sentinel’s track record – the team boast senior personnel with significant experience in the market sector and a good mix of technical and business skills. Furthermore the company have an extensive product suite with ownership of all intellectual property rights, together with a strong future product development roadmap. We are delighted to be able to offer this funding and look forward to working with Paul and the team to ensure they reach their goals for growth.”

London and Suffolk based creative agency Jacob Bailey Ltd, which incorporates sister company White Space Design, has been successful in gaining a £100,000 loan from the Regional Growth Loan Scheme (RGLS), managed by Finance East and financed by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).

The award-winning agency has an impressive portfolio of direct, digital, brand and strategic marketing and PR credentials. It has a strong, highly skilled and experienced creative and account management team, which has helped the business to grow successfully since it was established 13 years ago. The 2008 recession impacted the business, but a combination of strong client loyalty and reputation for delivery enabled the company to weather the economic conditions and turnover has now recovered, putting them firmly back on the growth track. The loan was used to assist in the buyout of a minority shareholder by founder Shaun Bailey and the key management team of Rob Manning, Neil Prentice, Will Wright and Mark Ledger. Jacob Bailey is currently experiencing exceptional growth on the back of a number of new contract wins, resulting in a healthy cash flow and an appetite for strategic acquisitions in their sector.

Mark Ledger, Finance Director of Jacob Bailey, said: “It’s good to know that even in these times of economic austerity there are organisations that successful businesses can approach for finance to assist with growth and expansion. We’ve had a fantastic year and this loan will help to ensure we fulfil the potential that 2012 has to offer.”

Stuart Ager Senior Fund Manager, Finance East Loan Management, commented: “We are delighted to be supporting a company with such a strong track record and customer base. Seeing such a positive cash flow following their recovery from the recession’s impact gave us no doubts as to the viability of the business and their ability to service the loan that they required. Finance East wish the team all the best and success in the future.” If you’re interested in finding out more about the Jacob Bailey Group, visit www.jacobbailey.com and www.white-spacedesign.com or call 01473 215656. - Ends - NOTES TO EDITORS: White Space PR offers highly creative but business focussed public relations. Contact Richard Wood on 01473 215656 or e-mail richard@jacobbailey.com