10,000 Champions: April 5-9
Your first weekly Real Business report about innovative private UK companies on the growth path.
Britain needs independent UK companies to expand and crack new markets. Real Business will bring you exclusive reports each week. Here is your weekly snapshot of Britain's most dynamic SMEs and entrepreneurs:
- Shirin Dehghan, engineer-CEO of much-touted high-tech wireless business Arieso, announced this week that the firm has raised £1.45m to drive growth.
- This week marks the arrival of a major new British fashion brand, as the ethical retailer Weird Fish, founded by Doug Tilling, gets multi-million backing.
- Willowbrook Healthcare, under MD John Strowbridge, is the latest care home provider to raise serious money
- Spotlight on: Patrick Newton, CEO of Helveta. How this successful software entrepreneur is building a business in some of the world’s most treacherous markets to combat the illegal logging trade. This week, his business raised £1m.
- Former “Dolly the Sheep” CEO Simon Best has joined as CEO a fascinating Scottish business – Aquapharm – that uses marine microbes to develop new drug treatments and that has secured more funding.
- Caledyne MD Roland van Dort says the oil services business Caledyne is aiming to achieve 500 per cent turnover growth, backed by £1m from Clydesdale Bank.
- Another oil services business, Red Spider, run by Steve Nicol (no, not the former Liverpool right back) has raised £7.5m. The Aberdeen business produces remote drilling kit.