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Is the endorsement of Steven Bartlett really something to cry over? Time will tell whether the Dragon’s £50,000 investment in Birmingham drinks brand Revibed will boost its growth plans, after Steven Bartlett offered a £50,000 investment in return for a 15% stake.
Plenty more to get you excited in this weekly round up.
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Birmingham drinks brand Revibed has given its growth plans a boost after securing a £50,000 investment offer from Steven Bartlett in return for a 15% stake.
Father-and-son founders Ivor and Eugene Patterson pitched the superfood drinks business on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, on the episode which aired on 10 September.
The pitch came with plenty of emotion, as Eugene revealed that his father had suffered a heart attack before filming, while the day of the pitch also marked the memorial of his late uncle.
Revibed was started from the family kitchen in 2020, drawing on their Caribbean heritage with ingredients including hibiscus, ginger and lime.
Its range now spans canned drinks and superfood powders, with sparkling water flavours including Apple & Moringa, Raspberry & Acai, Hibiscus & Peach and Passionfruit & Ginger.
Eugene Patterson, founder of Revibed, said: “Appearing on Dragons’ Den was an extremely exciting opportunity, and to have secured the backing of Steven Bartlett made it even better.
“Revibed is rooted in family values, and we launched in 2020 with the aim of sharing a positive message while also ensuring the products were healthy for both mind and body, vegan-friendly and low in sugar. Today, we not only offer a range of canned drinks, but superfood powders too.”
“We’re tremendously grateful for Steven’s offer of investment, and we have exciting plans in place to bring Revibed to even more consumers across the UK. We can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
With another retail listing in the pipeline, the family business looks set to keep its growth bubbling.
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A new acquisition vehicle launched to pursue a buy-out strategy in specialist materials is targeting revenues of more than £300m within three years.
Technical Materials Group (TMG) has been formed by fast-growing Bridgwater, Somerset-based fabric tech firm Nonwovenn and Altrincham-based CorpAcq following its acquisition of Nonwovenn last December.
It will focus on acquiring businesses in the UK, Europe and North America manufacturing IP-rich products and specialist materials, including highly engineered textiles, films, composites, ceramics and laminated products.
Targeted businesses are likely to operate in sectors spanning military, aerospace, medical, water industry, data centres and other regulated markets.
Nonwovenn, which manufactures and supplies bespoke technical fabrics for niche markets such as protective clothing used by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear workers, has increased its annual turnover from £19m in 2016 to £46m last year and has continued its strong growth this year under CorpAcq’s ownership.
The business has had 19 consecutive years of profit and is a significant exporter of goods.
CorpAcq was founded in 2006 by entrepreneur and Sale Sharks rugby club owner Simon Orange and was acquired by private equity firm TDR Capital in 2024. CorpAcq’s portfolio includes more than 50 companies with combined revenues of over £900m.
Keith Pickering, formerly of Catalyst Corporate Finance, has been appointed head of acquisitions.
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A £12m private equity investment into an importer and distributor of automotive, electrical and industrial consumable products is set to fuel accelerated growth by supporting a Management Buy Out. Regional private equity and real assets investment manager, Foresight Group, has stumped up the cash for Leeds-based Automotive & Industrial Consumables (AIC).
AIC serves the automotive aftermarket, electrical installation, construction and general industrial sectors. It supplies at least 6,100 products to more than 5,500 customers across the UK, Europe and the USA. This represents the fifth investment in the last 12 months for Foresight across Yorkshire and the North East. And it isn’t done yet, stressing it will continue to offer its financial firepower to ambitious firms across a diverse range of sectors.
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Edinburgh-based Quorum Cyber is set to acquire Zurich-headquartered Ontinue.
The proposed transaction would unite two Microsoft-focused companies with complementary strengths in managed detection and response, proactive risk reduction, incident response and security operations.
Founded in Edinburgh during 2016, Quorum’s customer base is mostly based in the UK and North America, with the deal helping expand its reach into central Europe.
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Accountancy firm Streets is adding three more names to its books after acquiring practices in Northern Ireland, the North East and Lancashire.
Hunter Sinton, HJ Accountants and John Potter & Harrison bring more than 250 years of combined history to the Lincolnshire-headquartered group as it continues its expansion.
The deals will see all three firms keep their existing offices and teams, while clients gain access to Streets’ wider accountancy and advisory services.
Streets Chairman and CEO Paul Tutin said: “For the teams involved, the acquisitions are not simply about growth. They are about protecting the character, culture and personal service that have made each practice part of its local community.”
Blackpool-based John Potter & Harrison, founded in 1892, brings a 10-strong team and more than 130 years of experience to the group. HJ Accountants has served North Tyneside since 1988, while Banbridge practice Hunter Sinton dates back to 1946 and has a strong agricultural client base.
The expansion is being funded independently, with Streets saying it has grown without private equity investment or debt.
Tutin added: “These practices have very different histories, but they share the same qualities: strong local roots, dedicated teams and relationships built over many years. Those are not things we want to replace. They are the foundations we want to protect and help flourish.”
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Manchester online retail group Boohoo, which trades as Debenhams Group has completed the sale of its Nasty Gal brand, including the global intellectual property rights.
White Space Group New York, operating as WSG Brands, has completed the acquisition for a total cash consideration of $16m (£11.86m).
Nasty Gal generated gross merchandise value of £12m in financial year 2026 and adjusted EBITDA of £0.4m.
Boohoo said the brand is non-core and not material to the group.
It added that the transaction aligns with its strategy of transitioning to a marketplace-led business model that is capital-lite, and further strengthens the balance sheet following the £90m sale of the group’s Sheffield Distribution Centre, announced on September 10, 2026.
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The Growth Awards recognise the people, teams and businesses that have made meaningful progress. Whatever your journey, we want to hear what made the difference.
The awards are free, simple and quick to enter. The deadline is Friday 18 September.
Our judging panel will select the shortlist, choose five categories for site visits, and then select our Growth Awards winners.
To enter the awards visit: Growth Awards 2027.
The awards will work across all our regions, and span three strands – Company, Team and Individual – with categories recognising everything from finance, technology, people and board excellence.
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We have great pleasure in opening up ticket sales for a series of Rainmakers lunches starting with the Birmingham lunch on the 23rd of September 2026 at Regina’s in Birmingham.
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