IP Group cheers investor interest in spin-outs, calls for more supportive Govt backing
UK university spinouts attracted £1.56 billion of investment in the first half of 2026, but funding for new ventures collapsed by more than two-thirds, according to research published by IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO) and its fund management subsidiary Parkwalk. Investment climbed 38.2% from the second half of 2025 to its second-highest half-year level in a decade, approaching the £1.58 billion record set in 2021.
IP Group invests £4m as Microbiotica raises £36m for clinical trials
IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO) has invested £4 million in a £36 million funding round for portfolio company Microbiotica, backing the development of a potential new treatment for ulcerative colitis. The Series C financing, led by British Business Bank, will support the progression of Microbiotica's lead drug candidate, MB310, into Phase 2 clinical trials following encouraging early-stage results.
IP Group leads funding round for University of Liverpool AI spin-out Matter Machine
IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO) has led a £4 million funding round in Matter Machine, a University of Liverpool spin-out using artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of new materials. The oversubscribed pre-Series A financing also attracted backing from Northern Gritstone, Norrsken Evolve, LYVA Labs and other investors, with proceeds earmarked for expanding the company's team, developing its technology and building commercial partnerships.
IP Group banks £21m in Oxford Nanopore divestment
IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO) told investors it has banked around £21 million from a partial sale of its stake in Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC (LSE:ONT) while retaining a holding worth more than £150 million. The science and technology investor sold 10 million Oxford Nanopore shares, leaving it with 70.8 million shares, or 7.23% of the company, valued at £151.5 million at the current market price.
SpaceX Raised $86 Billion and OpenAI Is Next. This ETF Owns the IPO Class of 2026
The 2026 IPO window blew open this summer. SpaceX's June listing pulled in a reported $86 billion according to Benzinga and other outlets, and Anthropic is now being floated as the next challenger to that record, with OpenAI chatter never far behind.
Broker pitches bullish view of "underappreciated" IP Group
IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO) has seen a bullish write-up from European investment bank Berenberg, which pitches a 'Buy' rating and a 119p price target that implies around 70% upside to its current price. Berenberg describes IP Group, the investor in early-stage companies, as an “underappreciated asset” whilst noting the current 40% discount to NAV despite improving portfolio valuations and a strong liquidity position.
IP Group board may struggle to back sweetened Railpen offer, says Deutsche Bank
The board of IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO), the London-listed technology investor, may struggle to recommend an improved takeover proposal from pension fund Railpen without further concessions, according to Deutsche Bank. Railpen returned with a revised offer ahead of today's put up or shut up deadline, when it must either make a firm bid or walk away.
Railpen lifts IP Group offer with cash, Nanopore stake and Metsera upside
Railpen has raised its takeover proposal for IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO), offering shareholders a mix of cash, shares in Oxford Nanopore and a contingent payout linked to the biotech firm Metsera. The pension fund manager, IP Group's largest shareholder with an 18.4% stake, has made two improved proposals to the board since its initial approach on 22 June, following meetings with shareholders and directors.
IP Group rejects Railpen takeover proposal as too low
IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO), the company that backs spin-out businesses, has rejected a takeover proposal from one of its largest shareholders, the railways pension scheme Railpen. The board said the proposal, received on 16 June, materially undervalued the company and its prospects, and was turned down unanimously.
Deutsche Bank unsurprised by IP Group's rejection of Railpen approach
Deutsche Bank has said it is 'unsurprised' that IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO) rejected a take-private approach from Railpen, its largest shareholder. The bank, whose analyst Kane Slutzkin rates the stock a 'buy' with a 110p price target, said the non-binding proposal undervalued the company on several counts.
IP Group rejects takeover approach from its biggest shareholder
IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO), the London-listed investor that backs science and technology start-ups, has rejected a £616 million takeover approach from its largest shareholder. The approach came from Railpen, which manages the Railways Pension Scheme and holds 18.4% of IP Group.
IP Group's Istesso starts phase II trial of leramistat in sarcopenia
IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO), the FTSE 250 investment company focused on science and technology businesses, has announced that portfolio company Istesso has begun dosing patients in a phase II trial of its lead drug candidate. The study, named IST-03, is testing leramistat in patients with sarcopenia, a condition involving muscle loss, caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
