Member Article

Business Growth Fund nears £200m backing for London and South East SMEs

The Business Growth Fund (BGF) is celebrating five years of growth in London and the South East, nearing the £200m investment mark as it celebrates its fifth anniversary.

The independent investment fund, which is backed by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS and Standard Chartered, has backed 30 SMEs in the region since it was founded in May 2011 to support their growth and expansion.

In total, BGF claims that the 30 organisations have a combined revenue of £920m and employ 5,800 people, and the investment group has its sights set on adding even more organisations to that number in future.

Marion Bernard, BGF Regional Director for London and the South East, believes there ‘many more companies out there’ who could benefit from the long-term capital that BGF provides, and that the fund’s past successes have contributed to a growing demand from London’s entrepreneurs.

She said: “From tech innovators and fashion retailers to specialist manufacturers and restaurant groups, we have been privileged to work with some of the UK’s most exciting and dynamic entrepreneurs.

“The businesses we’ve backed across London and the South East are growing fast, innovating and exporting, and the increasing of demand that we’ve seen is a testament to the attractiveness of BGF’s non-controlling, long-term equity offer to entrepreneurs.”

Successful BGF investments in the last five years have included Holborn-headquartered boutique gym brand GYMBOX, airline seat manufacturer Acro and Thai restaurant group Giggling Squid.

The group has also had a number of high-profile exits from South East and London businesses last year, including video ad company Unruly and marketing firm The Exchange Lab.