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BGF named most active global investor for growth and expansion businesses by Pitchbook

The UK’s BGF has been named the world’s most active investor in businesses seeking growth and expansion funding in Pitchbook’s 2018 global league tables, following a record year of investment.

Pitchbook’s annual global league tables rank the most active private equity and venture capital investors from around the world. BGF was also recognised as the most active investor in UK and Ireland – a title it has held since 2014 – and the most active global investor in B2C businesses. Most recent B2C investments include in-car technology business Lightfoot, Cornish clothing business Seasalt, dental engineering company Evo and action sports protection business Ruroc.
 
2018 was a record year for BGF, investing almost half a billion pounds into British businesses and averaging one deal per week. In response to its increased investment activity, it opened new offices in Newcastle, Cardiff, Belfast and Nottingham and grew its investment team across all regions. BGF was also awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category, the first investment company to have ever received this honour. Since BGF began in 2011, it has invested over GBP1.8bn across more than 260 companies.
 
Stephen Welton, CEO of BGF, says: “We’re delighted to be recognised once again as the UK and Ireland’s most active investor in growing businesses. We’ve had an extraordinary 12 months of investment activity across all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK and Ireland, adding more exciting, ambitious businesses to our increasingly diverse portfolio.”
 
“Entrepreneurs choose to partner with us, not just because our minority approach keeps them in control of their business, but also because of our ability to provide follow-on investment to support them in the long-term as well as access to an unparalleled network.
 
“The next 12 months will be challenging for the investment community, particularly in terms of where we’ll see innovation from UK businesses, foreign investment appetite and domestic capital. In the UK, while we’ve seen resilience and continued ambition among entrepreneurs, it’s crucial that we continue to back motivated companies so that they don’t put their investment plans on hold due to wider economic uncertainty. In an environment where bad news increasingly dominates good news, it is more essential than ever for investors to stand up to be counted by continuing to back growth companies.”
 

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