BGF has invested over GBP165 million in London and the South East in 2021, including 18 new investments, while continuing to provide growth capital and follow-on funding for its existing portfolio.
BGF has invested over GBP165 million in London and the South East in 2021, including 18 new investments, while continuing to provide growth capital and follow-on funding for its existing portfolio.
Notable deals in the region include multi-million-pound investments in energy data and analytics provider Stark, plant-based alternative meat company THIS, and omni channel BMX retailer, Source BMX. BGF also led the GBP70 million Series C funding round for Elvie, the revolutionary global health and lifestyle brand developing iconic products for women.
In the same time period, BGF completed nine successful exits in the region. These included Cennox, a provider of ATM services; Clearway, a vacant property services business; and Dianomi, a provider of native digital advertising services – all of which yielded a high return on BGF’s capital.
There have been a number of investments in the South East’s flourishing life sciences sector, including BGFleading a GBP33 million investment round into biopharmaceutical company, PhoreMost; leading an GBP8.5 million investment into virtual oncology business, Entia; and facilitating a GBP13 million follow-on investment into healthcare company, Closed Loop Medicine.
BGF has also onboarded six new investors: Bethany Shiers who joined from CIL Management Consultants, Kamel Kasem from LEK Consulting, Isabella Fox from PwC, Adele Sung of Citi, Dennis Atkinson from ePlanet Capital and Simon Steward who became a permanent member of team following a period of consulting for BGF.
Across the UK and Ireland, BGF invested GBP600 million across 67 deals over the course of 2021, a 55 per cent increase in investment compared to 2020. Total investment since 2011 also passed the GBP3 billion milestone, as BGF celebrated its 10th anniversary with the most successful year in its history.
