Regional private equity investor and infrastructure fund manager FORESIGHT Group (Foresight) is planning to invest more than £1bn in patient capital to support small growing companies across the UK and Ireland over the next five years through the provision of flexible capital.
In its annual results published on 26 June, Foresight reported some £1.8bn AUM across its 15 private equity funds, eight VC Funds, and private credit fund with more than £250m invested into smaller companies since April 2024 – it typically invests between £0.5m and £15m.
In the last financial year, the businesses across its portfolio have jointly created over 200 new roles, with job creation now at over 3,000.
Many of the businesses it backs are in high growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital and technologies, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services. The firm is also interested in sectors such as retail and hospitality.
One example, Eden Mobility, is a specialist mobility scooter retailer based in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, which is seeing strong growth and investing significantly in new stores.
Investments in the first half of 2025 include Yorkshire-based Ad Signal, an ambitious content intelligence platform for the media and entertainment industry and Manchester-based healthcare company Functional Gut Group, which offers diagnostic testing for digestive health issues.
This year it expanded its regional footprint as it opened offices in Bristol and Exeter after reaching a final close of its new evergreen £100m South West Fund as well as South Yorkshire Growth Equity Fund. Like its peers in the North West, Yorkshire, the North East, Scotland and East of England, it is backed by local government pension funds.
