BGF

🏀Fantastic news for BGF portfolio company, Eleven Sports Media which has won the Medium Business of the Year award at the North West Business of the Year Awards, organised by TheBusinessDesk.com.     The company has experienced sustained growth over the last 12 months, moving into a new HQ and securing a number of new partnerships with major sports teams both here and in the US. Eleven’s award success coincides with its announcement this week that it has teamed up with the Brooklyn Nets to launch an innovative Small Business Partner Programme focused on empowering local businesses across the five boroughs.    Huge congrats to CEO Matt Cairns and the team on their award success and the continued momentum of the business. 👉Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e9Kb_wUi

📰 Northern companies are shaping the UK’s next wave of creative growth - that’s the message from BGF Investor Courtney Walker in her article for Prolific North’s Creative Powerhouse series. From Manchester’s £5bn digital ecosystem to global success stories like BGF-backed KOMI Group and The Insights Family, Courtney explores how targeted investment, infrastructure and support can help Northern creatives scale globally - and why this matters for the UK’s future economy. 👉 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/ezQ_bV2F #Manchester #CreatorEconomy #Growth #NorthernCompanies

Exciting news from Northern Ireland!   Belfast-based software success story AuditComply has been acquired by Nulogy, a Canadian leader in cloud-based manufacturing software. BGF first invested in AuditComply in 2017 alongside Clarendon Fund Managers , supporting expansion into new markets and growth into a truly international business. The company’s software is now used worldwide in over 20 languages. This marks BGF’s fourth successful exit in Northern Ireland – and our second this year – underscoring our commitment to supporting ambitious businesses across the region. 🚀 Congratulations to Kevin Donaghy, Susan Fitzsimmons and the entire AuditComply team on this exciting next chapter. We’re proud to have been part of your journey.  

We’re pleased to announce that BGF has successfully exited BB7, the UK’s leading consultancy in fire and façade engineering, based in London.   BB7 has been acquired by CERTANIA, in a deal which has generated a 3x MM return and 21% IRR for BGF.   During the partnership, BGF’s growth capital has powered a successful buy-and-build strategy. Now a B-Corp certified business with Best Companies recognition, BB7 operates from 10 offices and employs nearly 200 people.   Post-exit, BB7’s founder and CEO, Ben Bradford will become the CEO of CERTANIA’s Buildings & Infrastructure Division.   Congratulations to Jane Gilbert Boot for leading this exit for BGF, and to Matthew Simcox and Daria Polunina who supported during the process.   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eVyf2EMY   The transaction marks the latest in a series of strong exits for BGF including Monodraught Ltd, Brisant-Secure, Braidwater Group, Panthera Biopartners and OrganOx.   Thank you to the advisers on the transaction: corporate finance – Clearwater; legal – Squire Patton Boggs; vendor CDD – CIL Management Consultants; and vendor FDD – EIGHT ADVISORY.   #ValueBeyondInvestment #ExitNews #BB7 #Growth

💥Exciting news - BGF is now an official Boardwave Partner As the UK & Ireland’s most active growth capital investor, we’re proud to join Boardwave, the leading community for European software leaders. Together, we’ll connect with founders and CEOs across the software ecosystem and help accelerate scale-up journeys through the power of community, expertise and growth capital Highlights so far: 🔹 Chris Morgan joined a panel with Boardwave and HSBC Innovation Banking, contributing to a discussion with female leaders on building trusted, long-term investor–founder partnerships. 🔹 Kate Ronayne took part in a masterclass on fundraising fundamentals, supporting founders preparing for their first external raise. 🔹 Tomorrow, we’re hosting SaaS founders and CEOs at our Manchester office for a session on scaling in an AI-powered world. More to come - watch this space as we continue to strengthen our partnership with the Boardwave community! #BGF #Boardwave#GrowthCapital #SoftwareScaleUps #Community #AI #SaaS

A fantastic event for female leaders highlighting the power of strong investor–founder relationships in driving growth.   BGF Investor Chris Morgan was invited to join as an ally in the conversation, sharing our perspective on building trusted, long-term partnerships that help founders scale.   Thanks to Boardwave and HSBC Innovation Banking for hosting.

At the BGF Foundation, funding and expertise go hand in hand - helping our charity partners grow faster, spend less, and reach more young people. Over the past month, BGF colleagues have been using their social impact days to offer practical support: 🔹With Access Sport, Adam Cox reviewed their digital systems - identifying simple changes that freed up budget and boosted efficiency. 🔹Simon Steward, BGF’s Head of Digital, worked with the Jon Egging Trust to share guidance on using AI safely and affordably, connecting them with partners to make smarter use of their data. 🔹Working with ThinkForward UK, colleagues from our investment and portfolio teams joined a strategy session on scaling impact while protecting programme quality. ➡️ Read more about the impact of our pro bono work: https://lnkd.in/dz8Mh2kE #BGFF #BGFFoundation #SocialImpact #ProBono

💡 How can leaders best position their company for investment?   In an interview with 9AM Business, Hannah King (Waters), Investor at BGF shares practical advice for founders and leadership teams looking to attract growth capital.   From building a sharper go-to-market strategy to embracing AI and developing future leaders, Hannah highlights: ✅The importance of focus - knowing where your business truly wins ✅Building operational and cultural foundations for sustainable growth ✅The power of ambition and collaboration in attracting investors ✅ How BGF’s commitment of at least £300m to the Invest in Women Taskforce's funding pot is playing a key role in supporting female powered businesses 👉 Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/erQ2PVNc #GrowthCapital #Leadership #Investment #ScaleUp #WomenInBusiness #BGF #IWT

Our latest investment into a pioneering green materials startup, new investor and value creation appointments across the UK, MP visits to fast-growing businesses in our portfolio, in-depth interviews with our team, and much more… Catch up on all the highlights from our latest newsletter below ⬇️ Or sign up to have next month’s sent straight to your inbox: https://lnkd.in/dGYHJw_s #BGFNewsletter #GrowthCapital #InvestmentNews #EquityFunding #Scaleups #Startups #VC #GreenTech #DeepTech #ExitPlanning

 🌟 Highlights from our latest workshop Leaders from the BGF portfolio met in Birmingham for a strategic leadership workshop, part of our Scale programme. Facilitated by culture and leadership coach Joanna Howes, the session dived into what it means to lead with impact in today’s fast-changing business world, sparking fresh ideas, honest conversations and powerful peer-to-peer learning. 🎥 Hear from attendees and catch the highlights in our video below. #ScaleByBGF #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #BGFCommunity