British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA)

🥇 Nominations are now open for the Vision 2025 Awards: Leaders Driving Growth. Supported by Grant Thornton UK LLP and Santander, Vision 2025 celebrates the best teams of 2024 backed by #privatecapital, awarding portfolio companies and their investors. These awards take into consideration growth, competitiveness, innovation, sustainability and challenges of the year, with a focus on the future of the business, as well as past performance. For the first time in 2025, we are pleased to accept direct nominations from portfolio companies and have introduced new award categories in each region and nation. Portfolio companies will be recognised in the following categories: early-stage, scale-up, medium, large, exit and international expansion. BVCA Members are invited to nominate their portfolio companies now. Winners across the UK will be presented with their awards at the BVCA’s Invest Dinner Series and Summit Main Conference and the national winners will be showcased at the BVCA's Gala in December. For more information or to nominate, click here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dkYw7tr3

⏰ The BVCA's Emerging Managers Forum returns on 5 March, delving into common issues emerging managers face, whilst hearing LPs and GPs perspectives. The Emerging Managers Forum agenda will include sessions on the following: ◼️ The macro-outlook for 2025 and its impact on Emerging Managers ◼️ Fit for growth: How to future-proof a fund’s operational frameworks ◼️ AI Adoption for the funds of the future – the challenges and benefits A full agenda and list of speakers will be launched in the upcoming weeks. For more information or to register your place, visit the website: https://lnkd.in/e8W5Rg77

#WorldCancerDay is a reminder to come together to take action against cancer. Today, we highlight the pioneering work of portfolio companies backed by BVCA members. Each is taking powerful action against cancer by developing breakthrough technology and medicine which prevent, diagnose or treat cancer-related illnesses. These include: 💉 SV Health Investors, backing medtech and therapeutic companies like Bicycle Therapeutics, who are developing a brand new class of medicines for the treatment of cancer and other life-altering diseases. 🧬 Abingworth, who work with entrepreneurs like Median Technologies who are developing next generation medical imaging technology dedicated to oncology clinical trials, cancer screening, and clinical practice. 🔬 Epidarex Capital, backing innovators including AdoRx who are developing new modulators of the adenosine pathway for the treatment of cancer. 🧪 4BIO Capital who invest life science venture capital into organisations that advance therapies which address high unmet medical and social needs like Carisma Therapeutics. 📈 AlbionVC who have supported visionary founders and venture breakthroughs like Odin Vision to grow. Odin Vision use AI to increase the accuracy and frequency of early-stage detection of polyps, significantly improving patient survival rate. 👩🔬 Cambridge Innovation Capital, backing breakthroughs coming out of Cambridge like Carrick Therapeutics, who are developing a range of treatments that aim to slow down or impede the progress of the most aggressive forms of cancer. 🔍 Parkwalk Advisors, backing spin outs including Concr who are applying statistical learning and advanced modelling adopted from astrophysics to aid in the precision treatment of cancer patients. Most recently, Dame Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury visited health tech company Skin Analytics, backed by Mustard Seed + Partners, to learn how the company is using AI as a medical device to support the NHS in speeding up diagnostic pathways for skin cancer. Skin Analytics demonstrated how its technology offers new ways to extend dermatology capacity, address demand and improve patient outcomes. The business also discussed how Mustard Seed's investment has helped the company to scale following its R&D phase. 📊 BVCA data shows that in 2023, £2.7bn of private capital funds were invested in UK biotech and healthcare businesses, helping the UK to lead the way in developing a range of innovative medical treatments, like gene and immunotherapies. Ms Thornberry was joined on the visit by Skin Analytics’ Chair Dominic Dodd, CEO Neil Daly and Commercial Director Rachael Dovey, as well as the Co-founder of Mustard Seed+ Partners Alex Pitt and the BVCA’s Karim Palant.

🌍 One week to go until the BVCA's North American leg of the European Private Capital Conferences. Across the 10-13 February, the BVCA will host a series of conferences and receptions in Toronto, Boston and New York, designed for North American institutional investors, family offices and investment consultants to connect with European #GPs. Why attend? ◼️ Private LP-GP meetings with institutional investors and family offices   ◼️ Dedicated private capital programme: Toronto, Boston and New York ◼️ Engage with representatives from the UK Department for Business and Trade ◼️ New group of GPs with specialist strategies and sector focuses ◼️ The latest updates on the outlook, trends and opportunities in Europe Thank you to our sponsors, Clifford Chance and Debevoise & Plimpton, alongside our supporters, Aon, Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA), Department for Business and Trade, Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) and PitchBook. The events will feature a diverse cohort of GPs and their fund strategies including global buyout, private credit, early to late-stage venture and mid-market. Ahead of the events next week, we are pleased to launch the conference agendas for each location. For more information or to see the agendas, click here: https://lnkd.in/ecxW77DE

💻 “Enabling homegrown startups to develop into global competitors will be vital to meeting the Government's ambitions for growth” 📈   The BVCA was pleased to see the calls in our written evidence, reflected in recommendations published by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee.   The new report, titled ‘AI and creative technology scaleups: less talk, more action’, echoes the BVCA’s concerns around the scale-up challenge, which often prompts UK companies to seek investments from the US and elsewhere. The report recognises that unlocking domestic growth capital is crucial to supporting the growth of UK businesses, and that these efforts should be accelerated.   As the report outlines, the industrial strategy needs to provide a vision for how technology #scale-ups will be supported to drive economic growth.   Focusing on Artificial Intelligence, the report recognises the potential #AI has to drive innovation across high-growth sectors. The BVCA welcomed the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan – but as the report notes, this is just one step towards ensuring we harness the opportunities that AI presents.   Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ex32CdTE

The BVCA are pleased to announce bookings are open for Summit 2025, the premier gathering of the UK’s private capital community. Taking place on 9-10 September, Summit 2025 will bring together private capital fund managers, institutional investors, pension funds and family offices as well as leading figures from across the worlds of business, finance, politics and the media for proactive discussions and extensive networking. This year’s Summit theme, ‘Investing in a better economy’, reflects the private capital industry's crucial role in supporting economic growth throughout the UK. Summit 2025 features four events: ◼️ UK Pensions Investment Summit (9 September) – a half-day conference building on last year’s inaugural event. ◼️ Limited Partner Summit (9 September) - a half-day conference exclusively for LPs ◼️ LP-GP Summit Dinner (9 September) - a networking dinner for senior institutional investors and private equity and venture capital fund managers. ◼️ Summit Main Conference – the pinnacle event of the Summit bringing together the entire private capital ecosystem. A special thank you to our returning Principal Sponsor across all four Summit events, Aon. An additional thank you to PitchBook, Guernsey Finance, OakNorth, Stax, SS&C Intralinks, Debevoise & Plimpton and Proskauer Rose LLP. For more information or to book your place, visit the website: https://lnkd.in/e94d4rbD

The BVCA is pleased to welcome Sigma Connected Group as the latest BVCA member. Sigma Connected is a multi-award-winning Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) provider that specialises in outsourced (white-label) 24/7 customer contact centre services. Services include customer service management, collections, complaints handling, and vulnerable customer support. Founded in 2011, Sigma Connected employs over 5,000 people across the UK and South Africa. The company was one of the pioneers of offshoring solutions to Cape Town, South Africa and has recently expanded its operation across the Western Cape into Paarl. The business places its focus on creating opportunities for its people, investing in the communities in which it operates, and as part of its environmental commitment, aims to become carbon neutral by 2030, in line with UK Government targets. In 2023 & 2024, Sigma Connected was named as one of the UK’s top employers in the prestigious The Sunday Times Best Places to Work survey, which was voted for by its employees. For more information, visit their website at: https://lnkd.in/eU6inScv

"𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩"    The BVCA welcomes the Chancellor’s focus on the importance of investment in entrepreneurship in driving economic growth. The Chancellor was clear that “investment and innovation go hand in hand” - this makes clear private capital’s vital role in boosting investment across the nations and regions of the UK.    The BVCA and Public First Investment Commission highlighted many of the factors that the Chancellor pointed to today as blockers to growth. Our survey found that:  ◼️ A third (33%) of investment professionals surveyed say planning reform would make it easier for them to invest in UK businesses. ◼️ Nine in 10 (91%) investors surveyed say a faster and more agile regulatory system would make it easier for them to invest in UK businesses. ◼️ Over four in 10 (42%) of investors say they have decided not to invest in a UK business because of a lack of public infrastructure such as transport or grid connections. We therefore welcome the Chancellor's announcements today, including a 10 year infrastructure plan that will be published in the Spring and increased investment for every nation and region of the UK. These are key steps to breaking through these barriers and we look forward to continuing to work with the Government to make the UK the best place in the world for #privateequity and #venturecapital to invest.    The BVCA also welcomes further announcements from the Chancellor to help the UK's innovative businesses, including: 🏦 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Building on the exciting DC and local government pensions review whose next steps are keenly awaited, moves to unleash defined benefit (DB) pension funds to allow them to invest locked-away “surplus funds” into fast-growing UK businesses, helping to tackle the scale-up gap.    🌱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: boosting investment in every nation and region the UK is vital to driving up UK economic growth. First announced last week, the Chancellor detailed her plans to turbocharge investment across the UK, announcing a new approach across the National Wealth Fund (NWF) and the Office for Investment (OfI), which will work with local leaders across the UK to support places to build pipelines of incoming investment and projects linked to regional growth priorities.   🥽 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘅𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱-𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗼𝗿: New lab space, a new innovation hub and much-needed investment in transport infrastructure will amplify the UK’s reputation as a home for innovation. For more information, read here: https://lnkd.in/e3FT_wMb

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗦𝗚 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴   🚀 The BVCA’s third annual ESG survey sets out a series of metrics which #privateequity and #venturecapital firms use to track progress within their investee companies.   🎉 Over 2,700 private capital-backed businesses participated in this latest survey, which showed an increase in Environmental impact tracking and engagement. 🌱 Over the past three years, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of private capital-backed businesses which are able to track their carbon emissions. Data showed that in 2023, one third (33%) of energy used by private capital-backed businesses came from renewable sources, up from 30% in 2021. Key findings in the latest survey include: ♻️ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: The BVCA found that the proportion of private capital-backed businesses tracking environmental emissions has increased over time across all scopes and sizes of firm. 📝 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹-𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: The BVCA asked member-backed firms a range of questions about their governance practices, finding that the vast majority have clear cyber security, customer privacy and anti-corruption procedures in place. 👩💻 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰: The BVCA found that representation of women on the boards of private capital-backed businesses is largely static, at 17% in 2023 vs 16% in the prior year. Private capital investors are key to backing the innovative UK firms developing sustainable solutions to the challenge of net zero and climate, with investment for the long-term in companies. Private capital provides public value by investing in environmental and social solutions and growing companies that are resilient to tomorrow's world. 🔗 For more information, read here: https://lnkd.in/en7dGctU

"If neuroinclusive strategies are properly implemented, they can boost productivity, employee wellbeing and performance." The BVCA’s recent Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) series of panel discussions underlined the importance of reframing #neurodiversity as a strength and adapting workplace cultures to drive meaningful change. In the latest Insight article, the BVCA’s Sustainability Executive, Breeze Haywood, reflects on the event’s discussion about the critical need for businesses to embrace neurodiversity in the workplace. Read the full Insight article here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ex_gDGrY