Manchester, UK, 27 June 2022: BGF – the UK & Ireland’s most active growth capital investor – has led on deals with a total enterprise value (EV) of £450 million in the North West in six months.

In the same period, BGF’s North West team has delivered a stand-out run of exits which has seen £150 million of capital returned from £72 million invested. Highlights include: the sale of Liverpool-based Sentric to Swiss music fintech company, Utopia Music; PTSG’s acquisition of NSS; and CurrentBody’s sale to eComplete.

This is in addition to the outstanding exit of Kids Planet, having accelerated the nursery group’s rollout from 17 to more than 80 sites during its investment period. BGF also retained minority stakes in Kids Planet and Utopia Music as it continues as a long-term partner to both companies.

BGF completed a total £42 million of investment in growing businesses based in the North West in six months. These entrepreneur-led companies span several sectors including tech, manufacturing, professional services, healthcare and training, and are based across all corners of the region.

The North West team backed apprenticeship training provider, Apprentify, with a £5 million investment to execute an ambitious buy and build strategy in the apprenticeship and adult education market. Wigan-headquartered manufacturer, Evolution Aqua, received a £12 million BGF investment to capitalise on growth opportunities in core markets and drive international expansion. Alongside Gresham House Ventures, BGF also announced a £10 million investment into Panthera Biosciences to further grow its network of dedicated clinical trial sites across the UK and Western Europe.

The combined EV across these investments and exits at the time of completion reached £450 million.

Neil Inskip, Head of BGF in the North West and Midlands, said: “We consistently meet quality business owners in the region looking to scale their businesses and work towards long-term growth and a successful exit. Our recent run of investments has unlocked opportunities for innovation and product development, international and vertical market expansion, investment in tech and talent, as well as boosting balance sheets for management teams looking to capitalise on growth opportunities such as M&A.

“Alongside positive new investments, we’re also seeing a strong performance across our portfolio in the region as we continue to work with management teams to deliver growth. We’ve experienced an exceptional period of returns from recent exits in the region, which is testament to the strength of the businesses we back in the North West and BGF’s investment model.”

This news comes on the back of recently published annual results for BGF in the UK and Ireland which marked a record-breaking year for the business as a whole in 2021. As well as maintaining its position as the most active investor in UK and Irish growth economy companies, BGF backed 67 new companies, investing a total of £600 million. £165 million of this was follow-on funding to support further growth for portfolio companies, which is a key part of its longer term offer to entrepreneurs. Nationally, BGF exited investments in 39 businesses, delivering a total return of £571 million from exits in 2021 (up from £233m in 2020), a 2x money multiple and a 23.4% gross IRR.

BGF is a long-term patient investor, making initial investments between £1 million to £15 million for a minority equity stake. It backs ambitious teams across a range of sectors and funds a variety of growth plans.

A start-up which is developing new techniques and materials for sustainable housing using ‘wonder material’ graphene has begun a major initiative after securing nearly £200,000 of government funding.
Manchester-based Vector Homes has been awarded a Smart Grant of £191,000 by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.
The money will help fund a £275,000 research programme to develop graphene-enhanced recycled plastic formulations for residential construction.
The project will enhance polymers with nano-materials to increase strength, durability, thermal and acoustic performance and further recyclability.
Vector Homes chief executive and co-founder Nathan Feddy said the formulations could also have applications in a variety of other sectors, such as aerospace, automotive and packaging.
He said: “Securing funding from Innovate UK is a true vote of confidence in Vector as we begin our journey. There is intense competition for its Smart Grants, so we are honoured and thrilled to be awarded this funding.
“It enables us to kick-start our research project which will see us work with a supply chain of partners across the UK and beyond, including several multi-billion dollar companies.
“Our aim is to develop nano-material formulations which will greatly improve the sustainability and durability of the homes of the future. The construction and operation of the built environment accounts for 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and our mission is to help reduce its environmental impact as well as bringing down costs.”
Vector is ultimately looking to mass manufacture sustainable and affordable smart housing flat-packs from graphene-enhanced recycled materials.
The houses will feature hundreds of sensors which will help to provide smart environmental controls throughout.
The sensors will feed information to a ‘brain’ – the Vector Node – which will measure the temperature and humidity in each room.
The system will close roller blinds to keep rooms cool in the summer, or open bathroom vents in the winter to allow the humidity out. Each Vector home will also feature solar panels and the energy they generate will be stored in batteries which will be used to power the property.
Nathan said: “The materials used in our houses will be from recycled, energy efficient sources with a much lower carbon footprint than virgin materials. They can be recycled at end of life if they cannot be reused, contributing to the circular economy.
“Our homes have been designed to enable rapid production and assembly, and will have unique features that enable easy maintenance and modification throughout the life cycle, which also means they can quickly incorporate new technologies as they emerge.
“The design has already attracted interest from housing associations, which will be a key target market. They manage and maintain huge numbers of houses, which brings significant logistical challenges that Vector can address.”
Vector Homes is partnering with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre at the University of Manchester for the research project. Nathan and chief technical officer Dr Liam Britnell met while working there as colleagues before opting to focus full time on their venture earlier this year.
Nathan said: “We are delighted to be joining the GEIC at the centre of Manchester’s world-leading advanced materials ecosystem. This partnership is a fantastic opportunity to develop the materials and systems that will enable us to achieve our goal of cutting carbon emissions and the costs of construction.
James Baker, chief executive of Graphene@Manchester, of which the GEIC is part, said: “It’s great to see high-calibre start-ups such as Vector Homes utilising graphene’s multifaceted capabilities to make a positive sustainable impact on critical problems.
“We look forward to supporting Vector Homes’ development in the Graphene@Manchester ecosystem.”
Assessors on the Innovate UK panel which awarded Vector Homes the grant said the company had identified ‘a potentially significant commercial opportunity for new construction materials offering improved fire safety and reduced environmental impact’, adding that its vision addresses many of the key issues facing future housing developments.
They praised Vector’s ‘excellent technical understanding, solid knowledge of the market and clear, well-defined propositions’ which should ensure the project is a success.

Proptech business Symple is ramping up its expansion by doubling its pool of specialist contractors to 2,000 and investing £600,000 in technology to meet increasing demand for its services.

Symple is seeking to recruit 1,000 accredited and strictly vetted service providers – gas safety engineers, electricians and energy assessors – across the UK over the next 12 months.

The company, which was launched in May 2021, is an online platform for residential landlords, estate and letting agents and homeowners.

Symple, which operates nationwide from headquarters in Swinton, Greater Manchester and an office in north London, manages property certificates for single and multiple residential sites, including those for gas and electrical safety, boiler servicing, PAT testing and energy performance.

Its cloud-based platform is a one-stop shop which manages bookings for inspections and arranges for service providers to carry them out.

The recruitment drive for service providers follows continued strong growth for Symple, which now has a portfolio of 5,000 properties.
The company has also earmarked £600,000 for a software upgrade as it launches new services such as repairs and maintenance, taking the total investment in technology since its inception to £1.3m.

Founder and chief executive Simon Dresdner said: “Symple has seen continuous strong growth and now we are delighted to announce further significant investment across the business in line with our rapid expansion.
“We need to recruit 1,000 additional service providers to meet increasing demand and ensure inspections are picked up and completed quickly in all areas of the country.
“Our system is based on an Uber model, whereby service providers receive a text message or email about an inspection which has been booked with us, and can then respond if they are in the area and wish to attend.

“Our ease of operation, straightforward administrative process and prompt payment means it’s a very appealing proposition for those looking for an additional source of revenue.
“There is no sign-on fee, and contractors are free to make their own decisions about whether or not to carry out an inspection when it is notified to them.
“They love the model because they know exactly what they will be paid when they see the job come up, and that they will receive payment within seven days directly into their bank account.

“We support them throughout the process, ensuring they have all the information they need to get the job done quickly, with no need to raise invoices.”
He added: “Landlords, agents and homeowners also love the platform because it’s a one-click order system, there is no registration fee, and Symple manages the entire renewal process for certifications, including sending reminders when they are due and arranging inspections with key holders and service providers.

“We have a long list of services which they require, such as repairs and maintenance, cleaning, pest control and property valuations, which we are looking to add in the future.
“As the platform develops, it will be one that landlords will rely on to take care of any property-related service they need.

“To facilitate this expansion, we are developing our technology with a further investment of £600,000 as we increase the number of properties and contractors, and roll out new services to a growing client base.”

Symple is part of Kingsbury Holdings, the parent company of several service providers in the property and facilities management sectors.

The Kingsbury group includes Merco Facilities Services, a commercial cleaning business, and FCS Management Services, a business rates management company.