Launched in 2011 with £2.5bn in funding from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS and Standard Chartered, the BGF typically invests between £2m and £10m into growing UK businesses for a minority equity stake.
Notable investments in January included participation in a £4.5m funding round for Sutton Coldfield-based software firm Castleton Technology and a multi-million pound investment into Cheshire-based bath and beauty brand Grace Cole.
January also saw BGF’s sixth exit to date from plastic and pulp packaging manufacturer Plastique, which it sold to Illinois-based packaging company TEQ.
In 2015, BGF launched BGF Ventures; a £200m fund for UK technology start-ups headed up by former LOVEFiLM boss Simon Calver. The fund has made three investments since launch, including a $30m funding round for London-based cloud technology specialist NewVoiceMedia.
BGF expects to make up to 50 investments in 2016 and will target both private and AIM-listed companies with revenues of between £5m and £10m that have valuable intellectual property.
