Enterprise Ventures, which specialises in providing finance for small business, is the most active private equity investor in the North West, according to new figures from Experian Corpfin.
The figures, which cover the period from January 2012 to May 2014, show that Enterprise Ventures comes in first place out of a list of 100 investors, in terms of the number of deals completed.
The Experian Corpfin figures include investments of £500,000 or above in North West businesses. They show that Enterprise Ventures completed 34 deals with a total value of £26.7m during the period – equivalent to 13% of all North West deals.
In number two slot was The North West Fund, which comprises six sub-funds of which two – The North West Fund for Venture Capital and The North West Fund for Mezzanine – are managed by Enterprise Ventures. The North West completed 22 deals in all during the period, while Lloyds TSB Development Capital came in third place with 10 deals.
Jonathan Diggines, Chief Executive of Enterprise Ventures, said: “The figures reinforce Enterprise Ventures’ position as the most active investor in the region and one of the most active in the UK. We are also one of the few which focuses on the needs of small firms.
“With bank lending still not getting through to small businesses, Enterprise Ventures is playing a key role in keeping funding lines open for small firms, which are an engine for growth and job creation within the economy.”
Enterprise Ventures has offices in Manchester, Preston, Liverpool and Barnsley, Yorkshire and manages a range of funds from both public and private investors.