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The British Business Bank is expanding its geographically-focused initiatives and will be committing £2.6bn of capital to to support entrepreneurs wherever and whoever they are to access capital, driving the growth of smaller businesses across the UK's Nations and regions, including high-growth innovation clusters across the country. Of this increase, £350m has been allocated to two new Nations and Regions Investment Funds in the East of England and South East, expanding targeted finance to every UK Nation and region outside London. The South East Investment Fund designed to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses in the South East is on course to be launched in summer 2026. The South East Investment Fund will offer a range of commercial finance options with loans from £25,000 to £2m and equity investment of up to £5m. The fund will address regional finance gaps outsid...
The British Business Bank is expanding its geographically-focused initiatives and will be committing £2.6bn of capital to to support entrepreneurs wherever and whoever they are to access capital, driving the growth of smaller businesses across the UK's Nations and regions, including high-growth innovation clusters across the country. Of this increase, £350m has been allocated to two new Nations and Regions Investment Funds in the East of England and South East, expanding targeted finance to every UK Nation and region outside London. The East of England Investment Fund designed to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses in the East of England is on course to be launched in summer 2026. The East of England Investment Fund will offer a range of commercial finance options with loans from £25,000 to £2m and equity investment of up to £5m. The fund will address regional fina...
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will build on the success of the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and will deliver a £660 million commitment of new funding to smaller businesses. The fund which now includes the whole of the North East aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the North of England. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II offers a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans and debt finance from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of the North, including rural, coastal and urban areas. It is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses across the North of England, providing funds to businesses that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break...
The Investment Fund for Wales will deliver a £130 million commitment of new funding to the country. The fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across Wales. The Investment Fund for Wales offers a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans from £25,000 to £100,000, debt finance from £100,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of Wales, including rural, coastal and urban areas. It is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses across Wales, providing funds to businesses that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.
The Investment Fund for Scotland will deliver a £150 million commitment of new funding to the country. The fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across Scotland. The Investment Fund for Scotland offers a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans and debt finance from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of Scotland, including rural, coastal and urban areas. It is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses across Scotland, providing funds to businesses that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.
The Investment Fund for Northern Ireland will deliver around £100 million commitment of new funding to smaller businesses. The fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across Northern Ireland. The Investment Fund for Northern Ireland offers two different commercial finance options of loans ranging from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investments up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of Northern Ireland, including rural, coastal and urban areas. It is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses across Northern Ireland, providing funds to businesses that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.
The South West Investment Fund will deliver a £200 million commitment of new funding to smaller businesses. The fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the South West. The South West Investment Fund offers a range of commercial finance options with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The new fund covers the entire South West region including Bristol, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. It is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for South West smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.
Future Fund: Breakthrough is a £425m UK-wide programme which encourages private investors to co-invest in high-growth, innovative firms. The programme makes equity co-investments with private sector investors in growth stage Research & Development (R&D) intensive British companies operating in breakthrough technology sectors. The minimum total investment round size is £20m. The maximum Future Fund: Breakthrough share of an investment round is 30%. It is a separate programme to the now closed Future Fund that provided convertible loans, valued up to £5m, to a broad range of innovative companies to address the funding challenges caused by Covid-19. Potential sponsor investors and companies can find more information, including eligibility criteria and the application form. If you have any queries please contact [email protected]
The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II will deliver £400 million of new funding to small and medium-sized businesses across the Midlands. The fund aims to build on the success of the first Midlands Engine Investment Fund and will drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating opportunities for new and growing businesses in the Midlands. The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II offers a range of commercial finance options with debt finance from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of Midlands, including the West Midlands, East Midlands and South East Midlands. The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses across the Midlands, providing funds to businesses that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in...
The UK government was one of the early investors in debt funds, providing capital to qualified alternative lenders in the aftermath of the financial crisis at a time when the major banks had scaled back lending. Since then we have closely monitored the growth and performance of the resulting portfolio of loans which has been successful in producing both a steady yield and significant capital repayments at a level above our original forecasts. As liquidity has returned to the mid-cap market, we have focused our efforts on supporting established as well as emerging managers raising funds that lend to smaller, generally higher growth, companies with revenues of up to £100 million. These funds are run by experienced management teams that use a range of debt instruments, including senior loans, unitranche facilities, mezzanine capital and venture debt, that provide funding solutions for a...
Start Up Loans Start or grow your own business Borrow up to £25,000 Fixed interest rate of 7.5% per year Repay the loan over a term of 1-5 years 12 months of free mentoring Government-backed Apply for funding now for a Start Up Loan Learn more about the loan Am I eligible? If you're starting a new business or been trading less than 60 months, you've met the first criteria for securing funding. Check the other criteria to ensure you're eligible before applying. Our loan repayment calculator is designed to help you work out what your total and monthly repayments for your Start Up Loan will be, based on the loan term and amount you choose. We offer all of our first Start Up Loan recipients 12 months of free business mentoring. You also get support with writing business plans and cash flow forecasts and a range of useful templates and how-to guides. Over 100,000 business ideas supported w...
The Long-term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative aims to establish new funds or investment structures to crowd in UK institutional investment, particularly Defined Contribution (DC) pension funds, to support the growth and ambitions of the UK's most innovative science and technology companies. Following a call for proposals, the British Business Bank announced in November 2024 that it had completed a £250m investment into Schroders Capital's new LTAF that is accessible to pension funds and other institutional investors. The investment was matched by £250m of pension investment from Phoenix Group, the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business, creating a £500m investment vehicle which is projected to grow to over £1bn in the coming years. The LTAF offers defined contribution and other institutional investors the opportunity to participate in the growt...
The British Business Bank's Community ENABLE Funding (CEF) Programme is here to help social impact 'not for profit' lenders - like Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) - access more funding and reduce financial constraints. This means they can better support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially those in underserved communities, by increasing the availability of finance. To qualify, businesses need to show they are financially stable and meet the lender's criteria. This includes the requirements of the Growth Guarantee Scheme, which applies to loans funded through CEF The Community ENABLE Fund, and the Growth Guarantee Scheme is managed by the British Business Bank on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. British Business Bank plc is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. It is not authorised or regulated by the PRA or the FC...
On 12 July 2026, the Chancellor announced a significant increase in capacity for the Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS) as part of a package of further measures to support smaller businesses. Included in the package is an increase for GGS, unlocking a further £6.5bn of market lending over the next four years. This will help an estimated 33,000 businesses across all Nations and regions of the UK to access the finance they need to invest and grow. The Chancellor has also announced that GGS will offer greater flexibility to support facility terms up to ten years for Term Loans and Asset Finance. In addition, annual turnover eligibility will increase from £45m to £54m, supporting a broader range of scaling and high-potential smaller businesses. The British Business Bank is working with accredited lenders to operationalise these enhancements and make this extra capacity available in line with t...
Through our continued engagement with the market, we have developed a strong understanding of the dynamics impacting asset finance providers, invoice finance providers and alternative lenders. As a result, we structure and deliver capital solutions directly to qualified market participants to help address the capital constraints faced by these partners. This has enabled them to on-lend in greater volume to a large number of smaller businesses throughout the country. Such lenders provide important sources of funding for smaller businesses in the UK. Through providing senior and unitranche debt funding, we have enabled finance providers to accelerate the growth of their lending books in a prudent and capital-efficient way. We have provided Tier 2 capital to challenger banks, and our support provides a valuable addition to a challenger bank's regulatory capital base and can be drawn upon...
The Managed Funds Programme, part of the Government's response to the Patient Capital Review, helps address the UK's patient capital funding gap. Historically, UK institutional investors have allocated less to the venture capital asset class compared with US counterparts. In 2018, BBB launched the £550 million programme, to run alongside the UK Innovation Investment Fund, seeking to draw in institutional capital to the UK's venture and growth capital markets. The programme makes cornerstone investments in a number of large-scale, private sector managed funds of funds that invest in venture and growth capital funds backing innovative, high-growth businesses. Our Managed Funds programme will seek to draw in institutional capital to the UK's venture and growth capital markets.
The British Business Bank is the largest domestic backer of Venture Capital funds in the UK. Established in 2006, the Enterprise Capital Funds programme helps those looking to operate in the UK market to raise venture capital funds specifically targeting early-stage small businesses believed to have long-term growth potential. The programme's primary objective is to address the 'equity gap' by increasing the availability of early-stage equity finance to high potential UK companies. The ECF programme has been running successfully since 2005. Original approval for the programme was granted by the European Commission and extended by a further 10 years in 2014 to 2024. Following the exit of the UK from the EU, the ECF Programme now runs under the UK Subsidy Control Act. A budget of £1bn was provided to the programme in 2017 and on average investment is made into 3-4 funds a year with a to...
The National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF, en-sif) is the UK Government's corporate venturing arm for pioneering dual-use technologies. It was established as a joint initiative between the Government and the British Business Bank. NSSIF enables the UK National Security and Defence (NS&D) community to adopt the most innovative technology from the market at scale and pace, to help protect the UK's security and prosperity. NSSIF invests commercially, alongside other investors, in innovative start-ups, whose advanced dual-use technologies have potential applications both in the private sector and in the NS&D community. This is done through direct investments where there is a strong strategic case, and investment into aligned venture capital funds. NSSIF forms long-term partnerships with industry and venture capital with a particular focus on: NSSIF also funds research & devel...
The Regional Angels Programme helps reduce regional imbalances in access to early stage equity finance for smaller businesses across the UK. The programme seeks to increase the aggregate amount of early stage equity capital that is available to smaller businesses with high growth potential across the UK. It aims to raise the profile and professionalism of angel investment activity and to attract further third-party capital alongside business angels while generating a market rate of return. In addition to investing alongside its angel partners, the programme may make direct investments into high performing companies with strong disruption potential, supporting Series A rounds and beyond. At Spending Review 2021, the government announced a further £150 million of funding over three years for the Regional Angels Programme, bringing total programme capital to £285m.
Learn more about the opportunities available for first-time fund managers and how to get involved with our webinar recap. Investor Pathways Capital is a £400 million initiative from the British Business Bank to support talented, early-stage investors from a wide range of backgrounds to launch their first venture capital ("VC") funds and build their investment track records. Access to venture capital remains a key factor in driving innovation and scaling high-growth businesses. Investor Pathways Capital seeks to unlock this potential by reducing the barriers to entry for first-time fund managers and encouraging more talented investors across the UK to start venture funds. The annual value of the UK equity market could be boosted by 13% if the unmet demand for equity investment from female and ethnic-minority-led businesses was sufficiently funded. Read footnote text 1 As part of our on...
Our Growth Equity portfolio makes commitments to UK private equity funds investing in smaller companies with a preference for those with a strong regional focus. We are open to investing in both minority and majority equity control strategies that will typically invest between £5m and £50m in each company. The Bank has invested in these types of funds since 2015, to support growth-focused companies that are looking to scale. There is limited awareness from institutional investors of this asset class and so our capital is catalytic in supporting new funds achieving a first close. We consider that the returns from this asset class are highly attractive. We invest on a fully commercial basis. Applicants must have a demonstrable track record and an experienced team. The British Business Bank invest across all sectors however, we do invest in thematic strategies and have a preference for s...
SVL-SME Fund (Neev II Fund), the successor fund of Neev I, announced its Initial Closing in June 2021 and seeks to provide growth and capital expansion to SMEs offering solutions for clean energy, electric vehicles, efficient use of raw materials, and water and circular economy projects in the country. The SME space is one of the largest employment generators in India, and has the ability to generate a multiplier effect in terms of increased standards of living, better livelihoods and access to clean energy to large sections of society is tremendously high.
We seek venture and venture growth opportunities with a UK focus. We look to build long-term relationships with best-in-class fund managers, and, via our co-investment strategy, invest directly alongside our fund managers in the most promising later-stage UK companies in our underlying portfolio. Through our fund investments we enable the best managers to execute their planned strategy more effectively, and often to a greater scale. We achieve this by making a cornerstone commitment to enable a first close, or by boosting a fund to achieve optimal size. While we invest in both venture and venture growth funds, our focus is on the venture growth stage. We will continue to make some investments to funds focused at the earlier stage, but these are to help build a pipeline of later-stage investment opportunities. We invest on a fully commercial basis to maximise returns and manage risk -...
The Angel CoFund makes equity investments of between £100,000 and £1 million in smaller businesses in the UK. It invests alongside strong syndicates of business angels to support businesses with strong growth potential. Through these equity investments the Angel CoFund also acts as a catalyst to better practice and increased long-term capital in the UK angel market, and as a stepping stone to wider and later-stage venture capital (supported by our Enterprise Capital Funds and VC Catalyst Fund programmes). Investment is subject to an upper limit of 49% of an investment round and 30% of the equity in a business, although investments are usually less than this. If you are a business seeking investment, you should first secure the interest of a business angel syndicate or network, as you can't approach this fund directly. You can find more information on business angels, syndicates and ne...
The Life Sciences Investment Programme (LSIP) is a £200m initiative managed by British Business Bank designed to address the growth equity finance gap faced by high-potential UK life sciences companies. This is expected to attract at least a further £400m of private investment. Through LSIP, we make cornerstone commitments to later stage life sciences venture growth funds with a strong UK focus, typically investing between £50m and £100m in each successful fund. For further information please see our Request for Proposals. Learn why your business needs an effective communications strategy and how to build one with our handy guide.
Tuninvest Innovation Sicar is a regional, multi-sector fund managed by Tuninvest-Africinvest Group. The fund focuses on large SMEs with annual sales in the range of EUR 3m to EUR 20m. Its investments include innovative companies (e-business, technical advisory, IT, and specialty chemicals) and the broader knowledge economy.
