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LDC [2022]
Finance and Risk Capital
Impact for scaleups
56
UK companies backed
80%
Investments outside of London
26
Growth-stage investments
Key sectors
LDC is the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group and has been an active investor in UK companies since 1981, during which time it has supported over 650 management teams and invested more than £5.5bn in mid-sized businesses.
It backs management teams from UK-based medium sized companies seeking up to £100m of investment to fund management buyouts or development capital transactions. Its initial investments are between £10m and £50m and it looks to invest £400m per annum. Its investment criteria are that a company must demonstrate minimum revenues of £5m with profits of £1m and a two-year profits history.
The firm invests solely in UK companies and has 12 locations in the UK. It is accelerating its investment activity from 2022, with a pledge to back at least 100 new mid-market companies over the next five years.
Notable scaleups in its portfolio include Southampton-based equestrian brand LeMieux, Northampton-based e-commerce fulfilment company James & James, and programmatic advertising platform Blis.
In the period between January 2015 to June 2022, it invested in 54 companies whose average turnover was £28.6m and average employee count was 189.
Portfolio companies are provided with sector-specific guidance, access to an executive network, and peer network opportunities with other portfolio companies. A value creation team of experts is available to help identify particular pressure points and new growth opportunities, supporting management teams with projects from sales effectiveness, to digital marketing, procurement and operations.
It publishes an annual list of the 50 most ambitious business leaders which is now in its fifth year, celebrating “the leaders behind some of the UK’s most exciting mid-sized firms,” and has recently expanded and extended its partnership with The Prince’s Trust.
