Midlands

As appointed Fund Manager to the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, we invest up to £2 million into growing smaller companies - predominantly in the East and South East Midlands.

By partnering with promising smaller companies, we’re helping to realise the region’s potential through economic growth and job creation.

With offices in Nottingham, our team is deeply embedded in the region, providing expert, hands-on support. Across the Midlands, we had two dedicated funds.

In November 2025, we won Early-stage Investment Team of the Year at the East Midlands Rainmaker Awards.

£47m

Invested since 2018

560+

Jobs created

Companies in our portfolio

Exits

Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF)

What is MEIF?

MEIF is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, European Investment Bank, UK government and Local Enterprise Partnerships. The initiative was launched by the government-owned British Business Bank, in collaboration with ten LEPs in the Midlands. MEIF provided a total of over £250 million of equity and loans to boost small and medium business growth in the Midlands. It is a key part of the government’s vision aimed at boosting the region’s economy and supporting the growth of smaller businesses.

The four local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) we are working across:

Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (D2N2 LEP)

Greater Lincolnshire (Greater Lincolnshire LEP)

Leicester and Leicestershire (The Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership)

South East Midlands (SEMLEP)

Foresight Nottingham Fund

What is Foresight Nottingham Fund?

This £39 million Foresight Nottingham Fund was dedicated to supporting smaller companies throughout Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Key investors included Capital for Enterprise, Nottingham City Council Pension Fund and Nottinghamshire County Council Pension Fund. It was also partly backed by the British Business Bank.

Highlights from portfolio companies

Award-winning portfolio companies include data centre cooling solutions provider Ekkosense, who is helping reduce CO2 emissions and won the ‘Special Contribution to Improving Energy Efficiency’ category at the Data Centre World Awards 2023.

We exited 200 Degrees Coffee to Caffé Nero in 2024. During our investment period, the coffee brand grew from 6 to 21 sites across the Midlands, Yorkshire and the North West and created more than 180 jobs. We were awarded for Exit of the Year at the 2025 East Midlands Rainmakers.