In February 2016, Chancellor George Osborne stated that the UK’s high-growth businesses “are leading the charge in rebuilding the country’s economy”. It was clear recognition of the vital role SMEs are playing in Britain’s return to economic prosperity. Accounting for 99.3% of all private businesses, SMEs generated revenue of over £1.8 trillion in 2015 – this is 47% of the UK’s total private sector turnover. Supporting Osborne’s previous statement that SMEs are now “the backbone of the British economy”, they also represent the largest source of employment, hiring over 15.6 million people, or 60% of Britain’s total private sector workforce.
However, the UK’s SMEs cannot thrive without access to funding. IW Capital launched in 2011 to facilitate private investment into Britain’s growing community of scale-up businesses. With 40 years’ collective experience, our private equity team has helped secure growth capital for the likes of BorrowMyDoggy, WeSwap and Brewhouse & Kitchen, among many others.
In order to share the expertise we have developed and help inform our clients’ investment strategy, we are proud to announce the launch of the SME Heatmap: Sectors and Cities that Scale – a motion infographic profiling the regions, cities and industries driving the next ten years of SME investment.
This interactive map reveals a series of unique insights into how small and medium-sized firms are driving change within these high-growth sectors. Moreover, the SME Heatmap, which will be regularly updated to reflect developments in Britain’s private sector, profiles the cities across the length and breadth of the British Isles that are providing the infrastructure to support this very progression.
To view the SME Heatmap: Sector and Cities that Scale, click here.
This unique project forms part of IW Capital’s Race to Scale initiative – a £100 million funding drive dedicated solely to Britain’s scaling businesses. Launched in partnership with Crowdfinders, UKBAA, Seedrs, SyndicateRoom, Smith & Williamson, Envestors, Crowdcube, and international crowdfunding partner Invesdor – the nationwide call for SME entries is now live.
Race to Scale shines the spotlight on promising businesses in need of growth finance. Through events held by our sister company Crowdfinders and in-depth research projects such as the SME Heatmap, the Race to Scale initiative aims to build stronger links between investors and high-growth companies, a vital relationship that must flourish if Britain’s SME-reliant private sector is to reach its full potential.
To find out more about Race to Scale or to submit your business funding proposal today, click here.