Enterprise Ventures is most active North West investor

Enterprise Ventures was once again the most active funding provider in the North West in 2015, according to new figures from Experian.

The Experian figures show the Preston-based company was number one in terms of the number of deals completed, with eight investments of £500,000 or more in North West businesses during the year.

Jonathan Diggines, chief executive of Enterprise Ventures, said: “Providing funding for small and high-growth businesses is vital if the region is to build the industries of the future. As we continue to see job losses in more mature sectors, these must be constantly replenished by new and upcoming firms.

“In fact, start-up and pre-revenue businesses originally backed by Enterprise Ventures companies went on to raise £86m on AIM in 2015, which demonstrates how patience pays in the long term, when supporting small firms. Enterprise Ventures, which has a current portfolio of 375 companies, mainly in the North of England, has invested more than £110m in the last five years.