Vision 2024 celebrates the best teams of 2023 backed by private equity and venture capital, awarding portfolio companies and their investors.
These annual awards take into account growth, competitiveness, innovation, ESG and the challenges of the year, with a focus on the future and the sustainability of the business as well as past performance.
Vision 2024 is an evolution of our Management Team Awards, which existed for over a decade, and briefly evolved into 'Adapting with Purpose' in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Supported by our headline sponsor Grant Thornton and supporting sponsor Santander, our initiative applauds the extraordinary companies that show vision, and the lasting value that the investment and support of their investors brought in 2023.
Award process
The themes for recognition include:
- How companies remained competitive
- How growth was achieved
- Demonstrable innovation or agility
- ESG commitment and progress
Each business will be awarded for its work across all four of the recognition themes, flagging distinct areas in which each company has excelled. This initiative will compile the stories that cast a spotlight on those management teams who have shone and deserve to be rewarded with the highest acknowledgement.
Companies recognised with awards will be announced at the BVCA’s National Dinners and Main Summit Conference, with the final national list announced at the Gala Dinner in November 2024. This list will consist of 15 companies, including four receiving a national award.
Management teams will have the opportunity to share their work and recognition with supporting marketing assets provided by the BVCA. Awards will be received by companies at different investment stages: early-stage, scale-up, medium and large.
The period judged is the 2023 calendar year and we are looking for the impact of investment and hands-on involvement coming to fruition. Investment is therefore very likely to have been received in the years prior to 2023.
Submissions for Vision 2024 closed on 12 September 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Denise Typl, Senior Manager, Industry Development, Membership on [email protected].
Headline Sponsor
Supporting Sponsor
2024 Winners
Wales & South West
Vision 2024 winners from Wales & South West were announced at the BVCA Summit in London on 12 September 2024.
The recognised firms:
- Avantis (backed by Development Bank of Wales)
- Hybrid (backed by LDC)
- Bud Systems (backed by Maven Capital - marked as ‘One to watch’)
- Knovia (backed by Sovereign Capital Partners - marked as ‘One to watch’)
You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
London & South East
Vision 2024 winners from London & South East were announced at the BVCA Summit in London on 12 September 2024.
The recognised firms:
- Eque2 (backed by WestBridge)
- First Mile (backed by Growth Capital Partners)
- Techex (backed by WestBridge)
- Vivup (backed by Omni Partners)
- StarTraq (backed by August Equity - marked as ‘One to watch’)
You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
North West & North East
Vision 2024 winners from the North West & North East were announced at the North England Dinner in Manchester on 4 July 2024.
The recognised firms:
- Cocogreen (backed by Circularity Capital LLP)
- DTM (backed by Palatine)
- NRG Riverside (backed by Palatine)
- Protein Works (backed by YFM Equity Partners)
- Wireless CCTV (backed by LDC)
You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
Northern Ireland
Vision 2024 winners from Northern Ireland were announced at the Northern Ireland Dinner in Belfast on 27 June 2024.
The recognised firms:
- MetaCompliance (backed by Tenzing)
- Neurovalens (backed by IQ Capital - marked as ‘One to watch’)
- Sensoteq (backed by Maven Capital Partners - marked as ‘One to watch’)
You can read more about the recognised business and 'ones to watch' in our dedicated awards booklet below.
Midlands & East
Vision 2024 winners from the Midlands & East were announced at the Midlands Dinner in Birmingham on 19 June 2024.
The recognised firms:
- Altia (backed by NorthEdge)
- Encore (backed by Queen's Park Equity)
You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
Vision 2023: All Recognised Companies
Learn more about all the recognised companies and national winners awarded as part of the BVCA's 2023 Vision: Leaders Driving Growth initiative.
Your Submission
Vision 2024 is supported by Grant Thornton and Santander. The BVCA will invite selected nominees to interview with Grant Thornton and Santander, who will then compile information for the judging process. When making your nomination please therefore be prepared to introduce Grant Thornton and Santander to the investee company at a later stage.
The period judged is calendar year 2023 and we are looking for the impact of investment and hands-on involvement coming to fruition. Investment is therefore very likely to have been received in the years prior to 2023.
Awards were announced at the following BVCA events:
- Midlands Dinner (Birmingham) 19 June 2024
- Northern Ireland Dinner (Belfast) 27 June 2024
- North England Dinner (Manchester) 4 July 2024
- Summit Main Conference (London) 12 September 2024
- Scotland Dinner (Edinburgh) 13 November 2024
- Gala Dinner (London) 4 December 2024
Submission deadlines:
- 26 April 2024: Midlands & East
Presented at our Midland Dinner in Birmingham on 19 June 2024. - 03 May 2024: North West, North East
Presented at our North England Dinner in Manchester on 4 July 2024. - 10 May 2024: Northern Ireland
Presented at our Northern Ireland Dinner in Belfast on 27 June 2024. - 28 June 2024: Wales & South West, London & South East
Presented at the Main Summit Conference in London on 12 September 2024. - 12 September 2024: Scotland
Presented at our Scotland Dinner in London on 13 November 2024.
Nominations for Vision 2024 closed on 12 September 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Denise Typl, Senior Manager, Industry Deveopment, Membership on [email protected].
Recognition Themes
Nominees will be asked to provide information regarding the value their investment and hands-on involvement brought in 2023 to the following themes and criteria, where relevant.
Competitiveness (how companies remained competitive):
- Pricing
- USP / Unique offering
- Business model, including flexibility and/or resilience
- Competitive advantage
Growth (how companies achieved growth):
- Growth by acquisition
- International growth
- Domestic regional growth
- Follow-on investment
- Value creation
Innovation & Agility (demonstrable innovation or agility):
- Product/service diversification
- Talent pool and succession
ESG (ESG commitment and progress):
- Carbon reduction / Path to Net Zero
- Social: people and community
- Social: diversity and inclusion
- Impact Investment
- Governance
Nominations for Vision 2024 closed on 12 September 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Denise Typl, Senior Manager, Industry Deveopment, Membership on [email protected].
Judging Panel
The judging panel for Vision 2024 comprised of:
Chair
- Jan Rutherford, Partner, Scottish Equity Partners
Judges
- Rhian Elston, Wales Investment Director, Development Bank of Wales
- Beth Houghton, Impact Managing Partner, Palatine
- Matthew Jacobs, Partner, Livingbridge
- Matt Legg, Partner, Bridgepoint
- Sean Longsdale, Managing Director, Structured Finance, Santander
- Ewan MacKinnon, Partner, Maven Capital Partners
- James Marshall, Investment Director, LDC
- Mo Merali, Partner, Head of Deals & Business Consulting, Grant Thornton
- Andrew Priest, Partner, Inflexion
2024 Winning Companies
Midlands & East Winners
The recognised firms:
- Altia (backed by NorthEdge)
- Encore (backed by Queen's Park Equity)
Representatives from each of the winning companies received a trophy at our Midlands & East Dinner in Birmingham on 19 June 2024. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
Northern Ireland Winners
The recognised firms:
- MetaCompliance (backed by Tenzing)
- Neurovalens (backed by IQ Capital - marked as ‘One to watch’)
- Sensoteq (backed by Maven Capital Partners - marked as ‘One to watch’)
Representatives from the winning company received a trophy at our Northern Ireland Dinner in Belfast on 27 June 2024. You can read more about the recognised business and 'ones to watch' in our dedicated awards booklet below.
North West & North East Winners
The recognised firms:
- Cocogreen (backed by Circularity Capital LLP)
- DTM (backed by Palatine)
- NRG Riverside (backed by Palatine)
- Protein Works (backed by YFM Equity Partners)
- Wireless CCTV (backed by LDC)
Representatives from the winning companies received a trophy at our North England Dinner in Manchester on 4 July 2024. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
Wales & South West Winners
The recognised firms:
- Avantis (backed by Development Bank of Wales)
- Hybrid (backed by LDC)
- Bud Systems (backed by Maven Capital - marked as ‘One to watch’)
- Knovia (backed by Sovereign Capital Partners - marked as ‘One to watch’)
Representatives from the winning companies received a trophy at the BVCA Summit in London on 12 September 2024. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
London & South East Winners
The recognised firms:
- Eque2 (backed by WestBridge)
- First Mile (backed by Growth Capital Partners)
- Techex (backed by WestBridge)
- Vivup (backed by Omni Partners)
- StarTraq (backed by August Equity - marked as ‘One to watch’)
Representatives from the winning companies received a trophy at the BVCA Summit in London on 12 September 2024. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
2023 Winning Companies
Yorkshire and the North East Winners
The recognised firms:
- Crisp, a Kroll business (backed by Baird Capital)
- Cutwel (backed by NorthEdge)
- iamproperty (backed by LDC)
- Panintelligence (backed by YFM Equity Partners - marked as ‘One to watch’)
Representatives from each of the winning companies received a trophy at our Yorkshire and North East Dinner in Leeds on 11 May 2023. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
Northern Ireland Winner
The recognised firm:
- Bob & Berts (backed by BGF)
Representatives from the winning company received a trophy at our Northern Ireland Dinner in Belfast on 29 June 2023. You can read more about the recognised business in our dedicated awards booklet below.
North West, Midlands & East Winners
The recognised firms:
- APEM Group (backed by WestBridge)
- Upperton (backed by Inflexion)
- Findel (backed by Endless)
- Precision Micro (backed by LDC)
- Back 2 Work Group (backed by Palatine - marked as ‘One to watch’)
Representatives from each of the winning companies received a trophy at our North England Dinner in Manchester on 7 September 2023. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
Scotland Winner
The recognised firm:
- Liftango (backed by Maven Capital Partners)
Representatives from the winning company received a trophy at our Scotland Dinner in Edinburgh on 1 November 2023. You can read more about the recognised business in our dedicated awards booklet below.
London & South East Winners
The recognised firms:
- Focus Group (backed by Bowmark Capital)
- loveholidays (backed by Livingbridge)
- Matrix (backed by Bridgepoint)
- Medik8 (backed by Inflexion)
- Times Higher Education (backed by Inflexion)
- Bridewell (backed by Growth Capital Partners - Marked as 'One to watch')
- Kubrick Group (backed by Bowmark Capital - Marked as 'One to watch')
Representatives from each of the winning companies received a trophy at our Gala Dinner in London on 22 November 2023. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated awards booklet below.
National Winners
The recognised firms:
- Early stage: Liftango (backed by Maven Capital Partners)
- Scale-up: Crisp, a Kroll Business (Previously backed by Baird Capital)
- Medium: Times Higher Education (backed by Inflexion)
- Large: loveholidays (backed by Livingbridge)
Representatives from each of the companies receiving a National Award received a trophy at our Gala Dinner in London on 22 November 2023. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated booklet below, or in our video here.
2022 Winning Companies
Yorkshire and the North East
The recognised firms:
- Faradion (previously backed by Mercia Asset Management)
- iamproperty (backed by LDC)
- Rosemont Pharmaceuticals (backed by Inflexion Private Equity)
Representatives from each of the recognised companies received a trophy at our Yorkshire and North East Dinner in Leeds on 19 May 2022. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated booklet below.
South England & Wales
The recognised firms:
- Delio (backed by Maven Capital Partners)
- Health & Her (backed by the Development Bank of Wales)
Representatives from each of the recognised companies received a trophy at our South England & Wales Dinner in Bristol on 30 June 2022. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated booklet below.
Scotland
The recognised firm:
- BioAscent (backed by Maven Capital Partners)
Representatives from BioAscent received a trophy at our Scotland Dinner in Edinburgh on 3 November 2022. You can read more about the recognised business in our dedicated booklet below.
North England
The recognised firms:
- Veincentre (backed by Palatine)
- Cloud Technology Solutions (backed by NorthEdge)
- Reconomy Group (backed by EMK Capital)
- Sterling Pharma Solutions (backed by GHO Capital)
Representatives from each of the recognised companies received a trophy at our North England Dinner in Manchester on 22 November 2022. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated booklet below.
London & South East
The recognised firms:
- AgilityEco (backed by Bridges Fund Management)
- Anthesis (backed by Palatine)
- Chambers and Partners (backed by Inflexion)
- K2 Partnering Solutions (backed by Inflexion)
- Sparta Global (backed by Inflexion)
Representatives from each of the recognised companies received a trophy at our Annual Gala Dinner in London on 1 December 2022. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated booklet below.
Special accolades
The recognised firms:
- Health & Her (backed by Development Bank of Wales)
- Faradion (Previously backed by Mercia)
- Chambers and Partners (backed by Inflexion)
- Sterling Pharma Solutions (backed by GHO Capital)
Representatives from each of the companies receiving a special accolade received a trophy at our Annual Gala Dinner in London on 1 December 2022. You can read more about the recognised businesses in our dedicated booklet below, or in our video here.
Past Insights from our Judges
