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The £130m Investment Fund for Wales reaches £18 million milestone

Press release 17 June 2025

  • Fund has made 71 investments into Welsh businesses to date
  • Milestone includes an additional £3m of private sector investment unlocked by the fund

The Investment Fund for Wales (IFW) has invested more than £18m into Wales’ small businesses since its launch in late 2023.

This milestone was reached almost eighteen months after the launch of the fund, following 71 investments into 67 businesses located across Wales and includes an additional £3m of private sector co-investment which has been leveraged as a result of the IFW’s support.

The £130m fund was launched by the British Business Bank in November 2023 with the aim of driving sustainable economic growth by supporting new and growing businesses across the whole of Wales. The fund includes a range of finance options, with smaller loans from £25,000 to £100,000, delivered by fund managers BCRS; larger loans of £100,000 to £2 million, managed by fund managers FW Capital; and equity investments up to £5 million, via Foresight.

Among the Welsh businesses to recently benefit from the IFW includes a £1m equity investment into Brecon based gamified cyber security learning platform SudoCyber; a significant equity investment into pioneering Cardiff based AI start-up, Nisien.AI; and a number of debt deals, including a £100,000 investment into west Wales based Sgiliau Play Centre to facilitate opening a new site in Llanelli, and another £100,000 into Hirwaun based cake wrapper manufacturer, Chevler, which is the UK’s leading manufacturer of packaging used in the baking and sale of cakes and muffins.

Commenting on the milestone, Mark Sterritt, Investment Director at the British Business Bank, said:

It’s been almost eighteen months since the launch of the Investment Fund for Wales and during that period the fund has really gathered momentum, developing both a history and pipeline of investment deals into Welsh businesses that we are positive will enable them to realise their potential.

Additionally, the Investment Fund for Wales aims to crowd in private capital, ultimately increasing the amount and diversity of available equity finance. With this in mind we will be working hard to leverage private capital investment over the course of the fund life.

As the Investment Fund for Wales matures in the years ahead we expect to see significantly more private capital enter the Welsh investment market, as later funding rounds bring in more specialist investors

Further Information

If you are a journalist and have a media enquiry, please contact [email protected].

To find out more and apply for funding, visit: investmentfundwales.co.uk.

Notes to editors

About the Investment Fund for Wales  

The Nations and Regions Investment Funds increases the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for UK smaller businesses, providing finance to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.

Operating in a commercially sustainable way the Nations and Regions Investment Funds  delivers a £1.6bn commitment of funding through investment strategies that best meet the needs of the businesses in their nation or region.

The British Business Bank is responsible for administering the Nations and Regions Investment Funds on behalf of the UK government. We have established investment funds in areas not currently served by the Bank’s existing regional funding programme as well as launching follow-on investment funds in existing fund areas.

The £130m Investment Fund for Wales (IFW) provides a mix of debt and equity funding. IFW offers a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans from £25k to £100k, debt finance from £100k to £2m and equity investment up to £5 million. It works alongside the various support and funding organisations from Welsh Government as well as local intermediaries such as accountants, fund managers and banks, to support Wales’ smaller businesses at all stages of their development.

The funds in which the IFW invests are open to businesses with material operations, or planning to open material operations, in all areas of Wales, including but not limited to North Eastern Wales, North Western Wales, Mid Wales, South West Wales and South East Wales.

investmentfundwales.co.uk

About the British Business Bank

The British Business Bank is the UK government’s economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to drive sustainable growth and prosperity across the UK and to enable the transition to a net zero economy, by improving access to finance for smaller businesses. Its remit is to design, deliver and efficiently manage UK-wide smaller business access to finance programmes for the UK government.

The British Business Bank’s core programmes support over £17.4bn 1  of finance to almost 64,000 2  smaller businesses.

As well as increasing the supply and diversity of finance for UK smaller businesses through its programmes, the Bank works to raise awareness of finance options available to smaller businesses. The British Business Bank Finance Hub provides independent and impartial information to businesses about finance options, featuring short films, expert guides, checklists and articles from finance providers to help make their application a success.

The British Business Bank is also responsible for administering the government’s three Coronavirus loan schemes and its Future Fund, together responsible for delivering £80.4bn in finance to 1.67m businesses. These schemes are now closed to new applications.
British Business Bank plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales, registration number 08616013, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. It is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. With the exception of BBB Investment Services Limited they are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority. BBB Investment Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at british-business-bank.co.uk. 

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