GOVERNMENT-BACKED
Sheffield, United Kingdom
£400m British Business Bank fund for smaller businesses across the West, East and South East Midlands. Offers loans from £25,000 to £2m and equity up to £5m through five appointed fund managers, chosen by where the business is based.
Marked 'Open for applications' (checked 1 Oct 2026); press release of 2 Mar 2026 reports over £100m facilitated into 225 businesses since the 2024 launch.
Checked .
Belfast
Invest NI equity fund, managed by Clarendon Fund Managers, that co-invests alongside business angels and other private investors in Northern Ireland SMEs, usually up to 50% of a round on the same terms. It does not take direct approaches: secure a lead private investor first.
Wrexham
Welsh Government-owned lender and investor for businesses based in Wales or willing to relocate. Offers micro loans from £1,000 to £100,000, loans and equity from £50,000 to £10m, seed equity for pre-revenue tech start-ups, and property development loans.
Sheffield
£140m British Business Bank fund launched in September 2026 for smaller businesses in Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. Loans from £25,000 to £2m through Eastmeare and equity up to £5m through Mercia Ventures.
Company Signal lists funders so founders can find them. We are not a broker or a financial adviser: we do not recommend funders, pass pitches on or take any fee from them, and nothing here is an offer of finance. Each entry comes from the funder's own public pages, last checked 1 Oct 2026; amounts, terms and rates change, so check them with the funder before you apply.