Regional private equity and real assets manager Foresight Group has a “strong pipeline” of opportunities in Wales for 2026 after an encouraging start to the year.
Phil Sampson, Principal of the Investment Fund for Wales, said there was growing interest from SMEs looking at private equity for growth. It comes after three investments in the last few months by the £130 million Fund from the British Business Bank, which is managed by Foresight.
Recent deals include Play Revolution in North Wales, Advantiv with a £3.5 million investment, and a £2.5 million investment in fast-growing Cardiff-based agri-tech company Bloemteknik.
Together, these transactions demonstrate the breadth of Foresight's investment approach, spanning early-stage and growth capital through to opportunities that include partial cash-out for owners and management succession planning, the firm said. It can support businesses from various Foresight-managed Funds with investment sizes ranging up to £30 million, backing companies through multiple stages of growth.
Phil, who joined Foresight's private equity team in autumn 2025, said:
“These three deals are significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, they show that in Wales we have some first-class ambitious companies who are making an impression in their respective markets.
“Secondly, they also represent the diversity of our economy. In addition to these investments in manufacturing, industrial services and agri-tech, our pipeline includes companies throughout Wales, reflecting many of the high growth sectors identified by the UK Government, such as advanced manufacturing and deep-tech.
“Finally, these deals demonstrate our flexible approach, as we can do deals like Advantiv and Play Revolution, where there is both funding for growth capital with a planned succession element enabling the shareholders to realise some value from the business. Bloemteknik meanwhile shows that we can also invest in much younger businesses too. Since its launch in 2023, the company has scaled rapidly and is now rolling-out a pioneering technology. There are few players in the UK private equity market with the same depth of experience and enthusiasm for investing across such a wide range of deal stages.”
Although the wider macro-economic picture has been challenging for some time, Phil is confident of the investment opportunities in Wales.
He said:
“Whilst it's still not an easy environment with a lot of risk factors potentially impacting valuations, which naturally breeds caution, we are in great shape and have significant funds to invest in Welsh businesses. These recent deals have given us momentum and we have a strong pipeline for the rest of the year.”
Bethan Bannister, Senior Investment Manager, Nations and Regions Investment Funds at the British Business Bank, said:
“It's very encouraging to see the strong start the Investment Fund for Wales has made to 2026, with a growing number of high-quality businesses accessing the finance they need to scale and succeed. These recent investments highlight both the diversity of opportunities and the strength of the pipeline continuing to be built.
“Foresight's progress in deploying the Fund to date is a positive reflection of how the programme is gaining traction on the ground, and it's clear there is strong demand from Welsh businesses for flexible, growth-focused capital. We're pleased to see this momentum building and look forward to supporting even more businesses across Wales in the months ahead.”
