• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Thursday March 20 2025

South West SME investment fund doubles to £100 million

An evergreen fund dedicated to investing into growing companies throughout the South West has doubled in size, following a cash injection from Avon Pension Fund. FTSE 250 listed private equity and infrastructure investment manager Foresight’s South West Fund was […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday February 26 2025

SWIG secures £10 million boost to help micro and small businesses

Business finance lender SWIG Finance has secured £10 million to support micro and small businesses in the South and West of England. The capital injection has been made by Bristol-based Triodos Bank and Better Society Capital through the Community […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Monday February 3 2025

BGF’s South West and Thames Valley teams invest £60 million in 2024

Bristol-based growth capital investor BGF has reported a strong year of investments across its South West, Thames Valley and South Wales offices, deploying £60 million in small and mid-sized businesses throughout 2024. The highly successful 6x MM exit of […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Tuesday January 21 2025

Doghouse expands canine couture with £100k South West Investment Fund boost

Sausage dogs will sizzle in fleecy finery this winter, courtesy of Wiltshire company Doghouse Design and a cash injection of £100,000 from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, delivered via SWIG Finance. As well as running a […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday January 8 2025

South West tech accelerator returns after helping companies raise millions

Ambitious tech companies targeting strong growth are being invited to apply to the South West of England’s only specialist accelerator programme for the whole region. Tech accelerator Growth Forge has just launched for 2025, after helping companies boost their […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday December 18 2024

Community gaming café celebrates first anniversary with support from Wiltshire Rural Hubs

The couple behind a community gaming café in Market Lavington are celebrating their first complete year in business thanks to support they’ve received from the team at Wiltshire Rural Hubs. Neil and Denise Rodwell set up their Retro Relics […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Tuesday December 17 2024

Smaller businesses backed by the Start Up Loans programme have higher survival rates finds independent evaluation

Smaller businesses backed by the government’s Start Up Loans programme have higher survival rates than other businesses, according to independent evaluation published this week. The study found 64 per cent of businesses supported by the scheme made it to […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Thursday December 5 2024

AI tools for SMEs to be discussed at Business Cyber Centre event

Wiltshire’s Business Cyber Centre will play host to a presentation on AI tools for SMEs at an event next week. During the Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub networking event, business leaders will hear from Paul Whitelock of A2Z Cloud, […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Tuesday November 26 2024

Start up loans scheme hits £100 million milestone in South West

The government-backed Start Up Loans has hit a milestone of £100 million in the South West. Since the scheme started 12 years ago, more than 10,000 businesses across the South West region have benefitted from loans. In Bristol, £8,103,698 […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday November 20 2024

£50 million private equity fund launched to support growing firms in South West

Private equity fund Foresight Group is to open an office in Bristol as it launches a £50 million fund to support growing firms in the South West. The fund will target smaller equity investments in established, promising companies with […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Friday October 4 2024

Innovative growth programme for Wiltshire SMEs launched

A fully-funded business growth programme has been launched by Wiltshire Council and delivery partner BIC Innovation. The Growth Collective is a new initiative designed to help manufacturing and production SMEs overcome growth challenges and achieve sustainable success by embracing […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday September 18 2024

Free support for business start-ups to be rolled out across Wiltshire

A programme of free support for small businesses in Wiltshire will be rolled out across the county from October. The Business Fit For Future launched in August and has already helped a variety of early-stage business owners, including a […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday August 14 2024

South West bursting with animal-focused start-ups, reveals British Business Bank

The South West has seen a boom in start-ups with animals at their heart in the last few years, according to the British Business Bank. The Bank’s Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than £90 million in loans […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday July 31 2024

Wiltshire entrepreneurs to benefit from government-backed free business support

Wiltshire entrepreneurs can benefit from government-backed free business support. The support, funded by Wiltshire Council and the UK Government, starts in August 2024 and will see a series of fully-funded workshops and seminars on offer to start-ups and aspiring […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Monday July 22 2024

South West businesses benefit from £11 million of loans in the past year

More than £11 million of loans have been given to South West businesses in the past financial year by the British Business Bank, according to figures released today (Monday). The start-up loans have been supported 874 businesses and were […]