Growth Lending has signalled its commitment to supporting the South West’s SMEs with the expansion of its Bristol-based deal-sourcing team and a new office at Clockwise, Finzels Reach. The move places the team at the heart of one of the South West’s most vibrant business hubs and enables closer collaboration with the region’s thriving business community.
The move follows Growth Lending’s recent announcement of a £1 billion funding partnership with Aros Kapital, a leading provider of structured capital solutions. This partnership empowers Growth Lending to deploy loans from £2 million to £10 million over the next five years, providing critical growth capital to SMEs across a variety of sectors, including technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), healthcare and professional services.
At a time when many businesses in the region are seeking financial support to scale their operations, the launch of an initial £200m fund, combined with a strengthened South West team is good news for innovation and growth. Head of the South West region, Chris Mears, is now joined by Johan van der Walt, who takes on the role of Debt Finance Director. Johan has been with the Growth Lending team since 2018, working across multiple funding products and portfolio management, but will now focus on structuring and executing deals across Bristol and the South West.
Chris Mears, Regional Head at Growth Lending, said:
“The launch of the new fund has already enabled us to provide transformative support to innovative businesses across the UK, empowering them to scale and make a meaningful impact in their respective industries.
“The addition of Johan to the South West deal-sourcing team enables us to strengthen our relationships in the region and have a positive impact on the businesses that operate here – many of which are exciting, fast-growing and in need of funding support so they can thrive.”
Reflecting on the new role Johan said:
“Having worked closely with businesses in the Growth Lending portfolio as they experience a transformative growth phase, I am able to approach my new role from a slightly different angle. I am excited to bring this knowledge and experience to the front office team and have a positive impact by helping more businesses access funding in Bristol and the wider South West region.
“At Growth Lending we spend the time needed to understand a business thoroughly, so our funding is appropriately tailored to the unique needs of each individual business – something that other lenders are often unable to do. I believe we are well-positioned to support many exciting businesses by taking a future-focused approach and I look forward to meeting some of these in the weeks and months ahead.”
Since the close of the initial £200m fund from the Aros Kapital partnership, Growth Lending has already deployed more than £55 million across 10 deals, continuing its strong track record of empowering SMEs in sectors such as professional services, technology and healthcare. The combination of the new Bristol office, expanded team and the substantial funding partnership highlights Growth Lending’s commitment to supporting the South West’s vibrant SME ecosystem and driving economic growth across the region.
For more information, visit https://growthlending.com/