Edge £40m fund for creative industries
November 19, 2015
Edge Investments, a creative industries investor, has raised a new £40 million (€57m) fund, with UK Government support, to invest in high growth companies in the creative industries.
Edge’s new Edge Creative Enterprise Fund brings together private sector funding from leading institutions and high net worth individuals, with a significant investment from the Government’s British Business Bank.
Edge Creative Enterprise Fund’s purpose is to nurture and assist creative businesses to grow. By their nature, many of these companies start with a small number of employees, and a high degree of entrepreneurial flair. Edge provides the crucial capital and mentoring skills to stimulate growth and innovation at these firms. In this way Edge will create growth and returns for both the management teams of its portfolio companies and its investors.
The fund will target investments in the creative industries, in essence companies which trade with creativity, knowledge and information. The key aspect which these businesses have in common is the creation, acquisition, management and commercial exploitation of intellectual property, which translates into economic value.
David Glick, Edge Investments’ CEO, said: “The creative industries are one of the UK’s great success stories, an area where Britain excels. Our view is that a high degree of sector knowledge mitigates risk and also allows us to assess the most promising opportunities and most talented executives.”
“There are nearly 160,000 creative industries businesses in Britain yet despite being in this high growth sector, many of them find it difficult to attract adequate capital to maximize their potential. Our new Edge Creative Enterprise Fund aims to fill that funding gap. Edge Creative Enterprise Fund will bring much-needed growth capital to smaller businesses in the creative industries, and we are grateful to the British Business Bank and all the fund’s investors for their support.”