Helping businesses to grow in the South West

When you’re trying to grow your business, getting hold of some much-needed capital can prove both challenging and a little scary. Not only are you faced with the difficult decision as to what type of funding to go for, but then you also need to know who’s reliable – and can give you support along the way too. Well, one such organisation that ticks all those boxes here in the South West is the FSE Group.

Who are the FSE Group?

The  FSE Group started back in 2002 and has been providing business loans and equity investment from £25,000 - £2million to expanding high-growth businesses. They’re based in Fleet, Hampshire, but have regional offices across the UK; including one in Truro. More than just a source of finance, the FSE Group works with stakeholders and partners – such as the British Business Bank, Funding London and Local Enterprise Partnerships – to support job creation and a healthy economy.  

Angel network

What separates the FSE Group apart from similar funding organisations is that they also run their own business angel investor network – which, if you’re looking for funding, is great news as all potential investment opportunities shown to FSE’s angels are also the target of investment by FSE-managed funds.

Exciting development

FSE Group has been running the British Business Bank’s Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund for several years, but in July 2023 they were revealed as one of the managers for the British Business Bank’s new £200million South West Investment Fund (SWIF); created to support SME businesses across the SW. Alongside other managers that are delivering their own sections of the fund, the FSE Group will be looking after debt and equity aspects for the Great South West (Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Cornwall) part of the region. To read more about the SWIF, check out our article https://www.accesstofinancesw.co.uk/news/1647570

Want to know more?

Another great place to look to for funding is SWIG Finance (https://www.swigfinance.co.uk/), they offer various loan options, including a small business loan through the SWIF – read more about them here https://www.accesstofinancesw.co.uk/news/1651111

For another great source of information on funding, head over to our Resources section here https://www.accesstofinancesw.co.uk/media_center and go into the Understanding the Landscape section where you’ll find the very useful British Business Bank’s finance guide.

Also, startups/SMEs in the Devon and Somerset area that are looking for free business advice and support should definitely check out https://www.heartofswgrowthhub.co.uk/

If you’re growing your business then we’d love to know what your journey has been like so far via the comment section!