Investors play a crucial role in the UK economy. They help to support exciting new businesses that provide real value and push the boundaries of innovation. There are several standout names in the investment world, from Chris Adelsbach to Sameer Gehlaut. Find below the top four investors contributing to the UK economy.
Simon Murdoch
Dr. Simon Murdoch was one of the British entrepreneurs at the sharp end of the digital revolution in the late 90s. He founded an online marketplace called Bookpages in 1996 which was later acquired by Amazon in 1998 and formed the foundation of Amazon.co.uk. He has since moved on to be a hugely influential investor, helping countless companies find their start in business.
Murdoch continues to serve as the CEO of his private equity firm Murdoch Capital, which primarily invests in healthcare, technology, and consumer companies. Due to the number of successful investments he has made in these areas, Murdoch has a reputation for being a savvy investor with a well-trained eye for companies with bags of potential.
Several of his UK investments have now become household names such as Shazam and Zoopla, generating millions in profits every year and employing thousands of people.
Sameer Gehlaut
Sameer Gehlaut found his initial success at Indian conglomerate Indiabulls Group, with their housing finance division being the most popular in India for mortgage products. Having founded the group and employed more than 19,000 people, he has switched his focus to up and coming companies of the UK.
Over the past 10 years, his very early investment in the business loans and savings bank OakNorth has contributed over £750m to the British economy. It has lent out more than £5bn to growing businesses and created over 22,500 jobs by providing SMEs the capital they desperately need.
Last year, Gehlaut committed another £200m to investment in the UK, part of which is going towards his property development firm Clivedale which is revolutionizing luxury commercial and residential offerings in London.
Chris Adelsbach
Chris Adelsbach is a prolific angel investor and has founded multiple successful companies. After receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School, he kicked off his own career in finance and now specializes in financial technology (fintech) entrepreneurship and innovation.
Four of his angel investments have since become unicorns, and he made an impressive 64 investments in 2021 alone. This includes companies from across the globe, but he has had a special focus on UK companies. Throughout his portfolio, the companies he backs hire over 2,500 employees in the UK – a significant contribution to the economy and local communities.
One such investment is the British integrated finance company Railsr (previously known as Railsbank). It managed to raise $70m of funding in its 2021 round and is seen as one of the darlings of the fintech world. But Chris Adelsbach saw this before everyone else and supported them from their pre-seed round. It now does business globally and continues to boom.
Alex Chesterman
Founder of second-hand car sales website Cazoo, Alex Chesterman has quickly become known as an investor who can separate the wheat from the chaff. Cazoo has raised over $1bn and employs over 1,500 people in the UK, having a significant impact on the economy. His previous ventures have been hugely successful too – LoveFilm was one of his first hits which became the precursor to UK Netflix.
Chesterman has used his success to support other British companies on their paths to growth too. His venture capital firm, Octopus Ventures, has supported some of the biggest names in business including Graze, Cleo, Secret Escapes, and Depop. Tide, a bank designed for SMEs, has supported over 450,000 vendors and is one of their most impactful investments.
These investors have not only built profitable businesses for themselves but also played a key role in shaping the UK economy through the companies they support. Their investments have created thousands of jobs up and down the country and have helped spur economic growth.
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