Leading Businesses in London and the South East Recognised for Outstanding Growth and Innovation

Businesses in London, Brighton, Hertfordshire and Wiltshire have won UK Private Capital Vision 2026 Awards for London and the South East.

Sponsored by Grant Thornton and Santander, these annual awards honour the management teams of companies backed by private equity and venture capital, recognising the companies and their investors in different investment stages and across six categories:
 

Early-Stage:

Auddy, backed by Pembroke VCT, was chosen as the winner in the Early-Stage category. Auddy is a London-based audio communications and advertising technology business. Judges were impressed by the company's strong revenue growth, innovative use of AI and the development of its proprietary Campfire platform, which is creating a new category within enterprise communications and helping establish Auddy as a leader in a fast-growing market.
 

Scale-Up:

Vanda, backed by FPE, was chosen as the winner in the Scale-Up category. Vanda provides proprietary data and market intelligence to many of the world's leading institutional investors. Judges highlighted the company's successful transformation into a scalable technology platform, strong recurring revenues and investment in AI-enabled analytics, which are supporting continued growth and product innovation.
 

Medium:

Noventis Safety, backed by Inflexion, was chosen as the winner in the Medium category. Based in Herfordshire, Noventis Safety is a global provider of test and measurement solutions for the fire protection industry, serving customers in more than 100 countries. Judges praised the company's impressive growth, successful acquisition strategy and commitment to innovation, including the development of connected testing technologies that are transforming safety testing processes worldwide.
 

Large:

Nucleus Financial Platforms, backed by HPS and Epiris was chosen as the winner in the Large category. Nucleus is based in Salisbury and is one of the UK's leading independent investment and retirement platform groups. The judging panel commended the company's successful technology transformation, strong market position and ability to create value through strategic acquisitions.
 

Exit:

Intragen, backed by FPE, was chosen as the winner in the Exit category. Intragen is a leading European cybersecurity specialist focused on Identity and Access Management. Judges were impressed by the company's transformation from a regional provider into a pan-European market leader, driven by strong organic growth, strategic acquisitions and the delivery of a highly successful exit.
 

International Expansion (joint winners):

Electric Theatre Collective, backed by Growth Capital Partners, was chosen as a winner in the International Expansion category. Electric Theatre Collective is an award-winning creative studio working with some of the world's leading brands. Judges highlighted the company's successful expansion into the United States through the launch of a fully operational New York studio, which has significantly increased its international reach while maintaining its reputation for creative excellence.
 

International Expansion (joint winners):

MPB, backed by Beringea, was chosen as a joint winner in the International Expansion category. MPB is the world's leading platform for buying, selling and trading used photography and videography equipment, based out of Brighton. Judges praised the company's successful international growth, with operations spanning Europe and North America, and its ability to combine strong commercial performance with a commitment to sustainability through its circular business model.
 

Commenting, UK Private Capital Chief Executive Michael Moore said:

"The Vision Awards recognise management teams that are delivering exceptional growth, innovation and long-term value creation. This year's winners represent some of the most dynamic businesses in London and the South East, each demonstrating the ambition, resilience and leadership needed to succeed in increasingly competitive markets.

"From pioneering technology businesses and global creative brands to leading financial services and industrial companies, these organisations show the impact that private capital can have on driving growth and innovation in every nation and region across the UK.”
 

Andrew Craissati, CEO and Co-Founder of Auddy, commented:

"To be picked by such an amazing panel of judges for this early-stage award is humbling. Launched amongst the chaos of COVID, Auddy quickly found that the audio community was full of opportunity. Since those early days, we have successfully built a client base of some of the world's most exciting and inspiring organizations and brands.

“When we partnered with the London Stock Exchange in 2025, this was the first real act of validation to help us understand that what we were doing was making a difference. Aside from our amazing employees, I'm also endlessly grateful to Pembroke VCT, Brick Capital, Haatch Ventures and our highly supportive angel investors for their support and equal passion for our work.”
 

Elizabeth Lazell, Investment Director at Pembroke VCT, commented:

“We are delighted to see Auddy named Early-Stage winner for London and South East in the UK Private Capital Vision Awards 2026. Since we backed Auddy in 2022, Andrew and the team have built the business into a highly innovative focus on the use of the podcast medium for advertising or corporate communications whether for consumer brands, corporates, investors or celebrities.

“With the launch of the London Stock Exchange partnership, a scaled-up focus on internal comms and investor relations has meant repeated recognition for product innovation and the calibre of clients such as Bain Capital, TransAmerica and Deutsche Telekom. Congratulations to the whole Auddy team.”
 

Chris Kay, Partner at FPE, commented:

“Congratulations to the Vanda team on winning the UK Private Capital Award for London & the South East. It’s fantastic recognition of the progress the business has made, combining strong growth with continued investment in its products, technology and people.

“Vanda has built a strong position in the market, combining proprietary positioning and flow data with tactical macro insight to help some of the world’s leading investors make better-informed decisions. The upcoming launch of Vanda Analytics brings these capabilities together in a new AI-enabled platform, giving clients more timely and actionable insights within their existing workflows. It’s a good example of the continued investment being made in the business as Vanda enters its next stage of growth.”
 

Angus Hume, CEO of Vanda, commented:

“Since partnering with FPE in 2024, their strategic and financial backing has enabled us to invest in our technology, data infrastructure and product capabilities, grow our international team, and complete the strategic acquisition of Exante Data. This has broadened the intelligence we offer clients and accelerated Vanda’s evolution into a scalable global data and insights platform. We are proud of what this award represents and excited about the next stage of our growth as we ready the launch of Vanda Analytics, our unified platform through which clients can access all Vanda capabilities.” 
 

Robert Campbell, CEO of Noventis Safety, commented:

“Winning this award is a proud moment for everyone at Noventis Safety. Over the past few years, we’ve transformed from a UK-based fire safety testing business into an international group operating across more than 100 countries. That progress reflects the strength of our people, the trust of our customers, and our continued focus on innovation. With Inflexion’s support, we’ve been able to broaden our capabilities, expand through acquisition, and build a platform with significant opportunity ahead.”
 

Richard Booth, Partner and Head of Industrials at Inflexion, commented:

“Noventis Safety is a great example of the kind of growth we look to support at Inflexion: ambitious leadership, genuine product innovation and a clear strategy for expansion. Since our investment, the business has delivered strong double-digit growth, completed four highly strategic acquisitions, and developed market-leading digital capability through products such as XTR2. This award is well-deserved recognition of Robert and the team’s achievements, and we are excited to continue supporting Noventis as it builds on its momentum.”
 

Richard Rowney, Chief Executive Officer at Nucleus, commented:

“We’re thrilled to be recognised as the winner of the UK Private Capital’s Vision Award for large companies in the South East region. This is a fantastic acknowledgement of the powerful role that private equity has played in helping us to scale and grow and ultimately deliver better service to our customers. HPS and Epiris have been exceptional partners, providing challenge as well as unwavering support for our strategy, so we thank them and look forward to the journey ahead.” 
 

Owen Wilson, Managing Partner at Epiris, commented:

“We are delighted that Nucleus has been recognised as the winner of UK Private Capital’s Vision 2026 Awards in the Large category for the London & South East region. Nucleus’ success and impact to date has been underpinned by its margin expansion, the team’s impressive ambition for long-term growth, and the company’s strong ESG leadership through The Nucleus Foundation.

“We are honoured to share this well-earned recognition with HPS Investment Partners, with whom we joined forces in 2022 to support Nucleus with a vision to build the leading retirement-focused investment platform for financial advisers in the UK. Congratulations to the Nucleus and HPS teams!”
 

Alex Fagioli, CEO at Intragen, commented:

“Our partnership with FPE was an important chapter in Intragen’s development. During that time, we grew significantly across Europe, strengthened our leadership team and broadened our capabilities, while continuing to invest in our people and customers. FPE gave us the support and challenge to pursue our ambitions for the business, and I’m incredibly proud of what the Intragen team achieved during that period. It’s fantastic to see that journey recognised.”
 

Chris Kay, Partner at FPE, commented:

“Congratulations to the Intragen team on this well-deserved recognition. Intragen’s evolution from a specialist regional provider into a leading pan-European IAM platform has been a great example of what can be achieved through a combination of organic growth, strategic acquisitions, international expansion and continued investment in people and capability. The business built a differentiated position in an increasingly critical area of cybersecurity, and we are very proud of what we achieved together and delighted to see the team receive this recognition.”
 

John Purton, CEO at Electric Theatre Collective, commented:

“Our ambition to take the Electric Theatre Collective brand to the US was made possible by the trust and support of GCP. The US business is thriving and at a time of much change, the US market is providing us with an exciting platform to continue meaningful growth into the future. What we achieved in our first year is a tribute to clear vision, passion and rigorous execution from the team. GCP’s guidance along the way was instrumental.”
 

James Handley, Investment Director at Growth Capital Partners, commented:

"Congratulations to Jon Purton and the entire team at Electric Theatre Collective (ETC) on winning the International Expansion award for London & South East at the UK Private Capital Vision 2026 Awards , a brilliant recognition of what they've built. The judges' comments about ETC's 'demonstrably solid business model' and the 'highly impressive revenue impact from the NY office opening' speak to the calibre of the team and the strength of their international strategy.

“It's been a privilege to partner with Jon and the team since January 2024. Together we've helped ETC grow from a London studio into a genuinely international creative business, launching New York, building a full-service US studio that mirrors London's offering, and investing in the senior talent needed to lead it – all while protecting the culture and creative excellence that make ETC special. This award is a fantastic reflection of that growth, and we're excited for what's next."
 

Matt Barker, Founder and CEO of MPB, commented:

"To be recognised in the International Expansion category is a huge honour for everyone at MPB. It started with a simple idea - that there had to be a better way for photographers to buy and sell used kit than a fragmented, hard-to-trust market. That's still what drives us today. I'm especially proud that the judges highlighted our commitment to the circular economy and ESG, because giving creators trustworthy access to the kit they need - affordably and sustainably - is exactly what MPB was created to deliver.

"Thank you to Beringea, and to UK Private Capital for this recognition, we're looking forward to representing London & South East at the National Awards in December."
 

A senior spokesperson at Beringea, commented:

"Congratulations to Matt and the entire MPB team on this well-deserved recognition. Since Beringea's investment in 2018, we've seen MPB grow from a business operating from a single warehouse in Brighton into a global platform serving creators across Europe and the US. The team has built a business that has changed the way people buy and sell camera equipment, giving hundreds of thousands of items a second life."
 

Notes to Editors:

For further information, please contact:
UK Private Capital Press Office 
Email: [email protected]
 

Background:

About UK Private Capital

UK Private Capital is the industry body and public policy advocate for the private equity (PE), venture capital (VC) and private credit ecosystem in the UK. With a membership of 600 firms, we represent UK-based private capital firms, as well as their professional advisers and a large base of UK and global investors. The private equity, venture capital and private credit industry has a vital role to play in driving national and regional growth. Currently over 13,000 companies, employing more than 2.5 million people, are backed by private capital investment in the UK.