Leading businesses in Yorkshire recognised for outstanding growth

Optalysys, Automated Analytics, Winder Power and ARC building solutions have won UK Private Capital Vision 2026 Awards for Yorkshire & the Humber and the North 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 four categories: 
 

Early-Stage:

Leeds based Optalysys, backed by Northern Gritstone, was chosen as a winner in the Early-Stage category. Judges highlighted the company’s pioneering work in the field of photonic computing with the support of private capital. They noted the company’s rapid technological development and expansion, with the full support of the city of Leeds and its university.
 

Scale-Up:

Doncaster based Automated Analytics, backed by Maven Capital Partners, was chosen as a winner in the Scale-Up category. Judges drew attention to the significant advancements the company has made since receiving private capital investment. Judges particularly noted strong improvements to revenue and margin, calling the last 3-4 years a ‘game changer’ for the business.
 

Medium:

Pudsey based Winder Power, backed by Connection Capital, was chosen as a winner in the Medium category. Judges praised the company as an exceptional example of a Yorkshire-based manufacturing business. It noted the company’s very rapid revenue growth and geographic expansion over the last 5 years.
 

Exit:

Leeds based ARC Building Solutions, backed by Beechbrook Capital, was chosen as a winner in the Exit category. Judges highlighted the robust growth in recent years, navigating a challenging market environment. New product innovation and increased brand awareness post its private capital backing has been essential to this.

The awards were announced during UK Private Capital's Invest Forum in Leeds which featured the publication of new research on the impact of private capital investment in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The report found that investment by private equity and venture capital firms into businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber was £465 million in 2025, and in the past five years, the industry has invested £7.1bn into the region.

The report also provides an in-depth look at Yorkshire and the Humber’s spinout ecosystem - companies created based on intellectual property generated through university research. Data provided by Beauhurst for the report shows that Yorkshire and the Humber boasts 124 active spinouts.

The University of Sheffield, University of Leeds and University of York are responsible for the lion’s share of spinouts in the region, helping to generate investable businesses in deep tech, engineering and data-led innovation. The majority of spinouts within the region are located in Sheffield, Leeds and York, with the rest spread across Yorkshire and the Humber’s local authorities.
 

Commenting, UK Private Capital Chief Executive Michael Moore said:

“We are proud to see such excellent businesses this year that have demonstrated the impact of private capital in Yorkshire and the North East.

“The businesses underscore the power of our industry to drive growth and innovation, and support all across the UK.”
 

Nick New, CEO of Optalysys, said:

“We are honoured to be recognised by UK Private Capital as the Early-Stage winner for the North East, Yorkshire & Humber. This award is a testament to the strength of our team, the progress of our technology, and the support of our partners and investors.

“As conventional computing reaches its limits, the demand for faster, more efficient AI infrastructure has never been greater. At Optalysys, our mission is to transform how the world’s most demanding AI workloads are processed, enabling breakthrough performance, efficiency, and scalability by bringing computation directly into the data transfer path. In doing so, we are unlocking new possibilities across artificial intelligence, security, and high-performance computing.

“With the invaluable support of Northern Gritstone over the past three years, we have accelerated the development of our differentiated technology and achieved significant milestones. We are excited to continue this journey together as we bring Optalysys technology to customers and partners around the world.”
 

Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, said: 

“This UK Private Capital award is real recognition for the hard work of the Optalysys team in developing world-class technology for the next generation of computing. Northern Gritstone is excited to support this Leeds-based company that is rooted in the North but global in its commercial ambition.”
 

Mark Taylor, CEO & Founder of Automated Analytics, said:

"We are honoured to receive this award, which recognises the dedication, innovation and customer centric approach of the Automated Analytics team. With the backing of Maven, we have been able to deliver significant growth here in the UK and in the USA, working with new customers and expanding our relationships with existing ones.

“We are grateful to our investors and customers for their continued trust and support throughout our growth journey and remain focussed on further expansion and product innovation.”
 

Jenny Linney, Portfolio Director at Maven Capital Partners, said:

“This award is a strong endorsement of Automated Analytics’ innovation and the tangible impact of its technology. The business combines deep technical expertise with a clear understanding of market need, and the team has built a highly scalable platform that is already delivering meaningful value to customers. We’re delighted to support the business, working in partnership to provide a solid foundation for further scale as it enters its next phase of growth.”
 

Andy Mill, CFO of Winder Power, said:

“We are proud to receive this prestigious award, which acknowledges the hard work, dedication, and passion shown by all our colleagues here at Winder Power. Our growth is testament to the quality and ingenuity of British design and manufacturing particularly in green energy transformation. With the backing and support of Connection Capital since 2024, we’ve achieved significant scale up including a factory refurbishment that has significantly enhanced our product offering and will support us to build on our existing growth of a more than doubling of EBITDA in two years.”  
 

Sam Kemp, CEO of Connection Capital, said:

“At its best, private capital is about more than funding alone. It is about backing exceptional, ambitious management teams to give them the confidence and strategic support they need to grow sustainably, create skilled employment and contribute to sectors that matter to the wider UK economy.

“We are therefore delighted that Winder Power has been recognised at the UK Private Capital Vision Awards. This is a fantastic endorsement of the strength of the business, the quality of its management team and the important role it plays in supporting the UK’s critical electricity infrastructure.

“Winder is a strong example of the role private capital can play in helping ambitious SMEs realise their potential. Since our investment in 2024, we have been proud to support the management team as the business has scaled its operations, expanded its manufacturing capability and positioned itself to meet growing demand driven by electrification, renewable energy and investment in the UK grid.

“Our congratulations go to Paul and the whole Winder Power team on a very well-deserved award.”
 

A representative of Beechbrook Capital said:

“Beechbrook Capital invested in the company in 2023 and successfully exited in 2025 following ARC Building Solutions’ sale to LDC. Beechbrook’s investment played a key role in accelerating the company’s growth, with improvements made to the manufacturing processes, new product innovation and expansion of core markets.”
 

Bob McDermott, Partner & Head of TAS Yorkshire at Grant Thornton, said

“We are proud to celebrate Optalysys, Automatic Analytics, Winder Power and Arc Building Solutions for their outstanding accomplishments, which have been recognised at this year’s Vision Awards.

“These companies underscore the innovation and excellence that exists all across Yorkshire and the North East. At Grant Thornton, we are delighted to celebrate the achievements of innovative businesses backed by private equity investment, all across the UK.”
 

Marc Hutchinson, Growth Capital Director at Santander said:

“Congratulations to Optalysys, Auto Analytics, Winder Power and Arc Building Solutions on their fantastic achievements.

“This year’s winners have leveraged private capital backing to accelerate their growth journeys, expand into new markets and develop transformational new products. As a proud sponsor of the Vision 2026 awards, we are pleased to recognise the role the private capital ecosystem plays in helping ambitious businesses grow and scale”.

Notes to Editors:  

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

Photos of the winners are available here.
 

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.