Group 5
Looking for funding?
Looking for funding?

We can provide the know-how, connections and capital you need to grow your business

Talk to us
Gousto

Buoyed by its strong growth, Gousto achieved “unicorn” status in 2020, when it completed a funding round at a $1bn+ valuation

View case study
Sign up for updates

Stay up-to-date with all things BGF

Find out more
Miss Group

With BGF as a minority partner, web hosting company Miss Group acquired seven businesses in under two years, quadrupling its earnings

View case study

Supporting female founder initiatives across the UK & Ireland

Find out more  
Life at BGF

Equity, diversity and inclusion at BGF

At BGF, we recognise the critical role of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our mission of creating sustainable business growth.

We believe diverse viewpoints make for better solutions and are essential in driving greater innovation, both for us and our investee companies.

We seek to create inclusive and equitable environments where everyone can flourish, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, nationality, faith, disability, age, socioeconomic background, gender identity or sexual orientation.

BGF has 190 staff, working across 16 regional offices. It’s essential that we are representative of the communities we’re operating in. We’re committed to improving representation as an organisation and among the portfolio companies we invest into.

Our Diversity Action Group (DAG) helps to embed EDI into all our systems, processes and ways of working. DAG has representatives across all our business functions, rotating on an annual basis to ensure we can leverage new perspectives.

While BGF has made significant progress in EDI to date, we acknowledge there’s much more progress yet to be made. We aspire to be a conduit for change, as well as an investor of capital.

Learn more:

Family-friendly benefits Learn more 
Investing in female-led businesses
How we promote diversity through internships Learn more 
Our perspective on issues such as inclusive leadership in The Good Growth Mindset
Supporting social causes through The BGF Foundation
Our approach to responsible business in the Annual Review Learn more 
Our heritage as a purpose-led organisation Learn more 
Our approach to ESG

Going further, together

By working together, we go further together. We hope to contribute to creating a business funding ecosystem that is progressive, inclusive and where everyone can thrive. We are partners and sponsors of the organisations and programmes below and also support a range of other initiatives aimed at promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in the investment industry.

  • UN Principles for Responsible Investment

    In 2020, BGF became a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, a voluntary and aspirational set of investment principles that offer possible actions for incorporating ESG issues into investment best practice.

  • Diversity VC

    One of ten pioneer funds, to a pilot of the Diversity VC standards, a programme and certification providing VCs with tools to open their networks and make funding more available to underrepresented founders. In 2022 BGF was reassessed and awarded Level 2 status.

  • Investing in Women Code

    In 2020, BGF became a signatory of the Investing in Women Code, a commitment to improve female entrepreneurs’ access to tools, resources and finance. This followed support for the Rose Review on Female Entrepreneurship. As part of our commitment to the Code we have launched The UK Enterprise Fund (mentioned above), which addresses equity gaps across the entrepreneurial ecosystem, with initiatives for female-led businesses, aimed at increasing the diversity of management teams. We also host in-depth investment workshops for female founders from a wide range of sectors where women share their experiences in a mutually supportive environment.

  • The Sutton Trust

    An educational charity established in 1997 by Sir Peter Lampl that aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantage in the UK.

  • 10,000 Black Interns

    A programme that aims to offer internships for Black African, Black Caribbean and/or Black British students and graduates at large companies in a range of sectors, including financial services.

  • The Diversity Project

    Chaired by Dame Helena Morrissey, The Diversity Project was launched in 2016 as a cross-company initiative to champion a more inclusive culture within the Savings and Investment profession. Stephen Welton is Chair of the gender workstream of the Diversity Project.

  • Fund Her North

    Fund Her North is a Northern-based, volunteer collective of over 30 women from venture capital, funding organisations and angel groups. BGF is a key partner supporting its programme of events.

  • GAIN

    GAIN (Girls Are INvestors) is a charity set up by investment professionals to improve gender diversity in investment management.

  • Level 20

    Level 20 is a not-for-profit organisation founded with the aim of improving gender diversity in the private equity industry.

  • British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association

    The British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is the voice of private capital in the UK.