18th April 2016

Bridges exits apprenticeship provider Babington Group after strong growth

Babington is now one of the UK’s leading apprenticeship and traineeship providers Revenues have increased eight-fold under Bridges’ ownership During the period it has provided training to more than 32,000 learners and helped over 3,700 formerly unemployed people to find jobs Sale price of £22m represents an IRR of 33% for Bridges Bridges Ventures (“Bridges”) […]

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20th April 2016

Better Outcomes, Better Value: The evolution of social impact bonds in the UK

Bridges Ventures (“Bridges”), the specialist fund manager focused exclusively on sustainable and impact investment, has issued a white paper examining the way forward for social impact bonds (“SIBs”).

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26th April 2016

In the press: Bridges exits Babington Group for 33% return

Bridges recently sold the Babington Group, a leading UK provider of apprenticeships and traineeships, to RJD Partners for £22m, representing an internal rate of return for Bridges of 33%. We backed the business in 2009, as part of our Education and Skills impact theme. Since then, Babington has increased revenues eight-fold, while supporting over 32,000 […]

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28th April 2016

Wembley project receives planning permission

The Bridges Property Alternative Fund and joint venture partner HUB have received a resolution to grant planning permission for a redevelopment project in Wembley, London. The project will see what is currently a disused office block converted into two 21-and 26-storey towers. The building will contain a total of 239 homes for sale or rent; […]

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17th December 2015

Big Society Capital films showcase HCT Group and Ways to Wellness  

Big Society Capital has created two short films highlighting the impact being made by two social sector organisations that have benefited from Bridges’ investment. HCT Group, a social enterprise bus operator that uses its profits to provide community transport services and training, raised a pioneering £4m round of investment from a group of social investors […]

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30th November 2015

Bridges makes European debut with investment in Viva Gym in Spain

Viva is a chain of low-cost gyms with 16 sites across 11 Spanish cities It improves health outcomes by broadening access to gym facilities This is Bridges’ first investment in mainland Europe, and the eighth from Bridges’ Sustainable Growth Fund III It builds on the expertise the firm developed in this sector as co-founder of […]

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17th November 2015

Impact+ report on SIBs wins at Sustainable Investment Awards 2015

We are delighted to announce that our research paper, ‘Choosing Social Impact Bonds: A Practitioner’s Guide’, created in partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, has come in joint first place at the 2015 Sustainable Investment Awards. The report was the first piece of research that looked globally across the first wave of SIBs to […]

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30th November 2015

Bloomberg: Michele Giddens discusses the COP21 Climate Conference and what it means for markets

Michele Giddens, partner and co-founder at Bridges Ventures, and Patrick Armstrong, chief investment officer at Plurimi Investment Managers, discuss the U.N. COP21 summit on climate change and what it means for the markets and investments. They speak to Bloomberg’s Guy Johnson on “Countdown.” Michele on Bloomberg  

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7th December 2015

Wholebake makes the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100

Wholebake, a manufacturer of great-tasting gluten-free energy bars under its brand 9BAR, has been included in this year’s Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100, a highly-regarded ranking of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies by sales. Wholebake, which is backed by Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund III, has enjoyed annual revenue growth of 45% over the last […]

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7th December 2015

The social changemaker: James Ashwell interviewed in City A.M.

James Ashwell, founder of Unforgettable, the ‘go-to’ online resource for anyone dealing with dementia, is featured in City A.M. Dementia affects over 44m people around the world, including more than 850,000 people in the UK. In ‘The social changemaker’, James discusses his experience of caring for his mother when she was diagnosed with dementia, and […]

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7th December 2015

Bridges-backed Alina Homecare acquires Extra Mile Care

Alina Homecare is an innovative homecare business which delivers high-quality care across the South of England It is backed by Bridges Ventures, the specialist sustainable and impact investor Extra Mile Care, based in North London, is its third acquisition Alina Homecare (“Alina”), the innovative homecare business, has completed its third deal with the acquisition of […]

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9th December 2015

Bridges Annual Impact Report 2015: The Value of Impact

View the report here:    (Screen Version)   (Print Version) Each year Bridges publishes headline figures on some of the social and environmental impact achieved across its platform of funds, alongside its key commercial highlights The focus of this year’s report is on what Bridges has learned about using an impact-driven approach to create value at […]

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