Digital firm secures £1.6m as British Business Bank celebrates £5m South West funding landmark

A digital consultancy has secured £1.6m in equity funding from the British Business Bank as the lender celebrates backing 10 businesses in the South West in the first quarter of the year.

The Bank's South West Investment Fund has delivered over £5m in equity funding in the region in the first three months of the year, through fund managers Maven Capital Partners and FSE Group, as part of its mission to support innovation and drive economic growth.

The latest business to win backing is Changing Social Limited which has secured £1.6 million in funding via Maven Capital Partners.

Changing Social support businesses to adopt and integrate Microsoft technology from Microsoft 365 to generative AI. The business, founded in 2018 by Steve Crompton and Georgie Kemp, will use the funding to invest in staff at its new and expanded Bristol headquarters and elsewhere in the UK and overseas.

Luke Matthews, partner at Maven Capital Partners, said: “We’re delighted to invest in Changing Social, making it part of our growing portfolio in the South West. From its base in Bristol, it has a track record of working with clients across the UK and US, and is an example where an experienced, ambitious management team with a people-first ethos was a clear attraction for investment.

“The South West Investment Fund was set up to support local businesses like Changing Social