Loans & Equity

Businesses in Edinburgh can access multiple sources of loans and equity.

Banking

Multiple banks catering to business clients have operations in Edinburgh, along with the Business Growth Fund, a national evergreen investment fund specialising in high-growth companies. The Scottish National Investment Bank - a state-owned development investment bank providing patient capital for businesses and projects in the form of both debt and equity - is active in Edinburgh.

Venture capital

Edinburgh is home to multiple venture capital firms. Among these are Old College Capital (the co-investment fund of the University of Edinburgh, which has invested £10 million in early-stage companies associated with the University, leveraging in a further £30 million of investment); PXN (which focuses on growing businesses in Scotland, the North of England, and Northern Ireland); Pentech (which invests exclusively in software companies, having supported the creation of over 1,700 jobs); and Scottish Equity Partners (which makes investments of up to £25 million in high growth technology firms).

Angel investors

Edinburgh has a strong community of “angel” investors, high-net worth individuals who invest in businesses. Many of these are members of Archangels, a syndicate of over 50 private investors that invests in early-stage companies in Scotland, with a focus on technology and life sciences companies. Another consortium active in Edinburgh is Investing Women, a syndicate of female angel investors

Crowfunding and peer-to-peer lending

Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending is growing in popularity in Edinburgh. Several companies operating crowdfunding platforms are based in Edinburgh, including ShareIn and LendingCrowd.