Continuing to invest in its platform, Gresham House Ventures has bolstered its investment team with the hire of Grant Paul-Florence as Director of Investment.
With decades of investment experience working with early stage, growth and mid-market businesses, Paul-Florence brings a wealth of knowledge and will provide further senior deal and portfolio management resource to the team.
His previous investments and board positions include healthcare technology company CM2000 (now part of the Access group) and automotive software as a services business Clifford Thames (now part of OEConnection).
Paul-Florence joins Gresham House Ventures from BGF, a £2.5bn private equity firm focused on small and mid-sized businesses in the UK and Ireland, where he led the London investment team. Prior to this, he was Head of Intermediate Capital at Octopus Investments and has also held private equity roles at AAC Capital and Levine Leichtman Capital Partners.
Paul-Florence was previously Head of Corporate Development at logistics company Freightliner Group, having started his career as a chartered accountant at PwC and gained experience in its corporate finance team.
The appointment continues a busy period in terms of deal-making and fundraising for Gresham House Ventures.
Recent deals include an exit from outdoor apparel manufacturer Equip Outdoor Technologies for a 6.9x money multiple and growth capital investments into Orri, a specialist eating disorder clinic and FocalPoint, a technology business transforming the capabilities of global navigation satellite systems.
Gresham House’s Baronsmead VCTs are also currently fundraising and have seen strong early demand, having raised more than £28mn so far since the fundraise opened to investors in January. This follows the successful recent fundraise for Gresham House’s Mobeus VCTs, which secured an additional £111mn of investment in 2022.
Trevor Hope, Chief Investment Officer at Gresham House Ventures, says:
“Gresham House Ventures plays a valuable role in seeking out and backing Britain’s most talented entrepreneurs, and we are confident Grant’s wealth of experience and passion for innovation will prove invaluable in this mission over the coming years. This appointment comes at an important time amid another strong period of fundraising, and the team looks forward to working alongside Grant as we continue to strengthen our offering for investors and in supporting the entrepreneurs we partner with.”
Grant Paul-Florence adds:
“With an impressive pool of talent and a portfolio of exceptional businesses, Gresham House Ventures is rapidly building its reputation as a leading growth equity investor. I am excited to be working with two of the most well-established VCTs in the industry at a time when British start-ups are poised for a period of tremendous growth, and I look forward to getting to know our portfolio and seeking out more pioneering young businesses.”
