RisingStars Growth Fund

Whilst the geographical focus of the first fund was only the North West of England, the new Fund will invest in early stage and proof of concept technology opportunities located throughout the North of England, a significant extension of Enterprise Venture’s activities in the North East and Yorkshire regions.

The RisingStars Growth Funds invest in businesses which exploit new technologies, with protectable intellectual property rights, and with the capability to grow rapidly to compete in global markets. Particular areas of interest and expertise are software, healthcare, materials, and environmental/green technologies.

Jonathan Diggines, who joined Enterprise Ventures as chief executive and invested to take a significant equity position a year ago, says: “The new fund is a real step forward in that it builds upon the remarkable story of the RisingStars Growth Fund. A key aim at the time of the first RSGF fund raising, as with many other funds seeded with public monies, was that any follow-on fund would not need to draw upon public funds. We believe this is the first follow-on Fund to achieve this.”