Foresight Private Equity marks strong first half of 2026 with 11 investments and three exits

• The Private Equity team have invested more than £43 million equity into growth businesses in the UK and Ireland in H1 2026
• The investor completed three exits, including TES Group in Northern Ireland, Fieldway in the North West and FIS Chemicals in Scotland, delivering strong returns
• Private Credit and Ventures strategies also remained active, completing new investments and providing follow-on funding to support business growth
• Foresight remains strongly committed to supporting ambitious SMEs in the second half of 2026 and beyond, with plans to invest more than £1 billion in patient capital into growing companies across the UK and Ireland over the next five years

27 July 2026: Foresight Group (“Foresight”), a leading regional private equity investment manager, has opened 2026 in strong form, with significant new investments, a series of successful exits, and a continued pledge to support the growth of SMEs across the UK and Ireland.

During this period, Foresight invested more than £43 million into 11 growing UK businesses and completed three exits, reflecting continued investment activity, and in turn confidence, across regional growth markets. Multiple follow-on investments were also completed, backing the growth of existing portfolio companies.

The 11 new investments include, Federal, SAMP Technology, Pinocchio’s Nurseries, Play Revolution, Optera, Envoke, Alan Wood & Partners, VS Group, Vestd, Connective3 and Regenerus, spanning numerous regions across the UK and Ireland, as well as sectors including technology, defence, food and beverage, and healthcare.

Among the highlights of the first half was the sale of the Northern Ireland-based TES Group, a key supplier of power distribution equipment to critical infrastructure across the UK, Ireland, and Europe. The transaction delivered a 4x return on Foresight's invested capital. During the investment period, TES Group grew revenue by 84% to £72m and increased its headcount by 60%.

Foresight also exited Fieldway, the Liverpool-based fire safety and compliance specialist primarily serving the social housing sector. Acquired by Axis CLC, the exit marks the 12th realisation from the Foresight Regional Investment Fund, which has delivered an average return of 4.2x invested capital across its realised investments.

Foresight continued to strengthen its Private Credit strategy, including providing a £40 million senior debt facility to Revolve, a leading provider of stock and working capital finance to UK SMEs. The strategy's innovative approach was also recognised through shortlists at the Alternative Credit Investor Awards Europe for Best Market Innovation and Wealth Market Proposition of the Year.

The Ventures strategy remained active, completing a new investment in Optera, a UK space technology company, and providing 23 follow-on investments to support the continued growth of existing portfolio companies. The team's activity and impact were recognised through a number of industry award shortlists, including Deep Tech Investment of the Year and Impact Investment of the Year.

Across Foresight’s 13 offices in the UK and Ireland, the team continued to grow welcoming six new joiners across deal origination, private credit and growth and buyout strategies further strengthening Foresight’s local capabilities.

In the past two months, Foresight has won three awards, including Small Deal of the Year for Federal at the North West Rainmakers Awards and Small Deal of the Year for Montpellier Legal at the South West Dealmakers Awards. Investment Manager Irfan Ashfak was also named Emerging Dealmaker at the East Midlands Dealmakers Awards.

James Livingston, Partner and Joint Head of the Private Equity team at Foresight, said: "The first half of 2026 has been one of real substance, with strong exits despite difficult markets, a broad range of new investments across the regions, some even award-winning, and continued growth in our team.

The returns achieved on TES Group, FIS Chemicals in Scotland and Fieldway are a testament to the quality of the businesses we back and the relationships we build with their management teams over time. Across these investments, we have also supported meaningful growth, with employee numbers increasing by 60% at TES Group and more than doubling at Fieldway.

With a flexible approach to structuring deals, substantial capital available for investment and a healthy pipeline, we are well placed to carry that momentum into the second half of the year.”