Foresight Group, a regional private equity investor, has reported a robust start to 2026, deploying over £43 million across 11 new UK and Ireland businesses while completing three successful exits.
The new investments span sectors including technology, defence, food and beverage, and healthcare, backing companies such as Federal, SAMP Technology, Pinocchio’s Nurseries, and Vestd, among others.
The period’s biggest win was the sale of Northern Ireland’s TES Group, a critical infrastructure power distribution supplier, which returned 4x Foresight’s invested capital after the company grew revenue 84% to £72m and expanded headcount by 60%.
Foresight also exited Liverpool-based fire safety firm Fieldway to Axis CLC — the 12th realisation from its Regional Investment Fund, which has averaged 4.2x returns across all completed deals — plus a third exit, FIS Chemicals in Scotland.
The Private Credit team provided a £40 million senior debt facility to SME finance provider Revolve and picked up award shortlists for market innovation. Meanwhile, the Ventures arm invested in UK space tech firm Optera and made 23 follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies.
The firm also grew its regional team with six new hires and picked up several dealmaking awards, including recognition for Investment Manager Irfan Ashfak.
James Livingston, joint head of private equity at Foresight, said the strong exits and broad investment activity reflect the quality of the businesses the firm backs and its long-term relationships with management teams. He added that Foresight is well positioned to build on this momentum in the second half of the year, backed by flexible deal structuring, available capital, and a strong pipeline.
Foresight has said it plans to invest more than £1 billion in patient capital into UK and Ireland growth companies over the next five years.