Bridges Ventures Wins Award for Excellence at the FT/IFC Sustainable Finance awards
London, 18 June 2012: Sustainable growth investor Bridges Ventures (‘Bridges’) has been announced as the winner of the 2012 FT/IFC Sustainable Finance Award for Excellence in Sustainable Finance and as joint winner of the Sustainable Investor of the Year category.
The FT/IFC Sustainable Finance Awards, announced last night at a gala dinner, are the major global awards for environmentally and socially responsible banking and investment and this year attracted 161 entries from 145 financial institutions and 36 non-financial groups in 67 countries.
Bridges, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is an innovative specialist fund manager, dedicated exclusively to using an impact-driven investment approach to create superior returns for both investors and society at-large. Since launch, the firm has since raised funds totalling almost £275m, which invest in growth businesses, sustainable property and social enterprises. The launch of its most recent fund, ‘Sustainable Growth Fund III’, in December 2011, attracted £72m for its first closing. This figure matched the final close for Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund II.
Michele Giddens, Partner and Co-Founder at Bridges Ventures, said:
“We are honoured to have won these awards, and it is particularly special to do so in our 10th anniversary year.
“Our society’s multiple pressing social and environmental challenges cannot be solved through government and philanthropy alone. Entrepreneurship and the capital markets must also be directed at solving these problems and we are finding that companies that can play a role in this have huge growth opportunities. We hope that this recognition will further encourage investors’ growing interest in investments where impact and commercial returns go hand-in-hand.”
This recognition comes in the same month Bridges announced two successful exits, from The Hoxton Hotel and Pure Washrooms.
For further information please contact
Hannah Randall – Capital MSL 0207 255 5177 Hannah.randall@capitalmsl.com
Notes to Editors
About Bridges Ventures
Bridges Ventures LLP (“Bridges Ventures”) is a sustainable growth investor established in 2002 with a mission to use its commercial expertise to achieve focused social or environmental benefit, as well as attractive returns for investors. Bridges Ventures has raised six funds to date which total almost £275m: Sustainable Growth Funds I, II and III, the Bridges Sustainable Property Fund, CarePlaces Partnership and the Bridges Social Entrepreneurs Fund.
Bridges currently have two property funds under management: Bridges Sustainable Property Fund and CarePlaces Fund. The Sustainable Property Fund is an entrepreneurial fund which invests in properties in regeneration areas and environmentally sustainable buildings. The CarePlaces Partnership, a partnership between Bridges Ventures and Castleoak, concentrates on first class care facilities for the elderly with a focus on sustainable design and construction.
The Bridges Sustainable Growth Funds (I, II, III) invest in growth businesses across the four impact themes of Underserved Areas, Education & Skills, Environment and Health & Well-being. The Funds typically invest up to £10m at a time in ambitious, entrepreneurial businesses including early stage, growth capital and buyouts / buy ins. Since 2002, these Funds have made equity investments totaling over £75m in 34 businesses.