Leading businesses in the South East will be celebrated this evening at the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Management Team Awards 2017, our annual celebration of UK companies supported by private equity and venture capital funds, produced in association with Grant Thornton UK LLP.

Now in their ninth year, the BVCA Management Team Awards recognise and reward brilliant businesses up and down the country that have been backed by UK private equity and venture capital investors.

The award winners will be announced and presented with their prizes tonight as part of the BVCA Chairman’s Dinner. This event brings together BVCA Chairs, past and present, along with senior industry figures, parliamentarians and major players in corporate Britain. They will then go forward into the national final to compete against our other regions, before the national winners are announced at the BVCA Gala Dinner on 30 November in London.

Charlie Johnstone, Chair of the South East judging panel and Partner at ECI Partners LLP, said: “Over the past year we have watched UK investment thrive, and this is particularly true for London and the South East. The BVCA Management Team Awards highlight some of the fantastic teams making their mark across the country, and recognise excellence that is encouraged and supported by private equity and venture capital. Many congratulations to tonight’s winners and good luck to them in the national final.”

Mo Merali, Partner and Head of private equity at Grant Thornton UK LLP, added: “This year’s entrants represent some of the finest examples of private equity backed successes in the region and demonstrate the valuable contribution PE makes in developing a more vibrant UK economy. The winners ultimately stood out amongst tough competition for their achievements. Grant Thornton’s ambition of becoming the ‘go-to firm for growth’ is a natural fit with the BVCA’s Management Team Awards and we’re delighted to be supporting the programme again this year.”

The winners are:

Venture-backed Management Team

Blis

Backed by Beringea, Endeit Capital, Unilever Ventures

Blis is a global leader in advanced location technology, which has grown since 2004 to eight offices across 60 markets and is headquartered in London.

With a focus on providing to agencies, trading desks and publishers, the Blis platform provides its clients with accurate location data and behavioural insights.

Initial seed funding from Beringea in 2008 enabled the business to grow, with additional Series B in April 2016 from Endeit Capital and Unilever Ventures enabling Blis to invest in its current operations, and to continue its innovation in service developments.

Judges’ comments: “Founder Greg Isbister and his team have built and held a leading position in the global location-based behavioural analytics sector, successfully internationalising across some exceptionally competitive jurisdictions and showing very strong revenue growth. The business is a great marker of the UK as a centre of excellence in the marriage of technology and marketing.”

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