The Funding Room Workshop: Exploring growth routes in today’s market
In today’s fast-changing business landscape, growth can’t just be left to chance. With shifting markets, evolving technology, and new opportunities for investment, more business owners are looking to accelerate their growth journey, but the challenge lies in knowing how. Understanding which funding route suits your business best can make all the difference between sustainable expansion and overstretching too soon. That was the focus of The Funding Room workshop, hosted by Hazlewoods in partnership with BGF, Michelmores, and Lloyds Banking Group, bringing together advisers and business leaders from across the region to explore the spectrum of debt or equity funding options (or a mixture of both) available today. Using a live case study example of a fast-growing tech SME, Lloyds Banking Group opened the session, delving into the nuances of debt funding and how leveraging debt strategically can unlock growth without diluting ownership - highlighting the importance of timing, structure, and understanding how repayment profiles are considered from the lender’s perspective.
From there, BGF shifted the focus to private equity, outlining how equity partners can bring more than just funding, offering strategic input, networks, governance, and experience to drive faster, more ambitious growth. Hazlewoods then connected these themes with Management Buyouts (MBOs), a route where funding choice can shape the entire structure of the deal, explaining how the dynamics of an MBO differ depending on whether the business opts for debt, equity, or a blend of both, and the implications this has for ownership, control, and long-term value creation. Michelmores added vital legal context throughout, highlighting how each funding route comes with its own set of legal considerations, from security, covenants and ongoing obligations through to investor rights, governance, IP and patents, and futureproofed documentation. Following the presentations, advisers and business leaders from a dynamic mix of industries took these insights to the table for open, scenario-based discussions.