The British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland has delivered over £25 million in financial support to Scottish businesses since it launched 18 months ago, supporting 58 firms across the country to develop and grow.

Alongside the significant investment from the Bank, an additional £26 million in private sector funding has also been committed, making the total investment into Scotland over £52 million so far.

Launched in October 2023, the Investment Fund for Scotland aims to improve access to finance and boost the Scottish economy, with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million available to help small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

Delivered through its dedicated fund managers, DSL Business Finance, The FSE Group and Maven Capital Partners.

Pets-Cetera, a luxury pet accessories boutique in the west end of Glasgow, is among the latest businesses to receive funding via the smaller loans portion of the fund, managed by DSL Business Finance. While on maternity leave from her day job, owner Catriona Blue seized the opportunity to acquire the established retail business, which had been put up for sale.

After a year of planning, Catriona received the keys earlier this year following the agreement of a £50,000 loan.

Catriona said: “I grew up on a farm and helped my parents to run the business there, so I was keen to find another opportunity to be my own boss alongside my professional career. With a young family, it is inevitably busy, but the children will hopefully gain lots of happy memories of spending time at the shop.

I am excited to see the business develop and in future would love to open Pets-Cetera in other locations and add dog grooming services to the offering.”

F-CAD, a Glasgow-based engineering design firm, has also recently secured support from the Investment Fund for Scotland. The company provides advanced computer-aided design (CAD) modelling, reverse engineering – analysing existing products to recreate or improve them – and design-for-manufacture services.

By partnering with businesses, F-CAD helps turn early-stage ideas into production-ready designs, strengthens in-house design capabilities, and shortens the time it takes to move from concept to market.

Ryan Ferguson, Managing Director at F-CAD, said: “We are an ambitious business based in Glasgow and the support through DSL Business Finance will enable us to accelerate growth plans. We’ll be expanding the team and investing in new equipment to allow the business to scale up and continue to diversify our customer base. In the months ahead, we hope to target additional international contracts in new markets, supporting manufacturing and innovation in the UK and further afield.”

Other businesses that have been supported through the fund include Aberdeen based biotechnology firm NCIMB, Glasgow private healthcare provider Elanic Hospital, and Perthshire hospitality firm Bee Happy Breaks.

Mark Sterritt, Director, Nations and Regions Funds, at the British Business Bank, said: “Achieving this scale of investment in a relatively short time frame is great to see, and even more encouraging is the additional finance that has been committed through other institutions and syndicates.

Scotland is a proud nation of small businesses, many supporting local economies and jobs, as well as embracing emerging technologies in exciting high-growth sectors that have the potential to shape industries.”

He added: “The Investment Fund for Scotland has encouraged business owners in all parts of Scotland to use finance to build their teams, expand into new markets and develop new products, with many of them exploring debt finance for the first time. Common among these entrepreneurs is an appetite for growth and being able to access support along the way is a crucial aspect of success.

The £150 million fund was established to improve access to finance for growing businesses with investment strategies that best meet their needs, regardless of who they are or where they are based, and it is great to see the impact so far.”