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British Design Fund secures £5 million commitment from British Business Bank to support UK product innovation

Press release 11 December 2025

The British Business Bank has announced a £5 million commitment to the British Design Fund (BDF), an early-stage fund and angel network that backs UK product-focused  businesses, through its Regional Angels Programme.

The fund is managed by Sapphire Capital Partners LLP and seeks to support UK-based startup enterprises that design and manufacture physical products.

The Regional Angels Programme, launched in 2019 with the objective of addressing regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance, targets angel networks and other early-stage investors outside of London. This commitment supports this mission, enhancing access to capital for early-stage businesses across diverse sectors.

BDF engages with founders developing UK-based product businesses across a range of sectors, such as health, sustainability, and assistive technology. The fund’s portfolio includes a diverse range of companies located across the UK, from the Southwest to Scotland.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: 

We want the UK to be the best place to start-up and scale-up. Half of new jobs in this country are created by scale-ups, and our tech, health and manufacturing sectors are second to none. This commitment by the British Business Bank will support even more entrepreneurs to take the leap and we have increased incentives at the Budget giving companies the talent and capital to grow. Our message is clear – if you invest here, Britain will back you.

Mark Barry, Senior Investment Director at British Business Bank, said: 

The UK has an abundance of worldclass talent in advanced engineering and manufacturing and we’re delighted to partner with BDF to invest in these early-stage opportunities right across the country.

Damon Bonser, CEO of BDF Advisors, said: 

We welcome this commitment from the British Business Bank, which supports our continued efforts to back UK product innovation. We meet founders every day who are addressing fundamental problems in the world through innovative manufacturing and engineering technologies. This commitment enables the British Design Fund to continue its work with more founders and to help founders progress their ideas into viable early-stage businesses.

Vasiliki Carson, Partner at Sapphire Capital Partners LLP, added: 

We are pleased to be working alongside the British Design Fund and the British Business Bank to support early-stage product businesses. This commitment will contribute to addressing regional disparities in access to early-stage capital.

Further Information

If you are a journalist and have a media enquiry, please contact mediaenquiries@british-business-bank.co.uk.

Notes to editors

About the British Business Bank

The British Business Bank is the UK government’s economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to drive sustainable growth and prosperity across the UK and to enable the transition to a net zero economy, by improving access to finance for smaller businesses. Its remit is to design, deliver and efficiently manage UK-wide smaller business access to finance programmes for the UK government.

The British Business Bank’s core programmes support £23bn 1 of finance to almost 64,000 2  smaller businesses.

British Business Bank plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales, registration number 08616013, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. It is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. With the exception of BBB Investment Services Limited they are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority. BBB Investment Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at British Business Bank.

The commitment described above does not constitute or imply any endorsement, warranty or recommendation by the UK government, the British Business Bank plc, its subsidiaries or any other party in respect of British Design Fund or its products or services.

This press release is provided for information purposes only. It does not constitute, and must not be construed as, an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity for the purposes of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. No investment opportunity is described or offered. Sapphire Capital Partners LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 565716).

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