FAQs

What type of businesses does Imbiba invest in?

We invest in best-in-class businesses across education, healthcare and lifestyle markets. Typically, the businesses we invest in generate EBITDA of between £0.5m/€0.5m and £5m/€5m and have the clear potential to scale.

What does an investment solution with Imbiba look like?

Most of our deals are growth capital investments with Imbiba acquiring a significant minority shareholding in the business (between 25%-49.9%) — backing founders to scale while enabling them to keep control. We also support MBOs/MBIs and always structure investments to align our success with founders and management teams.

How much does Imbiba usually invest?

Our investments range is from £2m/€2m and £15m/€15m, with flexibility to go above or below depending on the opportunity. It may be that we invest a lower amount at the time of the initial investment but this scales up as the company grows.

What stage do you usually get involved?

We typically back growth-stage businesses that have proven their business model and are looking for capital to scale more rapidly. We’re not seed or venture investors and do invest in start-ups.

What makes Imbiba different from other private equity funds?

At Imbiba our primary role is to invest behind great people and provide support on the journey as partners. We don’t seek to meddle in day-to-day operations or any executive matters, rather we see our role as providing support and counsel on key strategic matters such as property, leadership recruitment, strategic finance, exit planning and increasingly AI. Moreover, we recognise that – at times – being an entrepreneur can be a lonely endeavour and we seek to be a predictable and calm sounding board for founders in good times and bad.

Where does Imbiba invest?

We invest into the most innovative and dynamic UK and Irish based companies across education, healthcare and lifestyle markets to scale. Whilst the companies may be headquartered or domiciled in the UK and/or Ireland, many scale to international markets.

How long do you usually hold an investment?

We typically invest for 3–7 years, depending on the growth curve. Our focus is on scaling and creating category leaders, then exiting to strategic or institutional buyers.

What returns do you target?

Across 30+ investments, Imbiba has consistently delivered over 3x MOIC.

How can a founder get in touch with you?

Please contact Nick-Raj Birdi at nick@imbiba.com and Andrew Guest at andrew.guest@imbiba.com. Before reaching out, please review our criteria section on our contact page, which should provide an indication as to whether your business aligns with our current investment focus. All information will be treated in confidence.