LDC, the UK’s leading private equity firm for mid-sized businesses, has promoted Jacob Leone and Grant Goodwin to Investment Directors following their significant contribution to the business including supporting transactions with a combined investment total of more than £200m.
Jacob Leone joined LDC’s Manchester-based team as an Investment Manager in 2019 and has been involved in many of LDC’s most significant tech investments, including the firm’s partnerships with Manchester-headquartered digital transformation business CTI Group, games developer Marmalade, Cheshire-headquartered manufacturer Rhino Products and Alderley Edge-based software company IEG4. Most recently, Jacob led LDC’s investment in Merseyside-headquartered Horsefly, an artificial intelligence-based talent analytics platform, and is now helping the management team to continue to grow the business organically, both in the UK and internationally.
Grant Goodwin joined the same team as an Investment Manager in 2020 and has since played a key role in a number of standout investments. These include the firm’s partnerships with Cheshire-headquartered mobile medical unit and vehicle provider EMS Group Solutions, education technology specialist Avantis, Rochdale-headquartered technology-driven security company WCCTV, Warrington-based preventative healthcare specialist PAM, and human capital management (HCM) solutions provider Talos360, which is also based in Warrington.
From a portfolio perspective, Grant and Jacob have completed a number of buy and build transactions, and between them currently serve on the boards of six portfolio companies. With more than 15 years’ combined experience in corporate finance and private equity, Grant and Jacob will continue to help LDC deliver on its commitment to invest in 100 medium-sized businesses nationally over the next five years.