25 Years of Innovation in the West Midlands: 1993 – 2018

A narrated timeline of Midven and the region’s history over the last quarter century

Since 1993, Midven has seen and been a part of a lot of exciting changes in the Midlands. Our region has grown from strength to strength, and Midven is proud to be a part of its fabric. Over the past 25 years, we’ve been privileged to support some of the region’s leading entrepreneurs and help them achieve their ambitions, and by doing so, contribute to the broader ecosystem of innovation in the Midlands.

Over the last quarter century in the region, there have been massive changes to the regional landscape, ranging from tech to construction.

As well as the growth of science and tech in the Midlands, which our brilliant universities have played a huge part in, we’ve witnessed booming construction in the region; from the new Bullring to the Library of Birmingham, Grand Central to HS2. Birmingham now has the greatest entrepreneurial activity outside of London and boasts an economy worth more than £230 billion.

New technologies have had a radical impact on manufacturing, the products and services people use, and the business models used by SMEs. We’ve had to react and adapt, investing in the right teams, trying to avoid financial hurdles such as the first dot-com bubble in the early noughties, and picking technologies that will have a long-term future.

Midven has always trusted in this region’s potential to thrive and we have continuously supported entrepreneurship within the West Midlands, turning 25 entrepreneurs with a dream into millionaires along the way.

We’re thrilled to have played a part in the success of companies such as Allinea, MVI, Your Vets and Ardentia, and are proud to support today’s innovative companies like Pireta, Kallik, Diverse World and Geospatial Insights.

So, what’s next? Following our recent appointment in 2018 to manage the £35 million equity portion of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, we are partnering with the region’s most ambitious entrepreneurs to continue to develop and grow the regional economy.

We are also pleased to introduce our Greater Birmingham EIS Fund. Due to the exceptional opportunities that exist in the Midlands and demand from local investors, this innovative EIS fund will further back high-growth ventures in the region.

We’re proud to be a part of this innovative and ambitious history, and we are looking forward to being part of the West Midlands’ future.