Northern Irish businesses recognised for outstanding growth

Neurovalens, Kingsbridge Healthcare and Lowe Rental, have won the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Vision 2025 Awards for Northern Ireland.

Supported by Headline Sponsor, Grant Thornton and Supporting Sponsor, Santander, the annual awards honour the management teams of companies backed by private equity and venture capital, recognising both companies and their investors in three different investment stages and across three categories:

Early Stage:

Neurovalens backed by IQ Capital, was chosen as the winner for the early-stage category, with judges praising the business for introducing innovative and technology based alternative to traditional drug based treatment options for the likes of Chronic Insomnia and General Anxiety Disorder. 

Large:

Kingsbridge Healthcare, backed by Foresight and 57 Stars until July 2024 and backed by Exponent since then was awarded the winner for the large category. Kingsbridge was lauded for its growth and recent innovation activity, including substantial investments into new sites which has resulted in an effective 4-fold increase in bed capacity from 2020 to 2025.  

International Expansion:

Lowe Rental backed by Perwyn, was chosen as the winner in the International Expansion Category, with judges praising the business for demonstrating innovation by strategically accelerating capital investment during Covid, which has proven pivotal to the business’s recent growth.

A new BVCA report Private Capital in Northern Ireland, published ahead of the awards showcased the economic impact of private capital in these regions. It found that businesses backed by private capital generate £3bn for the Northern Irish economy each year. As of 2025, over 47,000 jobs are supported by the industry in Northern Ireland.
 

Michael Moore, BVCA Chief Executive said: 

“We are proud to honour the outstanding successes of this year’s winners who have demonstrated the impact that private equity and venture capital has in Northern Ireland and across all the nations and regions of the United Kingdom. 

“These businesses and their private capital backers exemplify how our industry is supporting jobs and growth in every part of the country.”
 

Charlie Kerlin, Director – Deal Advisory at Grant Thornton NI Advisors said:

“It’s inspiring to see the energy, innovation and ambition driving businesses across Northern Ireland — from early-stage disruptors to established leaders, these companies are making a real difference in their communities and sectors. Congratulations to all the winners for the positive impact they are delivering. These companies provide really important reference stories in Northern Ireland, demonstrating the benefits of private equity.

“We’re proud to support the Vision 2025 Awards, recognising the entrepreneurial talent shaping the region’s future and the essential contribution of private equity and venture capital in helping these businesses scale sustainably and thrive for the long term."
 

Richard Mathison, Senior Director, Structured & Specialised Finance at Santander said:

“Many congratulations to Kingsbridge Healthcare, Lowe Rental and Neurovalens on their outstanding achievements.

“This year’s winners demonstrate the exceptional talent and innovation that exists across Northern Ireland. At Santander, we remain deeply committed to championing such success stories and working with companies to realise their growth ambitions.

“As a proud sponsor of the Vision 2025 Awards, we’re delighted to celebrate the remarkable achievements of high-growth companies backed by private equity investment.”
 

Dr. Jason McKeown, CEO at Neurovalens said:

“We’re honoured to receive this recognition from the BVCA. This award highlights the impact that strategic investment and a strong partnership can have on early-stage companies in Northern Ireland.

“Our goal at Neurovalens is to transform the way chronic health conditions are treated. We’re grateful for the backing we’ve received and proud to be recognised for the progress we’ve made in bringing non-invasive neurostimulation to market through the Modius technology.”
 

James Livingston, Partner and co-head of Private Equity at Foresight Group said:

"In partnership with 57 Stars, we are thrilled to have won the BVCA Vision 2025 Large Category award for Northern Ireland, recognising the exit from Kingsbridge Healthcare. During 57 Stars and Foresight’s investment holding period Kingsbridge helped ease pressure on the NHS in Northern Ireland reducing the post-pandemic operations backlog, expanded into new services and more than doubled its number of employees and revenue. It was a pleasure to work with Suresh and Ash, the founders of Kingsbridge, supporting them and the talented management team through a period of significant growth while maintaining the Group’s commitment to the highest standard of patient care, support and social impact. It's wonderful to be recognised with 57 stars for this award, congratulations to all involved!" 
 

David McGovern, Partner at Exponent said:

“Kingsbridge is comprised of a fantastic team, doing important work in a differentiated way. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to build on its success by investing in capabilities, expanding capacity and entering new procedure areas and markets. Many congratulations to the team for this outstanding award.”
 

Bernard McGuire, Managing Director at 57 Stars said:

“In addition to achieving this recognition, we are proud to have participated in building this important business to provide badly needed healthcare and to shorten waiting times for critical procedures, thereby creating lasting improvement in healthcare delivery for the people of Ireland, both in NI and the ROI. We believe this investment exemplifies our ability to identify opportunities, such as this award-winning one, in interesting yet less competitive markets, while aligning with our target sectors, one of which is healthcare. Our efforts in such markets are a core aspect of 57 Stars’ global investment program.”
 

Rachel McCausland, CEO, Lowe Rental Corporation said:

“We’re honoured to be recognised as the winner of the BVCA Vision 2025 award in the International Expansion category. This award is testament to the dedication and vision of our entire team, whose hard work drives our success. Our rapid worldwide deployment capabilities and innovative technology allow us to meet diverse client needs at scale. By delivering tailored services—from ESG-aligned equipment to flexible rental solutions for refrigeration, catering, and kitchen infrastructure—we continue to expand with purpose. This recognition reflects our commitment to ambitious, responsible global growth.”
 

Mark Blower, Partner at Perwyn, said:

“We are very proud of Lowe Rental’s impressive achievement in winning this award.  It highlights the company’s standing as a critical provider of commercial refrigeration, kitchen infrastructure and catering equipment with 12 distribution hubs on three continents.”

“The award also validates Perwyn’s investment in the company, made in 2018. Since then, we have supported Lowe by providing hands-on engagement, and we are delighted to have worked so successfully alongside the talented management team to guide the company towards attracting customers such as M&S, Target, Neom and The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”

Notes to Editors

For further information, please contact:
James Gribben, BVCA: [email protected]
 

About the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association

The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is the industry body and public policy advocate for the private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) (private capital) industry in the UK. With a membership of over 600 firms, we represent the vast majority of all UK-based private capital firms, as well as their professional advisers and a large base of UK and global investors. The private equity and venture capital industry has a vital role to play in driving national and regional growth. Currently almost 13,000 companies, employing more than 2.5 million people, are backed by private equity and venture capital investment in the UK.