Our recent investment from BGF marks an important moment in Black Cat’s development. More than a decade after we started the business, it gives us the backing to continue growing our team, expanding our regional presence and strengthening the services we provide to clients across the UK and Ireland.

When Black Cat was founded in 2015, the ambition was straightforward: to build a consultancy that gave clients practical, honest advice, while creating a workplace where talented people could do their best work.

That approach has helped us grow into one of the UK’s leading independent building consultancies, with 93 employees, a growing network of offices and projects managed totalling more than £734 million across 83 million sq. ft. We have also been recognised as the Best Medium-Sized Place to Work in the Building & Construction Industry in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026.

The investment from BGF will help us build on that progress.

Why BGF?

BGF is the UK and Ireland’s most active growth investor, providing patient, minority capital to ambitious businesses. Its approach is designed to support founders and management teams over the long term, without taking control or imposing a fixed timetable for growth or exit.

That was important to us. We were not looking for an investor to change Black Cat or impose a formula on the business. We wanted a partner that understood the importance of long-term growth, regional expansion, strong leadership and a distinctive culture.

“We’ve never wanted to grow simply for the sake of putting more dots on a map. The point is to build a better business, with the right people, the right expertise and the capacity to give clients the same level of attention as we grow. BGF gives us the backing to do that properly.”

Ben Golby, Director & Founder

BGF’s portfolio includes businesses as different as Gousto, Emma Bridgewater, Brompton and Cass Art.

We’re clearly not comparing Black Cat to a recipe-box company, a pottery manufacturer, a bicycle brand or an art retailer. The relevance is in how these businesses have used investment to become more capable while retaining a clear sense of who they are.

BGF first backed Gousto in 2015. Its investment helped the business strengthen its team of chefs and nutritionists, broaden its sales and marketing activity, increase its technology capability and develop new fulfilment centres. BGF subsequently made seven further investments, supporting Gousto’s growth into a business valued at more than $1 billion in 2020.

Emma Bridgewater provides another useful example. The £8 million investment made in 2020 supported further UK growth, international expansion and increased output from its Stoke-on-Trent factory, while the business continued to be built around its distinctive designs and traditional manufacturing approach.

Brompton shows how investment can support innovation and international growth while protecting a strong independent identity. BGF’s £19 million investment was intended to help the business expand into new markets and invest in new technology and robotic manufacturing capabilities. At the time, Brompton exported 80% of its bikes to more than 40 countries.

Cass Art is perhaps the clearest parallel with Black Cat’s regional ambitions. Following its £3.2 million BGF investment in 2013, the business planned to expand beyond London through new stores and further investment in its e-commerce platform. Its stated ambition was to connect with creative communities across the whole of the UK.

The common thread is clear. Investment can help a business reach more people, develop its team, improve its systems and respond to growing demand, without losing the qualities that made it successful in the first place.

“The important thing for us is that Black Cat still feels like Black Cat. We’ve built the business around being straightforward, accessible and good at what we do. The investment gives us more room to invest in our people, develop our services and be where clients need us, while keeping that way of working at the centre of it.”

Stephen Barnes, Director & Founder

What will the investment mean for clients?

For our existing and future clients, the investment will create greater depth, expertise and resource.

It will support us to:

• Expand into new locations where clients have asked us for local expertise;
• Recruit and develop more talented people;
• Strengthen our specialist service lines;
• Bring together expertise across a wider range of disciplines;
• Invest in the systems and infrastructure needed to support a growing business; and
• Continue delivering practical, senior-level advice as clients’ portfolios and projects become more complex.

Our clients will continue to work with the same direct, approachable Black Cat team. The difference is that we will have greater depth behind that team, allowing us to support more instructions, respond to changing requirements and provide a broader range of expertise as projects develop.

The appointment of Ian Plumb as Non-Executive Chair will also bring valuable experience to the business. Ian has a strong track record of supporting ambitious founder-led businesses through periods of growth, helping them retain the culture and values that made them successful in the first place.

For us, this is not about becoming a different kind of consultancy. It is about giving us greater depth to support our clients as their portfolios and projects become increasingly complex.

“A lot of our growth has come from clients trusting us with the next instruction. We want to build on that trust without losing the personal approach that got us here. This investment gives us the opportunity to develop our people and services properly, and to keep raising the standard of what clients can expect from an independent consultancy.”

James Dyson, Director & Founder

Black Cat has always believed there is a better way to build a consultancy, one based on trust, transparency and giving good people the opportunity to succeed. The investment gives us confidence in the next chapter of Black Cat’s story. We remain founder-led, independently minded and focused on doing the right thing for our clients and our people.

Our clients don’t appoint Black Cat because we’re the biggest consultancy in the market. They appoint us because they know they’ll get direct access to experienced people who they know and trust, who care about the outcome.

The ambition has not changed. We are simply better placed to deliver it.