Bridgepoint, one of the world’s leading quoted private asset growth investors, has announced a new partnership with Zuto, the UK’s leading car finance fintech.
The transaction sees Bridgepoint’s small cap Growth fund, which focuses on scaling fast-growing, profitable European businesses, become a majority shareholder in the business. The transaction also marks the exit of long-term investor Scottish Equity Partners (SEP), a leading growth equity investor specialising in enterprise technology.
Founded in 2006 and certified as a B Corporation, Zuto has built its success on trust and transparency, already helping over 450,000 people in the UK find the right car finance for their needs. The company achieved revenues of £75m and EBITDA of £12.5m in the last financial year (June 25), demonstrating the strength of the model and its ability to scale. This momentum has continued into the new financial year, with Q1 revenues growing over 30% YoY.
The investment announced today demonstrates confidence in Zuto’s market leadership and long-term growth potential, as it continues to disrupt the £30bn UK car finance market. Zuto combines technology and a customer-first mindset to bring simplicity and integrity to the car finance experience, with rising consumer preference for researching finance options online further fuelling its growth.
The partnership will accelerate the development of Zuto’s technology platform and broaden the company’s product range, drawing on Bridgepoint’s deep sector expertise in scaling high-integrity fintechs, including investments in platforms such as fscom, Kyriba, Fenergo and Condatis.
Jim Wilkinson, CEO of Zuto, said: “This is a pivotal milestone in Zuto’s journey. We’re proud to be a high-growth, profitable fintech operating at scale - leading the way in our sector by combining technology with a progressive, people-first approach. The fact that Bridgepoint shares our vision and has invested with such confidence is hugely exciting. It gives us the opportunity to strengthen our position, scale our platform, support more customers and give them even greater control.”
“We are hugely grateful to SEP for the support and guidance they have given us”, added Wilkinson. “Their partnership, and belief in our mission, has played a huge part in shaping the business into what it is today, supporting the development of the progressive culture that makes Zuto so unique”.
Duncan Calam, Partner and Head of Bridgepoint Growth, commented: “Zuto is an exceptional technology-led platform, bringing greater transparency and trust to the UK car finance market. The business is well placed to continue its growth as the sector evolves, supported by its culture, sophisticated technology and consumer-first ethos. We’re delighted to partner with Jim – a visionary founder who has created a UK category leader – and his team as we scale further in this large and dynamic market.”
SEP Senior Advisor, Tony Robison, commented: “We’re proud to have partnered with Jim and the Zuto team as they’ve built a market-leading business in UK car finance. Their growth, innovation and commitment to improving the customer experience has been exceptional. It’s been a privilege to support their journey, and we’re delighted to see them take this next step with Bridgepoint.”