Businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber have received a share of over £180 million in investment since the launch of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II).

The NPIF II has directly invested £115 million into over 300 small businesses across the North of England, boosted by an additional £68 million of private sector co-investment. This takes the total delivered funding to more than £180 million across over 315 deals.

The £660 million fund, operated by the British Business Bank, provides loans and equity finance to help Northern small businesses start up, scale up, and stay ahead, with investments supporting sectors like advanced manufacturing, digital technology, and the creative industries.

Yorkshire Business Success Stories

The fund has completed deals with several founders across the region:

EKSPAN (Sheffield): The independent bridge engineering specialist secured £1.4 million in debt funding from NPIF II – Mercia Debt Finance to support further growth. The company, which has worked on high-profile UK bridge infrastructure projects, aims to increase turnover by 50 per cent in the next three years.

Candid Hospitality (Hull): The hospitality tech business, led by Sam Brown and Nick Holroyd-Doveton, raised £785,000 from NPIF II - Mercia Equity Finance. Launched this year, the company plans to double its team to 14 staff members and has secured partnerships with brands such as Honest Burgers and Flight club.

Make a Difference (MAD) (Sheffield): The education provider secured a loan from NPIF II – BEF Smaller Loans to expand its facilities and create new therapeutic learning environments. MAD was set up by former deputy headteacher Adrian Anderson to address the lack of quality alternative education for vulnerable young people.

Lizzy Upton, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, said: “Yorkshire and The Humber is a vast region that is home to businesses operating in a range of sectors, from advanced manufacturing to specialist service providers. Given this diversity, it’s amazing to see NPIF II supporting so many ambitious businesses and entrepreneurs across our region, unlocking growth and fueling job creation. It shows why it’s so vital to have targeted funding to areas traditionally underserved, ensuring we’re driving growth in every corner of the country, whether in big cities or rural communities.”