Scottish firm ‘uniquely positioned’ to tap into AI secures significant growth funding
“The business has already demonstrated impressive momentum and scale” – Richard Shaw, GCP
An Edinburgh-based data and artificial intelligence consultancy has secured significant investment as it ramps up its UK and European expansion.
Optima Partners specialises in “AI-led transformation”, helping businesses “tackle complex challenges” through business strategy, machine learning, AI and advanced engineering. It has now secured backing from Growth Capital Partners (GCP), after BGF, formerly the Business Growth Fund, announced its major exit from the capital company, becoming a minority shareholder.
GCP said its investment would fuel several “strategic growth initiatives” designed to scale Optima further, including expanding its strategic marketing and growing its position in the UK and European markets.
Founded in 2013 by Alan Crawley, Optima has grown rapidly across the UK. Growth accelerated in 2021, when Crawley partnered with Chris Foley, an expert in the advanced mathematics that underpins machine learning and AI applications. The partnership, in addition to a strategic investment from BGF in 2022, has established the business as an applied data and AI transformation partner for a string of blue-chip clients.
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Crawley said: “Since its launch, Optima has gone from strength to strength, expanding our capabilities, growing our team and deepening our impact across a range of critical sectors. The backing and continued support from BGF has been instrumental in helping us reach this stage of our growth.
“This investment from GCP marks the start of an exciting new chapter. It gives us the momentum to build on our success, accelerate our plans and continue developing the capabilities that will define the next stage of Optima’s journey.”
Foley, the firm’s chief executive, said: “Our focus is firmly on enabling the next phase of Optima’s growth. GCP’s investment is a strong endorsement of our mission to help our clients turn their data, analytics and AI strategies into measurable outcomes at speed.
“This funding allows us to accelerate our growing track record of innovation, invest further in our people, and strengthen the infrastructure required to support our clients at greater scale.”
Richard Shaw, partner, GCP, said: “Alan, Chris and the wider Optima team have built a highly differentiated business at the intersection of advanced data science, machine learning and enterprise transformation. As organisations increasingly seek to harness their data and accelerate AI adoption, Optima is uniquely positioned to help them tackle mission-critical challenges and unlock meaningful commercial outcomes.
“The business has already demonstrated impressive momentum and scale, supported by strong leadership, deep technical skill sets and robust industry expertise. We are delighted to partner with the team at this exciting stage of their journey.”
Richard Pugh, investor, BGF, added: “Since our initial investment in 2022, Optima has seen exceptional growth and development, both in terms of its team and its abilities to revolutionise organisations’ use of data and advanced analytics.
“This is a fantastic result for both BGF and the Optima team. Our backing has supported Alan’s ambitious vision and combined with Chris’ expertise and direction, the business is in an ideal position to gather pace and seize the huge opportunities arising in AI and data.
“It has been a pleasure working with Alan and Chris over the years and we look forward to continuing our backing as a minority shareholder.”
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