LDC wins two awards at the inaugural South West Rainmaker Awards

LDC took home Medium Deal of the Year for its investment in LendingMetrics and Out of Region Deal of the Year for its exit of Zip World at the first Rainmaker Awards in the South West.

The awards, hosted by The Business Desk, were held at Bristol’s Harbour Hotel last night. They brought together 250 professionals from the South West deals community to celebrate the best deals and teams from the past 12 months, as voted for by the corporate finance community themselves in a one firm, one vote system.

LDC’s investment in credit risk technology group LendingMetrics was awarded Medium Deal of the Year. Lending Metrics’ software and data solutions help hundreds of companies to make highly sophisticated automated and risk-based lending decisions. LDC’s investment and strategic support is helping the business to accelerate its product development, explore acquisitions and expand into new verticals – supporting LendingMetrics’ growth in the UK’s fast-expanding decisioning software and data market.

LDC also took home the Out of Region Deal of the Year for its exit of Zip World, the UK’s leading adventure park operator and certified B Corp, to Dolphin Capital in a transaction that valued the business at more than £100m.

The exit followed a six-year partnership with LDC’s team in the South West and Wales, during which Zip World increased turnover by 95%, expanded from three sites to eight and grew its range of activities from 11 to 37. During this period – which included COVID enforced lockdowns and more recently cost of living pressures – Zip World also diversified into accommodation, including a hotel and luxury forest lodges, and made an acquisition of a leisure business in the North West of England.

LDC extends its congratulations to all of the companies and individuals that won awards or were shortlisted at the awards. You can view the full list of winners here.