LDC in the North West eyes bumper 2026 after ‘hitting the ground running’

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The head of North West at LDC has said the private equity firm is optimistic for the year ahead after starting 2026 with a pair of eye-catching deals.

LDC partner Dale Alderson, who joined the mid-market investor in 2012, said the business was looking to build on a year when it invested about £90m of equity in the region.

Already this year, LDC has backed myHappymind, a Cheshire-based provider of digital mental health and wellbeing programmes for schools, and exited its investment in WCCTV, a Rochdale-headquartered provider of re-deployable video surveillance systems, delivering a 3.3x money multiple.

Alderson, who hailed the North West’s business and advisory community as “second to none”, said myHappymind was a good example of the quality of firms operating in the North West.

“CEO and founder Laura Earnshaw has built an exceptional business with social purpose at its heart, reaching hundreds of thousands of children across the UK,” said Alderson.

“The business is a B Corp and won a King’s Award for Enterprise in 2025, the same year that Laura was named in LDC’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders awards programme.

“We jumped at the opportunity to back her, completing the investment within three weeks of being chosen as her preferred partner.”

Alderson also revealed what had attracted LDC to WCCTV, ahead of what proved to be a successful partnership.

“We partnered with founder Tim Williams and CEO David Gilbertson in 2021, and over five years we supported the business to triple revenue, almost double its workforce and expand rapidly in the US,” the dealmaker said.

“It also relocated to a new 40,000 sq ft office in Rochdale and was named in The Sunday Times 100 fastest growing private technology companies.”

Looking at the wider region, Alderson said the “fundamentals that make the North West such an attractive location for business growth are solid”.

He added: “Manchester continues to be a magnet for talent and investment, particularly in professional services, technology and life sciences, whilst Liverpool’s digital and creative sectors are thriving.

“The breadth of opportunities across sectors and geographies – from Lancashire’s manufacturing base to Greater Manchester’s technology businesses – is one of the region’s greatest strengths.

“What matters is finding impressive management teams with clear growth plans, strong market positions and the ability to adapt. Those businesses will continue to attract investment regardless of the broader economic backdrop.”

Highlights from the last year included LDC’s investment in Panthera Biopartners, the exit and reinvestment in HSL Compliance and helping portfolio firms Talos360 and MSQ expand with acquisitions.

Alderson said he expected the trend for bolt-on deals to continue into 2026.

“Buy-and-build strategies will remain central to business growth in 2026,” he said.

“Successful examples across our portfolio include Talos360’s strategic bolt-on in HR technology and HSL’s expansion in compliance services.

“It takes specific expertise to help management teams to identify and execute those acquisitions and I’d expect consolidation across fragmented sectors to accelerate this year.”

In terms of sector, Alderson expects healthcare and life sciences to continue attracting “strong investor interest”.

“The North West has real depth in these sectors, from clinical trials to healthcare services,” said Alderson.

“These businesses often have resilient revenues and clear pathways to scale, making them attractive to investors.”

He added: “Technology-enabled services is another area where we’re seeing sustained demand. “Businesses that use technology and AI to deliver better outcomes for their customers, whether that’s through software, data or digital platforms, have proven their ability to grow in challenging conditions.”

In conclusion, Alderson said after LDC had “hit the ground running” in 2026, the firm’s focus for the year was “about maintaining our position as one of the most active investors in the region”.