Seven LDC portfolio companies named in Northern Tech Awards 2026 Top 100

Seven LDC-backed businesses have been named by GP Bullhound in its annual ranking of the fastest growing technology businesses in the North of the UK.

Aspire, BCIS, Horsefly, myHappymind, Pagabo Group, Uinsure and UniHomes have all been included in the technology advisory firm’s Northern Tech Awards 2026 Top 100. In addition, Aspire, Pagabo Group and UniHomes were named in the Top 15 Larger Companies list.

Now in its 13^th year, the Northern Tech Awards highlight the importance of the North to the UK digital economy, with the Top 100 generating c. £2.4bn in aggregate revenue. Organised by GP Bullhound, the Awards celebrate the fastest growing and most innovative technology companies in the region.

The 2026 Awards, held last night at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, brought together 250 of the North’s most ambitious founders, CEOs and business leaders to celebrate the companies defining British tech in 2026. The Top 100 ranks the 100 shortlisted businesses based on revenue growth over the last three years.

myHappymind, the leading provider of digital mental health and wellbeing programmes for schools, ranked 8^th. LDC invested in the business in December 2025 to support its ambitious growth plans, underpinned by expansion into more schools, both in the UK and internationally, as well as ongoing product development.

UniHomes, the leading student accommodation advertising platform, ranked 20^th. LDC first invested in the business in July 2023 to accelerate its regional growth ambitions and further develop the platform. In October 2025, following two years of transformational growth during which UniHomes grew revenue by 75%, LDC exited and reinvested in the business alongside Macquarie Capital to support its continued expansion.

Aspire, the IT managed service and cyber security provider, ranked 48^th. LDC first backed the business in 2022, and in November 2025, reinvested alongside new minority co-investor Federated Hermes to support the next phase of Aspire’s growth journey. During the first three years of the partnership, Aspire delivered strong and sustained growth, with revenue up 158%, headcount growing by 55% and the value of the business increasing from £85m to £192m. The company also expanded its geographic footprint across the UK and successfully completed two strategic acquisitions.

BCIS, the UK’s leading independent provider of construction data to the built environment and insurance sectors, placed 50^th. LDC backed the management team in June 2022 to support investment in the business’ technology platform and data to enhance services and insight for customers.

Pagabo Group, which provides market-leading built environment-related software and services to public and private organisations across the UK, ranked 54^th.  LDC invested in Pagabo in 2024 to help it pursue an ambitious growth strategy underpinned by further investment in its technology and services.

Uinsure, a cloud-based technology platform that connects financial intermediaries and lenders with a panel of the UK’s leading insurers, ranked 61^st. LDC invested in the business in 2024 to help increase its market share and grow its network of partnerships.

Horsefly, a leading artificial intelligence-based talent analytics platform, ranked 91^st. LDC backed the management team in March 2023 to support the continued organic growth of the business in the UK and internationally, and the ongoing focus on Horsefly’s people-focused culture.

Aspire, BCIS, Horsefly, Pagabo, Uinsure and UniHomes have all also been recognised in the Northern Tech Awards Top 100 in previous years.

In the last decade, LDC has invested over £717m into technology businesses, and has generated an average return of 3.6x for exited businesses in the same period.  Across the North, we have regional offices in Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh and our people all live and work in their local areas, building trusted relationships with the business and advisory communities.

LDC extends its congratulations to the businesses recognised in the individual awards and those featured in the Top 100. To view the full list, visit here.