CTI Digital (CTI) is a full-service digital agency, providing a range of services spanning digital marketing, web and app development, digital strategy and AI and innovation.

CTI has grown into an industry leader through its commitment to people, its clients, and its use of innovative and cutting-edge technologies.

Building on momentum

LDC first backed the CTI team in February 2022, making a £25m minority investment to help the business boost its presence in the UK and overseas.

This includes plans to expand into new international territories, and open new offices to support its growing customer base.

Growth by acquisition

In July 2022, CTI made its first acquisition since LDC’s investment by acquiring app development agency Silverchip.

Headquartered in Ellesmere Port, EMS Group Solutions (EMS) is one of the UK’s leading providers of mobile clinical solutions to the healthcare sector.

EMS owns, operates and manages one of the UK’s most extensive fleet of flexible mobile medical units and vehicles, including mobile labs, mobile dialysis units, mobile decontamination units and community diagnostic vehicles. Through its clinical trials, healthcare and marketing divisions, the business’ bespoke services and facilities can be configured to suit a range of healthcare needs and clinical environments.

Making healthcare more accessible

EMS has supported public and private healthcare providers for more than 10 years to reduce patient waiting times and make healthcare more accessible. It is currently supporting clinical trials in the UK for a potentially revolutionary new blood test which could detect over 50 kinds of cancer before symptoms appear. The business also provides marketing solutions to healthcare and med-tech customers across Europe and The Middle East.

LDC completed a minority investment in EMS in 2022. LDC is supporting the management team, led by Founder Keith Austin, to further support the growth of EMS’ fleet and expand the range of clinical services it supports.

Stuart Turner is an international market leader in water-boosting solutions and has over a century of engineering experience.

Founded in 1906, with strong heritage in engineering and product innovation, Stuart Turner has an established reputation for high-quality products for the commercial and domestic markets, including a patented solution for mains water pressure issues.

Growing through acquisition

LDC backed Stuart Turner in 2017 to help accelerate its buy and build strategy and target further growth in the commercial pumps sector.

During a four-year partnership, LDC supported the business to make three complementary acquisitions and to expand its range of products and services.

In 2018, the business acquired GAH Heating, which was soon followed by the addition of Fluid Water Solutions in 2019. In March 2021, LDC supported Stuart Turner to acquire the UK’s leading mains-powered pressurisation unit and heating systems provider, Mikrofill Systems.

Creating the complete solutions provider in the market

Alongside a strong focus on new product development, these acquisitions have helped Stuart Turner to become a complete solutions provider in the pressurisation and hot water generation market across the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors.

In December 2021, LDC sold its stake in the business to Epiris. During Stuart Turner’s partnership with LDC, the business increased its revenues by over 66%, from £24m in 2017 to more than £40m this financial year, and headcount also increased to more than 125.

Listen to the CEO of Stuart Turner, Richard Harden in ‘The Manufacturer Podcast: Stuart Turner – a growth success story’ as he discusses the company’s remarkable growth in recent years.

Headquartered in Cheshire, SRL is the leading manufacturer and Equipment-as-a-Service provider for temporary, portable and semi-permanent intelligent traffic lights and variable messaging signs (VMS). It offers mission critical assets from its nationwide network of 30 depots across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

SRL’s equipment is used in many of the UK’s key infrastructure projects, primarily supporting the traffic management industry and event companies. Think of any town centre and you’ll have seen the traffic lights, pedestrian systems and VMS signs that provide road users with information, directions and safety guidance.

Private equity partnership in action

In September 2019, we invested £24m to back the management buyout of the SRL business in the UK and ROI, as it embarked on the next phase of its growth strategy. The buyout was led by SRL’s existing CEO Richard Tredwin and his long-standing management team.

Headquartered in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, IEG Group (formerly IEG4)  develops innovative software solutions that enable public sector organisations to deliver better and more streamlined digital services to their customers. It is an accredited G-Cloud supplier.

LDC completed a minority investment in the business in November 2021.

Brighton-based Paladone specialises in the design, development and wholesale supply of licensed and own-brand lifestyle products. It launches hundreds of new products a year across categories such as homeware, drinkware, puzzles and games, and supplies international retail giants such as Kohl’s, Target and Walgreens.

Business evolution

LDC backed Paladone in April 2018 with a £13m investment. The management team partnered with LDC to help drive forward its ambitious international growth plan.

During a three-year partnership, Paladone has grown from a gifting product specialist with a UK focus into a global omni-channel consumer products company. LDC helped the business to revenues by more than 65 percent over three years. The business also increased its total headcount by 40 percent and now employs 140 people across its offices in the UK, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

Growing internationally

Working closely with LDC, the management team successfully pursued international growth by agreeing major new partnerships with high street retail giants across North America, Europe and Australasia. The business double its international sales and today exports to more than 80 countries worldwide.

During the partnership, Paladone invested in the development of new beauty and lifestyle products and introduced the use of BDPTM, a biodegradable plastic that decomposes naturally in landfill. Paladone also signed several new licence partnerships with globally recognised brands, including PlayStation, Microsoft and Minecraft, and expanded its existing partnerships with Disney, Warner Brothers and Nintendo. The business now generates a third of its revenue by designing and developing new innovative products for its partners’ biggest properties, such as Disney’s Marvel Studios and Star Wars.

Newcastle-headquartered Mandata designs and develops software that allows road transport operators to manage workflow and data more effectively.

The company employs 120 people across its offices in Newcastle, Leeds, London and Leicestershire. It supports its loyal base of 2,000 customers with compliance, improving productivity, delivering efficiency savings, reducing carbon emissions and provides real-time visibility of their operations.

Partnering for growth

LDC invested in Mandata in May 2018 to support the business’ growth strategy and build on its position as a market leading transport technology provider.

LDC backed Mandata’s acquisitive growth strategy, working alongside the management team to complete two major acquisitions.

In 2020 LDC provided follow-on funding to help the business to acquire Returnloads.net, and in 2021 Mandata completed the acquisition of Stirling Solutions. The acquisitions further expanded its customer base and breadth of digital services.

Doubling revenue and headcount

LDC also supported the business to invest in new product development, enhance its sales capabilities and make the transition to being a SaaS provider. LDC supported Mandata to invest in its senior team, recruiting a new Chief Revenue Officer, Steve Spark, and Chief Financial Officer, Michael Tagg.

LDC partially exited its investment in Mandata to Tenzing in October 2021. At the time, LDC’s support had helped the business to double its revenue and headcount, grow its customer base from 300 to over 2,000 and position the business as the leading provider of transport management software solutions to the UK SME market.

LDC continues to support Mandata’s growth ambitions through its minority stake in the business.

In 2022, Mandata completed the acquisition of Eureka Information Systems, a privately owned provider of transport and logistics software solutions in Ireland.

Marmalade is the UK’s leading developer of mobile, console and PC board games. Its catalogue includes classics such as Monopoly, Cluedo and Game of Life, licensed by gaming giants such as Hasbro, with its most recent addition, Jumanji, inspired by the feature film.

Based in London and Lisbon, the business has grown revenues by more than 100 per cent in the last three years.

Founded in 2017, Aker Systems is a leading provider of building and operating ultra-secure, high performance, cloud-based data infrastructure for both public and private sector customers.

LDC invested in Aker Systems in 2020, supporting investment in research and development to drive organic growth, as well as the extension of Aker’s team of highly experienced experts.

Strategic partnership

Within six months of our investment, Aker Systems had hired and built an enterprise sales team and established robust go-to-market processes and systems. It also built out its executive team by hiring a CFO, CCO and Chief People Officer.

Significant investment in research and development, including product automation, also helped Aker Systems to expand its support for organisations across the UK and the company secured two significant contracts with blue chip companies in the financial services industry during our partnership with the business.

Aker Systems was recognised as a One to Watch on The Sunday Times Tech Track. The business was also recognised at the Thames Valley Tech Awards 2020 taking home a hat-trick of awards including ‘Company of the year.’

In little over a year, we helped Aker Systems to grow revenue by more than 50% and double its
headcount – before exiting the business in 2021 to Abry Partners.

Headquartered in Worcestershire, SMH Fleet Solutions (SMH) provides a full suite of vehicle management services including delivery, preparation, refurbishment, and remarketing to a broad range of blue-chip automotive manufacturers, rental and leasing specialists.

Giving the green light to invest

LDC partnered with SMH Fleet Solutions in 2018. With our support the business invested in new technology to enhance operational efficiency, delivering faster and more flexible services to customers.

SMH has also expanded its ‘digital passport’ scheme, which enables de-fleeted and refurbished vehicles to be re-marketed by any operator, directly from one of the company’s sites.

In May 2021, SMH announced it was recruiting more than 130 technicians across the UK due to a fast-rising demand for its services.

Joining a multi-billion-dollar group

In September 2021, LDC exited its investment in SMH to NYSE-listed online car retailer Cazoo. At the time of the transaction, SMH processed more than 70,000 vehicles refurbishments annually from six vehicle preparation sites across 136 acres in Bedford, Gloucester, Throckmorton, Worcester and St Helens. SMH also carried out over 150,000 vehicle movements per year with a team of over 300 delivery logistics specialists as well as operating an online wholesale platform for used cars.

Established in 2004, Real Digital International (RDi) is the UK’s leading automated, data-led healthcare fulfilment specialist. The business develops customised and compliant kitting for the pharma services sector, solving complex logistical and technological challenges for patient sample collection.

For nearly two decades, RDi has supported healthcare systems in providing patient and population testing solutions and services. The business works with large healthcare organisations to operate pioneering home testing kit programmes, supporting screening programmes such as bowel cancer and general wellness.

Building on an existing growth strategy

LDC invested in the business in 2021. We are supporting the management team to further grow RDi’s services and market share across all sectors, particularly within healthcare, mobile and connected devices. We’re also helping the RDi team to explore complementary acquisitions.

Delivering business expansion

Since LDC’s investment, RDi has expanded significantly, bolstering the senior team and increasing headcount from 82 to 130. Revenues have increased from £18m to £25m, and healthcare as a proportion of core business has shifted from 22% to over 70%.

RDi’s rapid growth has been accelerated by the successful acquisition of diagnostic sample collection and transport packaging provider MedDX in 2022, and of biological sample packaging provider Shuttlepac in 2023. Both acquisitions have significantly broadened RDi’s portfolio of healthcare kitting and component capabilities, enabling it to better serve the evolving needs of its customers as well as creating greater visibility and control over RDi’s supply chains and attracting a broader portfolio of customers.

In April 2025, RDi announced the acquisition of Inicio Health to transform digital screening and home testing. Inicio Health brings expertise in interoperability, automation and AI solutions which combined with RDi’s expertise in self-sampling and testing kits, will drive significant advancements in the way people access and engage with healthcare and enable RDi to deliver an integrated, end-to-end pathway solution.

RDi is well positioned to take advantage of the phenomenal global interest in healthcare screening, testing and monitoring as early-detection continues to rise up the agenda of individuals, companies and governments. The business is expanding into the US market, the largest market in the world for home-testing kits.

The business is also highly focused on sustainability, and on reducing the use of plastics by
minimising the size of its kits, components and packaging.

Established in 1996, Worcester-headquartered Kingswood owns seven brands which provide a suite of products directly to consumers that help people with mobility difficulties to stay safe and independent in their own homes.

Its brands, which sell market-leading products such as riser chairs, adjustable beds and accessible bathrooms, include Willowbrook Mobility Direct, Easy2Bathe Bath Lifts and The Adjustable Bed Factory.

Supporting business growth

LDC invested in the business in 2021, backing the existing management team, led by CEO Jeremy Rolph. Jeremy has been with the business for 19 years and has driven the growth of the business since becoming CEO in 2018.

With LDC’s support, the management team plan to strengthen Kingwood’s position as a market leader and explore new product development opportunities across all of its brands.