American private equity giant Great Hill Partners has opened a base in London.
The office will serve as Great Hill’s regional hub for the UK and Europe, providing the firm with a dedicated local presence, greater access to investment opportunities and resources for portfolio companies.
Great Hill has invested in a wide range of high-growth European companies, including Momondo Group, Reward Gateway, NotontheHighStreet, Educaedu, eloomi, Ikon Science and BigChange.
Long-time managing director Drew Loucks will lead the new office and grow the London team.
“Opening a London office is a natural next step for Great Hill,” said Chris Gaffney, MD at Great Hill. “We have more than a decade of experience investing in the UK and Europe, with a large and growing portfolio of international investments.
“The launch of a London office provides us with an enhanced ability to partner with some of the leading, high-growth companies in the region, and Drew is the ideal professional to lead our expansion.”
Founded in 1998, the Boston-based firm targets investments of $100-500 million in high-growth companies across the software, digital commerce, financial technology, healthcare, and digital infrastructure sectors.
It has raised over $12 billion of commitments and invested in more than 95 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs.
Loucks said: “The UK and Europe are dynamic and attractive markets with exciting investment opportunities across a variety of high-growth sectors.
“With a presence in London, we believe we can further bolster our investment activity throughout Europe as well as strengthen our ability to support our US-based portfolio companies as they look to potentially expand their businesses overseas.”