Ailsa3 is a small venture capital fund with a real difference, specialising in helping companies seeking expertise as well as finance and investing £0.5m to £5.0m in sectors including industrial services, environmental and business to business.

Prime target areas include outright purchase or a strategic stake in a business, MBI/MBO and owner exits or established firms looking for growth or refocus.

Owned and run by businessmen with their own highly successful track records and based in Leeds, Ailsa3 has a refreshingly open-minded approach without the usual venture capital trappings of overhead and bureaucracy.

Operating on a relatively small scale and utilising private funds allows principals Andy Hinton and Nick Wyatt to make flexible investment arrangements and a real strength they bring to the table is substantially more involvement than a typical venture capital deal.

Additionally, their portfolio approach to investment is open-minded on timescales and not simply the short-term exit strategy approach adopted by many venture capital providers.