Start Your Business

Start Your Business

Capital for experienced founders starting professional services businesses.

We Back People, Not Products or Services

If you have spent years in your industry, built real client relationships and know the business you want to start, you are exactly who we back. We provide the capital to start it.

Starting a professional services business requires capital before revenue becomes predictable. Funding gives you the runway to secure clients, hire the right people and meet working capital requirements.

We back the founder, not the product. We look for a track record in your sector, a credible route to revenue and a clear plan for how capital will be used.

You run the business. We provide the financial capital agreed at the outset.

30+
Businesses successfully scaled
6-15x
Average EBITDA multiple on exits
19
Successful investment exits
5
Entrepreneurs backed in 2026
Target sectors

Professional Services

We target professional services businesses where expertise, relationships and execution drive revenue.

Who this is for: Experienced founders starting a business with a defined market, commercial plan and capital requirement.

01

Recruitment

Capital for experienced recruitment founders with a clear market and client proposition.

02

Financial Services

Funding for specialist financial services businesses with appropriate experience and permissions.

03

Real Estate Services

Capital for advisory, brokerage and other professional services serving real estate markets.

04

Marketing and Consultancy

Funding for marketing, advisory and consultancy businesses built around proven expertise.

05

Accounting and Legal

Capital for accounting, legal and related professional practices with a clear commercial plan.

06

Other Professional Services

We consider other expertise led service businesses with a defined route to revenue.

James Caan CBE in discussion with founders at Hamilton Bradshaw

Backing experienced professionals to start businesses of their own.

What Capital Can Fund

Working Capital

Runway while the first client revenues are converted into stable cash flow.

Initial Hiring

Funding for the core team required to begin delivering client work.

Market Entry

Capital for launch costs, licences, premises and essential commercial activity.

Technology

Funding for the systems required to operate and serve clients effectively.

Built Around You: Our Principles

  • Founders lead on client and cultural decisions
  • Ownership aligned to long-term outcomes
  • Support tailored to the stage of the business
  • Institutional reporting without the bureaucracy
  • Access to our operators, not just our capital
  • A shared plan for realising value

Selection of Businesses We've Backed

Grosvenor Law logo

Legal Services

Grosvenor Law

Dan Morrison

A boutique London law firm specialising in litigation and high-value dispute resolution.

Realised

Knights PLC logo

Legal

Knights PLC

David Beech

A leading legal and professional services firm serving businesses and individuals.

Realised

Walker Smith Global logo

Accounting & Payroll Solutions

Walker Smith Global

Matthew Tyson & Michael Lee

An award-winning provider of professional services for the world's flexible workforce.

Realised

BlueBox logo

Corporate Finance Advisory

BlueBox

Paul Herman

An independent corporate finance firm advising owners on the sale and acquisition of companies.

Realised

Cohesion Investments logo

Asset Management

Cohesion Investments

Spike Hughes

A boutique Abu Dhabi investment manager focused on long-term wealth preservation and capital growth.

Current

Serviced Offices & Workspace

Avanta

Management buy-in

A flexible workspace operator scaled across UK and international locations before realisation.

Realised

Ingenia logo

Recruitment Investment Platform

Ingenia

Greg Hollis

Our platform providing funding, back office and investment to recruitment founders, with 32+ businesses launched since 2014.

Current

Snag logo

Consumer Brand & Retail

Snag

Brie Read

An inclusive hosiery and clothing brand designing for every body shape and size, selling direct to consumers internationally.

Current

Alfa AI logo

AI Candidate Sourcing

Alfa AI

Alfie Whattam

An AI sourcing tool helping recruitment teams find and shortlist talent faster, backed to scale its product and go-to-market.

Current

How a Conversation Leads to Capital Deployed

01

Your Plan

Tell us about your experience, target market, commercial plan and capital requirement.

02

Assessment

We assess the opportunity, proposed use of funds and route to revenue.

03

Structure

We agree a capital structure and funding timetable suited to the plan.

04

Capital Deployed

Funds are released in line with the agreed structure and timetable.

A direct route from a credible business plan to committed capital.

Our People

Our Team

Management & Board3

James Caan CBE

James Caan CBE

Chairman & Founder

35+ years' experience

Deepak Jalan

Deepak Jalan

Chief Investment Officer

25+ years' experience

Greg Hollis

Greg Hollis

Chief Executive Officer, Ingenia

30+ years' experience

Investment Team3

Ayman Alashkar

Ayman Alashkar

CEO, Hamilton Bradshaw Dubai & the GCC

20+ years' experience

Alexis Lenas

Alexis Lenas

Investment Director

15+ years' experience

Greg Parker

Greg Parker

Investment Manager

10+ years' experience

Subject Matter Experts8

Peter Searle

Peter Searle

Recruitment Investment Partner

35+ years' experience

Chris Hickey

Chris Hickey

Non-Executive Director

30+ years' experience

Jeffrey Cervantes

Jeffrey Cervantes

Head of Communications

15+ years' experience

Chetan Kumar

Chetan Kumar

Marketing Manager

10+ years' experience

Rob Dembitz

Rob Dembitz

Investment Advisor

20+ years' experience

Chung Hau

Chung Hau

General Counsel

20+ years' experience

Pavlos Paschali

Pavlos Paschali

Employment & Legal Advisor

20+ years' experience

Mark Baynes

Mark Baynes

Corporate Transactions Advisor

20+ years' experience

Advisors4

Jennifer Roebuck

Jennifer Roebuck

Retail, Consumer & Digital Specialist

25+ years' experience

Ivan Ivanov

Ivan Ivanov

Global Markets, Finance Products & Fund Investments, Europe & US

30+ years' experience

Damien Horth

Damien Horth

Global Markets, Finance Products & Fund Investments, Asia Pacific

30+ years' experience

Graham Emmett

Graham Emmett

Real Estate Lending Expert

40+ years' experience

Two Decades of Scaling Businesses

Since 2003 Hamilton Bradshaw has backed more than 30 businesses and realised 19 successful exits across professional and consumer markets.

That experience now backs a new generation of founders: professionals with a track record in their industry, starting businesses of their own with our capital behind them.

Planning to Start a Professional Services Business?

Tell us about your experience, the market you know and the capital required to start.

Start a Conversation