Optima Partners on its investment from Growth Capital Partners

Transaction

Sell-side

Undisclosed

Role

Adviser to Optima Partners on its investment from Growth Capital Partners

Sector

Tech & Tech Services

Region

We advised Optima Partners Ltd (Optima), a rapidly growing professional services business specialising in applied data and machine learning and AI transformation, on its investment from Growth Capital Partners (GCP). The transaction provides an exit for BGF, which invested in the company in 2022. As part of the transaction, BGF has reinvested, alongside GCP, and will continue to support Optima as a minority shareholder.

Headquartered in Edinburgh, Optima’s differentiated proposition blends PhD-level academic leadership in mathematics and research, cutting-edge expertise in data engineering, data science and Machine Learning (ML)/AI, and proven capability in business transformation.

Optima support complex enterprise organisations to address critical business challenges linked to understanding, organising, and leveraging their data with a particular focus on financial services, energy, insurance and pharma/life sciences.

The business was founded in 2013 by Alan Crawley as an associate-led customer experience and data transformation consultancy. It gained further momentum in 2021 when Alan partnered with Dr Chris Foley, a leading academic and expert in the advanced maths that underpins cutting-edge ML and AI applications. This was accelerated with the investment from BGF in 2022 and together, Alan and Chris have built Optima into a market-leading applied data and AI transformation partner trusted by global blue-chip businesses.

GCP’s partnership with Optima will support the business through a range of strategic growth initiatives focused on investment in customer success, enhanced service propositions and innovation, strategic marketing, talent development, and expansion across the UK and Europe to continue its rapid growth trajectory.

As the UK’s leading partnership investor in the Knowledge Economy, GCP’s investment in Optima marks the first deployment from its recently launched Fund VI and is highly aligned with the firm’s strategy of backing ambitious entrepreneurial teams in specialist technology businesses that deliver critical value through data, insight and innovation.

BGF first backed Optima in October 2022, completing a multi-million-pound investment, to support its ambitious growth plans. Since then, Optima has performed strongly, with 40% revenue growth delivered in 2024. The company has also increased headcount by more than 90% in the last two years, with additional offices opening in London and Bristol.

More about the process

Optima was one of the best-kept secrets in the market - a genuinely differentiated data and AI consultancy with strong technical depth and a scalable model. Our team worked closely with the leadership team to prepare for a robust process, refining the equity story to clearly showcase Optima’s capabilities and growth trajectory. Through a highly targeted and curated approach, we engaged the most relevant trade and private equity partners, ultimately securing the ideal investor to support Optima’s next stage of growth.

Clearwater were excellent partners throughout the process. Their strategic insight and sector expertise helped guide our preparation and navigate the challenging moments that come with any significant transaction. That was helped by the fact that the whole team were professional and personally enjoyable to work with. We are delighted with the outcome and excited to partner with GCP, supported by the professionalism and commitment the Clearwater team brought to the transaction.

Since founding Optima Partners in 2013, the business has gone from strength to strength, expanding our capabilities, growing our team and deepening our impact across a range of critical sectors. The launch of our health data science division, bioXcelerateAI, has been a major milestone, reflecting the scale of opportunity we see as organisations look to make better use of data and advanced analytics.

This investment from GCP marks the start of an exciting new chapter. It gives us the momentum to build on our success, accelerate our plans and continue developing the capabilities that will define the next stage of Optima’s journey.
Alan Crawley, Founder, Optima Partners Ltd

Our focus is firmly on enabling the next phase of Optima’s growth. GCP’s investment is a strong endorsement of our mission to help our clients turn their data, analytics and AI strategies into measurable outcomes at speed. This funding allows us to accelerate our growing track record of innovation, invest further in our people, and strengthen the infrastructure required to support our clients at greater scale.

With this partnership, we can move faster to help organisations understand, adapt and enhance human- and data-led decision-making supported by AI, bridging academic foundations with industry-focused and value-based impact.
Chris Foley, CEO, Optima Partners Ltd

Alan, Chris and the wider Optima team have built a highly differentiated business at the intersection of advanced data science, machine learning and enterprise transformation. As organisations increasingly seek to harness their data and accelerate AI adoption, Optima is uniquely positioned to help them tackle mission-critical challenges and unlock meaningful commercial outcomes. The business has already demonstrated impressive momentum and scale, supported by strong leadership, deep technical skill sets and robust industry expertise. We are delighted to partner with the team at this exciting stage of their journey and are looking forward to working together to enhance go-to-market capability, strengthen organisational infrastructure and scale delivery capacity in a rapidly growing and strategically important sector.
Richard Shaw, Partner, GCP

Optima are redefining what AI-led transformation means for enterprise organisations. Its combination of advanced data science, machine learning and engineering rigour deliver high-impact solutions to mission-critical challenges at speed - unlocking new revenue streams, driving operational resilience, and enabling governed, scalable AI adoption. This differentiated approach has delivered exceptional growth and established Optima as a leader in this dynamic sector. It was a pleasure to advise the management team and BGF throughout this process, and we are thrilled to have helped the team secure a partnership with GCP, whose experience and expertise in this market will accelerate Optima’s journey to become a global platform in applied AI transformation.
Jon Grant, Director, Clearwater

This investment underscores the growing importance of advanced data and AI capabilities in driving competitive advantage across industries. Organisations today face unprecedented complexity in managing and leveraging data, and partnerships like this enable the scale, innovation, and expertise needed to meet that challenge. By aligning academic rigor with practical application, we’re not just solving technical problems—we’re helping businesses reimagine processes, unlock insights, and create sustainable growth. It’s a clear signal that data-driven transformation is no longer optional; it’s the foundation for future success.
Wesley Fell-Smith, Partner and Head of Tech, Clearwater