Bridewell

Specialist cyber security services

Sector
Technology
Region
South East
Date of investment
March 2021
GCP team members
Website
Contributing Sustainable Development Goals

Background

Bridewell is a cyber security services company providing 24×7 managed detection and response services and end to end cyber security consultancy. They provide expert solutions for organisations across a wide range of sectors, often involving critical national infrastructure, regulated industries, public sector and regulatory bodies.

They are headquartered in Reading they employ 146 people and have offices across the UK including London, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Manchester.

We partnered with founders Scott Nicholson and Anthony Young through a minority investment in March 2021.

Our investment partnership

Bridewell has an excellent track record of delivering growth (67% CAGR since 2018) and is recognised as a leading cyber security and Critical National Infrastructure expert with deep technical cyber security and defence capabilities and a wide range of industry accreditations. The business has embedded, trusted customer relationships with a focus on strategic advisory and long-term managed services solutions.

Bridewell has an experienced technical management team led by CEO’s Scott Nicholson and Anthony Young, and is highly focused on people strategy and culture, growing headcount by 83% since March 2021.

Bridewell is ideally positioned to take advantage of the large and growing cyber security market, driven by the ever-changing threat landscape, security complexities of digital transformation, Board level focus and increasing requirement for managed detection and response services.   

Strategic support through our Growth Toolkit

Since our investment we have closely supported the Bridewell team with numerous strategic growth initiatives, leveraging our Growth Toolkit and Network:

Driving Growth

  • Investment in the sales team and refinement of the sales approach
  • Recruitment of a Microsoft Relationship Manager
  • Development of a targeted buy and build strategy
  • Formation of a US trading entity to leverage opportunities with international customers
  • Opening regional hubs to establish local presence across the UK

People & Organisation

  • Creation of a wider leadership team to support management bandwidth
  • Recruitment of an experienced Chairman
  • Recruitment of a CFO, Head of People and Head of MSS
  • Investment in people operations including recruitment, engagement and training processes and introduction of graduate and apprenticeship schemes
  • Support for wider equity participation through new employee option scheme

Systems & Processes

  • Recruitment of CFO and improved finance reporting and KPI monitoring
  • Improved CRM discipline
  • New website development and refinement of marketing strategy

Funding for growth

  • We funded the entire transaction to ensure deliverability and are now undertaking a senior debt process to support future acquisition strategy

Doing the right thing - our role in sustainable investing

  • Significant emphasis on training, development and culture led by a new Head of People who joined the business in August 2021.
  • Focused diversity agenda and recruited a female CFO and female Head of People in FY21.
  • Carbon negative in FY21 with over 5,000 trees planted on behalf of Bridewell employees.
  • Employee engagement and well-being measured through an annual staff survey.

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