Advantiv secures £3.5m seed to open UK sites and automate procurement
This article covers Advantiv, an industrial services startup, which has raised £3.5m in a seed funding round to fund a UK expansion drive, recruit commercial and operational staff, and invest in systems and automation. The capital aims to open new UK locations, professionalise back-office systems and improve service delivery for manufacturing, commercial and industrial customers.
Advantiv has raised £3.5m in a seed funding round to support a UK expansion drive, hire commercial and operational staff, and invest in systems and automation. The injection will fund new locations beyond the company’s South Wales bases and marks a notable capital event for a profitable industrial services business in the supply chain sector.
Why it matters
The deal gives a mid-sized industrial services business fresh capital to scale operations and professionalise back-office systems at a point when many regional firms face succession and growth challenges. For customers in manufacturing, commercial and industrial sectors, stronger local presence and investment in automation can reduce procurement friction and improve service responsiveness.
The funding also signals that investors remain willing to back profitable, established businesses outside major city hubs — a practical complement to earlier-stage tech funding that typically targets high-growth startups.
Inside the product
Advantiv supplies engineering products, technical site services and procurement solutions to commercial, industrial and manufacturing customers. The company operates from bases in Merthyr Tydfil and Pembroke Dock and offers a broad catalogue of products alongside site-based service teams.
Management says the capital will be used to open further UK locations, recruit sales, commercial and operational staff, and invest in systems and automation to streamline procurement and service delivery. Those moves are aimed at improving operational resilience and enabling the business to serve a larger, geographically dispersed customer base without materially changing its product mix.
Who are the investors?
The funding comes via a regional investment programme established to support smaller businesses across Wales. The programme is funded at scale and deploys capital through appointed fund managers; this £3.5m equity deal is the largest single investment completed from the programme to date.
Phillip Sampson, Principal, Private Equity at Foresight Group, said:
We’re proud to support Advantiv as they accelerate their growth plans. This investment reflects the Investment Fund for Wales ability to back profitable, wellestablished businesses with strong market position, where partial shareholder liquidity forms part of a planned succession. The funding will help strengthen the team, enhance systems and automation, and support expansion into new locations - positioning Advantiv to serve more customers with the same high standards of delivery. We look forward to supporting Andy, Alistair and the wider team through their next phase of growth.
Bethan Bannister, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, said:
This record £3.5 million investment by Foresight through the Investment Fund for Wales is a fantastic way to mark the fund’s success as we move into its third year. It highlights how the IFW is backing ambitious Welsh businesses to grow, innovate and compete on a larger stage.
Over the past two years, the fund has gone from strength to strength – now reaching a total of more than £37m invested into 93 businesses right across Wales, including crowding in co investment of £9.5m. We’re incredibly proud to see how the Investment Fund for Wales is helping to nurture home-grown talent, attract private investment and drive sustainable economic growth throughout the country.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of supply chain venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of supply chain angel investors in the UK
Founder perspective
In the announcement, Andy Burgess, Director at Advantiv, said:
This investment will support us in recruiting and developing high-calibre staff across sales, commercial and operational roles to build on our South Wales base. Strengthening our team will enable us to execute our growth strategy more effectively while maintaining high standards of service and delivery.
Our plan includes opening more locations to provide more local service support across the UK, which will enable us to expand our presence in existing markets and pursue new growth opportunities.
We offer an unlimited product and service portfolio and an ability to provide solutions to any industrial or commercial sector, private or public. Partnering with Foresight will accelerate our growth, increase employment and return some of the investment to the regions we operate in. This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our team, our customers, and our vision for the future.
Burgess’s comments underline that this is growth capital for a cash-generative business rather than speculative early-stage finance. The emphasis on hiring and regional offices suggests a focus on service delivery and customer reach rather than rapid product-led scaling.
The bigger picture
The transaction sits at the intersection of regional economic development and practical corporate finance: funds that target local SMEs can provide exits or partial liquidity for long-standing owners while underwriting growth investment. For the supply chain sector, supporting established service providers helps strengthen industrial supply resilience and local jobs.
More broadly, the deal illustrates how place-based investment programmes and private managers can work together to channel capital into regions outside London. That model is likely to remain important across the UK and Europe as policymakers and investors look to balance innovation-led tech investment with support for foundational industries that sustain manufacturing and infrastructure.
This funding round will be watched by regional policymakers and supply chain investors as an example of how targeted capital can translate into jobs, operational upgrades and greater regional coverage for industrial services.
They've invested in Advantiv
Get to know these supply chain investors
Click here for a full list of 7,526+ startup investors in the UK