Bridgepoint-backed Zuto to speed car finance applications using its matching platform
This article covers Zuto, a car finance fintech, and its deal that gives Bridgepoint’s Growth fund majority ownership to accelerate product and platform development as it seeks further growth in the £30bn UK car finance market. The move aims to support Zuto’s expansion and technology-led scaling, affecting consumers, lenders and dealer networks across the UK car finance ecosystem.
Zuto, a car finance fintech, has agreed a deal that brings new majority ownership and aims to speed up product and platform development as it targets further growth in the £30bn UK car finance market. The move matters because Zuto is already profitable and growing quickly, and the transaction signals continued investor interest in digital-first finance businesses.
Why it matters
Zuto reported revenues of £75m and EBITDA of £12.5m in the financial year to June 2025, and says Q1 revenues in the new year were more than 30% higher year on year. The business also notes it has helped over 450,000 people in the UK find car finance, a scale that gives it both data and distribution advantages in a large market.
The deal could accelerate a wider shift in how consumers research and obtain car finance. Rising online comparison and application activity has created opportunities for platforms that combine referral and origination technology with customer experience improvements.
Inside the product
Zuto operates a technology-led platform that matches consumers with car finance options and distribution partners. The company is certified as a B Corporation, which it cites as part of its positioning around trust and transparency. The announced plan for the new investment includes expanding the product range and further developing the underlying technology stack to support more customers and partners.
In practical terms, Zuto sits between lenders, dealers and consumers: it generates leads, presents finance options and handles parts of the application process. That model benefits when consumer preference shifts to researching finance online and when the business can scale distribution without proportional rises in operating cost.
Who are the investors?
Bridgepoint’s small cap Growth fund will become the majority shareholder in Zuto under the transaction announced today. The deal also marks the exit of long-term backer Scottish Equity Partners (SEP), which had supported Zuto through earlier growth phases.
Bridgepoint says its Growth fund focuses on profitable, fast-growing European businesses and brings sector experience from other fintech and finance-related platform investments, including fscom, Kyriba, Fenergo and Condatis. The announced rationale for the investment highlights Zuto’s profitability, technology-led model and consumer-first approach as reasons the firm expects further scale.
In the announcement, Duncan Calam, Partner and Head of Bridgepoint Growth, commented:
Zuto is an exceptional technology-led platform, bringing greater transparency and trust to the UK car finance market. The business is well placed to continue its growth as the sector evolves, supported by its culture, sophisticated technology and consumer-first ethos. We’re delighted to partner with Jim – a visionary founder who has created a UK category leader – and his team as we scale further in this large and dynamic market.
In the announcement, Tony Robison, SEP Senior Advisor, commented:
We’re proud to have partnered with Jim and the Zuto team as they’ve built a market-leading business in UK car finance. Their growth, innovation and commitment to improving the customer experience has been exceptional. It’s been a privilege to support their journey, and we’re delighted to see them take this next step with Bridgepoint.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Jim Wilkinson, CEO of Zuto, said:
This is a pivotal milestone in Zuto’s journey. We’re proud to be a high-growth, profitable fintech operating at scale - leading the way in our sector by combining technology with a progressive, people-first approach. The fact that Bridgepoint shares our vision and has invested with such confidence is hugely exciting. It gives us the opportunity to strengthen our position, scale our platform, support more customers and give them even greater control.
In the announcement, Jim Wilkinson, CEO of Zuto, said:
We are hugely grateful to SEP for the support and guidance they have given us Their partnership, and belief in our mission, has played a huge part in shaping the business into what it is today, supporting the development of the progressive culture that makes Zuto so unique
The bigger picture
The transaction underlines continued investor appetite for profitable, tech-led finance platforms that can scale in large consumer markets. For the UK fintech scene, deals that combine growth capital with operational experience from established private growth investors are a familiar pattern: investors are looking for businesses that can grow without sacrificing margins.
The deal will be watched by fintech investors assessing how UK consumer finance and car retailing continue to digitalise, and by lenders and dealer networks that partner with referral and origination platforms. It also feeds into broader debates about competition, consumer transparency and the role of platform intermediaries in financial services across the UK and Europe.
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