YFM Calls on Liverpool Tech Founders as Growth Capital Targets Next Expansion Phase

Liverpool City Region is emerging as a stronger force within the UK technology and growth economy, with investors increasingly viewing the area as a place where ambitious businesses can scale and compete internationally. Growth investor YFM Equity Partners says the region is now producing a rising number of companies that are operationally mature, technology driven, and ready for their next stage of development.

According to YFM, Liverpool’s business ecosystem has reached a point where leadership capability, sector expertise, and digital adoption are aligning. This combination, the firm says, is creating a pipeline of growth stage businesses that are attractive to long term investors looking beyond London and the South East. YFM is actively encouraging founders across the Liverpool City Region to engage early about future capital needs and scaling plans.

Dan Freed, a partner at YFM Equity Partners, said the firm is seeing increasing depth in the local opportunity set. He noted that many Liverpool based businesses are no longer early stage experiments but are established operations thinking seriously about national and global expansion. YFM views technology as a core driver of that progress, particularly where it enables efficiency, data driven decision making, and international reach.

YFM typically invests between three million and fifteen million pounds in growth stage companies. The firm has a long history of backing Northern businesses and points to Liverpool success stories as evidence of the region’s potential. One example is Protein Works, which grew from a challenger brand into a global multi million pound business with YFM’s support. Investment focused on strengthening technology, product development, fulfilment infrastructure, and international distribution, while maintaining a strong operational base in the region.

YFM says this case highlights a broader message for founders that scaling globally does not require relocating away from Liverpool. Instead, the firm argues that access to patient capital, combined with strong execution and technology adoption, can allow businesses to grow while continuing to create skilled jobs locally.

The investor says it has capital available to deploy and is actively seeking opportunities across the Liverpool City Region and the wider North. Its focus is on companies preparing for their next chapter, whether that involves accelerating technology investment, expanding into new markets, or professionalising internal systems and governance. YFM emphasises a relationship led approach, often engaging with founders well before an investment is made.

Freed said the firm is willing to stay close to businesses even if the timing is not immediately right, helping management teams prepare for growth and returning when conditions align. This long term approach is reflected in YFM’s wider regional involvement, including its sponsorship of the Northern Tech Awards, which highlight innovation and high growth companies across the North of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

As Liverpool’s technology and growth ecosystem continues to mature, YFM believes the region will play a larger role in the UK’s innovation economy. The firm says it wants to be an active participant in that journey and encourages founders building ambitious businesses in the city to start conversations early about their growth ambitions.