BI
LP profile
British International Investment
Other · Founded 1948 · London, United Kingdom
177
VC firms backed
$8.2B
AUM
01 · Background
Who British International Investment is.
- Historical Background
- British International Investment (BII) was founded in 1948 as the Colonial Development Corporation to foster economic development in Commonwealth nations. It is the world's first development finance institution and has operated under the names Commonwealth Development Corporation and CDC Group.
- Source of Capital
- BII is the development finance institution of the United Kingdom's government. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is the sole shareholder, and capital injections are considered part of the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.
- Major Events
- In April 2022, the institution was rebranded from CDC Group to British International Investment, accompanied by a new five-year strategy. The strategic shift aims to broaden the institution's mandate to support the UK government's "Clean Green Initiative" and to provide a transparent and reliable source of investment in developing economies.
- Allocation Strategy
- BII operates as an impact investor, providing capital to businesses and projects across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. The firm invests across multiple asset classes, including private equity, debt, and venture capital, targeting sectors such as clean energy, infrastructure, financial services, and technology. The 2022-2026 strategy prioritizes investments that are productive, sustainable, and inclusive, with a focus on climate finance, gender equality, and digital transformation.
02 · Fund commitments
The funds British International Investment backs.
British International Investment is a limited partner in 177 funds. 6 of them place in the Power Law Investor Ranking; those lead, best-ranked first.
Partech
#72 Power Law
Qiming Venture Partners
#144 Power Law
International Finance Corporation
#272 Power Law
CDH Investments
#320 Power Law
Legend Capital
#364 Power Law
360 Capital
#490 Power Law
3i Group
3one4 Capital
8 Miles
Aavishkaar Capital
Abraaj Group
Access Microfinance Holding
Accion
Actis
Adenia Partners
Adiwale Partners
Adjuvant Capital
Adlevo Capital
Advent International
AFIG Funds
African Capital Alliance
African Infrastructure Investment Managers - AIIM
AIF Capital
Algebra Ventures
Altra Investments
Ambit Pragma Ventures
Amethis
Amicus India Capital Partners
Ankur Capital
Anthem Asia
Apis Partners
Arkam Ventures
Ascent Capital
Ascent Capital (India)
Asha Ventures
Aster Capital
Astorg
Banexi Ventures Partners
Berkeley Energy
BluePeak Private Capital
CardinalStone Capital Advisers
Cepheus Growth Capital Partners
Convergence Partners
Cordiant Capital
Criterion Africa Partners
Emerging Capital Partners
EMP Global
Endure Capital
IDFC
Infrontier
Progression Capital Africa
Takura II
03 · Allocation
How British International Investment’s fund book is spread.
The 177 funds British International Investment backs, by where the manager is headquartered and how many funds that manager has raised.
Where those managers are based
By fund headquarters, across the 173 of 177 with a location on record.
- Rest of world 10762%
- Europe 3822%
- North America 2816%
India 30 · United States 26 · United Kingdom 13 · France 12
How established those managers are
Managers grouped by how many funds they have raised — across the 87 of 177 with a fund history on record.
Emerging funds · 47
Established funds · 40
19
1
15
2
13
3
14
4
8
5-6
13
7-9
4
10-14
1
15+
Funds raised by the manager
05 · Exits
British International Investment’s biggest exits.
Portfolio companies that IPO’d or were acquired at $1B+, with the valuation recorded at exit and — for those still public — their value today. Exit events come from each company’s funding-round history; entry stage from British International Investment’s transaction record.
Citi
IPO · 1998
Bharti Airtel
IPO · 2002
Societe Generale
IPO · 1989
Standard Chartered
IPO · 1998
Commercial International Bank
IPO · 2006
Sembcorp Industries
IPO · 2002
$3.3B IPO · 2008
ReNew
$8.0B IPO · 2021
$239M IPO · 2014
Ayana Renewable Power
$2.3B acquisition · 2025
Excelerate Energy
$416M IPO · 2022
IPO · 2016
06 · Direct investments
The companies British International Investment backs directly.
British International Investment holds 63 companies directly, separate from the funds it commits to as a limited partner. Broken down by headquarters country, sector, entry stage and current growth stage. "Stage entered" is the first priced round the investor joined, derived from the investor’s transaction history.
By countryCount
-
India67
-
UK15
-
Kenya13
-
Nigeria12
-
Egypt8
-
Singapore7
-
USA6
-
Bangladesh5
-
Ghana5
-
Nepal5
-
Pakistan5
-
South Africa5
By sectorCount
-
Fintech76
-
Energy58
-
Food21
-
Health13
-
Transportation12
-
Real Estate7
-
Telecom6
-
Education5
-
Enterprise Software4
-
Marketing3
-
Media3
-
Engineering and Manufacturing Equipment2
By stage enteredCount
-
Series B+54
-
Series A25
-
Seed1
By growth stageCount
-
Late Growth73
-
Breakout Stage59
-
Early Growth35
-
Mature33
07 · Portfolio market map
Inside British International Investment’s portfolio.
The 60 highest-funded portfolio companies, of 63 tracked.
ReReNew
$9.6B
SuSun King
$1.3B
FoFourth Partner Energy
$280M
JaJanalakshmi
$644M
MoMoove
$2.1B
M-M-KOPA
$640M
ShShubham Housing
$472M
KEKELIX bio
$800M
EuEuler Motors
$375M
MoMoniepoint
$1.0B
BiBizongo
$980M
ArArya.ag
$322M
CaCaptain Fresh
$526M
AyAye Finance
$201M
WaWave Mobile Money
$1.7B
MeMedikabazaar
$700M
AgAgrostar
$120M
FuFusion Microfinance
$278M
VeVeritas Finance
$1.0B
ViVistaar
$30M
BaBatterySmart
$350M
UjUjjivan Financial Services
$1.8B
UmUmmeed Housing Finance
$304M
SmSmall Business Fincredit
$72M
FlFlexiLoans
$175M
CACARE Hospitals Group
$800M
KiKinara Capital
$250M
XuXurya
$220M
AfAfrica Logistic Properties
AnAnnapurna Finance
$347M
MaMaxAB
$200M
InIndifi Technologies
$165M
TeTerraPay
$320M
PoPortea Medical
$188M
PaPayMob
$250M
BeBetterPlace
$160M
SiSistema.bio
$212M
UtUtkarsh Micro Finance
$217M
RaRainbow Hospitals
$245M
GrGram Power
ChChargeZone
$230M
NaNamdev Finvest
$148M
ViVirunga Power
$200M
huhummingbirds
$220M
UnUnicaf
$112M
AlAltum Credo
$200M
ArArohan Financial
$97M
OnOnomo
AkAkshayakalpa Organic
$178M
CECEC Africa Investments
STSTS
$181M
DCDCDC Health Services
$70M
BaBasiGo
$96M
WoWorldLink Communications
$77M
WyWysa
$80M
IMIMerit
$170M
CuCurebay
$84M
LiLight Microfinance
$98M
AmAmpersand
$98M
VeVecmocon Technologies
$72M
08 · Portfolio founders
Where British International Investment’s portfolio founders come from.
134 founders across the 100 highest-funded portfolio companies — by current location, university attended, and the companies they worked at before founding. Sourced from the founder records the API links to each portfolio company.
LocationCount
-
India71
-
Kenya9
-
United States9
-
Egypt8
-
United Kingdom8
-
Nigeria7
-
Netherlands4
-
Indonesia3
-
Cyprus2
-
France2
UniversityCount
-
Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta7
-
Delhi University6
-
Indian School of Business6
-
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi5
-
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay4
-
The American University in Cairo4
-
University of California, Berkeley4
-
Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow3
-
Institute of Management Technology,Ghaziabad3
-
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign3
Previous companyCount
-
Citibank6
-
ICICI Bank5
-
IBM4
-
HSBC3
-
Microsoft3
-
Accenture2
-
Adityabirlabizlabs2
-
Altair2
-
Biocon2
-
BPTP2
09 · Other LPs
Other LPs.
Other LPs in the Power Law LP ranking, closest to British International Investment by combined power-law score — Europe first, then the nearest worldwide.
🇺🇸
Duke Management Company
$12B AUM
20 VC funds backed
🇺🇸
Sequoia
$88B AUM
23 VC funds backed
🇨🇳
Gopher Asset Management
54 VC funds backed
🇬🇧
Patria Private Equity Trust
$17B AUM
38 VC funds backed
🇬🇧
Molten Ventures
$2.4B AUM
51 VC funds backed
🇬🇧
National Security Strategic Investment Fund
$100M AUM
49 VC funds backed
🇫🇮
Sitra
$1.1B AUM
42 VC funds backed
🇫🇷
Quartilium
12 VC funds backed
10 · Key people
Key people at British International Investment.
Sarah Gibbs
Partner
Jonathan Hughes
CRO
Louise Meikle
CPO
Diana Layfield
Chair
Leslie Maasdorp
CEO
Shilpa Kumar
Director
Carolyn Sims
CFO
Source: Dealroom next-gen API — investor team endpoint.