Why we're building Oakmere Partners
Sep 18, 2025
At Oakmere, we believe that how a business is built, and who it’s built with, matters just as much as what it does.
For years, we’ve watched how investment shapes the future of companies. Some firms thrive, passing from one generation to the next, adapting to new challenges and opportunities. Others falter, not because the businesses lacked vision or capability, but because the investment model behind them prioritised speed and extraction over stewardship and growth.
Oakmere was created with a conviction that there is a better way to invest in and support the UK’s small and mid-sized businesses: one that places people at the centre, values legacy, and builds with the patience and perspective of the long term.
A Different Kind of Partnership
Much of the investment world has become fixated on one playbook: financial engineering, cost-cutting, and rapid exits. While this may create short-term gains, it often erodes the very foundations of what made a business successful in the first place: the people, the culture, the accumulated wisdom.
Our team has spent decades in consulting, investing, scaling, and transforming companies of all shapes and sizes. The lesson we’ve seen repeated is simple: sustainable growth comes from people.
From owners with vision and resilience.
From teams with deep knowledge of their markets and customers.
From cultures that foster trust, creativity, and commitment, cultures that take years to build, but can be dismantled in months.
Too often, these qualities are overlooked or actively stripped away in the pursuit of “efficiency.”
At Oakmere, we reject that approach. We are building a firm that proves performance and principle are not at odds. In fact, when aligned, they are mutually reinforcing. Businesses that invest in people and culture are more resilient, more innovative, and ultimately, more valuable.
Backing the Backbone of the UK Economy
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the quiet engine of the UK economy. They account for over 60% of private-sector employment and are the lifeblood of regional communities. Many are family-owned businesses, built patiently over decades, and carrying not just financial value but identity, pride, and legacy.
Yet, many of these businesses stand at a crossroads. Founders may be ready for succession but struggle to find a trusted partner. Teams may have the talent and ambition to grow but lack the resources, systems, or capital to reach the next stage. These are strong, profitable, resilient companies, but without the right support, their futures can be uncertain.
Oakmere was built to step into these moments with thoughtfulness and care.
We offer:
Certainty and flexibility to founders and owners navigating transition.
Capital, care, and capability to strengthen operations without dismantling them.
Systems and strategies that create durable value and position businesses for resilience in a changing world.
Respect for legacy, ensuring that what’s been built over decades isn’t lost in the process of growth.
We see ourselves not as acquirers or managers, but as partners and stewards, committed to ensuring that great businesses continue to thrive long into the future.
Who We Are
The Oakmere team brings together seasoned operators, entrepreneurs, and advisors who have worked at the highest levels of industry and investment. Collectively, our backgrounds span global brands, high-growth consultancies, and investor-backed ventures.
Our expertise is diverse:
Commercial strategy and operational excellence
Succession planning and leadership development
AI deployment and digital transformation
Scaling businesses across industries and geographies
But more important than credentials is the philosophy we share: that business should be conducted with integrity, with patience, and with people at the centre. Each member of our team has seen both the successes and the failures of traditional investment models, and each joined Oakmere to build something different.
What We’re Building
We are not building a portfolio.
We are building a platform.
The distinction matters. A portfolio is a collection of financial assets; a platform is a foundation for growth, connection, and resilience.
Our ambition is to create an ecosystem where great UK businesses can access not just capital, but also shared expertise, tools, and a network of peers. A place where owners know their legacies are safe, teams know their contributions are valued, and communities see continuity rather than disruption.
That means:
Building companies, not flipping them
Supporting people, not replacing them
Creating value, not extracting it
Taking our time, not rushing to the exit
Because enduring businesses deserve enduring partners.
Looking Ahead
Oakmere has a clear vision. We exist to stand alongside the founders, teams, and advisors who believe, as we do, that there is a better way to build and grow businesses.
If you are a founder thinking about succession, an advisor guiding clients through pivotal decisions, or an investor who shares our long-term vision, we’d love to connect.
Let’s build something meaningful together.