The investor has taken a stake in the London-based ophthalmology group to support the company’s new site rollouts and to enable further organic growth.
BGF, an investor in small and medium sized enterprises, has made what it calls “a significant multi‐million-pound investment” in London-based ophthalmology group OCL Vision.
Founded in 2018 by eye surgeons Ali Mearza, Allon Barsam and Romesh Angunawela, OCL Vision says that it delivers almost 4,000 elective and clinical private procedures every year.
The group, which recorded double-digit growth in patient numbers and revenue last year, currently has 12 surgeons and employs a wider team of 60. The group offers the full spectrum of specialist ophthalmic procedures across two core segments: elective procedures, including laser vision correction and refractive lens replacement, and essential clinical procedures, including cataract, retinal, glaucoma and oculoplastic surgeries.
From a single site on New Cavendish Street in London, the group now has three sites and funds raised will be used to support the company’s new site rollouts and enable further organic growth.
“OCL Vision is a great example of a fast-growing healthcare business that has demonstrated exceptional clinical outcomes and a strong commercial trajectory,” said BGF’s Alistair Brew.
BGF is a £2.5 billion UK growth capital investor backed by the main UK banks. It currently has 15 healthcare investments, including stakes in Brindley Healthcare, one of Ireland’s largest privately owned nursing home groups; Kooth, a digital mental health services provider specialising in support for children and young people; and most recently, OrganOx, a commercial-stage organ technology company spun out of the University of Oxford.
