Big Society Capital
Better Society Capital (formerly Big Society Capital) is an FCA-regulated London-based market builder that channels institutional and government capital into UK social impact investments across housing, economic opportunity, climate, and health.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Big Society Capital does
Better Society Capital (formerly Big Society Capital) is a London-based, FCA-regulated private limited company founded in 2012 that operates as a market builder for the UK social impact investment sector. The company positions itself as a trusted bridge between institutional capital, government policy, and social-purpose organisations, channelling investment into four thematic areas: housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health. Its stated market impact is material: it attributes the growth of the UK social impact investment market from £830m in 2011 to £11.2bn at end-2024 — a 13x increase — partly to its stewardship, and it deployed £2.1bn of commitments in 2024 alone.
The company's product surface combines direct investment portfolio management, a public market product (the Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust), advisory services for institutional investors (BSC Advisory), and proprietary research assets including the Better Society Index and annual market sizing reports. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or software product; the operating model is relationship-driven and intermediated through partner fund managers rather than a direct-to-consumer technology stack. Distribution is built on direct partnerships with trusts, foundations, mainstream investors, UK government departments, and social enterprises/charities, with co-design of public-sector programmes as a distinct go-to-market lever.
The firm is headquartered at Script, 44 Featherstone Street, London, with 11-50 employees and leadership including a CEO (Stephen Muers), CFO (David Burndred) and CIO (Jeremy Rogers). No company-level revenue, pricing model, or capital structure is disclosed in the public material, and there is no mention of funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent-company ownership, suggesting an independent operating posture. The business model implicitly combines fee-related revenue from managed portfolios and advisory with a market-building mandate that depends on continued government and institutional alignment.
Big Society Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Society Capital
- Legal name
- Better Society Capital Limited
- Website
- https://bigsocietycapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Better Society Capital (formerly Big Society Capital) is an FCA-regulated London-based market builder that channels institutional and government capital into UK social impact investments across housing, economic opportunity, climate, and health.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Society Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact Investment
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB), Institutional Capital Introduction (LP/Family Office/Endowment Matching) (FSAEALAI)
Keywords
Where Big Society Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Big Society Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Big Society Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Better Society Capital (formerly Big Society Capital) is a UK social impact investment organization that manages a diversified portfolio of investments across housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health sectors. It operates as a bridge organization deploying capital from institutional investors, trusts, foundations and government through intermediary fund managers to grow the UK social impact investment market, and offers advisory services to investors seeking social impact investment opportunities.
Product overview
Better Society Capital operates as a social impact investment organization, functioning as a trusted bridge between capital and social purpose. The organization manages investment portfolios across housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health sectors, with offerings including the Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust, BSC Advisory services, the Better Society Index research tool, and annual market sizing reports. The company focuses on growing the UK social impact investment market, which has grown from £830m in 2011 to £11.2bn in 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Investment Portfolio Management Managing a diversified portfolio of social impact investments across housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health sectors in the UK on behalf of institutional investors, trusts, foundations and government.
- Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust A social impact investment trust that provides returns to investors while creating measurable social outcomes across targeted sectors.
- BSC Advisory Advisory services for investors seeking to navigate social impact investment opportunities and develop investment strategies.
Quantifiable outcome
- Grew social impact investment market from £830m (2011) to £11.2bn (2024)
Companies that use Big Society Capital
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Big Society Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Big Society Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Big Society Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Social Finance UK: UK-based social enterprise intermediary designing Social Impact Bonds and outcomes-based contracts with government. Direct peer in intermediating between investors, government, and social-sector delivery bodies — overlapping strongly with BSC's 'bridging' role.
- Big Issue Invest: UK social investment arm of The Big Issue, providing loans and investments to social enterprises and charities. Direct competitor in deploying capital to UK social-purpose organisations through intermediary and direct structures.
- Triodos Investment Management: European sustainable and impact investment manager with deep UK institutional penetration. Directly comparable as a regulated impact fund manager offering multi-strategy sustainable investment funds to UK and European investors.
- Bridges Fund Management: UK-focused impact-focused private equity and venture fund manager investing across health, education, and sustainable living. Most direct comparable in terms of UK impact fund intermediation, structure (FCA-regulated), and investor base (institutional LPs and foundations).
- Nesta (formerly NESTA Impact Investments): UK innovation foundation operating venture and growth-stage impact investment funds alongside policy and research activity. Comparable in serving as a UK-based mission-driven investment platform combining grant-making with financial returns.
Broad incumbents
- Schroders plc: Global asset manager that co-manages the Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust and operates wider sustainable and impact strategies. Broader incumbent with overlapping UK sustainable investment capabilities but vastly larger and more generalist.
- UK Infrastructure Bank: UK government-backed wholesale investor supporting infrastructure and clean growth projects. Comparable as a UK state-backed impact-aligned wholesale investor partnering with private capital, particularly in climate and housing-adjacent themes.
Regional players
- Acumen: Global impact investment fund focused on low-income markets across Africa and South Asia. Comparable mission-driven wholesale impact investor serving as a market-builder, but operates in different geographies than BSC's UK-only focus.
Others
- Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): Industry body advancing impact investing globally. Not a capital allocator but provides the framework, taxonomy, and benchmarking (IRIS+, impact reporting) that BSC's products and reporting standards rely on — adjacent ecosystem participant.
Emerging players
- Impact Ventures UK / Ascension (formerly ClearlySo): UK impact investment advisory and fund manager serving social enterprises. Smaller, more specialist player with comparable intermediary role between social enterprises and impact investors, but narrower product set.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Big Society Capital social profiles
Digital presenceBig Society Capital compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Big Society Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Society Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Big Society Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Society Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments6 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Big Society Capital
What does Big Society Capital do?
Better Society Capital (formerly Big Society Capital) is a UK social impact investment organization that manages a diversified portfolio of investments across housing, economic opportunity, climate and energy, and health sectors. It operates as a bridge organization deploying capital from institutional investors, trusts, foundations and government through intermediary fund managers to grow the UK social impact investment market, and offers advisory services to investors seeking social impact investment opportunities.
Is Big Society Capital a public or private company?
Big Society Capital is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Big Society Capital founded?
Big Society Capital was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Big Society Capital based?
Big Society Capital is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are Big Society Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Social Finance UK, Big Issue Invest, Triodos Investment Management, Bridges Fund Management and Nesta (formerly NESTA Impact Investments). Broad incumbents are Schroders plc and UK Infrastructure Bank. Acumen is listed as a regional player. Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) is listed as an others. Impact Ventures UK / Ascension (formerly ClearlySo) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Big Society Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Society Capital.
What industry is Big Society Capital in?
Big Society Capital's product category is Social Impact Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAG, Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure), with a secondary code of BPAHADAB, Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory. Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.