Pelican Capital
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Pelican Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pelican Capital
- Legal name
- Pelican Capital LLP
- Website
- https://pelicancapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pelican Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investors, Nec (6799), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB)
Keywords
Where Pelican Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pelican Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Private equity returns: Pelican Capital generates returns through capital appreciation and exit proceeds from portfolio companies. Returns are realized when investments are sold, typically after 3-5 years. Documented returns include 3.2x from Atech exit and up to 6.5x from YourParkingSpace exit.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Pelican Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pelican Capital is a UK-based private equity firm that deploys up to £50m of equity in profitable UK-based companies (sustainable profits greater than £1m). The firm supports management teams through management buyouts (MBOs), carve-outs, equity release, growth capital, and buy-and-build transactions, typically holding investments for 3-5 years before exit. Funding is sourced directly from family offices, and the firm invests substantial own capital alongside management teams.
Product overview
Pelican Capital is a UK-based private equity firm that invests up to £50m of equity in profitable companies, typically with sustainable profits greater than £1m. Rather than offering a unified software product, the firm provides private equity capital with a management-focused approach to help management teams facilitate ownership change and drive growth. The firm's investment portfolio spans multiple sectors including Ed-Tech (Steplab, Unseen Group), technology-enabled services (EMS, Finders International, Capacitas), cybersecurity (SentryBay), and mobility data software (ECA International). Pelican Capital does not operate a single product platform but rather supports portfolio companies across technology sub-sectors including cloud technology, parking technology, compliance services, and tech-enabled legal services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Management Buyout (MBO) Capital Equity investment of up to £50m to enable management teams to acquire ownership of UK-based profitable companies (sustainable profits greater than £1m), typically held 3-5 years before exit.
- Growth Capital Equity investment provided to UK-based management teams to accelerate business growth, including support for international expansion, technology upgrades, and sales/marketing investment.
- Carve-out Capital
- Equity Release
- Buy-and-Build Capital
Quantifiable outcome
- 3.2x return on Atech exit (October 2024)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Pelican Capital
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Pelican Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pelican Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Stephenson Harwood LLPminorStephenson Harwood LLP acted as legal advisor to Pelican Capital LLP on the buyout of Finders International, a probate research, data, and technology firm.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Pelican Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Livingbridge: UK lower-mid-market growth and buyout PE firm with a comparable £10-100m equity ticket and tech/tech-enabled services focus. Direct competitor for the same management teams and same family-office / institutional LP pool.
- LDC (Lloyds Development Capital): One of the most active UK lower-mid-market PE investors, writing £10-75m equity tickets across profitable UK SMEs, with deep tech and tech-enabled services coverage. Directly competes on deal flow and LP relationships.
- Bowmark Capital: UK lower-mid-market PE firm with a tech and tech-enabled services focus, writing £20-100m+ equity cheques. Direct competitor; Pelican's recent Director hire Roy Mani previously co-headed Bowmark's lower mid-market fund.
- BGF (Business Growth Fund): UK's most active growth investor in profitable SMEs, writing minority and majority equity tickets typically £2-25m. Competes for the same UK management teams and has a comparable sector tilt toward tech-enabled services.
- Maven Capital Partners: UK lower-mid-market PE and venture firm with regional offices, writing £1-25m equity tickets in profitable UK SMEs. Comparable deal-size band and target company profile.
- YFM Equity Partners: UK lower-mid-market PE firm investing £2-25m of growth and buyout capital in profitable SMEs. Comparable ticket size, UK regional focus, and tech-enabled services tilt.
- Synova Capital: UK lower-mid-market PE firm focused on tech and tech-enabled services, writing £15-60m equity cheques. Closely comparable in cheque size, sector thesis, and lower-mid-market positioning to Pelican.
- Aliter Capital: UK lower-mid-market PE firm backing UK SMEs with £10-50m equity tickets and a focus on profitable, tech-enabled B2B services. Highly comparable in deal-size band and target profile.
- Connection Capital: UK lower-mid-market PE and direct-investment platform for family offices and high-net-worth individuals, providing £5-25m equity tickets. Directly comparable in family-office funding model and UK SME focus.
Broad incumbents
- Foresight Group: Larger UK-listed PE and investment manager with significant lower-mid-market activity through regional funds. Overlapping UK SME mandate but with much broader infrastructure, growth, and PE coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pelican Capital social profiles
Digital presencePelican Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pelican Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Pelican Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pelican Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments9 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pelican Capital
What does Pelican Capital do?
Pelican Capital is a UK-based private equity firm that deploys up to £50m of equity in profitable UK-based companies (sustainable profits greater than £1m). The firm supports management teams through management buyouts (MBOs), carve-outs, equity release, growth capital, and buy-and-build transactions, typically holding investments for 3-5 years before exit. Funding is sourced directly from family offices, and the firm invests substantial own capital alongside management teams.
Is Pelican Capital a public or private company?
Pelican Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pelican Capital founded?
Pelican Capital was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pelican Capital based?
Pelican Capital is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pelican Capital make money?
One revenue line is on record: private equity returns.
Who are Pelican Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Livingbridge, LDC (Lloyds Development Capital), Bowmark Capital, BGF (Business Growth Fund), Maven Capital Partners, YFM Equity Partners, Synova Capital, Aliter Capital and Connection Capital. Foresight Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Pelican Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pelican Capital.
What industry is Pelican Capital in?
Pelican Capital's product category is Private Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAGAB, SME Term Loans & Growth Capital. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6799.