Introducing ThinCats Growth Lens

As one of the UK’s leading backers of high-growth businesses, we have launched ThinCats Growth Lens, an in-depth analysis of annual growth trends among mid-sized SMEs in the UK.

Using data from nearly 200,000 mid-sized firms, powered by PRISM, ThinCats Growth Lens provides insights into the proportion of mid-sized SMEs growing by at least 5% above inflation, and looks at annual growth between 2007-2023. We interrogate the data by zooming in on:

• Economic cycles
• Businesses that borrow
• Businesses with private equity backing
• Different sectors
• Different regions of the UK

Defining growth 

In order to get a level playing field over time we measure revenue growth above inflation, placing firms into four categories of ‘Growers’:

• Growth (5% above inflation)
• Solid Growth (10% above inflation)
• Strong Growth (25% above inflation)
• Super Growth (50% above inflation)

Download the full report

Our first full report confirms that borrowing and investment are key drivers of growth for UK mid-sized SMEs. It also reveals some interesting changes to businesses across different regions and sectors post-covid.