KPMG Acceleris sets up new Manchester base

• KPMG Acceleris takes space at Bruntwood SciTech’s No.1 Circle Square in the City’s Oxford Road Corridor innovation district

• The move comes as the Joint Venture formally completes after securing FCA approval

KPMG Acceleris, the Venture Capital Advisory joint venture between KPMG UK and Acceleris, has taken space at No.1 Circle Square in the heart of Manchester’s innovation district.

KPMG Acceleris delivers a range of fundraising and advisory services for entrepreneurs in the UK and internationally, with a particular focus on businesses in technology, life sciences and ESG-related sectors. The firm provides access for entrepreneurs to an active pool of investors to support investments of £1m to £30m+.

No.1 Circle Square, developed and operated by Bruntwood SciTech, a partnership between Bruntwood and Legal & General, has been specifically designed to accommodate high growth digital and tech businesses. It comes after KPMG Acceleris secured approval of the Joint Venture from the Financial Conduct Authority, formally completing the formation of the new entity.

Circle Square is Manchester’s new 2.4m sq ft neighbourhood, located in the heart of Manchester's innovation district. A joint venture between Bruntwood SciTech and Vita Group, Circle Square provides 1.2 million sq ft of workspace, 1,700 new homes and over 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including a variety of boutique retailers, restaurants, bars, and pavement cafes, all centred around Symphony Park, Manchester’s stunning new city park.

The Joint Venture is eyeing further national expansion as it grows its team of venture capital
professionals. It recently hired Sarah Abrahams as a Partner to its London office to specialise in fundraising for high-growth businesses seeking pre-seed to Series A finance (£500k – £20m). KPMG Acceleris employs 18 staff and operates from offices in the North West (Wigan and Manchester), Cambridge and London and is considering expanding its value-enhancing services in this market, including financial modelling, education, and the use of technology.

Jonathan Boyers, Executive Chair of Corporate Finance at KPMG UK and Director of KPMG Acceleris, said: “Since forming KPMG Acceleris, we’ve been committed to expanding into a new dedicated space for this unique partnership. We’re thrilled with the new space at No.1 Circle Square – it is well connected, in the heart of the tech community and gives a great environment to further expand our team and service offering.

“There is incredible demand for early-stage enterprise funding and interest from investors to get into the sector. KPMG Acceleris has a really important role to play in matching that demand and supporting the UK’s vibrant tech eco-system with the advice they need to realise their funding goals and, crucially, transition through their growth lifecycle and beyond.”

Josh Whiteley, Head of Commercial at Bruntwood SciTech, added: “KPMG’s Acceleris team joins an extensive network of world-leading innovators at Circle Square, which has quickly established itself as a key driver for the innovation district, city and the wider region’s burgeoning tech cluster. With an established community of tech and digital entrepreneurs in our Tech Incubator, through to global leading businesses all based in the same neighbourhood, Acceleris will be connected with and physically located alongside the types of companies they are looking to work with. We are delighted that they have selected Circle Square, and look forward to seeing them work alongside Northern Gritstone and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to support businesses to scale both here and in the wider Bruntwood SciTech portfolio in Manchester."