Perspectives on AIM at 25
A vibrant ecosystem and strong network have underpinned the growth and development of AIM over the last 25 years.
Thousands of entrepreneurs from across the world have brought their companies to the market.
Nominated advisers and brokers have guided thousands of management teams onto the market, helped them to raise capital and made markets in the shares of their companies.
Institutional and retail investors have committed billions to AIM, seeking growth opportunities to back.
Business organisations have recognised and been strong advocates of AIM’s role in the wider economy.
London Stock Exchange has overseen AIM’s evolution, ensuring the market’s robustness, integrity and adaptability.
What have been their experiences and insights?
Explore perspectives from across the AIM ecosystem
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CEOs
Thousands of entrepreneurs from across the world have brought their companies to the market – what have been their experiences and insights?
Nomads
Nominated advisers and brokers have guided thousands of management teams onto the market, helped them to raise capital and made markets in the shares of their companies – what have been their experiences and insights?
Brokers and Investors
Institutional and retail investors have committed billions to AIM, seeking growth opportunities to back - what have been their experiences and insights?
Business bodies
Business organisations have recognised and been strong advocates of AIM’s role in the wider economy - what have been their experiences and insights?
London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange has overseen AIM’s evolution and ensuring the market’s robustness, integrity and adaptability - what has been its experience and insight?
Gordon McArthur
CEO, Beeks Financial Cloud
“We needed a greater profile, which the public markets gave us. We are seeking to grow our international footprint and to build our business with global financial institutions; the credibility of being listed on the world’s most international stock market was very important. The public markets would provide us with the opportunity to raise additional finance for future acquisitions but the management team was able to retain its majority stake in the business.”
Peter Keeling
CEO, Diaceutics
“The IPO has fuelled confidence throughout the company – from the youngest accountant to our senior executives.”
James McCullough
CEO, RenalytixAI
"AIM provided us with a distributed institutional shareholder base, the ability to raise enough capital to drive a world-class product development effort,and put public market governance and reporting discipline in place – all with a clean, flat-capital structure of common stock.”
Debbie Bestwick
CEO, Team17
“The IPO has been a good and positive experience. Equity participation is very popular. Up to 50 per cent of the company’s employees contribute each month towards buying shares as part of our scheme. They are in Team17 for the long term.”
Rusty Hutson
CEO, Diversified Oil & Gas
“Our IPO on AIM gave us financial capabilities to enable us to make a serious impact.”
Stuart Chapman
COO, Draper Esprit
“It is not so much about the scale of the funds raised as the velocity which the public markets have given us. We also have the confidence to go back to the market again. If we are performing and hitting the metrics, then there are no barriers.”
Jon Prideaux
CEO, Boku
“The AIM investor roadshow process is unbelievably efficient. Within two weeks you can see 70 institutions, basically all on foot. That’s absolutely not the case when you are trying to raise private money.”
Alistair Bathgate
Founder, Blue Prism
“We looked for long-term investors when we IPO’d and the vast majority have stuck with us.”
Alan Foy
CEO, SMS
“As a public listed company on AIM, public institutions in other countries can see that your business is governed properly. The badge of being a public listed company – with strong ESG credentials - really helps.”
Tim Cockroft
N+1 Singer
“AIM has been a trailblazer. It provided the incentive for entrepreneurial owner-managers to list their companies on the public markets. As well as encouraging them to come to the market, its less prescriptive rule book encouraged entrepreneurs to do deals when on the market.”
Philip Secrett
Grant Thornton
“It takes a lot for a growth market to flourish. AIM has achieved traction which other global markets have not.”
Stuart Skinner
Numis
“For management teams looking to execute an acquisition strategy, AIM is incredibly attractive. For acquisitive companies, AIM is the market.”
Nick Naylor
Allenby
“AIM is terrifically important to the UK economy. We have a world leading growth market and it is a prize UK asset.”
Stephen Keys
Cenkos
“Through the Nomads and broking community, AIM provides the framework for providing access to capital. AIM remains the world’s leading growth market.”
Gervais Williams
Head of Equities, Premier Miton
“AIM is the only place where investors can buy into small companies who have the potential to grow even when the world is not growing……Right now, there is an absolutely massive advantage of being a public company. As the pattern of the economy changes, AIM will be part of the solution not just in terms of financing existing companies but in acquiring businesses and embedding them in a better capital structure.”
Graham Neale
Deputy chairman, Killik Asset Management
"As a support for growth ventures in the UK, AIM is and has been tremendous. As a market, it is effective and accessible and enables companies to move fast when they need……..From the start of the coronavirus pandemic, AIM really proved itself, as companies were able raise funds despite the constraints and problems of so many parties working from home.”
Richard Wilson
CEO, Interactive Investor
"If you are a growing business needing to tap external capital and join a market that has rigour, regulation, price discovery and access, London is where you want to be - and AIM a natural target…….AIM is very important for many of our customers. For investors on our platform, the market provides choice, newness, growth and opportunity."
Adam McConkey
Lombard Odier Asset Management (Europe)
“AIM is a market in its truest form - it is a place where investors with an appetite for growth can support smaller companies with patient capital, and where international and domestic companies seeking permanent, equity risk capital can meet investors."
Richard Power
Head of Smaller Companies, Octopus Investments
“It has become more obvious for management teams that AIM can accompany them on a long-term scaling journey without the disruption or change of ownership. Having investors that can stay that length of time and develop with them is something that AIM does uniquely well."
Irene Graham
CEO, ScaleUp Institute
"AIM plays a vital role for UK scaleups in providing access to the appropriate and long-term patient capital that is so critical to a scaling company's growth journey: 249 UK scaleups have been supported by capital raised on AIM from diverse sectors ranging from retail to life sciences. The ScaleUp Institute looks forward to AIM continuing its pivotal role in the next quarter century of the UK’s growth journey.”
Stephen Welton
CEO, BGF
“AIM has added a crucial and additional source of capital for so many of the country’s most promising and ambitious companies. It is one of the vital engines of future growth, helping to harness potential and drive innovation, successfully matching entrepreneurs with investors.”
Tim Ward
CEO, QCA
“AIM is now established as an enduring feature of the equity market ecosystem. Many companies, their founders, employees and investors have benefited from raising finance on AIM over the last 25 years. Long may AIM continue to play its critical role in providing access to capital across the economy.”
Nikhil Rathi
CEO, London Stock Exchange Plc and Director of International Development
“AIM started its life 25 years ago with just 10 companies and today has developed into the world’s most successful growth market. In the 25 years since its launch, over 3,800 companies have been admitted to AIM and have raised over £118bn, with 39% at IPO and 61% through further fundraisings. In the first five months of 2020, AIM companies have raised £1.9bn in additional capital, including £195m for life science companies, many of whom are leading research into treatments for COVID-19. We are very proud of AIM’s long-term resilience.”
Marcus Stuttard
Head of UK Primary Markets and AIM.
“As AIM has developed, we have remained focused on ensuring that the regulation of AIM remains well positioned to meet the specific needs of growing businesses whilst also maintaining market confidence in order to attract a broad mix of institutional and retail investors.”
Nilam Statham
Head of Primary Market and AIM Regulation, London Stock Exchange
“The regulatory framework of AIM has evolved over 25 years but it has always focused on the needs of growing businesses and ensuring a rich mix of institutional and retail investors.”
Robert Barnes
Global Head of Primary Markets and CEO Turquoise.
“Throughout its history, one of the great strengths of AIM has been its diversity. It has companies valued from tens of millions to those valued at many billions. It welcomes early-stage, capital-hungry technology businesses and mature enterprises, from all sectors and from around the globe.”
Charlie Walker
Head of LSE Equity Primary Markets.
“AIM is Europe’s leading growth market, accounting for around 60 per cent of all IPO and follow-on capital raised. A significant attraction for growth-hungry companies in Europe.”
Tom Attenborough
Head of International Business Development, Primary Markets.
“AIM provides a supportive environment and a high-quality investor base for small and mid-cap international companies, enabling them to access deep pools of growth capital in a fast and efficient manner unmatched by their own domestic markets.”
Claire Dorrian
UK Primary Markets, Regional Head.
“The green economy is leading to a major reallocation of investor capital. For companies with a strong and clear green narrative, AIM provides visibility through the Green Economy Mark and access to investors keen to allocate capital to businesses that are best-equipped to meet the demand for a sustainable, low carbon future."