Posting accounts for his West Coast Capital (WCC) investment firm, the Scottish entrepreneur highlighted a number of firms that he has financially backed. These include hospitality operator Buzzworks, which added 80 members of staff with the opening of its Scotts venue in Greenock, taking the group’s employee numbers to 800 and its portfolio to 21 restaurants. Other companies also includes the likes of Thirty Knots, The Bridge Inn, The Fox and Herringbone.

Sir Tom Hunter said: “Another exceptional founder we backed during the year was Professor Sir Christopher Evans, whom I’ve known for almost 30 years. We made a multi-million-pound investment in his business, Ellipses Pharma, a disruptive cancer discovery drug business that enables more than 200 of the world’s leading professors and experts to help find the best solutions in oncology. We are very proud to back Chris and his exceptional team.”

The entrepreneur also highlighted WCC’S backing for the founders of Fintern, a financial technology business that is said to go beyond credit scoring by applying bank data to build AI-based risk and lending profiles, the Scotsman reports. 

At Winchburgh in West Lothian, WCW continued to invest alongside joint venture partner Cala Group in a major housing development, where it is helping to deliver thousands of new homes.

He added: “As part of that investment we delivered junction 1b on the M9 at a cost of over £20 million and no public sector funding, alongside that two new secondary schools and one new primary school. Our forward sales of land to housebuilders is strong for 2024.

“This was another year of solid progress for West Coast Capital and with no external debt and strong cash balances we are in a very positive position moving forward.”