Duke Street

About Duke Street

Duke Street is a UK mid-market private equity firm with approximately $2.5 billion of cumulative capital raised (£2.6 billion across 6 plus funds since inception) as of December 2024, headquartered in London. The firm was founded in 1988 as Hambro European Ventures (the private equity arm of Hambros Bank) before spinning out as Duke Street in 1997. The firm operates as a partner-owned independent sponsor model with substantial co-investment by the team in each deal.

Investment thesis

Duke Street deploys capital through six historical institutional funds plus deal-by-deal vehicles since the 2014 pivot to a hybrid independent sponsor model, targeting mid-market buyouts and growth capital in companies with enterprise values of €50 million to €350 million. Sector focus spans consumer, healthcare, industrials and engineering and services, with geographic deployment across the UK and Ireland core plus broader Western Europe (notably France). The independent sponsor model enables bespoke fund structures and exclusive non-auction origination supported by deep operating partner involvement.

Recent activity

Recent realised exits include consumer and travel (Great Rail Journeys, May 2025). Recent acquisitions include industrials and modular construction (McAvoy, October 2025), healthcare and ostomy care (ForLife and Trio, December 2024) and healthcare and medical imaging (Agito Medical, July 2024). The platform continues active deployment across the deal-by-deal independent sponsor model. Detailed buyer names and multiple data available on Pro at €49/month.