Activate Group announces Elysian Capital investment

Activate Group has secured a major investment deal with Elysian Capital to fuel its ambitious growth plans, which includes four new repair centres this year.

The leading private equity firm has acquired a majority share in Activate Group and will provide substantial development capital to support the rapid growth of the business.

Founded in 2015 by Mark Wilcox, Mark Woods and Hannah Wilcox, Activate Group provides end-to-end accident management services to the fleet and insurance industries.

Activate Group partners with some of the UK’s best-known fleets through its specialist fleet brand, sopp+sopp, while its repair network business provides accident management services to big-name insurers like RSA and Marshmallow.

The business also includes a dedicated parts division, Activate Parts, and in 2019 it launched its own repair centres under the name of Activate Accident Repair.

Following the deal, James Cunningham, partner at Elysian Capital, will become chairman. Hannah Wilcox will remain as CEO Mark Wilcox while Paul Pancham, Jamie Sopp and Mark Woods will step down from the company’s board, although Sopp and Pancham will continue to provide advisory support.

Hannah Wilcox, CEO said: “Elysian Capital has an outstanding track record of supporting fast-growing businesses like ours, and I’m confident their investment and support will allow us to take Activate Group to the next level.

“In 2024 we’ll open four more purpose-built repair centres to complement the capacity we have within our partner network. The first of these will open in Hampton, South West London, in March.

“We’ll also continue to invest in technology that drives efficiency and transparency in the services we offer, and we have now signed up with the Living Wage Foundation.”