Ama Capital named finalist for Private Equity Firm of the Year 2026.

October, 2026

The Thames Valley Deals Awards 2026 shortlist has been announced, and the operator-led investment firm has been named alongside some of the most established names in UK private equity.

Two years after launch, Ama Capital is a finalist for Private Equity Firm of the Year at the awards, run by The Business Magazine in partnership with Insider Media.

Chosen by a panel of independent judges, the shortlist places Ama alongside four other private equity firms. The winners will be announced on Wednesday 11 November in Reading, as the awards return for their 19th year.

Founding Partner, Miles Otway, said: “Being named a finalist is well-earned recognition for our team, the management teams we have invested in and our Operating Partners, and all their hard work over the past year. To be shortlisted alongside firms of this calibre so soon after launch tells us the operator-led model is resonating with the businesses we want to back.”

Ama was launched in November 2024 by Ed Ransome and Miles Otway as an independent, operator-led investment firm focused on the UK lower mid-market. Rather than providing capital alone, Ama places experienced industry leaders and functional specialists, all invested in the firm, alongside the management teams it backs.

In January 2026, Ama backed the management buyout of The Vella Group, an automotive repair group with now 22 sites across the North and Midlands and more than 470 employees, alongside Keyhaven Capital Partners. In August 2026, it backed the management buyout of Ivy House, the leadership and development specialist that has worked with more than 19,000 leaders in over 30 countries, alongside Zachary Asset Holdings.

Over the same period, Ama has built a network of non-executive and operating partners who work hands-on with portfolio businesses, from chairing boards to stepping into the firm.

Founding Partner, Ed Ransome, added: “We started Ama to give ambitious lower mid-market businesses something different: capital backed by people who have built and run businesses themselves. This shortlisting belongs to the management teams who trusted us with their next chapter.”

Ama would like to thank The Business Magazine and the judging panel, its portfolio management teams, and the network of advisers and partners it has worked alongside over the past year. Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists.