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Imbiba
Imbiba is a London-based private equity firm specializing in UK leisure and hospitality investments, backing scaled bar and restaurant concepts.
Imbiba
Imbiba operates as a specialist private equity firm in London, focused exclusively on the leisure and hospitality sector. Founded by Simon Carson and John Connell, the firm emerged from their operational experience as founders and major shareholders of the Luminar Leisure Group, a major UK nightclub operator. This background shaped a firm that invests with an operator's lens rather than a purely financial one. Imbiba deploys growth and buyout capital into established UK leisure and hospitality concepts, typically targeting high-street food and beverage operators with strong brand differentiation and proven unit economics. Its investments span restaurant groups, bar chains, and experiential leisure businesses seeking to scale across the UK. Confirmed portfolio positions have included Drake & Morgan, a prominent London bar and restaurant group, and Darwin & Wallace, the operator of cocktail-led neighborhood venues. The firm concentrates its geographic exposure on Greater London and key regional UK cities. While Imbiba's total deployment and team size remain privately held, the firm maintains a concentrated portfolio consistent with a sector-specialist posture. Its principal investment vehicle, the Imbiba Partnership, pools capital from institutional and family office investors into these UK leisure concepts. The firm's investment directors engage deeply with portfolio management teams on site selection, concept refinement, and operational improvements. Imbiba's structural distinction lies in its singular sector concentration combined with founder-operators who previously built and exited a large public leisure company. This gives the partnership a practical understanding of rolling out multi-site hospitality concepts that a diversified private equity firm typically lacks, underpinning its reputation as a hands-on capital partner rather than a passive financial investor.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
United Kingdom
City
London
Corporate office
London, United Kingdom
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
What is Imbiba's investment focus?
Imbiba invests exclusively in the UK leisure and hospitality sector, targeting growth-stage and buyout opportunities in high-street food, beverage, and experiential leisure concepts. The firm focuses on established operators with strong brand identities and proven unit-level economics, typically looking to scale across London and other major UK cities. Its portfolio has included bar and restaurant groups like Drake & Morgan and Darwin & Wallace.
Who founded Imbiba?
Imbiba was founded by Simon Carson and John Connell, who previously served as founders and majority shareholders of Luminar Leisure Group, one of the UK's largest publicly traded nightclub operators. Their operational background in scaling multi-site leisure businesses informs Imbiba's hands-on investment approach. The pair brought both capital and direct management experience to the partnership.
How does Imbiba differ from a generalist private equity firm?
Imbiba is one of the few UK private equity firms dedicated solely to leisure and hospitality, operating with deep sector specialization rather than a diversified mandate. Its founding partners built and exited a large public leisure company before forming the firm, giving them operator-level insight into site selection, brand development, and multi-site rollout. The firm structures its involvement to include significant operational support alongside capital.
Does Imbiba invest outside the UK?
Imbiba's investment activity is concentrated in the United Kingdom, with a particular emphasis on Greater London and key regional cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh. There is no public record of the firm making direct investments outside the UK market. Its model relies on deep local knowledge of licensing, property, and consumer trends in British high-street hospitality.
What is the Imbiba Partnership?
The Imbiba Partnership is the firm's principal investment vehicle, through which it pools capital from institutional investors and family offices for deployment into leisure and hospitality businesses. The structure allows the firm to provide growth equity and acquisition financing to its portfolio companies. Specific fund sizes and limited partner details are not publicly disclosed.
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