Baillie Gifford

Baillie Gifford is an independently owned investment management firm based in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, with a distinguished history spanning over a century. While widely recognized for its expertise in public equity investments, the firm has significantly expanded its presence in the private company landscape over the past decade. Baillie Gifford approaches private investments with the same long-term, patient capital philosophy it applies to its public holdings, seeking out high-growth, innovative companies with the potential to become global leaders.

The firm primarily targets late-stage private companies that are often on the cusp of significant growth or nearing a public listing. Their investment strategy is sector-agnostic but shows a strong inclination towards disruptive technology, fintech, healthcare, and consumer internet businesses. Baillie Gifford is known for its willingness to hold investments for extended periods, often five to ten years or more, providing stable capital to companies as they scale and mature.

Baillie Gifford has built a formidable portfolio of private companies, which by 2021, was valued at over $20 billion. Their notable investments include stakes in global giants such as SpaceX, ByteDance, Stripe, Klarna, and Waymo. The firm typically participates in large funding rounds, with individual investments often ranging in the hundreds of millions of dollars. For instance, they invested $100 million in Klarna in 2020 and were part of a substantial $1.9 billion funding round for Stripe in 2021, underscoring their capacity for significant capital deployment.

Their unique position as a long-term, non-traditional venture investor allows them to provide substantial capital without the typical short-term pressures often associated with traditional venture capital funds. This approach makes Baillie Gifford a compelling partner for late-stage private companies seeking patient, growth-oriented capital.