Stephen Bottley

Partner

Global Co-Lead for Venture & Growth Lending

Stephen Bottley is a highly experienced practitioner who always provides practical and helpful advice.

Legal 500 UK, 2026

Emailstephen.bottley@akd.partners

Call+44 (0)7968 558 940

Birmingham

About

Stephen leads the AKD Partners finance team in Birmingham, and, alongside Matt Schwartz co-leads our Global Venture & Growth Lending.

Stephen is highly experienced in venture and growth financings, leveraged and acquisition finance, asset based lending, and large corporate lending including the funding of public and private transactions.

Stephen's clients include leading UK and international banks, private credit funds, private equity investors, and public and private corporations.

Areas of FocusVenture and Growth Lending Finance Corporate Financial Services Technology Life Sciences Asset-based Lending Leveraged Finance and Debt Finance

EXPERIENCE

Stephen regularly advises clients lending to early and growth stage companies and SMEs based in the UK and Europe with interests across the world. Stephen leads a venture debt team with specialist coverage across all major jurisdictions.
Stephen also regularly leads on precedent drafting and updating projects for major national and international banks in relation to facility letters to SMEs and MMEs and Large Corporates, together with ancillary documents and related options.

Selected transactions:

Advising HSBC on the funding of the sponsor backed buy out of accounting firm Cooper Parry (a deal which won Deal of the Year in the GBP50m+ category at the UK Midlands Dealmakers in September 2025).
Acting for Hercules Capital in the provision of USD125m funding for innovative lifesciences innovator Adaptimmune plc.
Advising Trinity Capital in its provision of USD70m of funding to medical technology innovator CMR Surgical.
Acting for National Electricity System Operator in connection with its revolving credit facilities with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero.
Acting for a club of UK clearing Banks providing senior debt funding to a Financial Sponsor backed group operating in the UK care personnel sector.
Acting for Trinity Capital in relation to its venture and growth facilities to an international group operating in the technology and communication sector, including subordination and intercreditor arrangements in relation to follow-on investor support.
Acting for Liquidity Capital in its GBP32m growth financing for home food delivery service HungryPanda.
Advising an international music licensing business in connection with the funding of its acquisition of a major music catalogue.
Acting for a major UK clearing Bank with its provision of a GBP10m non-recourse receivables purchase facility to a global cybersecurity solutions company that provides data services and cloud-related products.
Acting for a global commercial real estate services firm in respect of the UK aspects of its USD400 million international financing with a syndicate of major banks including complex asset-based lending facilities.
Acting for an international investment bank in connection with its provision of a specialist venture and growth term loan facilities agreement to a global tech company operating in consumer services software.
Acting for a club of funders including major UK, international and overseas financial institutions in providing ABL facilities of up to GBP300 million to a UK group operating in the automotive sales sector.