AI lab Anthropic, digital bank Revolut, Chinese social network Xiaohongshu and supply chain specialist Zetwerk count among Baillie Gifford’s most recent private growth company investments. These bold pioneers are part of an expanding asset class, representing some of the world’s fastest growing and most disruptive businesses. Investment manager Robert Natzler tells host Leo Kelion how and why we backed them on behalf of our clients.

Background:

Robert Natzler is an investment manager on our Private Companies Team and deputy manager of The Schiehallion Fund.

In this conversation, recorded as part of our annual Disruption Week briefings, he brings you up to date on his team’s recent activity, bringing our tally of private company investments to more than 160, with a total value of over $10bn.

Companies discussed include:

Mottu – the motorcycle rental and service provider, serving gig workers and others in Latin America.

Revolut – the digital bank that has surpassed HSBC and other traditional lenders in terms of its customer count.

Anthropic – the frontier AI lab behind the chatbot and coding champion Claude.

Xiaohongshu – the Chinese social network, also known as RedNote, with a strong and growing following, especially among young women.

Zetwerk – the outsourcing specialist giving western brands and manufacturers the ability to broaden their supply chains beyond China.

Resources:

About Robert Natzler

Disruption Week

From code to culture: private companies shaping the world

Private Companies Team

Private growth: looking over the overlooked