Former ThinCats managing director Ravi Anand launches Ignite Funding Partners, seeks £500m

Ravi Anand, a former managing director at ThinCats, has launched Ignite Funding Partners and is seeking £500m of institutional capital for UK SME direct lending, Alternative Credit Investor reported.

According to the report, Ignite will offer tailored facilities of £1m to £25m for organic growth, acquisition, ownership transition and refinancing, aimed at the larger end of the SME market. It will target established businesses with strong management teams that are building momentum.

Several former senior ThinCats colleagues are due to join him at Ignite, though a spokesperson declined to give more detail, Alternative Credit Investor reported.

Anand, described in the report as having been a managing director at ThinCats while it grew into a significant UK lender, said the platform would be relationship-focused, flexible and transparent. Lending decisions will pair purpose-built AI agents that analyse company information quickly with human oversight and judgement, he said.

ThinCats was acquired by Shawbrook Group in September 2025 and continues to lend to UK businesses under the ThinCats brand.