Funding team of the year

Octopus Capital – part of Octopus Investments, a B Corp-certified asset manager – aims to invest in the people, ideas and industries that will change the world. Its Affordable Housing Fund has raised more than £250m this year to accelerate the delivery of high-quality, energy-efficient affordable homes across the UK,

The team’s projects include the world’s largest ‘zero bills’ development – Carpenters Yard (pictured), a 113-home scheme in Epping Forest, Essex. Built in partnership with Octopus Energy, every home in the development has a heat pump and solar panels, while the energy generated is stored, managed and shared through a single, centralised battery system – which means residents will have no energy bills for the next five to 10 years.

Octopus Capital will acquire 35 of the homes through its own for-profit social housing provider, NewArch Homes. With a target of delivering 5,000 affordable homes, this team is playing its part in driving meaningful progress – not just in tackling the UK’s affordable housing shortage, but in expanding access to sustainable, resilient and future-ready homes, too. 

The judges said:

“This submission shows how long-term planning, thoughtful design and forward-thinking approaches can create meaningful, lasting impact. The work presented reflects not just good ideas, but a strategic vision”