No-Frills, Big Thrills From private equity founders to AI pioneers embedded in traditional sectors, this Entrepreneur UK feature brings together voices championing the hidden industries driving Britain's economy - and why they deserve more attention.

They're not betting on buzzwords or billion-dollar valuations. Instead, three thirty-something entrepreneurs are finding returns in Britain's 'unsexy' foundation - and proving that the overlooked might just outperform the overhyped. In an era where headlines celebrate unicorns and the start-up world fixates on AI, crypto, and the next disruption, three young men are doing the opposite. "When we say 'unsexy,' we don't mean unimportant," says Grégoire Louisy, co-founder of Tioopo Capital, a private equity firm based in London. "We mean industries that are profitable, cash-flowing, and critical in the value chain, but they don't fit the VC narrative or catch headlines."

Founded by Grégoire Louisy, Cyril Aboujaoude, and Shahan Sarkissian, Tioopo Capital may be one of the youngest private equity firms in the UK, but it's already making a name for itself as a bit of a maverick. Their strategy is as straightforward as it is unusual: forget the shiny tech and invest in sectors most investors ignore. That means family-run manufacturers, advanced engineering firms, and niche industrial suppliers. Some call them low-profile businesses. Others might call them boring. Tioopo calls them an opportunity. "When we started Tioopo Capital, our strategy of investing in unsexy businesses was a calculated bet - better risk-adjusted returns," says Aboujaoude. "A few years later, Tioopo has gone from one company and 20 employees to seven portfolio companies and over 500 employees through its portfolio companies. It shows the sheer growth potential of backing industries that most investors overlook."

While their peers chase blitzscaling start-ups hoping to turn losses into future profits, Tioopo's founders focus on companies generating real cash from day one. "That allows us to compound value year after year, deleverage over time, and deliver strong returns even without an exit," explains Louisy. "Too many younger investors are skewed towards venture capital, where companies live off raised money and hope one day to become profitable. We've always believed the essence of business is to be profitable from the start. It sounds obvious - but it makes us contrarian in today's market." This approach is not just about preference - it's strategic. It's about building resilience in an increasingly volatile economy. "We're not VCs, we're a private equity firm the way it was intended - operational and hands-on," says Aboujaoude. "Our north star is risk-adjusted returns - generating VC-like outcomes with far less downside."

The hard yards
These are not businesses you can toss money at and forget. And that's precisely why most investors stay away. "The reason others miss it is because it's hard work," says Sarkissian. "You can't just write a cheque and wait. These companies require operational bandwidth, energy, and real involvement. But if you're willing to roll up your sleeves, you can unlock extraordinary value." It's this kind of value that Tioopo believes the UK economy can't afford to ignore - and that policy makers rarely acknowledge. "Unsexy businesses may not grab headlines, but they are the backbone of the economy," says Aboujaoude. "Think about advanced engineering firms, medical device suppliers, or heritage leather producers. They're often SMEs, but more importantly, they're the businesses that keep supply chains running and employ millions. Their growth is critical to GDP - but many face succession risk or stagnation if no one invests in them for the long term." That long-term mindset means Tioopo takes an unusually hands-on approach. It's not uncommon for them to embed team members directly into portfolio companies to drive transformation from within. Their playbook is detailed: upgrade leadership, streamline operations, impose financial discipline - and bring in tech. "Every single one of our portfolio companies has at least one AI integration project running today," says Sarkissian. "Technology is about survival, not just value creation," says Louisy.

Investing in staying power
When asked what separates a business worth investing in from one that isn't, Louisy doesn't hesitate. "We ask: will this business still matter in 10 years? Does it solve a critical problem for customers? Does it have pricing power, sticky relationships, and a product or service that can't easily be replaced? If the answer is yes, then we know the fundamentals are there." It may sound like old-school business logic - but that's the point. In a market obsessed with the new, Tioopo is making the case for the enduring. "We ask: 'Can this reliably compound capital and grow stronger year after year?'" says Aboujaoude. "That's what sets us apart." The future, they argue, won't be built solely by unicorns and headline-grabbing founders. It will be shaped by the often-ignored firms that power Britain's manufacturing base, supply chains, and skilled jobs.

"If these companies don't adapt, they risk disappearing," warns Louisy. "Our role is to make sure they evolve - preserving their strengths while making them competitive for the future." It's not just talk. In several cases, founders of acquired businesses have reinvested alongside Tioopo - a rare show of confidence. "We've seen founders get so excited about the bolt-on acquisition strategies we introduced that they reinvested alongside us," says Sarkissian. "We're giving these companies tools and visions they might never have considered on their own." There's a satisfaction that comes from making things work that others have ignored. That, ultimately, might be what drives this unorthodox trio more than returns or recognition. "It really is an adapt-or-die situation," says Aboujaoude. "The principle is the same: help them modernise, stay relevant, and grow. When they thrive, the whole economy benefits." And for Tioopo Capital, that's exactly the kind of headline worth chasing.

Revolutionising the 'Unsexy' Construction Industry
Tioopo's embrace of underappreciated industries is echoed by innovators working directly within these overlooked sectors. The construction industry, despite its massive global impact, often gets dismissed as an outdated, inefficient sector. As Qflow founder Jade Cohen puts it, construction is often seen as a 'dirty' space, which has led to it being overlooked for technological innovation. However, this perception actually presents a significant opportunity to drive change. Cohen and her co-founder Brittany Harris, both with firsthand experience in the sector, quickly saw how "chaotic, disjointed and disconnected" the industry is, yet realised that "it really didn't need to be that way." The problem isn't the lack of skill - construction is filled with some of the "world's greatest problem solvers," but, as Cohen highlights, these experts are often "working under extreme, very tightly constrained circumstances." Cohen explains that construction is "responsible for some of the most resource intensive activities out there, the most carbon intensive, the most wasteful," much of which is completely avoidable and stems from simple, preventable errors. Recognising this gap, Cohen and Harris set out to tackle the industry's data problems with their platform, Qflow. "We thought, 'we're best-positioned to look at this issue of poor data and the impacts this can have,'" Cohen notes. The platform's goal is to bridge the gap between information-rich, data-poor construction sites, aiming to reduce waste, decarbonise, and improve efficiency. One of the challenges Cohen faced was breaking into such a "slow-moving" and "traditional" sector, but Qflow's approach was designed to be a "light touch," integrating smoothly into existing workflows. It's as simple as having workers "take photographs of delivery tickets that they're already receiving," which helps avoid a full disruption to the system. Looking ahead, Cohen believes AI has huge potential to revolutionise the industry, adding that, "we're only scratching the surface with what it can deliver," especially when it comes to rethinking how buildings are constructed and materials are reused.

Building AI solutions in 'unsexy' industries
Tom Bartley, Director of Civil Infrastructure at Oxford University spin-out Mind Foundry, explains how AI is transforming the ageing infrastructure sector - a trillion-dollar global challenge often ignored by start-ups. "The infrastructure we all rely on every day is ageing. Bridges, tunnels, water networks, and coastal protections are all approaching the end of their design life and starting to show signs of failure," he says. "At Mind Foundry, we're building an AI-enabled predictive maintenance platform to help owners manage their asset risk more effectively and make the case for the funding they need to keep people and the economy safe and secure."

Bartley highlights the uphill battle of building tech businesses in such traditional fields. "The non-software half of our team all have our roots in civil engineering. We understand that building a tech business in the sector can feel like an uphill battle, but we also know that when customers do sign up, they're in it for the long run." Predictive maintenance AI tools help surface risks by integrating sparse and fragmented data, using computer vision to quantify deterioration, and building predictive models that allow engineers to prioritise repairs within tight budgets. "The real challenge is that the owners can't see or quantify their risks. Data on asset condition is sparse, subjective, and fragmented, so engineers have to rely on their intuition," Bartley explains. ""We're using AI to surface risk by integrating and cleaning data, utilising computer vision to quantify deterioration, and building predictive models that enable engineers to compare risk and prioritise within extremely limited budgets."

By partnering closely with industry, Mind Foundry has avoided speculative tech-building, instead validating their ideas with real customers and innovation funding before scaling. "We have a stellar team of engineers, scientists, and designers, so the proof points in these prototype projects had enough wow factor for customers to commit," Bartley says. "It's a trillion-dollar global challenge - and we're building the leading AI solution for the global ageing infrastructure crisis."

Tech meets tradition in the legal sector
Likewise, Charlie Harrel, COO of Opus 2, another example of innovation in a modest sector, shares how legal tech start-ups are integrating AI into established industries that many start-ups avoid. "Opus 2 was founded more than 15 years ago by lawyers and seasoned legal technology experts," Harrel says. "We focus on creating tools that help lawyers work smarter, not just faster." As AI has matured, Opus 2 has embedded AI features directly into their case management software, helping lawyers analyse and summarise large collections of legal documents faster. "For example, reviewing and summarising a 75-page transcript used to take around four hours. Opus 2's AI delivered near-instant results allowing the lawyer to spend just a few minutes reviewing and validating the results," he says. The legal sector's cautious and competitive nature means trust in AI is critical. Opus 2's approach is to create a secure environment with human oversight to reduce risk. "We don't ask clients to change how they work," Harrel says. "We've built technology that fits naturally into their existing workflows. By showing that AI can be a trusted assistant, we've been able to build confidence and adoption." Looking forward, Harrel believes AI will become integral to legal work, shifting the conversation from 'Are you using AI?' to 'How do you use AI?' "The firms that succeed will be those that combine trusted technology with human expertise - and that's exactly where we've always aimed to be," he says.

Together, these stories uncover a striking truth: the future of success and innovation is rooted not only in the flashy or fashionable, but in the unassuming industries that form the bedrock of our economy. While they may lack glamour, these sectors - armed with determination, expertise, and the transformative force of AI, are reshaping the landscape, driving sustainable growth and delivering enduring value. It is here, in the unsexy yet indispensable, that real progress is being made.