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Chelverton Asset Management completes first investment deal of 2015

Chelverton Asset Management has completed its first Chelverton Investor Club deal of 2015 with a growth capital investment into Hypersonica, an early-stage technology business.

Hypersonica Safe Search is a mobile application which combines internet search results from the World’s leading providers with premium consumer internet security.  The application gives users a high quality mobile search experience with a layer of free and valuable security.
 
The Company was founded in 2013 and is led by CEO, Marc Webster, with support from angel investors Martin Reith and Ian Martin.  Marc originally conceived the idea for Hypersonica in previous roles, as Head of Products and Services at AVG and Avira, two of the World’s largest Anti-Virus companies.  Whilst at Avira he had designed and implemented search monetisation for the Avira free product.
 
Martin and Ian both had highly successful careers in the Insurance industry, including as founder and board director respectively of Ascot Underwriting.  They retain a number of board roles both in the UK and overseas, and have become serial investors in young, high growth companies.
 
The Hypersonica business model evolved to adopt a route to market involving distribution via channel partners, including mobile device manufacturers and network operators.  This enables rapid access to many millions of would-be users.  The initial target geography is centred on South East Asia, where deals have been negotiated with major players, such as ZTE, Telkomsel and Globe Telecom.
 
The Club investment was accompanied by further commitments from both Martin and Ian, along with a significant participation from a new investor, Laurence Blackall.  Laurence has had a 30 year career in the information, media and communications industries, and was one of the pioneers of the UK internet industry.  He established Global Internet in 1994, which he then took public as Internet Technology Group two years later.  He was also instrumental in the creation of Pipex Communications PLC (now Daisy Group PLC), where he remains a Non-Executive Director.
 
Richard Bucknell, who led the investment for Chelverton, says: “Hypersonica Safe Search is unique; there is no other product which provides free mobile internet security and monetises users through mobile search.  Whilst the Company is at an earlier stage in its development than many typical Investor Club transactions, the product is fully operational and the roll-out, with the hugely impressive list of distribution partners, is well underway.  The operational model is massively scalable, and by the end of 2015 we predict over six million active users.
 
“The continued commitment from Martin and Ian, allied with the enthusiasm of such a highly regarded new investor like Laurence, were also compelling reasons for the high level of investor appetite which this investment garnered.  We very much look forward to working with them all, alongside Marc and his executive team, over the coming months.
 
“With the Chelverton Investor Club focussed exclusively on smaller equity investments, it is great to have brought such a high quality opportunity to our high net worth membership whilst also, for businesses such as Hypersonica, providing a source of capital in a market that is dominated by providers of multi million pound equity finance.”

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