Umbra Capital Partners, a modern merchant bank, has launched with a focus on ‘advising, improving and investing’ primarily in UK SMEs.
Umbra Capital Partners, a modern merchant bank, has launched with a focus on ‘advising, improving and investing in’ primarily UK SMEs. Headquartered in London, the group comprises seasoned financiers Mark Gallagher, Gustavo Diquez, Steve Clark, Marcos Jorge Leon, John Travis and Charles Gallagher-Powell who share extensive experience across private equity, private debt, investment banks, hedge funds and family offices. The team also includes three associates and two operations professionals and new additions will be announced in due course.
Umbra has been established to fill what it sees as a gap in the UK lower mid-market and provide SMEs with the advisory services, data and access to capital. Umbra says it is primarily an adviser with an investor mindset, but it is backed by families and long-term investors which enable it to commit capital and invest across the capital structure.
Umbra advises company owners, entrepreneurs, and management teams to find the best capital solutions from private equity and debt funds, banks, family offices and other investors with appetite for direct investments. Its proprietary Umbra Intelligence PlatformTM, monitors investors’ and funds’ investment criteria to identify the most appropriate funding partners for SMEs and vice-versa. Umbra advises on capital raising, debt, M&A, restructuring or strategy.
Umbra invests private capital in compelling opportunities across the capital structure. It can also invest in funds and co-invest alongside them in their deals. The group’s management investment vehicle and segregated managed account structure enable it to be opportunistic and have a long-term investment horizon, without the constraints of a fund.
Umbra’s offering includes a value-add network that allows members, such as family offices, institutional investors, friends and family, or qualifying entrepreneurs, access to co-invest in proprietary transactions. Members are often actively involved in deals, acting as senior advisers or board members.
Gustavo Diquez, Managing Partner at Umbra, says: “We are passionate about working with entrepreneurs, owners and management teams of quality SMEs, aligning ourselves with them and figuring out how to help them.”
