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UK Private equity firm Maven Capital Partners (Maven) has invested a further GBP750,000, in car insurance platform, Honcho Markets (honcho).
The funding has been provided by Maven VCTs (GBP322,500), North East Development Capital Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund (GBP322,500) and the Finance Durham Fund, established by Durham County Council (GBP105,000). The follow-on investment will support the business as it enters its next phase of development to launch the product nationally, add new insurance product lines and make significant enhancements to its platform. The investment will also support the creation of 10 jobs over the next 12 months,
Keensight Capital, a private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout investments, has appointed Christophe Lavigne as Operating Partner.
Founder, chairman and CEO of LDR Medical, a former portfolio company, Lavigne led the strong growth of the company from its creation in 2000 and its establishment in the United Sates to the successful IPO on the Nasdaq, followed by its sale for USD1.1 billion. Supported by Keensight Capital throughout this remarkable journey, he is very close to the teams and has perfect knowledge of Keensight Capital’s growth buyout strategy and the portfolio companies’ challenges.
Based in the US, Lavigne will
Inzura.ai, a UK-based global insurtech, has raised a further GBP1 million in a pre-A funding round. This follows a seed investment round in early 2018 and rapid growth in the UK and South East Asian markets.
Inzura works with brokers and insurers to deliver enhanced digital versions of their insurance products through smartphone apps, leveraging telematics, integrated dashcams and artificial intelligence (AI). With some customers already achieving over 30 per cent improvements in loss ratio, Inzura’s digital products are customer focused, cost significantly less to operate, reduce fraud, and enable greater pricing accuracy.
Inzura’s revenue growth of over 65
Family Office Exchange (FOX), a membership organisation for families, family office executives, and advisers, recently published the results of the 2019 FOX Global Investment Survey.
Family offices are continuing move into private investments with a third of overall portfolios allocated to private equity (17 per cent) and real assets (16 per cent), according to the Family Office Exchange’s (FOX) 2019 FOX Global Investment Survey.
The report says that this allocation away from the traditional asset classes of equities and fixed income improved overall performance in a challenging year for stocks and bonds.
Another significant trend highlighted by the report across the average allocations of the past four
A total of USD2.891 billion was invested in the data and insights industry last year, either through venture capital or private equity. Market research is now receiving funding comparable to sectors such as Energy and IT Hardware, with recorded VC investment of USD1.75 billion and USD2.28 billion respectively according to PitchBook data VC investment.
The average transaction size was USD43.1 million – an increase of 63 per cent after a corresponding 69 per cent jump the year before. Of the 173 investors who invested in market research and insights in 2018, over 90 of them are completely new to the sector. There
Palamon Capital Partners (Palamon) is to sell Il Bisonte to Tokyo Stock exchange-listed fashion distribution specialist, Look Holdings (Look).
The transaction values Il Bisonte at an Enterprise Value of EUR100 million, three times the entry price paid by Palamon, producing a 26 per cent Gross IRR for Palamon European Equity III.
Palamon acquired Il Bisonte in the summer of 2015 from its founder, Wanny di Filippo, who established the business in 1970 from an artisanal workshop in Florence, Italy. Il Bisonte was one of few remaining independent luxury Italian brands focused on leather handbags and accessories, with an authentic
Cybersecurity specialist KnowBe4 has raised USD300 million in a funding round led by global investment firm KKR, with significant participation from existing investors Elephant and TenEleven Ventures.
This new infusion of funds, valuing the company at USD1 billion, is expected to be used for global growth initiatives and platform development, and builds upon KKR and Ten Eleven Venture’s initial investment in early 2019.
Despite phishing being a long-existing attack method, it still works. According to the 2018 VDBI, more than 90 percent of advanced and targeted attacks involved phishing and preyed upon the human element inside an organisation. KnowBe4’s market-leading platform
Funderbeam, a global funding and trading platform, has raised USD4.5 million in a Series A funding round, led by UK-based Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV).
The round includes new investors such as GK-Plug and Play Indonesia, Pandan Ventures, with existing investors including Draper Associates, Draper Venture Partners, IQ Capital, and Mistletoe also taking part.
Funderbeam aims to fill in the gap in venture and SME capital markets by providing access and liquidity to growth investments. The company has introduced trusted structures and technology to provide global access to the service 24/7. To date, Funderbeam has 37 high-growth portfolio companies on marketplace,
RFA, an IT service, financial cloud and cyber security provider to the alternative finance sector, has made two strategic hires aimed at enhancing the team leading its operations in Europe.
Jon Melville, appointed Head of Client Relations in Europe, has over 20 years’ experience, including Director level roles within strategic IT and the service delivery landscape. He helps clients ensure that their business goals and technology strategies are aligned and the RFA partnership remains transparent.
Amar Shah, appointed Head of Client Services in Europe, is responsible for ensuring a seamless client service experience across all RFA delivery teams. Amar has over 20 years’ experience including C-suite roles with alternative
Crestbridge has established a branch of its Luxembourg Management Company (ManCo) in London as the business seeks to cement ties between the UK and Luxembourg and secure new opportunities post-Brexit.
The move comes after Crestbridge received formal regulatory approval to establish a branch of its EU-based ManCo, the ‘Crestbridge Management Company SA’, in London.
Operating out of Crestbridge’s existing London office in Mayfair, the branch is intended to act as a convenient point of contact for London fund managers making use of or exploring the potential offered by an EU ManCo as part of their European market access strategy.
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