Technology, media & communications
Technology, media & communications
Vortexa
Advised Vortexa on its $34 million Series C funding round led by investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and with participation from existing investors Notion Capital, Monashees, Metaplanet, FJ Labs and Communitas Capital. Vortexa is a leading real-time global analytics platform for energy and freight markets providing real-time data and advanced analytics for energy and freight markets. It has major hubs in London, Singapore, Houston, New York City, Geneva, and the UAE. The investment brings the total amount raised by Vortexa since its inception to more than $60 million and will be used to further accelerate the company’s international expansion, state-of-the-art technology and first-class quality of service to its clients and partners.
UK
Ricoh Europe
Advised on the acquisition of PFH Technology Group which saw Ricoh substantially grow its footprint in Ireland helping it boost customers’ digital transformation journeys. Based in Ireland, PFH is a leading provider of IT infrastructure, cloud and managed services. Founded in 1985, PFH is headquartered in Cork, and also has offices in Dublin and Galway. Through its workforce of over 750 employees, it supports more than 1,000 customers with IT and communications technology needs.
UK, Ireland
Zound Industries
Advised on the acquisition of Marshall Amplification. Bringing together rock 'n’ roll legend Marshall Amplification and Stockholm-based audio phenomenon Zound Industries, we advised on this deal marking the next chapter for a decade-long successful partnership. The partnership of these two companies will now create the Marshall Group, bringing together an iconic British brand synonymous with the music industry and one of Sweden's most exciting high-growth companies, to build an audio tech powerhouse.
Sweden
TrustedHousesitters, Rockpool Investments and members of the TrustedHousesitters management team
Advised TrustedHousesitters on the sale of the category-defining, subscription-based pet-sitting and travel community to Mayfair Equity Partners in a deal worth more than $100 million. TrustedHousesitters is the leading travel solution for pet people connecting pet owners with pet sitters around the world. Since its founding in 2010, the company has facilitated over 10 million nights of pet sitting, grown its operations to more than 140 countries and saves pet owners and travellers thousands of pounds annually in accommodation and pet care costs.
UK
Expert Line
Advised on Expert Line's sale to Neverhack. Expert Line, a network infrastructure and cybersecurity specialist, was acquired as part of Neverhack's first external growth transaction.
France
Molten Ventures
Advised Molten Ventures on its recommended all share offer for Forward Partners and a related £55 million fundraising. The proceeds of the fundraising will be used for both primary and secondary investment opportunities across the European start-up sector. The proposed acquisition will bring 43 new early-stage, disruptive technology companies into the Molten portfolio, and expand the resources, expertise, and networks available to Molten in support of some of Europe’s most innovative firms.
UK
Kiteworks
Advised on the acquisition of ownCloud GmbH. Kiteworks delivers data privacy and compliance for sensitive content communications through customer-enabled Private Content Networks. ownCloud GmbH is a European leader in secure and compliant file sharing and collaboration. This move, and the parallel acquisition of Dracoon GmbH, significantly expands Kiteworks’ market commitment, accelerating its vision to deliver the most robust and easy-to-use platform for content security and compliance on a global scale.
Germany
The shareholders of GREYHOUND Software
Advised on the sale of GREYHOUND Software to JTL-Software-GmbH, a portfolio company of private equity investor Hg. JTL-Software-GmbH is one of the leading providers of e-commerce software in German-speaking countries. Private equity investor Hg specialises in software and service companies and invested in JTL at the end of 2023 and is supporting the company in implementing a buy-and-build strategy.
Germany
Sony Corporation
Advised Sony Corporation on its acquisition of Beyond Sports. Beyond Sports develops, produces and distributes software which visualises and analyses event and positional data for B2B and B2C applications for sports broadcasters, teams, clubs, brands, and for the metaverse.
The Netherlands
Certn
Advised Canadian-based background screening solutions company Certn on its acquisition of Credence. This acquisition is the latest in a series of deals for our Canada Desk where we have acted for Canadian clients looking to grow their market presence in the UK and Europe by acquisition.
UK, Canada
Trustology
Advised leading crypto fintech Trustology on its exit to European unicorn Bitpanda. Trustology is a leading custodial wallet platform for cryptoassets that we've supported since its incorporation and throughout its full business life cycle. This deal saw its exit to Vienna-based unicorn Bitpanda.
UK, Canada
Engine Group Holdings
Advised media and marketing services company Engine Group Holdings on the sale of its UK business to tech and data-driven growth consultancy Next Fifteen Communications Group for £77.5 million. Engine is a broad-based digital transformation, communications and creative business.
UK
Gravity Sketch
Advised 3D creation and collaboration start-up Gravity Sketch on its $33 million Series A financing. Gravity Sketch is transforming the way designers visualise product design, utilising VR headsets for teams to conceptualise design in an entirely 3D environment. The London-based start-up recently passed 100,000 users and counts Adidas, Reebok, Volkswagen and Ford amongst its client base.
UK
Sony Corporation
Advised Sony Corporation on its acquisition of Beyond Sports. Beyond Sports develops, produces and distributes software which visualises and analyses event and positional data for B2B and B2C applications for sports broadcasters, teams, clubs, brands, and for the metaverse.
The Netherlands
Certn
Advised Canadian-based background screening solutions company Certn on its acquisition of Credence. This acquisition is the latest in a series of deals for our Canada Desk where we have acted for Canadian clients looking to grow their market presence in the UK and Europe by acquisition.
UK, Canada
Trustology
Advised leading crypto fintech Trustology on its exit to European unicorn Bitpanda. Trustology is a leading custodial wallet platform for cryptoassets that we've supported since its incorporation and throughout its full business life cycle. This deal saw its exit to Vienna-based unicorn Bitpanda.
UK, Canada
Engine Group Holdings
Advised media and marketing services company Engine Group Holdings on the sale of its UK business to tech and data-driven growth consultancy Next Fifteen Communications Group for £77.5 million. Engine is a broad-based digital transformation, communications and creative business.
UK
Gravity Sketch
Advised 3D creation and collaboration start-up Gravity Sketch on its $33 million Series A financing. Gravity Sketch is transforming the way designers visualise product design, utilising VR headsets for teams to conceptualise design in an entirely 3D environment. The London-based start-up recently passed 100,000 users and counts Adidas, Reebok, Volkswagen and Ford amongst its client base.
UK
Rezolve Limited
Advised Rezolve on its acquisition of ANY Lifestyle Marketing GmbH. Rezolve is a fast-growing mobile payments platform.
Germany, UK
Argent Labs
Advised Argent Labs on its $40m Series B funding round to build a Web3 and DeFi 'super app' as well as lead its expansion into South America. Argent attracted top crypto-specialist VC companies for its latest funding round. Argent offers more than 500,000 users a crypto wallet to buy, hold, sell and store cryptocurrencies and tokens.
UK, US
AMCS
Advised AMCS, a leading global supplier of integrated cloud-based software and vehicle technology for the environmental, utilities, waste, recycling, and resource industries, on its agreement to acquire Quentic, one of the leading solution providers of SaaS for EHSQ and ESG management. With this acquisition, AMCS will be positioned to broaden its expertise in the environmental services industry globally and continue to expand its customer base.
Germany, UK, the Netherlands, Austria, France
SysEleven
Advised SysEleven on its sale to Secunet Security Networks AG, Germany's leading cyber security company and IT security partner of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Germany
Storage Made Easy
Advised Storage Made Easy (SME), a leading file data management company offering remote work and compliance solutions for cloud file storage, on its sale to Nasuni Corporation, a leading provider of file data services.
UK
Bolero.net
Advised the shareholders of Bolero.net, a leading provider of digital documentation to facilitate global trade, on its sale to WiseTech Global, the Australian listed logistics technology group.
UK
Kobalt Music Group
We acted for the Chairman and Founder of Kobalt Music Group Limited, Willard Ahdritz, on the sale of the group to private equity fund Francisco Partners. Willard Ahdritz will continue as Chairman of Kobalt and as part of this complex, multi-jurisdictional transaction, we advised him in collaboration with his US advisers.
UK
Rezolve Limited
Advised Rezolve on its acquisition of ANY Lifestyle Marketing GmbH. Rezolve is a fast-growing mobile payments platform.
Germany, UK
Argent Labs
Advised Argent Labs on its $40m Series B funding round to build a Web3 and DeFi 'super app' as well as lead its expansion into South America. Argent attracted top crypto-specialist VC companies for its latest funding round. Argent offers more than 500,000 users a crypto wallet to buy, hold, sell and store cryptocurrencies and tokens.
UK, US
AMCS
Advised AMCS, a leading global supplier of integrated cloud-based software and vehicle technology for the environmental, utilities, waste, recycling, and resource industries, on its agreement to acquire Quentic, one of the leading solution providers of SaaS for EHSQ and ESG management. With this acquisition, AMCS will be positioned to broaden its expertise in the environmental services industry globally and continue to expand its customer base.
Germany, UK, the Netherlands, Austria, France
SysEleven
Advised SysEleven on its sale to Secunet Security Networks AG, Germany's leading cyber security company and IT security partner of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Germany
Storage Made Easy
Advised Storage Made Easy (SME), a leading file data management company offering remote work and compliance solutions for cloud file storage, on its sale to Nasuni Corporation, a leading provider of file data services.
UK
Bolero.net
Advised the shareholders of Bolero.net, a leading provider of digital documentation to facilitate global trade, on its sale to WiseTech Global, the Australian listed logistics technology group.
UK
Kobalt Music Group
We acted for the Chairman and Founder of Kobalt Music Group Limited, Willard Ahdritz, on the sale of the group to private equity fund Francisco Partners. Willard Ahdritz will continue as Chairman of Kobalt and as part of this complex, multi-jurisdictional transaction, we advised him in collaboration with his US advisers.
UK
More deals below.
TodayTix Group
Advised US-based TodayTix, the global e-commerce leader for cultural experiences, on its acquisition of UK immersive cinema company, Secret Cinema. The deal will give TodayTix a presence in the burgeoning immersive film and television events space.
UK
Vava Cars
Advised Vava Cars, a Turkish online car trading platform, on its Series C funding round worth $37m. This is at a premium to its $50m Series B funding we advised on in November 2021.
UK
H&H Datenverarbeitung
Advised the shareholders of H&H Datenverarbeitung on the takeover by the Norwegian Visma Group. Following the acquisition by Visma, H&H Datenverarbeitung will remain under its current management and brand. Berlin-based H&H has established itself as one of the top three providers of financial software for the German municipalities.
Germany
Eagle Eye Solutions Group plc
Advised Eagle Eye Solutions Group on its €38.8 million acquisition of Untie Nots and its recent capital raise. Eagle Eye Solutions Group is a leading UK listed SaaS technology company that creates digital connections enabling personalised, real-time marketing through coupons, loyalty, apps, subscriptions and gift services. This acquisition will enable Eagle Eye Solutions to integrate leading French brands such as Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Auchan into its customer base.
France
Behaviour Interactive
Worked with Canada's biggest video game developer, Behaviour Interactive, on its acquisition of Codeglue, an award-winning game developer in the Netherlands. This acquisition marks Behaviour's third European studio acquisition in the last six months and further increases its access to Europe's historically rich pool of gaming talent. Behaviour is a multi-faceted Canadian gaming studio renowned for creating and supporting genre-defying titles. The studio has enjoyed immense success with its original horror-action multiplayer game, "Dead by Daylight™".
UK, Canada, the Netherlands
World Fund
Advised World Fund, a leading climate venture capital fund, on its €40 million growth funding for ENOUGH, a food-tech start-up pioneering high-scale sustainable protein production. With this investment, ENOUGH aims to expand its flagship facility in the Netherlands, to serve increasing customer demand and grow the start-up's teams across its offices in Glasgow, London and at Sas van Gent.
UK, the Netherlands
More deals below.
Shareholders of BridgingIT
Advised the shareholders of BridgingIT on a majority sale to the French SPIE group. BridgingIT is a consulting and services company for digital transformation. The company is headquartered in Mannheim and has around 700 employees at 10 locations in Germany.
Germany, France
Sedex management team
Advised the management team of Sedex, a market-leading sustainability data and technology provider, on a minority investment with LDC, a private equity investor and part of Lloyds Banking Group. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in London, Sedex’s technology platform, tools and consultancy services help companies assess, manage and report on ESG risks and impacts across their supply chains. Sedex now employs more than 200 people across offices in the UK, Australia, Chile, China, India, and the USA.
UK
Bridgepoint Growth and shareholders
Advised Bridgepoint Growth, James Harris (founder) and other shareholders on the sale of one.network, a traffic management technology business, to Causeway Technologies, a construction technology provider backed by Five Arrows Principal Investments. one.network is the leading digital road management platform, transforming the way highway authorities, utility companies and contractors plan, co-ordinate and communicate traffic interventions.
UK
Balderton Capital
Advised Balderton Capital on an investment in Berlin-based start-up deepset GmbH. The funding round raised $30 million which will be used to enhance its open-source Haystack framework, which helps developers build natural language processing applications. Existing backers GV, System.One, Lunar Ventures and Harpoon Ventures also participated.
Germany
Shareholders of BridgingIT
Advised the shareholders of BridgingIT on a majority sale to the French SPIE group. BridgingIT is a consulting and services company for digital transformation. The company is headquartered in Mannheim and has around 700 employees at 10 locations in Germany.
Germany, France
Sedex management team
Advised the management team of Sedex, a market-leading sustainability data and technology provider, on a minority investment with LDC, a private equity investor and part of Lloyds Banking Group. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in London, Sedex’s technology platform, tools and consultancy services help companies assess, manage and report on ESG risks and impacts across their supply chains. Sedex now employs more than 200 people across offices in the UK, Australia, Chile, China, India, and the USA.
UK
Bridgepoint Growth and shareholders
Advised Bridgepoint Growth, James Harris (founder) and other shareholders on the sale of one.network, a traffic management technology business, to Causeway Technologies, a construction technology provider backed by Five Arrows Principal Investments. one.network is the leading digital road management platform, transforming the way highway authorities, utility companies and contractors plan, co-ordinate and communicate traffic interventions.
UK
Balderton Capital
Advised Balderton Capital on an investment in Berlin-based start-up deepset GmbH. The funding round raised $30 million which will be used to enhance its open-source Haystack framework, which helps developers build natural language processing applications. Existing backers GV, System.One, Lunar Ventures and Harpoon Ventures also participated.
Germany
Inflexion
Advised leading mid-market private equity firm Inflexion, and the group's senior management team, on the sale of Xtrac, a market-leading manufacturer of transmissions systems for the high-performance car and motorsport sectors. Xtrac was acquired by Middleground Capital, a US middle market private equity firm. Xtrac was founded in 1984 and has become the world leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance transmissions for the motorsport, hypercar and supercar industry. The business supplies most of the world’s top motorsport teams in both two- and four-wheeled racing across the globe, including Sportscar racing, NASCAR and Formula 1™. Xtrac is also at the forefront of hybrid and electric vehicle developments. The deal required expertise drawn from across the firm's Private Equity team and other specialist teams including Tax, Banking, Commercial, Employment and Real Estate.
UK
marmalade group
Advised on the sale of marmalade GmbH (one of Germany's leading e-commerce agencies), and Makaira GmbH (a provider of an e-commerce marketing suite for online retail) to ECOMMERCE ONE. As a group of companies, ECOMMERCE ONE bundles various software providers and consulting companies in the e-commerce market to provide online retailers with comprehensive solutions.
Germany
sennder
Advised Europe's market-leading digital freight carrier sennder on its billion-dollar joint venture with Poste Italiane, Italy's leading postal service provider. In future, sennder will be the majority owner of the joint venture holding 75% and will further integrate the joint venture into its European platform. Poste Italiane will continue to benefit from full GPS visibility of trucks, state-of-the-art automation technology and reduced carbon emissions by vehicles running on alternative fuels.
Germany, Italy
marmalade group
Advised on the sale of marmalade GmbH (one of Germany's leading e-commerce agencies), and Makaira GmbH (a provider of an e-commerce marketing suite for online retail) to ECOMMERCE ONE. As a group of companies, ECOMMERCE ONE bundles various software providers and consulting companies in the e-commerce market to provide online retailers with comprehensive solutions.
Germany
sennder
Advised Europe's market-leading digital freight carrier sennder on its billion-dollar joint venture with Poste Italiane, Italy's leading postal service provider. In future, sennder will be the majority owner of the joint venture holding 75% and will further integrate the joint venture into its European platform. Poste Italiane will continue to benefit from full GPS visibility of trucks, state-of-the-art automation technology and reduced carbon emissions by vehicles running on alternative fuels.
Germany, Italy
Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Ltd
Advised Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Ltd (YOFC) on the acquisition of Radio Frequency Systems’ (RFS) worldwide cable business excluding North America. YOFC is a global leading provider of optical fibre pre-forms, optical fibres, optical fibre cables and integrated solutions listed at the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges, while RFS is a worldwide cable business (excluding North America). The deal comprises share and asset deals across Europe, China and Australia, but excludes North America.