Private equity

 

Our private companies team provides specialist private equity advice on a full range of venture capital and private equity related transactions; from university spin-outs and early stage investments to later stage development capital transactions, buy-outs and buy-ins and divestments.

We act for: 

  • funds being established and raising investment monies (see funds) 
  • business angel, venture capital and private equity investors 
  • university spin-outs  
  • institutional investors and management in buy-outs and buy-ins  
  • management teams and companies seeking funding  
  • investee companies on portfolio transactions
  • sellers and buyers in structured transactions  
  • investors and managers on exit transactions, whether trade sales or IPOs. 

Alongside our private equity and M&A lawyers, our ability to provide integrated specialist teams of corporate tax, employment, property, commercial, technology and banking lawyers allows us to offer a strongly focused, well managed and full service.

Speechly Bircham’s approach to venture capital and private equity transactions is to provide a highly professional but not over-lawyered service, backed-up by sound commercial and legal judgement and a keen eye on costs.

For more information, please contact:
andrew.clarke@speechlys.com

Experience

 

Development capital

  • Close Ventures:  £3.5m investment in Blackbay Limited, a real-time mobile worker solutions provider  
  • Beringea and Chrysalis VCT:  investment in i-level Limited, Europe's largest independent online media buyer 
  • CopperEye:  series of equity and debt investments by LMS Capital and Octopus Asset Management  
  • Leading US investment house, Bessemer Ventures, and LMS Capital and Quester: various investments in, and the Delaware flip of, First Index  
  • Rotch Limited (a company ultimately controlled by the Tchenguiz family trust): investments in AngelBourse Group and Interphone Security Group Limited  
  • Triandra Limited (a company ultimately controlled by the Tchenguiz family trust): investment in Purely Financial Group, trading as Purely Mortgages 
  • Nanotecture Group:  fundraising from a number of investors, including Top Technology and Foresight Ventures

Buy-outs and buy-ins

  • Shareholders and management: secondary buyout of a leading UK service provider to the NHS backed by Dunedin Capital and Barclays 
  • Management: management buy-in of Toms Confectionery backed by Close Brothers Growth Capital and HBOS 
  • Management: buyout of wealth management firm, Heartwood Wealth Management Limited (formerly known as Cripps Portfolio) from its founders, law firm Cripps Harries Hall LLP
  • Sellers and management: MBI of Omnium, operators of find.co.uk, backed by Electra, FF&P Private Equity and HBOS  
  • Close Ventures and newco: the BIMBO of Grosvenor Health and subsequent portfolio work  
  • Newco and management: leveraged buyout of Cash Bases backed by Aberdeen Murray Johnstone and RBS 

Portfolio transactions and divestments

  • Minster Care:  £14.6m acquisition from 3i and Bridgepoint of Dove Care Homes backed by a £30m senior facility from HBOS 
  • Management: refinancing of a leading financial recruitment company, Walker Hamill, providing an exit for NBGI Private Equity  
  • CareTech Community Services: exit by Barclays Private Equity of its 40% equity investment, and previously, on £45 million partial buyout of Barclays Private Equity, refinancing and leaseback 
  • Sellers: sale of PE house, Top Technology to AIM listed IP2IPO Group
  Andrew Clarke

Andrew Clarke

Partner