Maven Capital Partners invests £5 million in Global Risk Partners

Maven Capital Partners, the leading Private Equity and Alternative Asset Manager, is pleased to announce that it has participated in the £55 million investment in Global Risk Partners (GRP), led by Penta Capital LLP (Penta). Maven is providing £5 million of the aggregate funding to GRP.  This deal represents another opportunity for Maven client funds to invest in high quality private equity transactions led by Glasgow-based Penta, having previously invested as part of a syndicate in the 2010 acquisition of leading online insurance provider esure, which earlier this year undertook a successful IPO; and the 2011 buy-and-build platform Six Degrees Group.

Ezoic Secures $5.6 Million Series A Investment

Ezoic, a company that offers publishers an automatic way to improve site layout and advertising revenue, announced it has closed a $5.6 million Series A funding round led by venture firm Balderton Capital alongside New Amsterdam Capital, Silicon Valley Bank and private investors.  Ezoic's technology enhances overall user experience and improves advertising revenue for informational websites across desktop, mobile and tablet. The platform achieves this through an automated process known as "multivariate testing", which continuously tests different layouts of the same content.

Kabbee races ahead with £3.8m Series A funding round

Kabbee, the price comparison service for London's best minicabs, has completed a £3.8m Series A funding round with a view to accelerating its growth in London and beyond. Octopus Investments, whose past investments include Zoopla.com,Graze.com, SwiftKey and Secret Escapes, led the round, with Simon Nixon, the founder ofMoneySupermarket.com, making a significant contribution.

Northern VCT share offers reach £50 million target

The £50 million joint share offer by the three Northern VCTs, managed by NVM Private Equity, has closed fully subscribed - less than four months after launch.  The offers, promoted by Downing LLP, raised £15 million each for Northern Venture Trust and Northern 2 VCT and £20 million for Northern 3 VCT.
Tim Levett, Chairman of NVM Private Equity, comments on the success of the fund-raising: "As the economy recovers, more people are 'buying British' by investing in UK smaller private companies. This year private investors have proved to be less risk-averse than in the past, and they are better informed on the risks and benefits of investing in private equity. Also post-RDR more financial advisers appear to be confident about recommending VCTs to their clients, particularly as there is a widespread recognition that generalist VCTs which pay consistent tax-free dividends can be an important complementary investment alongside conventional pension schemes, where annual and lifetime caps are now in place."