Maven closes debut institutional MBO fund at £100 million

Maven has successfully completed the final close of the Maven UK Regional Buyout Fund LP, which has received total commitments (including from co-investment vehicles) of £100 million from a diverse range of investors, including Scottish Enterprise - Scotland’s national economic development agency, family offices, high net-worth syndicates, pension funds, fund of funds and asset managers.

The Fund targets attractive management buy-out (MBO) opportunities in companies across the UK with an enterprise value of £10 million to £40 million, aiming to invest between £5 million and £15 million in each transaction.

The Fund has already deployed close to £30 million in three transactions, supporting the MBOs of John McGavigan, UAP and Acton Banks, with equity investments of £10.25 million, £8.6 million and £9.65 million respectively. All three businesses were acquired for their highly experienced management teams, competitive market position, distinctive product/service offering, and the potential for high growth via attractive organic or bolt-on acquisition strategies, which fulfil the criteria that Maven seeks in all of its investments. Maven continues to see a strong pipeline of opportunities and expects to complete further investments during the remainder of 2019.

The Buyout Fund is Maven’s first institutional fund, and alongside its existing VCT and other client funds, brings the firm’s total Funds under Management and ready to invest to £630 million.

Maven is delighted with the support we’ve received from our LP investors, and it is pleasing to see such a strong appetite for our Fund which addresses the relatively underserved smaller end of the UK market. Our investors will benefit from Maven’s nationwide presence and reach, coupled with our in-depth understanding of the scale-up segment of the market and our long-term track record of identifying and investing in high quality businesses and management teams who are capable of delivering significant growth. We have already seen good progress with the Fund, with close to £30 million already deployed, and a strong pipeline of opportunities currently under review.

Andrew Craig, Partner at Maven

Maven’s strong local connections and wealth of experience in transacting MBO deals will help companies looking at succession planning, change of ownership and ongoing growth plans to access the right funding to deliver on their ambitions. Our £20 million investment into this fund increases the diversity of capital available to companies, and we continue to explore further innovative ways to provide a range of funders active in Scotland’s economy.

Kerry Sharp, Director of the Scottish Investment Bank

If you are a business owner or manager looking for funding to maximise your company’s growth potential and take it to the next stage, we can provide equity funding up to £15 million to help you do just that. 
Find out more here.