Five nominations at the Insider Thames Valley Dealmakers Awards 2023

Jonathan Oliver, Investment Manager at Maven has been nominated for ‘Emerging Dealmaker of the year.’ Jonathan has played a key role within our South investment team, supporting several new growth capital deals, including software company Bud Systems, big data analytics business, Cardinality, and Oxford-based Manufacture 2030.

Maven has also been nominated for Private Equity/ Venture Capital Firm of the Year. Since Maven opened its Reading office several years ago, our presence in the Thames Valley has grown significantly. Led by Luke Matthews, Maven is now one of the most active investors in the region having backed a number of businesses with high growth potential across a range of sectors. 

Three transactions completed by Maven’s South investment team are also on the shortlist for Deal of the Year (sub £20m). These are the Maven VCT investment in Manufacture 2030 and the profitable exits from ProspectSoft and Cardinality. 

In March the Maven VCTs invested £5 million in technology company, Manufacture 2030. The company works with major businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout their value chain. Their software helps suppliers enhance operational efficiency, procure sustainably, and drive down costs. M2030 addresses a growing market demand as corporations aim to achieve net zero targets, making it easier for suppliers to meet sustainability criteria. The business is using the funding to expand into key markets and sectors, accelerate product development, and scale its presence in North America and continental Europe. 

In July 2022, Maven completed a profitable exit from award-winning CRM software provider, ProspectSoft, to trade acquirer The Access Group, realising an initial return of 2.0x for investors. Since Maven supported the management buyout in 2017, the business performed well with continued investment in its B2B CRM platform.

In August 2022, the Maven VCTs exited Cardinality, a data analytics and AI specialist, via a sale to Elisa Polystar, a Finnish telecoms company. Maven initially invested in April 2021 to accelerate Cardinality's growth and the company's innovative 'Perception' platform which uses AI and machine learning to provide real-time data analytics. The growth capital investment supported Cardinality's expansion into other markets after demonstrating success with leading mobile phone operators in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

The annual Insider Thames Valley Dealmakers Awards 2023 will take place at Reading FC on 21 September where it will celebrate the top acquisitions, funding deals and buyouts across the region, as well as the people and firms that made them happen.