Umbra Capital Partners, a modern merchant bank, has been launched to advise, improve and invest primarily in UK SMEs. Headquartered in London, the group comprises seasoned financiers Mark Gallagher, Gustavo Diquez, Steve Clark, Marcos Jorge Leon, John Travis and Charles Gallagher-Powell who share extensive experience across private equity, private debt, investment banks, hedge funds and family offices. The team also includes three associates and two operations professionals and new additions will be announced in due course.
Umbra has been established to fill a gap in the UK lower mid-market and provide SMEs with the key ingredients for growth: quality advisory services, data and access to capital. Umbra is primarily an adviser with an investor mindset, but it is backed by families and long-term investors which enable it to commit capital and invest across the capital structure.
Advisory
Umbra advises company owners, entrepreneurs, and management teams to find the best capital solutions from private equity and debt funds, banks, family offices and other investors with appetite for direct investments. Its proprietary Umbra Intelligence PlatformTM, monitors investors’ and funds’ investment criteria to identify the most appropriate funding partners for SMEs and vice-versa. Umbra advises on capital raising, debt, M&A, restructuring or strategy.
Capital
Umbra invests private capital in compelling opportunities across the capital structure. It can also invest in funds and co-invest alongside them in their deals. The group’s management investment vehicle and segregated managed account structure enable it to be opportunistic and have a long-term investment horizon, without the constraints of a fund.
Wealth
Umbra’s offering includes a value-add network that allows members, such as family offices, institutional investors, friends and family, or qualifying entrepreneurs, access to co-invest in proprietary transactions. Members are often actively involved in deals, acting as senior advisers or board members.
Gustavo Diquez, Managing Partner at Umbra: “We are passionate about working with entrepreneurs, owners and management teams of quality SMEs, aligning ourselves with them and figuring out how to help them.”
Recent Umbra transactions include:
– Arranging and investing in a £200m bespoke debt facility for Hastee, a fintech that allows employees advance up to 50% of their earned pay, on demand via its award-winning app. Umbra is also a significant minority equity investor and debt adviser to the company
– Raising capital and investing in HotelMap, a leading hotel booking technology platform for conference delegates
– Financing the acquisition of PinLocal by When You Move, a leading tech-based conveyancer
– Restructuring and MBO financing for Child &Child, a specialist law firm established in 1850s
– Providing strategic advice to Rogue Projects on hearO, a portable speaker housed in a repurposed championship tennis ball
Recent news coverage:
Real Deals – 9 January 2020 – Talya Misiri
Umbra Capital: Under the umbrella. New London-based firm Umbra Capital spoke to Real Deals about how it is revitalising merchant banking: encompassing corporate finance, advisory and wealth management all under one roof.
http://realdeals.eu.com/article/umbra-capital-under-the-umbrella
Unquote – 10 January 2020 – Greg Gille
New merchant bank Umbra Capital Partners launches in the UK.
https://www.unquote.com/uk/news/3017810/new-merchant-bank-umbra-capital-partners-launches-in-uk
Private Equity Wire – 9 January 2020
‘Modern merchant bank’ Umbra Capital Partners opens for business in London.
Private Equity Wire – 10 January 2020 – Karin Wasteson
‘There’s still a massive opportunity to provide capital that UK SMEs wouldn’t have access to otherwise’.
Private Equity News – 10 January 2020 – Selin Bucak
New merchant bank launches, focusing on UK SME investments.
https://www.penews.com/articles/new-merchant-bank-launches-focusing-on-uk-sme-investments-20200110
Bloomberg – 10 January 2020 – Rachel McGovern
Umbra Capital leverages investor links to arrange GBP 200m debt.
