The Venture Codex

Led · Equity · Sep 2021

Energy Saving Lighting (ESL) is a lighting consultancy and installation company that designs and delivers energy-efficient LED lighting solutions across commercial, domestic, public sector and social enterprise customers. Founded in 2008, ESL was an early entrant to the emerging LED market and offers complete finance packages alongside its installations. The company emphasizes reducing clients' electricity bills and carbon footprints, stating typical client savings of up to 80% on annual electricity costs. ESL cites customer outcomes including more than £44,000 saved annually for the Bank of England and over £18,000 saved for Maiden Erlegh Chiltern Edge school. Management highlights plans to use new funding to deliver the next phase of growth and to expand delivery of energy-efficient solutions across the commercial and public sectors. ESL positions itself as supporting UK decarbonisation targets by replacing traditional lighting with modern LED systems that improve energy and maintenance efficiencies.

Led · Equity · Jan 2018

Snaptrip is a last-minute holiday rental platform founded in April 2014 by Matt Fox and Dan Harrison that aggregates discounted UK self-catering inventory. The marketplace historically lists professionally managed rental agencies such as Sykes Cottages, Cottages.com, Hoseasons, Holiday Cottages and the Original Cottage Company. Following a recent acquisition, Snaptrip will also work directly with individual homeowners via the Last Minute Cottages sites. The company raised £2.1m in January 2018 and previously raised £1.5m in January 2016. The fresh funding will be used to acquire Last Minute Cottages, invest in marketing initiatives across the group and fuel expansion into mainland Europe. Snaptrip plans to maintain the acquired sites’ existing operations and links with owners while growing traffic and bookings across its portfolio. Snaptrip operates a last-minute marketplace for holiday rentals, focusing on exclusive discounts for selected breaks and 100% instantly bookable inventory with live rates. The company says it booked 30,000 customers last year and claims to list more British properties than Airbnb. In exchange for an email address it offers discounted rates on more than half of its listed cottages. About 18 months old and based in London, Snaptrip emphasizes last-minute deals as its core product differentiation. The startup will use new funding to invest in marketing, product development, and hiring. Financially, it has raised $3.25 million to date and did not disclose a valuation for the latest round. Snaptrip is a London-based last-minute self-catering holiday rental platform offering cottages, houses, apartments and unusual properties to travellers booking on late availability. The service emphasizes flash-sale-style discounts and exclusive member-only inventory tailored to users' search history and preferences. Since going live in April 2014 the company has grown its inventory from 250 to 15,500 properties and now operates with a team of 10. Snaptrip markets average savings of almost £100 for last-minute bookings and says customers can save up to 50% by booking late. The company plans to grow its membership model and introduce additional search parameters to further personalise offers. The recent funding will finance an aggressive growth strategy aimed at securing market leadership in the UK self-catering sector.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2010

Intela is a global performance marketing company that delivers quality leads to advertisers using email marketing, a multi-national affiliate network and custom promotional and incentive properties. The company provides programs and distribution in the United States, Canada, Australia and several European markets including France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and Portugal. It intends to use new capital for domestic and overseas growth projects, business development in Western Europe, South America and Australasia, and for product development focused on mobile marketing technologies. The company was founded in 2006 by CEO Jim Mansfield and is based in London, with offices in Boulder, CO and Harrisburg, PA. Intela recently secured debt financing to support these expansion and product initiatives. Intela is an email marketing firm with offices in Boulder, Colorado and London, UK. The company provides email marketing services and lists clients including Citroën, T-Mobile and William Hill. In October 2010 Intela raised $7.25M (£4.5M) in a round of financing. Investors in the round included private equity firm Bestport Ventures and ETV Capital. The proceeds from the investment will be used for expansion in Europe. Mark Blanford, founder of Sportingbet, is to join the company's board following the investment.