Led · Equity · Oct 2023

Sessions operates a technology-enabled licensing platform that identifies promising food brands and scales them rapidly by launching them in existing kitchens and across multiple channels. Its omnichannel approach makes brands available on delivery platforms and in physical venues, differentiating it from pureplay dark kitchen models. The company reports more than £47m in annualised sales after 300%+ growth in the latest quarter and a network of over 450 delivery restaurants. Sessions is moving to an asset-light, tech-enabled strategy, reducing large CapEx projects like food halls while using Shelter Hall as an important content engine. It plans to invest further in developing its technology and in acquiring and scaling more brands across its network. Notable scale milestones include Patty Guy by Kenny Tutt expanding to 100 licensed sites and opening two physical franchises in the past six months. Sessions Market runs community-focused food halls and a network of more than 50 cloud kitchens where customers order from partnered food brands. Founded in 2020 by former Deliveroo managing director Dan Warne, the group fully opened its first food hall on Brighton seafront. The company has said it will use new capital to accelerate growth of its food halls and kitchen network. It recently raised £7.3m in a Series A round to fund expansion. Planned uses include opening two more food halls in 2022, creating a one-of-a-kind food studio to pair aspiring restaurant founders with world-class culinary support, and expanding the team. Sessions aims to partner with 15 more chefs and open 500 more kitchens within the next 12 months.

Participated · Debt Financing · May 2023

Taylor&Hart digitises the custom jewellery process, offering bespoke engagement rings, wedding bands and recently launched women's jewellery created to customer designs. Orders are designed by in-house teams in London and produced via manufacturing partners in China and the U.S.; diamonds are sourced globally with ethical provenance checks and some sourcing activity in Sri Lanka. The company sells mainly in the U.K., with 15–20% of sales in the U.S., and operates showrooms in London and New York while maintaining a ~40-person team and development hub in Sofia. Taylor&Hart reported c.€11.7M in revenue for the prior year, 4,481 ring sales, and a 2022 reported turnover of £8.7M with a £1.9M loss. Planned uses of new capital include software development (including AI-enabled design and pricing features) and an aggressive push into European markets, using Sofia as the main channel for EU operations and hiring additional staff. The company emphasises faster lead times and competitive pricing versus legacy jewellers and maintains an ethical sourcing policy that excludes purchases from Russia since the war. Taylor and Hart is a London-based e-jeweller specializing in bespoke engagement and wedding rings that tell the story of customers. Led by founder and CEO Nikolay Piriankov, the company focuses on custom, story-driven jewellery. It currently delivers to over 20 countries. Taylor and Hart raised over £3.6m in funding to support growth. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach, enhance brand awareness, and open a brand-new showroom. Taylor&Hart, founded in 2013 and based between Sofia and London, enables customers to design bespoke engagement and wedding rings online with designer consultations and 3D previews. The company employs around 30 people and reported €2M in revenue in 2017, with management projecting a €4.4M turnover for 2018. Engagement rings account for roughly 80% of sales; prices range from about £1.5K to £50K with an average around £4K. The brand rebranded from Rare Pink to Taylor&Hart after participating in Techstars Boston, a move that the company says drove a 30% sales increase but coincided with the loss of a co‑founder. Taylor&Hart has begun moving from a primarily digital model to physical touchpoints, opening a London showroom and planning a New York location. The company targets the premium segment of the diamond jewelry market and aims to expand further into the U.S., which already represents about 30% of its customers.