GP Bullhound & Vitesse Media announce winners of Investor Allstars Awards 2013

LONDON: 26 September 2013 – The winners of the Investor Allstars Awards 2013 were announced last night at a ceremony at London’s National History Museum. Investor Allstars is an annual event produced by GP Bullhound, the technology investment bank, and GrowthBusiness, a Vitesse Media website specialising in providing information for entrepreneurs and leaders of fast-growth enterprises.
This year’s awards included a new feature called The Allstars Challenge which involved 100 of Europe’s most respected investors and business leaders voting for “Europe’s Most Exciting Investor Backed Company of the Year”. The winner this year was Zoopla, which impressed the audience at the event in the afternoon.

Celebrating excellence in entrepreneurship and the professional investor community, the Investor Allstars Awards were presented to the following:

•    Zoopla for Europe’s Most Exciting Investor Backed Company of the Year
•    Pär-Jörgen Parson of Northzone for Investor of the Year
•    Shirin Dehgan of Arieso for Female Entrepreneur of the Year
•    Alexander Ljung of SoundCloud for Male Entrepreneur of the Year
•    DFJ Esprit for Venture Capital Fund of the Year
•    Notion Capital Partners LLP for Equity Gap Fund of the Year
•    Trivago GmbH – (HOWZAT media LLP) for Exit of the Year
•    Investcorp Technology Partners for Growth/Buyout Fund of the Year
•    London Business Angels for Private Investor Network of the Year
•    Silicon Valley Bank for Service Provider of the Year
•    Maven Income & Growth VCT PLC (MGI) managed by Maven Capital Partners for VCT of the Year

Manish Madhvani, chairman of the judging panel and Managing Partner of GP Bullhound, commented:  “The judges always have a tough time selecting the award winners and this year was no exception. The winners reflect the innovative spirit of the European entrepreneurs and showcase the strength and depth of the European professional investor community. I congratulate all the winners and those that were shortlisted, who are excellent role models for everyone in the European finance and technology industries.”

Niki Baker, CEO of Vitesse Media, commented: “Investor Allstars 2013 was a wonderful night of celebration and I want to congratulate all the winners and those shortlisted for their achievements this year. The European venture capital and technology community should be proud of all its success in the last year.”

Ulvi Kasimov, Founder and Head of Sferiq, commented: “We are proud to have supported this event and I want to congratulate all the winners for their efforts in pushing the boundaries of the technology industry.”

Stephanie Bates, Partner at Orrick, commented: “Orrick is delighted to have been involved with Investor Allstars. Now in its eleventh year, the event continues to be a benchmark of success for Europe’s professional investor community. We work very closely with many companies in the technology sector and look forward to strengthening our relationships with these fast-growing and innovative companies.”

David Ward, Managing Partner of MTI Ventures, commented:  “Year after year Investor Allstars is a real highlight of the investor community calendar, and with the addition of the award for Europe’s Most Exciting Investor Backed Company, this year was no exception.”

A full list of winners and those shortlisted is below:

Venture Capital Fund of the Year
Winner: DFJ Esprit

Shortlist
DFJ Esprit
Fidelity Growth Partners
Northzone
Qualcomm Ventures
Scottish Equity Partners
VTB Capital

Europe’s Most Exciting Investor Backed Company of the Year

Winner: Zoopla

Shortlist
Believe Digital
Fly Victor
Klarna
MedicAnimal
Rovio
Secret Escapes
Zoopla Property Group

Investor of the Year
Winner: Pär-Jörgen Parson – Northzone

Shortlist
Marcos Battisti – Intel Capital
Haakon Overlie – Dawn Capital
Alex Macpherson – Octopus Investments
Pär-Jörgen Parson – Northzone
Dr Alexander von Frankenberg – High-Tech-Gründerfonds I + II

Female Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Shirin Dehgan – Arieso

Shortlist
Bec Astley Clarke – Astley Clarke
Shirin Dehgan – Arieso
Wendy Devolder – Skills Matter
Maelle Gavet – OZON Holdings
Fanny Moizant – Vestiaire Collective
Jude Ower – PlayMob
Mary Turner – AlertMe
Michelle You – Songkick

Male Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Alexander Ljung – SoundCloud

Shortlist
James Caan – Hamilton Bradshaw
Geoffroy de Becdelievre – PlanetVeo
Jacob de Geer – iZettle
Niklas Holmstén – Tunigo
Alexander Ljung – SoundCloud
Olof Schybergson – Fjord
Peter Ward – WAYN

Equity Gap Fund of the Year
Winner: Notion Capital Partners

Shortlist
EC1 Capital
Fastlane Ventures
High-Tech Gründerfonds I + II
MMC Ventures
The UPF (UMIP Premier Fund) managed by MTI Partnerships
Notion Capital Partners
Passion Capital
Seedcamp

Exit of the Year
Winner: Trivago GmbH – (HOWZAT media LLP)

Shortlist
Arieso – (Oxford Capital Partners)
Fleetmatics – (Investcorp Technology Partners II)
Mendeley – (Passion Capital)
Ogone – (Summit Partners)
Solfex Energy Systems – (Panoramic Enterprise Capital Fund 1
Trivago – (HOWZAT Partners)

Growth/Buyout Fund of the Year
Winner: Investcorp Technology Partners

Shortlist
EQT
Investcorp Technology Partners
Palamon European Equity II
Panoramic Growth Equity
The Carlyle Group

Private Investor Network of the Year
Winner: London Business Angels

Shortlist
Braveheart Envestors
Crowdcube
London Business Angels
Seedcamp
Spintop Ventures
Halo – the Northern Ireland business angel network

Service Provider of the Year
Winner: Silicon Valley Bank

Shortlist
Baker Tilly
Dentons
JAG Shaw Baker
Kemp Little
Kreos Capital
Marriott Harrison
Orrick
SGH Martineau
Silicon Valley Bank
The Forsyth Group

VCT of the Year
Winner: Maven Income & Growth VCT PLC (MGI) managed by Maven Capital Partners

Shortlist
Core VCT managed by Core Capital
Foresight Solar VCT managed by Foresight Group
Maven Income & Growth VCT managed by Maven Capital Partners
Income & Growth VCT managed by Mobeus Equity Partners
NVM Private Equity Octopus Titan VCT managed by Octopus Investments
ProVen Growth & Income VCT managed by Beringea
British Smaller Companies VCT managed by YFM Private Equity

The Award’s headline sponsor was global investment company Sferiq. The premium sponsors were Orrick, a global law firm, and MTI Ventures, which focuses on early stage venture capital and management in software, communication, life sciences, materials technology and industrial products.

The award category sponsors were Ballou PR, Berenberg, Growth Company Investor, Information Age, Private Equity Recruitment and Reeves.

The event sponsors were Bird & Bird, finnCap and The Up Group.

-ENDS-

Combining a true love for entrepreneurship and innovation with deep global buyer relations and sector expertise, GP Bullhound has completed transactions for many category leaders and most recently sold Tunigo to Spotify, and Fjord to Accenture. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com
In 2013, GP Bullhound was awarded Boutique Investment Bank of the Year and Leading Advisers of the Year by the Acquisition International M&A Awards.

About Vitesse Media
GrowthBusiness is an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs and leaders of fast-growth enterprises. It offers a goldmine of practical information, insights and inspiration for established businesses that are achieving rapid expansion, helping them overcome obstacles to their growth and maximise their potential. The website is brought to you by Vitesse Media Plc.

Vitesse Media is a multimedia business and offers award-winning publications, fast-growing websites, exciting events and much-acclaimed research. They are the leading specialists in growth businesses,¬ entrepreneurs and CEOs, their investors, advisers and suppliers. Vitesse Media is quoted on AIM. www.vitessemedia.co.uk