Corven is a principal investor in small to
medium sized UK businesses that require transformation and growth. We
concentrate on traditional sectors such as manufacturing and engineering and in
many cases provide our own managers to help transform and grow our
investments.
Corven is distinct in its ability to provide, from our
own resources, capital supported by management talent with a strong track
record. This enables us to act very quickly if required.
Investment preferences
| Minimum/ maximum investment | £1m / £15m |
| Stages of investment | Development capital, secondary investment, turnaround (MBO/MBI) |
| Industry preferences | Focus on manufacturing, engineering, aerospace and defence |
| Geographical preferences | UK only (Western European subsidiaries considered) |
Background
Corven has consistently delivered significant value to our clients, not only though our ability to fuel growth, but also through the application of our skills in turning around troubled enterprises or divisions of large businesses:
- From 1997 to 2000, the Corven team rescued a niche sports car manufacturer from certain bankruptcy and within 18 months led the business to its most profitable year in its 50 year history
- In 2001 at a regional electricity company, Corven took less than 12 months working with the executive to boost productivity and utilisation resulting in cost-effective delivery of its asset management plan against a history of losses
- In 2002, a Corven team managed the integration and consolidation of the AIG Group to increase its net asset value four fold
Investment areas and approach
Corven invests in UK companies where our
management teams can restructure at an operational level to deliver value. Our
focus tends to be in the manufacturing, engineering and related industries
where our ability to improve time, quality and cost factors for customers
delivers a significant return on investment. We do not invest in technologies
that we do not understand, service businesses without a meaningful asset base,
software, pharmaceuticals or bio-tech.
We work with our extensive network of intermediaries and entrepreneurs
to find the most suitable deals although we also look for opportunities
among non-core assets of large corporations, family run businesses,
companies suffering from long-term stagnation and through working
with management buy-out or buy-in teams. Corven has access to capital
to fund acquisitions up to £25m enterprise value.
Investments
For more information on Corven Ventures contact
Charles Oppenheim
