Here's a great story that just landed in my inbox relating to a company that the Emerging Business Team has been engaged with for a while, and is one of the best examples of an IP Ventures deal:

30th October 2007

GP Bullhound, the research-centric technology investment bank, today announces the completion of a USD16 million financing round for Skinkers, the digital information broadcast leader.

The funding comes from lead investor Acacia Capital Partners, NewMedia Spark and the Skinkers management team. It will be used to further develop their enterprise-wide communication platform business, enhance their Live Notification Platform™ technology and bring to market LiveStation, the world’s first interactive global broadcast network for live television and radio.

Hitesh Mehta, General Partner at Acacia Capital Partners commented on the deal: “We are delighted to be part of the Skinkers story; we believe their innovative approach to the delivery of priority information gives them a unique position in the market. This financing will enable the experienced management team at Skinkers to exploit the market potential for the technology and build a world-class business.”

Skinkers’ CEO, Matteo Berlucchi, commented on GP Bullhound’s role: “We worked with GP Bullhound back in 2003 for our seed round and have once again be delighted by the corporate finance advice they provided for our latest funding round. We believe their strong and personal relationships with the leading venture capital funds across Europe and the USA is unparalleled. Raising finance is never a simple affair and GP Bullhound has helped us navigate through this process with minimum fuss, enabling us to raise finance quickly and efficiently.”

This fundraising represents the completion of GP Bullhound’s seventh private placement for the year, confirming its position as the #1 European Technology Private Placement house.