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Hanson
Capital provides up to £2m investment in Informal Software™
to fund global growth
Hanson Capital is in the process of establishing Hanson Internet
Partners (H.I.P), a technology fund to provide startups with the
capital to establish themselves in the UK and Europe
June
13, 2000 – Hanson Capital Limited, the investment
bank specialising in providing corporate finance and venture capital
to small to medium-sized technology companies, announced today that
it is making an investment of up to £2m in Informal Software.
This will fund Informal Software’s growth in Europe and the
USA and provide capital for research, product development, marketing
and operational activities. This is Hanson Capital’s first
European technology investment.
Founded
in 1998, and based in Silicon Valley, with research and development
in the UK, Informal Software has developed enotateÔ software.
This transforms hand held, stylus-based Personal Digital Assistants
(PDA) into real-time electronic pen and paper pads for PCs. This
allows users, for the first time, to electronically express and
share creative concepts, ideas and information in an intuitive and
informal manner using a stylus. This groundbreaking software will
enable Palms and other PDAs to become the 4th peripheral for the
PC, alongside the keyboard, mouse and monitor, and allow tasks normally
done with pen and paper to be performed digitally.
Robert
Hanson, chairman, Hanson Capital commented, " When Informal
Software first demonstrated enotate to me, I was immediately struck
by its ease of use and, most importantly, its daily value to users.
Informal Software’s rapidly expanding client base in the USA
and UK was another appealing factor. It’s a company from over
there that we are wholly confident will start doing really well
over here. This is exactly the sort of quality investment in a quality
management team, with a quality product which encapsulates the investment
philosophy of Hanson Capital."
Founder,
president & CEO of Informal Software, Ian Cullimore said, “We
are absolutely delighted by Hanson Capital’s interest in us
and the investment they’ve made. It demonstrates how confident
they are in the company and products and our ideas for development
going forward. We very much see our relationship with Hanson as
a partnership for success not just a route to money. Hanson’s
skills and expertise growing businesses both in the USA and the
UK will be invaluable as Informal develops its presence in the fast
moving technology markets around the world.”
Hanson
Capital is also in the process of creating a private partnership
fund called Hanson Internet Partners (H.I.P) dedicated to providing
a route to finance for USA hot technology start ups looking to expand
in the UK and Europe. This will provide a funding ‘bridge’
for organisations poised to capitalise on the growth of the new
economy. This builds on Hanson’s USA technology financing
expertise which has included the provision of venture capital to
four USA start ups: Nirve, the Internet’s first action sport
e-brand, Red Chip.com, a financial portal, InAlysys, a business
intelligence software company, and Control Commerce, a company enabling
e-commerce through banner advertising. H.I.P will focus on
funding companies involved in a variety of technology sectors: mobile
commerce, application software and enabling technologies, and business
to business solutions.
H.I.P’s
chief investment officer, Shimi Shah commented "Hanson is one
of the strongest, most instantly identifiable Old Economy brands,
and I am excited to be carrying the fine traditions associated with
this brand to the new economy. HIP will benefit enormously from
the transatlantic bridge that Hanson offers and will offer investors
the most exciting opportunities in this rapidly expanding sector."
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