FSP advises The FSE Group on investments by Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Fund into Oobedoo and Takestock.
Corporate partner Penelope Garden and corporate solicitor Rachael Maunder have advised The FSE Group on the first two investments to be made by the Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Fund (“TVBGF”) in conjunction with angel investors and venture capital funds.
The first investment made by TVBGF, was in OobEdoO, a children’s e-learning platform aiming to revolutionise the way children aged 2-6 learn, watch and play. The platform consists of two elements, the OobEdoO App and the OobEdoO website: www.oobedoo.com. The App uses touchscreen technology to present engaging and effective learning material, in the form of games and pre-school episodes of popular children’s television programmes. The App is fully controlled and monitored by the parents, through OobEdoO’s unique ‘digital parenting’ interface. Accessible via the OobEdoO website, parents are able to place a time restriction on how long they want their child to use the App, restrict access to the wider internet by locking the App and also receive weekly feedback on their child’s progress. The investment from TVBGF will be invested in App development and a targeted social media marketing campaign.
TVBGF has also invested in Wetakestock Limited which has created a digital marketplace for the food industry known as “Takestock”. TVBGF participated in the first round of funding which also included investment from Finance Birmingham and Ascension Ventures. This Newbury based company was founded in 2014 and is the go-to-place for large scale food producers with excess stock linking them with local, independent restaurants and coffee shops.
Bradley Jones from The FSE Group said:
“It was great to have support from Penelope and Rachael on the first two investments made by the TVBGF. They ensured these investments were completed within the timescales required whilst ensuring investor rights were protected. We look forward to working with Field Seymour Parkes LLP in 2016 when the TVBGF makes further investments.”
TVBGF invests in high growth SMEs and can provide up to £250,000 as an equity investment. The investment must be matched by at least an equal amount of private investment, which The FSE Group can work with the company to source.