performing through partnership building leaders in financial and business services
Aro One of the UK’s largest digital lending marketplaces
Aro is a leading digital lending marketplace in the UK with 2m annual customers. Aro offers the UK’s only real rates, a seamless customer journey and an unrivalled lender panel. The business has been a significant influence in the shift of UK consumers to digital and intermediated distribution of lending products.
Aro's proprietary decision engine enables a multi-product offering that includes unsecured personal loans, guarantor loans, credit cards, car finance, IVAs and 2nd-charge mortgages. Growing brand awareness enables the business to utilise digital and traditional marketing channels as well as introducer leads under the Aro brand. In addition, the team has developed strong affinity partnerships with leading consumer brands to white-label the platform as their consumer lending offering.
Website https://aro.co.uk/
Sector: Technology/Lending
Aryza Global provider of process automation software for regulated industries
Aryza is a global provider of case management and process automation software solutions for regulated industries, serving insolvency practitioners, lenders, and regulators.
Aryza’s solutions automate a wide range of back and middle office activities including customer data collection, administration, and payment processing. Its scalable technology platform is capable of meeting high volume, high complexity needs and helps customers significantly increase efficiency while ensuring compliance with local legislation.
The breadth and quality of Aryza’s software and service proposition is reflected in its strong and long-term customer relationships. Since its foundation in 2002, the business has grown rapidly both organically and through M&A. Today it is the market leader in the UK, DACH, Canada and Ireland with a growing international presence.
Website https://www.aryza.com/
Sector: Technology
Assessio A leading talent assessment software platform in the Nordics and Benelux
Assessio is recognised as a market leader in pre and post-hire talent management in the Nordics and Benelux with a growing European footprint and customers in 20+ countries.
With its offering focused on automation of core business processes, Assessio is part of Pollen Street’s long running theme of investing in middle and back-office software platforms. Assessio’s unique solutions reduce bias and promote more diversity and inclusion in the workplace, while delivering a clear ROI from process efficiency and talent productivity gains. Leveraging the latest advancements in psychometric science and backed by a software platform with superior user experience, Assessio solutions are trusted by c.2,000 corporate and public sector clients. Consistent new business wins and upsell have driven strong organic growth, complemented by selective M&A to expand geographic footprint and product offering.
Assessio has established itself as one of the major players within talent management and is well positioned for accelerated growth and geographical expansion in a large and growing market with strong tailwinds driven by talent shortages, D&I, and digitisation.
Website https://assessio.com/
Sector: Tech-enabled Services
Autopay Digital payments platform with a track record of market leading innovation
Autopay was established in 1999 and has developed into the largest independent digital payments provider in Poland, offering payment acceptance, processing, and data services. It is a leading innovator, developing a number of payments and other related solutions and successfully deploying them into the market with blue-chip partners across financial services, telecoms and mobile operators, utilities and eCommerce.
Autopay combines B2B payment solutions and app-based B2C capabilities in a single offering, creating an international provider of a broad range of payment services in some of the most attractive markets in Europe. At the core of the strategy for the business are the eCommerce, mobility and retail verticals, where Autopay has a history of using technology deliver elegant payments solutions.
The business has an established track record of building and growing B2B partnerships to attract over 1m active users to its mobile payments app.
Website https://autopay.pl/
Sector: Payments
BidX1 Europe’s largest digital property investment platform
BidX1 is an end-to-end property marketplace that digitalises the entire property transaction process across multiple European countries.
Its heavily invested platform and execution engine combine professional property expertise with leading proprietary technology supplementing this with rich data analytics and an international buyer base to enhance the experience of buying and selling real estate. Since 2017, BidX1 has sold over €2.5bn of residential and commercial property across Ireland, UK, Spain, Cyprus and South Africa.
With its continued investment in technology and property expertise, BidX1 is well positioned to continue as a market leader supported by accelerating technology adoption, a growing network effect, enhanced data insights and a perennial demand for real estate assets amongst institutional and retail buyers.
Website https://bidx1.com
Sector: Technology
bunq A truly disruptive leading digital bank operating across Europe
bunq is the second largest neobank in the EU and the only player serving both consumers and businesses. Its digitally-native, app-based banking platform is licensed by the Dutch National Bank, offering user centric solutions and a best-in-class banking experience.
bunq announced its merger with Capitalflow in 2021, which combines bunq’s significant user base, geographic footprint, and access to deposit funding with Capitalflow’s high-quality multi-asset origination capability and strong presence in the Irish market. This combination has created a high-growth, well-capitalised, and profitable bank, with a clear focus on customer service, deployment of leading technology, and sustainability.
In May 2022, bunq acquired Tricount, the Belgian group expense management app, further expanding its product offering alongside its new mortgage and investment products and strengthening its geographical footprint across Europe together with the introduction of its full offering in Ireland.
Website https://www.bunq.com/
Sector: Technology/Lending
Cashflows
Cashflows is a fast growing fintech provider of payment services to SMEs providing omni-channel native merchant acquiring, payment processing and payment gateway services
Cashflows Rapidly growing provider of omni-channel payment services to SMEs
Cashflows is a rapidly growing provider of payment services to eCommerce and in-store SME customers.
Its omni-channel native merchant acquiring, payment processing and payment gateway services allow its customers to accept card payments through all payment channels while benefiting from a wide range of ancillary services, including real time data, fraud filters and continuous settlement. The company is also one of the leading providers of ATM processing.
The payments industry remains a patchwork of systems built on legacy infrastructure that too often result in poor customer outcomes. To address this, and many of the pain points frequently encountered by SMEs, Cashflows set out to build, from scratch, a modern, API centric technology stack operating across cloud-based infrastructure.
Today, Cashflows offers an omni-channel native solution to its customers. It owns and operates the technology across the full value chain meaning that it has no reliance on third parties and can provide superior products and services to its customers whilst competing on price. As a principal member of Visa, Mastercard and other major payment networks, Cashflows provides a full independent range of services to its customers.
Cashflows is a fully authorised e-money business authorised by the FCA in the UK and the DNB in the Netherlands with operational presence in both countries.
Website https://www.cashflows.com
Sector: Payments
Ding
Ding is the global leader in international top-up and credit transfers, serving millions of customers around the world
Ding The world’s largest mobile top-up service
Ding is the world’s largest mobile top-up service, allowing friends, family, and dispersed communities to send mobile credit and data through a simple, safe, and convenient technology platform.
The business is headquartered in Ireland and uses a global distribution platform to serve customers in over 150 countries through its network of 550 mobile operators. Ding’s top-ups allow friends and family to keep in touch, fostering closer links and community ties between its users whilst promoting financial inclusion and global connectivity.
Ding has established online and offline distribution channels, offering customers the ability to top-up online, on the Ding app and via partners through the Ding API. It’s strong consumer brand and focus on customer experience has been a key driver of the business’ impressive track record of growth.
Website https://www.ding.com/
Sector: Technology
ezbob
Rapidly-growing lending-as-a-service (LaaS) provider, deploying an award-winning digital proposition for banks and financial institutions
ezbob Leading Digital SME Lending-as-a-Service Solution
ezbob is a UK and Israel-based software company which has developed a leading proprietary online lending (LaaS) platform used by leading banks and financial institutions to power their digital SME lending propositions. The business has delivered rapid growth in recent years as its award-winning technology is adopted by its clients to allow them to offer a streamlined, automated online lending offering to their customers.
Website https://www.ezbob.com/
Sector: Technology/Lending
Finsolutia A leading European technology-driven credit and real estate platform
Finsolutia is a leading technology-driven servicer in Iberia, offering independent Loan and Real Estate management services through innovative business processes and disruptive proprietary technology. Finsolutia has offices in Lisbon and Madrid, with over 350 highly qualified professionals managing c.€6bn in Assets under Management, working with some of the largest institutional investors in the Credit and Real Estate industries as well as renowned financial institutions in the region.
Finsolutia launched its activity in 2007 in Portugal, initially focused on the Credit and Real Estate industries operating as a servicing-driven business, managing to accumulate strong capabilities and know-how that later supported the evolution of the company to a tech-driven business. Anchored on its unique technological infrastructure, the company diversified its core business towards new highly profitable businesses, becoming a leading technology-driven Credit & Real Estate platform providing a full end to end real estate asset management offering.
Website https://www.finsolutia.com
Sector: Tech-enabled Services
Kingswood
Kingswood is a leading wealth and investment management consolidator to c.20,000 mass affluent and high net worth individuals, managing over £9bn AuM
Kingswood Leading wealth and investment management consolidator to c.20,000 mass affluent and high net worth individuals, managing over £9bn AuM
Kingswood is a leading wealth and investment management consolidator with operations spanning both the UK and US providing independent financial advice and investment management services to mass affluent and high net worth individuals.
Founded in 2010, it has grown rapidly in recent years and now has over £9bn of assets under influence or management across its main strategies of Wealth Planning and Investment Management, servicing approx. 20,000 active clients across its 22 offices. Since inception, the business has demonstrated the success of its business model, elevating Kingswood to become one of the leading wealth managers in the UK.
Kingswood empowers its advisers to provide high quality financial advice to their clients in a suitable and sustainable manner through the provision of best-in-class technology, a wide range of central support functions and a broad and diverse discretionary investment management offering.
Pollen Street’s investment accelerates Kingswood’s consolidation strategy and ambitions to create a global wealth management business through targeted acquisitions in both the UK and US.
Website www.kingswood-group.com
Sector: Wealth
Lumon
Lumon is a leading provider of international payments and hedging services to SMEs and private individuals
Lumon A leading provider of international payments and hedging services to SMEs and private individuals
Lumon is a long established, trusted player in a large and growing market. The company combines people, technology and expertise to enable effortless cross border payments. Corporate and consumer clients are originated directly and through a diverse partner network, and served online or via the telephone. The business has long-term relationships with its customers and partners which drives a significant proportion of repeat business and strong financial performance.
This investment builds on Pollen Street’s successful exit of Moneycorp, and we believe the group is well-positioned to gain share in the corporate and consumer markets through excellent customer service, expanding origination networks and investment in technology and data.
Website https://www.lumonpay.com/
Sector: Payments
Markerstudy Leading UK multi-channel digital insurance platform
A fast growing, vertically-integrated market leader that also operates in close partnership with some of the UK’s best-known brands. Markerstudy has a strong competitive position, with a broad product offering and advanced digital and data capabilities.
Markerstudy has developed a transformative technology platform, which enables superior efficiency and customer engagement as well as leading-edge machine learning driven real time pricing. By embracing digital transformation, Markerstudy is well positioned for sustained growth.
The quality of Markerstudy’s offering is reflected in its leading customer ratings and the depth of relationships with its partners. Established in 2001, the business has grown rapidly through organic growth and M&A. Today Markerstudy is one of the largest players in UK personal insurance with around 6 million customers and enjoys leading market positions across several specialist and non-standard insurance markets.
Website https://markerstudy.com
Sector: Insurance
Niiio Leading consolidator in the European wealth & asset management software market
Niiio is a leading consolidator in the European wealth and asset management software space. The initial combination of Niiio Finance Group, fundsaccess, MiFID-Recorder and Fund Hero established the group as a leading software provider in Germany, while the recent acquisition of Swiss wealth management software leader etops Group AG makes it a pan-DACH player.
The combined group offers a comprehensive suite of solutions to a diverse client base across the region, consisting of banks, independent wealth managers and financial advisors, private banks and family offices, institutional asset managers and insurers. The group’s modular offerings enable the digitisation of a range of activities along the entire customer lifecycle including customer onboarding, data consolidation, portfolio management solutions, customer and advisor portals, and trading and order management tools.
The group already has a track record of growth through acquisitions, which it aims to continue with Pollen Street’s support. The European market for wealth and asset management software is highly fragmented, and the plan for the group is to expand and improve its service offering and client base both in the DACH region and across Europe, whilst continuing its strong track record of organic growth and margin expansion on the back of its scalable wealthtech platform.
PAIR FINANCE
PAIR Finance is a digital-first collections platform using artificial intelligence and behavioural research to create a more efficient payment process
PAIR FINANCE Pioneering Innovation to Reimagine Debt Collection
PAIR Finance is a high-growth, digital-first collections platform offering unique debt collection technology based on artificial intelligence and behavioural research, aiming to create a more efficient payment process that prioritises customer experience alongside collection rates and long-term customer retention for clients.
PAIR Finance was founded in 2016 and has since grown rapidly to more than 350 active clients across all major industry verticals and has expanded international operations. The company operates across 6 key strategic areas covering eCommerce, insurance, mobility, financial services, telcos and utilities. PAIR’s primary focus is on small ticket collections for ‘high-frequency’ clients who communicate with customers frequently and digitally, where the collection process is an important touchpoint in preserving customer relationships.
Website https://www.pairfinance.com/
Sector: Lending
Pivotal Growth
Pivotal Growth is a joint venture between Pollen Street and LSL Property Services, formed with the aim of building a leading, UK wide mortgage broker powered by market leading technology, first class regulatory compliance and exemplary customer service
Pivotal Growth Building the UK’s leading, digitally enabled mortgage broker
Pivotal Growth is a joint venture between Pollen Street and LSL Property Services, formed with the aim of building a leading, UK wide mortgage broker powered by market leading technology, first class regulatory compliance and exemplary customer service.
The UK mortgage distribution market is highly fragmented with significant opportunity for accretive consolidation, whilst increasing regulatory requirements and consumer demand for online services continues to provide scale benefits to larger players.
LSL Property Services are a leading player in the property services industry and operate the second largest UK mortgage network in the UK.
The joint venture builds on Pollen Street’s substantial track record of accretive consolidation including Specialist Risk Group (Insurance Broking), Kingswood (Wealth Management) and Lumon (International Payments)
Website www.pivotalgrowth.co.uk
Sector: Services
Proactis
Proactis is a business spend management software provider, enabling clients to make their purchasing activities more effective through digitalisation of trade processes, workflow management and automation tools, and embedded finance capabilities
Proactis Enabling digital trade by helping organisations around the world to control 100% of their spend
Proactis is a leading business spend management (“BSM”) software provider focused on serving mid-market clients in a range of service-led industry verticals. The business offers an end-to-end range of modular source-to-pay capabilities deployed through its cloud-based BSM platform, enabling customers to improve compliance, governance and control over their purchasing activities, reduce the cost of goods and services, and deliver efficiencies through digitalisation of trade and workflow automation solutions. Proactis serves a rapidly growing client base of over 1,000 corporates and public sector bodies across the UK, US and Europe, attracted to Proactis’ value-led proposition which delivers a flexible and effective product set, rapid access to benefits, and direct local customer service throughout the relationship lifecycle.
Website www.proactis.com
Sector: Services
Punkta Full end-to-end platform for insurance services
Punkta is a leading insurance services platform, focused primarily on the motor insurance market in Poland. The company has grown to become a key player in the market through offering clients a proprietary technology-enabled proposition which spans the insurance life cycle, combined with high quality customer service and unique access to leading products and services.
The business is currently gaining share in a large and growing market for motor insurance, and aims to continue this growth through further client acquisitions in its core B2B corporate channel, broadening its customer acquisition channels to access new markets, and continuing to add to and improve its product and service ranges.
Website punkta.pl/
Sector: Insurance
Shawbrook Bank
Shawbrook is a bank for the real world, offering a range of lending and savings products across its two customer franchises
Shawbrook Bank Banking for the real world
Shawbrook is a bank for the real world, offering a range of lending and savings products across its two customer franchises. The group’s Enterprise franchise serves UK SMEs, FinTechs, property professionals and property owners with a range of specialist lending products across property finance and business finance, and its Consumer franchise serves UK consumer and micro business owners with a range of lending and savings products.
Over the last decade, Shawbrook have built a new type of bank that is designed to accommodate individuality, diversity and the dynamics of the modern world. Its ability to provide highly personalised finance solutions to help customers achieve their immediate ambitions is enabled by the bank’s unique platform, which combines and integrates modular technology with human expertise, judgment and ingenuity.
Driven by a strong sense of purpose, and enabled by its scalable multi-channel origination and distribution model, Shawbrook is set to continue to expand its customer reach and differentiated offering while delivering strong and sustainable profitability.
Website https://www.shawbrook.co.uk
Sector: High Growth Lending
Tandem A leading purpose-led digital bank
Tandem is a UK high growth purpose-led digital bank. The platform uniquely positioned to lead the next generation of digital banking which combines modern digital banking capability together with strong and predictable asset origination as a result of being digitally embedded into an attractive, large and growing target market.
Tandem was founded in 2015 as a new ”neo-bank” or “super App” seeking to deliver exciting modern technology and access financial betterment driven by open banking solutions to customers who were looking for a better banking experience.
Pollen Street’s investment funds the combination of Oplo and Tandem creating a platform that enjoys the profitability characteristics of a specialist lender with the digital infrastructure and growth of the neo-banks in a fast growing market aligned strongly to social and environment impact. Alongside realising significant cost and revenue synergies.
Website https://www.tandem.co.uk/
Sector: High Growth Lending
Validis
Validis is a pioneering technology business focused on the direct extraction, standardisation, and analysis of SME accounting data
Validis High-growth technology business with a unique data proposition
Validis is a pioneering technology business focused on the direct extraction, standardisation, and analysis of SME accounting data.
As the financial data transmission solution for global accountancy firms, financial institutions and commercial businesses, Validis’ software: connects directly to accounting packages and transmits data direct from its source; generates reports ready for review; provides access to client’s validated data set; provides data analysis and validation; and interrogates down to double entry for absolute accuracy.
Over 60 organisations trust Validis to power their financial and accounting services with live, accurate client financial information. These include all four of the Big 4 global accounting firms and three of the five largest UK banks.
Website https://www.validis.com/
Sector: Technology
Wide Group A leading innovative, technology-led insurance broker in Italy
Wide Group is one of the most innovative businesses in Italian insurance broking. Its differentiated proposition is built around a proprietary technology platform for insurance placement and management, supporting and automating interactions between brokers, clients and insurance companies.
It has rapidly gained scale through the aggregation and onboarding of experienced brokers and professionals across Italy. This strong organic growth has been complemented by an impressive M&A track record.
Wide has established itself as one of the major national players in the insurance industry in Italy, and is well positioned to leverage the opportunities offered to grow in the highly fragmented Italian insurance distribution sector.
Website https://www.widegroup.eu
Sector: Insurance
