Par Partner Andrew Noble and IFA Magazine on Par Equity's Investment Thesis

23 November 2020

Par Partner, Andrew Noble, recently spoke with IFA Magazine on the back of Par Equity’s recent exit from Symphonic Software that delivered a blended 8.3x return to EIS Fund Investors acrooss two investment rounds. The article highlights Par’s unique investment thesis that fuses the financial firepower of our EIS Fund with the skills, expertise and contacts of the Par Investor Network. Hugh Little and Ronnie Geddis were named as our new Regional Chairs in Aberdeen and Belfast respectively.

Andrew Noble stated, "in February, as the pandemic unfolded, there was naturally some uncertainty. But by April it was clear that we were well placed. With a large position in enterprise tech, health tech, and industrial tech, there was, ‘a nimbleness across our portfolio to adapt and take advantage of new opportunities, our outlook was very positive.

The global pandemic accelerated the digitisation journey for most large enterprises. Across most of the Par Equity portfolio we’re seeing accelerated sales cycles, and increased acquisition interest."

What makes Par unique is our investmentn thesis. Andrew noted that, "There is far more to technology investing than the money. Young companies need the right advice and support at every level. That is where our investor network is so vitally important.

Par Equity’s investor network comprises of 200 business angels, many of whom want to get involved and help out. Par Equity tries to maximise this interest and expertise as early in the investment cycle as possible. Noble explained, ‘Our best deal flow often comes through this network and we then pull in those with the right expertise to provide supplementary due diligence on these opportunities.

When we invest, we may invite those with the right industry expertise to act as adviser, or a Board Member to the company, recognising that we need to refresh this position every so often, adding the right people at the right time.’ Par Equity currently has 27 members of the network playing a role on the boards of their portfolio companies. In effect, they are an extension of Par Equity acting as operating partners. Noble concluded, ‘All this means that we offer considerable added value to our portfolio companies."