Smith & Williamson advise leading HR tech company Connectr on £5m private equity deal

Bristol-based professionals at Smith & Williamson, which is part of leading wealth management and professional services firm Tilney Smith & Williamson, have advised fast-growing HR technology platform Connectr on a multi-million pound investment deal.

Puma Private Equity, the private equity division of Puma Investments, has completed follow-on funding of £5 million into the leading digital employee mentoring platform.

Connectr, formerly known as MyKindaFuture, was founded in 2011 to help emerging talent develop employability skills whilst supporting employers to recruit and retain top talent. Today, Connectr partners with more than 80 FTSE employers to deliver a mentoring solution for job candidates and employees.

Iain Lownes, a partner in Smith & Williamson’s corporate finance team in Bristol, was the lead adviser on the deal and assisted Connectr with raising the finance.

Iain said: “This mentoring service is increasingly important to business and Connectr has a unique proposition. Smith & Williamson has a strong focus on technology businesses so we were delighted to work with a great team on another HR tech deal.”

Will Akerman, Connectr’s founder, said: “We enjoyed working with Smith & Williamson and quickly built a rapport with the team which was really important in delivering the transaction along with their professionalism.”

He added: “Connectr was born from the belief that everyone should have equal power and opportunity to shape their own future. We enable companies to better support their employees in achieving their goals and realising their ambitions every day.

“This new funding from Puma Private Equity will enable us to continue building on our success within the emerging talent space, supporting diversity and inclusion in the wider workplace and achieving our goal — to reduce unemployment and build a sense of belonging for all.”