Wednesday January 1st 2020

sports helmets - marketing agency

- nanny exchange service -

cable manufacturer

Ruroc £3.2m | RPM £16.3m | Koru Kids | Volex $319.6m

News about 4 UK growth companies and/or accelerators + turnover in the GRID marketplace 20th – 26th May 2018:

RUROC: sports helmets - Gloucester

£3m head start for ski helmet firm Ruroc | Liam Kelly, The Sunday Times. May 20 2018

DZ profile: Ruroc Limited

Business: maker of helmets for skiers and snowboarders that have detachable, non-fog goggles. Its helmets are worn by pit crews in Formula One — including McLaren and Red Bull engineers — and athletes such as Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot who won silver at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Ruroc currently exports to more than 80 countries, with only 10% of revenue coming from the UK. During the past 12 months, Ruroc has experienced strong growth in Asia in response to the Winter Olympics, online sales grew by 310 percent in South Korea and 205 percent in China.

Launched: 2010

Location: Gloucester

Founder: Rob Gavin, invented the first helmets after a snowboarding accident in the Rocky Mountains.

Staff: Has grown from 7 to 35 employees – including designers, developers and digital specialists – in 16 months. Dan Rees, 29, bought the company out of administration in 2010. At the time, he was running Booze Cruise, a late-night alcohol delivery service in Gloucester.

Financials: turnover was £3.2m last year, with growth fuelled by social media marketing.

Investment: £3m cash investment from the BUSINESS GROWTH FUND (BGF).

News: Ruroc will use the funds to open a Chinese office and add to its staff.

RPM: marketing agency - London

I had to put my back into selling the big brands | Liam Kelly, The Sunday Times. May 20 2018

DZ profile: RPM London Limited

Business: experiential marketing agency that helps big brands interact with customers, come up with campaigns and host events. Set up as Roadshow Promotions and Marketing, it later became known as RPM. Blue-chip clients include Cadbury owner MONDELEZ, whisky distiller WILLIAM GRANT and MARKS & SPENCER. Also THE NATIONAL TRUST.

Launched: 1993

Location: Shepherd’s Bush, west London

Founder: Hugh Robertson, 50, Ross Urquhart and Joe Hall with investments of £5,000 each. Robertson bought out Hall in 1998 and Urquhart in 2005.

Staff: 148

Financials: made £16.3m in the year to last March, with £645,000 pre-tax profit.

Investment: Robertson owns half of RPM; the rest is held by directors and senior managers.

News: In 2012 Robertson felt RPM had “lost some entrepreneurial agility” and launched RPM VENTURES, backing promising start-ups such as WILD BEER CO and cycling gear maker LE COL.

KORU KIDS: nanny exchange - London

The Kiwi who aims to be saviour of frazzled parents by taking the stress out of childcare | Alex Lawson, The Evening Standard. 21 May 2018

DZ profile: Koru Kids Ltd

Business: London nannying service. Koru (which means loop in Māori) has been created with the aim of tackling the “fragmented and backward” childcare market which results in complex arrangements cobbled together by frazzled parents. As well as providing nanny recruitment, training and checks, the tech platform offers support. More than 17,000 hopefuls have applied, with just under 10% becoming nannies.

Launched: 2016

Location: Highgate, London

Founder: New Zealander Rachel Carrell, a graduate of consulting company McKinsey. Her first chief executive role followed, growing turnover from £6m to £20m at online doctor service DR THOM over three years from 2012. She spent a swift year running IVF chain ARGC.

Investment: Two funding rounds have brought in some big-name investors including Innocent Smoothies founder Richard Reed, Gumtree founder Michael Pennington and Rolls-Royce chairman (and ex-McKinsey man) Ian Davis. Koru has just closed a £3.5m round.

VOLEX: cable manufacturer - Richmond

UK manufacturers chase deals despite global factory slowdown | Michael Pooler, FT. May 25, 2018

DZ profile: Volex Plc

Business: cable manufacturer which ranks among the top three power cord manufacturers. Customers include Apple, Philips, Universal, Emmvee, Mellanox, Siemens.

Launched: 1919

Location: Richmond

Staff: Nat Rothschild, executive chairman since 2015 has pursued a strategy of cost-cutting, slashing inventory, ending lossmaking contracts and winning new customers.

Financials: Return to growth in 2017 follows three years of declining sales. To 02 Apr-17: Revenue $319.6m; Pre-Tax -$8.5m.

Investment: Aim-listed. Market capitalisation of around £70m. Largest shareholder, Nat Rothschild - NR HOLDINGS LIMITED - 25.5%.

News: recently completed the all-share acquisition of cable assembly manufacturer MC ELECTRONICS. This month unveiling an oversubscribed £36m share placing to fund the €18.1m purchase of SILCOTEC, a manufacturer of cable harnesses and electronic sub-assemblies for the medical, telecommunications and computer industries.