Helveta was incorporated in 2004 and has developed of the CI World™ software platform. This is a unique technology providing fully auditable traceability and chain of custody control for extended supply chains in the Timber and Food production sectors. CI World and its components – TracElite™ and CI Earth™ - have won a number of awards as innovative technologies for the timber sector.

The company needed to raise a further round of funding to fund its international rollout and growth. Following discussions with Helveta’s investors and management team during summer 2008 as part of a selection process, FirstCapital was appointed as exclusive advisors on the basis of its successful track record in fundraising and sound reputation and relationships within the European venture capital community.

Helveta operates in both the food and the timber sector, selling to customers in emerging markets in far flung parts of the globe. With no close business competitors to name as a reference, it was essential to articulate key investment themes, market positioning and exit prospects ahead of launching the process, and to provide evidence of the size of the opportunity and the business model. 

From the outset, the FirstCapital deal team committed substantial resources to the company. Through discussions with the management team and the existing investors we established the needs of the various stakeholders and agreed expectations and objectives. We worked with the management team to develop crisp materials to showcase and explain the opportunity. FirstCapital then pro-actively ran the roadshow process, actively engaging with prospective VCs, and thus enabling the management to retain focus on the business and securing customer contract wins. The opportunity drew interest internationally, from UK, mainland Europe and the US, which we co-ordinated in terms of meetings and follow up materials, to ensure that the process continued to run smoothly and with everyone on the same timetable. The result was a number of offers of financing for the business. FirstCapital mediated amongst the stakeholder groups and facilitated negotiations between the various parties; supported with detailed and independent financial analysis of the competing offers, with the result that the company closed a £3mn round of funding in June 2009. 

www.helveta.com

Testimonials

"Helveta's story is a complex one, combining a unique supply chain technology solution with emerging market growth potential. FirstCapital's expertise in positioning helped us to clearly articulate the investment proposition, and they were an invaluable resource in the preparation of the materials required for the process. Their advice was thoughtful and insightful and they worked tirelessly to ensure the successful completion of the round. I valued the fact that their senior people were fully engaged throughout the process right up to completion, and they provided outstanding support. I would highly recommend them."
Patrick Newton, CEO of Helveta