London, 4 August 2008

FirstCapital, the London-based technology investment bank, today announced the appointment of Piers Hartland-Swann as Director. Piers brings over 25 years of corporate finance and investment banking experience, and a very strong track record in international mergers and acquisitions.

Piers joins FirstCapital from MacArthur and Co. Ltd. where he was a Partner.  He was previously Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns in Hong Kong, where he led the team that advised China Telecom on their US$1.4bn IPO in 2002.  Prior to this, Piers spent 14 years at UBS Warburg, most recently as Head of Asian Telecoms corporate finance in Hong Kong. Notable projects included coordinating Korea Telecom Corp’s US$2.2bn privatization, and leading the team which advised PCCW on their US$34bn bid for Hong Kong Telecom (Asia’s largest ever M&A deal, voted Deal of the Year by Asiamoney, CFO Asia, The Asset and FIA magazines). Before Hong Kong, Piers spent 10 years at UBS in London, moving from the Debt Division to the Corporate Finance Division.  Piers graduated with a BSc. in Civil Engineering from King’s College, London.

Commenting on the appointment, Jason Purcell, CEO of FirstCapital, said "We are delighted to welcome Piers to FirstCapital. Piers has fantastic experience and expertise which will further enhance the service we offer to our clients. FirstCapital is already a leading technology corporate finance house, and with Piers joining the team we will be able to expand our client base while continuing to deliver the results that keep our clients recommending us."

Piers Hartland-Swann said "I am delighted to be joining FirstCapital, which has a top-quality reputation. I am looking forward to the opportunity to help expand FirstCapital's reach, by adding my experience in global M&A and investment banking.”

FirstCapital is also pleased to announce the promotion of Amer Vohora to Vice President.  Amer has been with the firm since 2000 and specialises in cleantech, physical sciences and materials.

About FirstCapital

FirstCapital is an investment bank that specialises in fund raising and mergers and acquisitions advice for high growth technology companies. Established in 1999, it has offices in London and Cambridge, UK. Clients include entrepreneurs, technology companies and investors in private companies.

Our team is experienced in a wide variety of deals, from growth companies to multinationals in both UK and international cross border transactions. We provide pro-active, informed, full service deal management, including assistance with strategy and planning, finding and approaching investors or M&A targets, valuations and hands-on transaction execution.
We work in partnership with our clients to achieve their goals, offering impartial advice and support based on our knowledge of the market and of each client's individual requirements, and sharing alongside them in the risks and the rewards of success.

FirstCapital is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Services Authority.

For more information, contact:

Jason Purcell, CEO
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: +44 (0)20 8563 1563