How Can We Help?
We offer hands-on support, unlocking growth opportunities together from day one
We won’t tell you what to do but are there as needed to work alongside you on projects that drive value.
We won’t tell you what to do but are there as needed to work alongside you on projects that drive value.
The people you meet at investment will work with you throughout. Three teams behind you, working together as one.
ECI Unlocked is our programme of connecting business leaders across the ECI portfolio, unlocking growth opportunities through a community of open conversations, shared best practice and expert insight.
There are five key focus areas that we’re most often asked about by the companies that we back.
M&A can be a key driver for growth and scalability. Our proven in-house team can help businesses to shape their strategy, source and execute acquisitions, and help with some of the heavy lifting around integration.
PORTFOLIO BOLT-ONS SINCE 2010
We worked really well with the ECI Origination team to map the M&A market. The impact of the acquisitions on our growth was transformational. What we were able to acquire was really unique capability, at the right price with the right organisations that made a difference to the overall growth trajectory.”
WE WORKED WITH THE MANAGEMENT TEAM TO DEFINE THE CRITERIA FOR POTENTIAL ACQUISITIONS.
WE BUILT A FULL MARKET VIEW OF 750+ RELEVANT BUSINESSES.
WE SHORTLISTED AND SOURCED MEETINGS WITH POTENTIAL TARGETS.
This resulted in off-market acquisitions of Voicenation and Ninja Number with the US now accounting for c.30% of group revenue.
A real skill of the wider ECI team is that they’re always trying to add value.
We have a strong track record of building truly international businesses, by supporting management teams to deliver acquisitive and organic growth from both our UK and US offices.
PORTFOLIO REVENUE FROM LAST 3 FUNDS IS INTERNATIONAL
ECI’s New York Office were crucial really in helping us explore the US district market, reaching out to school districts over there, showcasing CPOMS to them and asking all the right questions. When it then came to speaking to a potential buyer pool, we were aware of what the needs were, and could showcase to them how CPOMS could be applicable to a market they were already in.”
In order to create value, many management teams we work with look to move into or further their position in other geographies. We can help management teams navigate this, and support on both organic and acquisitive growth strategies
DEFINE AND IDENTIFY ATTRACTIVE MARKETS
ESTABLISH MARKET CREDIBILITY
ENSURE CONTINUED BUSINESS GROWTH DURING EXPANSION
Our business is so much better. The partnership has made our business even more scalable and stable, and we’re just a better business on all levels.
We believe the importance of people and culture is often overlooked in private equity, but our experience has taught us that it really matters and is fundamental to scalable growth. It’s why we designed a People Toolkit, to help management teams to create a more engaged and happier workforce.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE TOOLKIT
One of the things about ECI that really stands out is the focus on people and the culture of an organisation. They’ve been very supportive in ensuring that we’ve got employee engagement, the right people in the business and making sure that the people agenda is the main agenda. That’s been a really welcome bonus.
WE SUPPORTED MANAGEMENT TO DEVELOP AN ENGAGEMENT TOOL TO SURVEY ITS GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BASE
WE USED THESE INSIGHTS TO DEVELOP A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, INCLUDING AN INTERNAL COMMUNICATION PROGRAM TO CONNECT EMPLOYEES WHEREVER THEY’RE BASED.
We help management teams ensure that their existing platform, tech team and tech stack is flexible and scalable enough for growth. We also champion data that can be used to gain better insights and make better decisions. Our Head of Cyber supports management teams to improve their security measures, with ECI itself Cyber Essentials Plus accredited.
PORTFOLIO SUPPORTED WITH TECH TRANSFORMATION OVER LAST DECADE
We’re in the detail of the business all the time, and as a SaaS business you can almost open up the back door and see what people are doing. To be able to have another external brain that can be applied to that, we get the benefit of someone else’s thoughts, rather than being on our own with it. It’s really helpful.
WE HELPED TO AUGMENT THE SENIOR TEAM WITH TECH NATIVE LEADERS FROM BUSINESSES SUCH AS PAYPAL, VODAFONE AND MATCHES FASHION.
INVESTMENT IN A SCALABLE TECH PLATFORM ENABLED THE BUSINESS TO INTEGRATE FOUR STRATEGIC ACQUISITIONS DURING OUR INVESTMENT
We’ve had a really good relationship with ECI over these years both in terms of, I’d say, thought partnership and execution. ECI provided a lot of real, raw horsepower into the business at different points in time.
Hands on support with sales and marketing strategies can help teams to think through prioritisation and ensure effectiveness of activity across:
HOSTED FOR FUNCTIONAL LEADS ACROSS PORTFOLIO
ECI have done a lot for us on churn, looking at quite disorganised data and bringing it to life. Once you have that, you can change behaviours really quickly and drive the lifetime value of our clients.
LAUNCHES IN KEY MASS GROCERY STOCKISTS INCLUDING TARGET, KROGER AND MEIJER
SUBSEQUENT LAUNCHES WITH KEY PET SPECIALITY RETAILERS PETCO AND PETSMART
STRONG REVENUE GROWTH AND IMPROVED GROSS MARGINS
With ECI’s support over the last four years, we’ve been able to strengthen our platform, internationalise our business and develop new product lines. It has been a fantastic partnership
