Across the decades, we’ve helped dynamic scientific and business thinkers turn ground-breaking ideas into profitable companies and reap the rewards of their innovation.  In the last five years alone, 3i-backed entrepreneurs have achieved over 60 listings on over 10 international exchanges and taken part in more than 150 trade sales, often for multi-million dollar sums.

We’re able to do this because of the caliber of our people, who combine business know-how with a deep personal commitment to every business that we partner.

Sandburst (USA) - providers of medical claims data to the US pharmaceutical industry.
“At the time we invested in Sandburst, a lot of potential investors just couldn’t see that selling medical claims data would turn out to be big business.  But we knew that the company was on to something and helped them grow their idea into a money-making product for pharmaceutical giants.  Once Sandburst was established as the only private operator in a highly-prized field, it became a natural acquisition for IMS, the global leader in pharmaceutical market intelligence.” Marko Maschek, 3i investor.

 

CSR (UK) - a world pioneer in Bluetooth wireless devices.
“As soon as you met the management team at CSR, you knew they had exactly the right ingredients: scientific genius, allied to powerful ambition.  This was clearly a team that was hungry for success on a big scale.  Our role was to do everything we could to help them grow - introducing contacts, sourcing talent, helping with contract negotiation.  In the end, their customer list was like a ‘who’s who’ of global electronics giants.  It was no surprise when they became this century’s first billion-dollar company in the fabless semiconductor market.” Laurence Garrett, 3i investor.

 

PlaceWare (USA) - Web conference service provider.
“At the time we invested, the company had developed a great product in the web conferencing services space and was well positioned for further growth. 3i partnered with PlaceWare’s global sector and marketing teams and introduced them to potential partners and customers in Europe and North America. Over an 18-month period, PlaceWare increased its blue-chip customer base from 2,500 to 3,300. Once Placeware was established as a top tier player in its space, it became a natural acquisition for Microsoft, the worldwide leader software, services and Internet technologies.” Robin Murray, 3i investor.