Magnusson Denmark assisted the pan-European VC fund BlackWood Ventures to invest in UK PropTech startup HYBR

Managing Partner and Head of Corporate M&A Sam Jalaei led Magnusson Denmark’s Corporate M&A team in assisting pan-European venture capital fund BlackWood Ventures Fund I, as Lead Investor in the Seed Round of Equity Investment in UK-based PropTech company HYBR LIMITED.

BlackWood is an experienced investor in early stage start-ups, and leverages its broad network to support the efforts of visionary entrepreneurs. BlackWood COO & Founding Partner Thomas Derambure said of this investment,

“Magnusson’s support and professionalism has been precious in the completion of the Hybr deal. The team ensured that all legal aspects of this multi-faceted deal were managed effectively. Their attention to detail and ability to stay on top of the evolving situation in this large pre-seed round were key to the smooth completion of this transaction. We’re thankful for their guidance and expertise throughout the process.”

Hybr is a British services provider for tenants and landlords of student accommodation that aims to address the challenges students face in the British rental market. Founded by recent Bristol University graduate Hannah Chappatte, the company’s £3.24M ($4.41M) second round of funding has broken UK PropTech records and builds on a £700,000 round in May 2022. Already active in ten major UK cities, Hybr’s platform provides an easy-to-use match-making process for landlords to access pre-qualified and supported tenants.

In addition to BlackWood, high profile investors in Hybr include Adjuvo and Atomico Angels, as well as individuals including Rosemary Leith, Hannah Rothschild, and former CEOs of Bupa, The Office Group, and (the UK’s first on-demand supermarket) Weezy.

Magnusson Denmark’s Managing Partner and Head of Corporate M&A, Sam Jalaei, commented,

“2023 has been a really good M&A year for us with lots of cross-border deals, particularly in the midcap segment. Both continental and North American investors looking at assets in the Nordic region. We have not experienced any M&A slowdown this year in our sweet spot – on the contrary. This is the second deal we do this year for one of our most important and visionary VC clients, Blackwood Ventures, with a dynamic and highly skilled management team. It’s an honor and privilege to work with them. The first deal was in France (AI and ESG) and now in UK (proptech) and I am sure there will be more to come.”

BlackWood’s investment will contribute to the company establishing a working presence in all of 20 the UK’s key university cities within the next 12 months. It is a significant milestone in fulfilling Hybr’s mission of assisting students navigate the housing crisis through building trust with landlords, agents and operators.

The team from Magnusson Denmark consisted of Managing Partner and Head of Corporate M&A Sam Jalaei, Partner Tom Stener Froberg and Junior Associates Simone Skovdahl and Matthew C Thorn.