Puma standing out in private equity jungle

What's the investment sweet spot? And why the growth capital investor doesn't do leveraged deals...

Hello Rainmakers,

We like getting under the skin of the capital providers, answering a few questions about what they’re looking for, what makes them different and what might help you get a deal away.

Here are Rupert West and Mark Lyons from Puma Growth Partners.

Into the jungle…

When Mark Lyons was a few months into his new job at Puma Growth Partners, as the man on the ground in the North, he was asked to present to the rest of the team on a mega trend, or investment theme, that would get the team thinking.

Confident on his feet, as he demonstated at the Puma launch event at Tattu (pictured) for his first one he picked the potential of the Saudi economy and how companies can sell into the Saudi market.

It’s become a regular Friday thing in the business and he relishes the intellectual challenge.

“Most recently I did a presentation on the hydrogen vehicle market, versus Electric Vehicles, historically, I've done everything from the growth of Padel as a sport and whether it's an investable opportunity for us - and we concluded it would not be - I’ve done combating deep fake technology, self driving vehicles.

“Which would I think that keeps it interesting, because we can go off and research, and then we're interested, but also trying to bring it back to, is there a theme here or a sector that we can double down on? And, you know, it worked within the no alcohol market, and we try and replicate that, and then try and build an origination pipeline around that theme.”

Puma Growth Partners is one of four pillars of Puma Capital Group, itself part of Shore Capital, and the business was founded by David Kaye and boasts 7,200 investors, 98 employees, 61 active investments through its VCTs and EIS products and 664 loans on its books. Puma Capital operates across four divisions – public markets, property, investments and private equity, which it has subtly rebranded as ‘Growth Partners’.

For Rupert West, one of the founders of the business, these intellectual challenges are an example of the thoughtful and commercial way in which Puma conducts its business, and builds the right kind of behaviours in the team.

“It actually came about during COVID, a strange time to be trying to grow a business and harmonising a team. That's when we started doing these presentations as a way of ensuring that everyone was talking to each other,” he said.