Smart Company

Partnering with Entrepreneurial Business

Featuring:

Editorial: Wol Kolade

The right connection - CableCom
While the IT networking business could see huge prospects in supplying online services to students, it lacked the funding and - with the impending departure of its founder - the complete management team to make its ambitious strategy work. The solution was a managament buyout.

An Entrepreneur's Journey - Brian Gosschalk, Ipsos MORI
Brian Gosschalk led the first MBO of independent market research company MORI in 2000. This was followed by a second MBO in 2004, supported by ISIS, before MORI merged with Ipsos in the UK in 2005. Brian reflects on his experiences of private equity and life beyond as Ipsos MORI.

ISIS - working with new businesses and realising value
Update on activity in the ISIS portfolio of investments.

Investment Cycle - Mitch Dall, Co-Founder, Wiggle
We catch up with Wiggle Co-Founder Mitch Dall to see how life has changed since he sold his stake in the business in 2009.

On the move with Nexus
Nexus had the capability of becoming a front runner in the vehicle rental sector but it was too lean and too underfunded to capitalise on the opportunity they had created. Industry veteran Neil McCrossan and ISIS saw the opportunity in the business and completed an MBO/MBI in 2008.

Strategic Thinking
How to write a winning business plan.

Team Talk: Anna Highton, ISIS

Ideas Man
After winning The Apprentice and working for 'Sir Alan' for two years, Tim Campbell set up his own consultancy and a philanthropic organisation the Bright Ideas Trust. So what difference is it making?

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Video

See our Approach

What do we mean by ‘partnership' and what will you gain by working with us? Here, ISIS partners and investees share their experiences of how ISIS adds value to entrepreneurial businesses. (Produced in conjunction with the Daily Telegraph Business Club.)

Watch the video

Features

"The relationship [with MORI] was everything to us, and this has become a hallmark of the way we work with all of the businesses we partner with. ISIS has a culture that was first seen in the work with MORI, and we aim to bring this approach to everything we do. The figures only tell half of the story - without understanding the people, it is always going to be difficult to get the best results. It also demonstrates that we do not work with just young companies: this was a mature management team that knew where it wanted to go. Our role was to help it get there."

Wol Kolade, ISIS - An Entrepreneurs Journey with Brian Gosschalk, Ipsos MORI