Bloc Ventures attracts over £20M in funding to support European deep technology
27 January 2020, London. Bloc Ventures Limited (Bloc), the venture capital company focussed on early stage European deep technology investment, today announces it has raised over £20m in equity funding from UK industry leaders.
The latest funding round was led by Michael Spencer’s investment company IPGL Limited and supported by a number of other industry leaders including Warren East, Christopher (Jock) Miller, Gavyn Davies, Stuart Roden, and Stephen Catlin, who also serves as a non-executive director on the Bloc Board. As part of the round, Samantha (Sam) Wren, CEO of IPGL, also joins as a non-executive director.
Bloc was founded by CEO Bruce Beckloff, CTO David Leftley, technology industry veterans from ARM and Vodafone respectively, and Chairman Paul Roy, to fill the gap in Europe for expert led funding of early stage deep technology companies. Andrew Griffin, former managing director of European technology equity research for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, joined as CFO in early 2019.
The team has already built a portfolio of nine companies and will use the new funds for new portfolio additions and follow-on investments in line with Bloc’s strategy to create companies of global scale with enduring value in the European deep technology market. Sectors in which Bloc has invested include high performance computing, wireless communications, networking infrastructure, and the Internet of Things.
Commenting on this announcement, Paul Roy, Chairman of Bloc said:
“We are very pleased to have reached this significant milestone and to welcome further notable new shareholders to Bloc, and Sam Wren to the Board. Sam brings considerable expertise and a full understanding of the perspectives of the professional investor to the table. Existing and new investors have supported Bloc in this funding round, and we are excited by the opportunity to accelerate the growth and success of our current portfolio and continue our disciplined approach to investing in new companies in the deep technology space.”
Bruce Beckloff, Co-Founder and CEO added:
“Our approach is to invest in companies in the deep technology sector that provide the picks and shovels for the digital world. With Bloc’s hands on approach and complementary mix of experience and expertise, we are uniquely placed to identify and invest in the next generation of technology companies, whilst de-risking the journey for our shareholders by actively helping our companies optimise and scale. It is a significant endorsement of our strategy to have such notable industry players backing Bloc. We look forward to continuing our journey to build a global brand for investing in deep technology in Europe.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
About Bloc Ventures
Bloc Ventures is a permanent venture capital company providing expert-led funding of European deep technology. Bloc is passionate about supporting and growing the next generation of European technology businesses at the forefront of telecommunications and computing. It provides its shareholders with access to the exciting, high growth early-stage European deep-technology landscape using an approach that lowers the risk of crystallising returns.
The Bloc team has a tight complementary mix of technology, commercialisation and finance expertise borne out of extensive careers in the technology industry, including many years in corporate venture capital and M&A at Vodafone and ARM. They apply expertise via detailed due diligence pre-investment, and a hands-on collaborative approach with portfolio companies to scale them rapidly post-investment.
Bloc serves as the catalyst for its portfolio companies, moving them from early-stage to growth businesses and driving substantial value-creation. This positions Bloc as the preferred investor partner for tech businesses.
www.blocventures.com
About Samantha Wren
Samantha Wren joined the interdealer broker ICAP in 2009 as Group Treasurer and later became CFO and COO of the voice-broking division. On the sale of this division, Wren became the Chief Commercial Officer for NEX Markets, which houses NEX Group’s trading venues, before becoming Group CFO and COO of NEX Group Plc. In 2019 she became Chief Executive Officer of ICAP founder Michael Spencer’s private investment company, IPGL.
www.ipgl.co.uk
For further enquiries:
Bloc Ventures
Andrew Griffin (CFO) +44 20 3826 7100
info@blocventures.com
Paternoster Communications
Catriona Woolner-Winders/ Tom Buchanan/ Charlie Codrington +44 20 3012 0241
bloc@paternostercomms.com
EVRYTHNG announced their partnership with Wiliot to power dynamic consumer product experiences.
Wiliot is disrupting the industry with a battery-free Bluetooth tag that — when combined with EVRYTHNG Active Digital Identities in the EVRYTHNG Product Cloud — allows consumer brands to gather rich (really rich) data across the full product lifecycle while making it easier to deliver dynamic consumer experiences. Link to full article here.
Bruce Beckloff was invited to share his unique journey, expectations, most important lessons and biggest regrets throughout his career.
Investor Series provides a unique understanding and insight into the minds of some of the UK’s most experienced tech startup investors.
University of Southampton Spin-Out Unveils Breakthrough 5G Cellular Optimisation Technology Delivering Highest Throughput, Lowest Latency Forward Error Correction IP
Southampton, UK – 11th December 2019: AccelerComm, the company supercharging 5G with Optimisation and Latency Reduction IP, announced today the launch and general availability of the 5G NR LDPC version of its error correction software, which reduces latency up to 16x to support numerology 4 in 3GPP 38.211 and also results in significant power savings for mobile networks with lower order numerology networks. The company’s LDPC IP is optimized and configurable to support high performance base station solutions or low power (small size) mobile terminal solutions.
Channel coding, also known as forward error correction, is used to correct transmission errors in mobile communications caused by noise, interference and poor signal strength. This announcement reflects a dramatic change in the direction of coding in mobile communications standards. While 3G and 4G used Convolutional and Turbo codes for the control and data channels, 5G uses the much more sophisticated Polar and LDPC codes, and requires the industry to look afresh at how to address error correction. If channel coding is not working well the impact on mobile networks is poor capacity, poor data rates, poor coverage and poor quality of service. AccelerComm’s LDPC IP brings many years of experience in error correction to address this challenge in the 5G networks now being launched.
AccelerComm CEO, Tom Cronk, commented: “For all the hype around 5G, the simple fact is ‘ping time’ remains an issue, stifling new revenue opportunities for operators from services such as gaming or VR before they’ve had an opportunity to monetise them. After more than 15 years of research by the team, first at the University of Southampton and now at AccelerComm, we’re able to deliver on the 5G promise of a low latency, high throughput experience.”
The software is fully compliant with the 3GPP NR standard for PDSCH, PUSCH and also supports the full range of uncoded and encoded block sizes. It implements the entire LDPC encoding and decoding chain in 3GPP TS38.212 with superior error correction performance and hardware efficiency. It also tightly integrates the components in the chain to reduce hardware usage and latency and boasts a simple interface, making it quick to integrate.
The solutions provided by AccelerComm enable all 5G NR channels to be coded. AccelerComm solutions are 3GPP standards compliant and cover the total processing chain, including the encode-decode engine, channel interleaving, rate matching, CRC and early termination functions.
About AccelerComm
AccelerComm is the company supercharging 5G with Optimisation and Latency Reduction IP. It provides LDPC, polar and turbo FEC solutions which enable optimal performance of communication systems and solves the challenges that would otherwise limit the speed of 5G, namely the error correction decoding that is required to overcome the effects of noise, interference and poor signal strength. For more information please visit: www.accelercomm.com
Marmalade Game Studios, a portfolio company of Bloc Ventures, goes live with new mobile MONOPOLY game.
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]
London, 4th December 2019 – – Independent developer and publisher Marmalade Game Studio along with Hasbro, Inc. today celebrates the release of a brand new premium MONOPOLY game on iOS and Android. The studio, known for its inventive and high calibre takes on family favourite games such as CLUEDO/CLUE and The GAME OF LIFE, is proud to launch the definitive mobile edition of one of the most famous and beloved games of all time.
Marmalade’s MONOPOLY game not only replicates the instantly recognizable gameplay of the game, but goes a step further in bringing it to life. Featuring a living, breathing city with slick 3D animations, the game allows players to enjoy the wheeling and dealing experience that they know and love in the form of a dynamic, premium video game.
“We’ve always felt that digital board games had the potential to be more interesting, to better reflect the fun and dynamic experience of sitting around a table with friends or family,” said Michael Willis, CEO and one of the two creative leads at Marmalade Game Studios. “We try to draw on our extensive individual experience in creating triple-A console games to craft something more than just a straight adaptation – a version of MONOPOLY that takes advantage of the technology and is perfectly suited to mobile play – without a microtransaction in sight!”
Marmalade has years of experience and collective background in creating high-profile triple-A video games. MONOPOLY for iOS and Android includes a number of new features and additions which make the game more enjoyable, social and accessible for everyone, whether playing around a table or online across the world. Players will be able to play with their own house rules or host speedier quick-play matches, among other special features. Additionally, players will enjoy a game free of any advertisements or pay-to-win microtransactions.
“We are thrilled with what the creative minds at Marmalade have achieved with this fantastic rendition of MONOPOLY for mobile,” said Richard Cleveland, Vice President of Marketing, Digital Media at Hasbro. “They have taken a game with a rich heritage and created an entirely new user experience, while staying true to the spirit of the game fans have come to depend on for over 80 years.”
“We’re really proud of what we’ve managed to achieve with MONOPOLY, one of the most beloved brands in gaming,” added Cristina Mereuta, Marmalade’s COO and other creative lead. “We’ve always been firm believers in surrounding ourselves with the most exceptional talent in the games industry and giving the team the freedom and flexibility to bring great ideas to the table. In essence, we’re perfectionists – and it’s our team’s constant drive for quality that has made this version of MONOPOLY everything it is.”
MONOPOLY is now available to buy on both the iOS App Store and Google’s Play Store, priced £3.99 / $3.99 / €4.49.
For more information about MONOPOLY, please contact Paul Watson at paul@gameifyouare.com.
About Marmalade Game Studio
London-based Marmalade Game Studio is one of the most successful publishers in the digital board games market. Notable successes include The Game of Life and CLUE/CLUEDO, both highly polished and innovative games that constantly top the charts on the app stores. For more information about Marmalade Game Studio, please visit the website: https://marmaladegamestudio.com/, and follow us on Twitter (@MarmaladeGames), Facebook (@MarmaladeGameStudio), and Instagram (@MarmaladeGames)
About Hasbro
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating the World’s Best Play Experiences. From toys and games to television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands, including NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE,MAGIC: THE GATHERING and POWER RANGERS, as well as premier partner brands. Through its entertainment labels, Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation, the Company is building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens. Hasbro is committed to making the world a better place for children and their families through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. Hasbro ranked No. 13 on the 2019 100 Best Corporate Citizens list by CR Magazine and has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere Institute for the past eight years. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro) and Instagram (@Hasbro).
https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles/081227/monopoly-is-heading-to-ios-and-android-later-this-year/
https://www.mcvuk.com/marmalade-game-studios-cristina-mereuta-on-why-talent-trumps-genre-experience/
Powered by Bloc portfolio company EVRYTHNG, Ralph Lauren launched the apparel industry’s first mass-scale digital activation of its entire Polo apparel line. Every item Born Digital.
EVRYTHNG, the real-time internet-of-things software platform, is managing data infrastructure and product digitisation of Ralph Lauren’s Polo clothing range. Product labelling is being handled by EVRYTHNG partner Avery Dennison. As a result each individual item maintains a unique digital identity that corresponds to the physical product. This allows Ralph Lauren and all of its customers to gain true transparency and authenticity. With an annual product volume of over 200 million product items produced by hundreds of third party manufacturers, this is no small feat.
The digital benefit will need to be marketed and communicated to consumers, but once achieved will bring previously unavailable control of the resale market, recycling initiative, and real-time ownership and loyalty programmes.
Digital Identities map the entire life-cycle of a product in what Niall Murphy, cofounder and CEO of EVRYTHNG calls a “transparency goal”. This includes product material, type of labour, factory location, and intended distribution channel.
EVRYTHNG published a case study on the project which can be downloaded here.
Multi-cloud management platform provider Yellowdog wins Finance Challenge award
YellowDog, the multi cloud management platform, has won the ‘People’s Choice award’ and placed 3rd overall in the UBS Future of Finance Challenge 2019.
The UBS Future of Finance Challenge 2019 was delivered in collaboration with Deloitte. It brought together 40 Fintechs that were selected from over 400 who applied from across the world.
In the ‘Foundation Setting: Technology Enablement’ category, YellowDog’s ability to change the way that financial institutions can scale, control, and optimise data processing and simulation was recognised with both the ‘People’s Choice award’ and the 3rd place finish.
YellowDog CEO and Founder Gareth Williams, and CCO, James Stevens were in New York this week to present as part of the UBS Future of Finance Challenge and accept the awards when they were announced.
Williams said: “This award is one that will certainly stand out because none of the many that we’ve won to date have been decided by C-level executives in a major Tier-1 international bank; and we were up against some stiff and impressive competition.
“YellowDog’s class-leading solution for multi- and hybrid-cloud management continues to evolve and this award is a fantastic acknowledgement of how our product solves the needs of these key customers. We’re very happy!”
Raconteur, who specialise in producing informative content for business leaders, has heavily featured YellowDog in its ‘Cloud for Business’ report. The special report is published online and is available in print.
See full article here: https://raconteur.uberflip.com/i/1176996-cloud-for-business-2019/4
LEUVEN (Belgium), OCTOBER 16, 2018 — Pharrowtech, a spin-off initiative from the world-leading research and innovation hub imec, announces that it will demonstratLEUVEN (Belgium), OCTOBER 16, 2018 — Pharrowtech, a spin-off initiative from the world-leading research and innovation hub imec, announces that it will demonstrate a prototype of a 60 GHz active phased array at the Telecom Infra Project Summit in London (October 16-17, 2018). Pharrowtech’s solution paves the way for telecom OEMs to dramatically increase range and field of view of backhaul nodes, access points and home units. It is fully built using low-cost, high-volume chip and antenna technology. This marks an important step towards accelerated deployment of cost-effective high-speed internet in rural, urban and suburban environments.e a prototype of a 60 GHz active phased array at the Telecom Infra Project Summit in London (October 16-17, 2018). Pharrowtech’s solution paves the way for telecom OEMs to dramatically increase range and field of view of backhaul nodes, access points and home units. It is fully built using low-cost, high-volume chip and antenna technology. This marks an important step towards accelerated deployment of cost-effective high-speed internet in rural, urban and suburban environments.
See full article here: https://www.pharrowtech.com/pharrowtech-boosts-millimeter-wave-fixed-wireless-access-coverag/
Consumer products industry leader partners with Internet of Things platform EVRYTHNG to support digital transformation strategies for global brand owners
See full article here: https://evrythng.com/former-pg-global-innovation-leader-f-d-wilder-joins-evrythng-advisory-board/
