Maidenhead: Wilson Partners provides DD advice for Puma PE investment

Wilson Partners Corporate Finance provided financial and tax due diligence for Puma Private Equity on a £2.75 million investment in MyKindaFuture (MKF). The capital injection will enable MKF to expand its mission to help employers access a broader and more diverse talent pool, improve retention rates and tackle skills shortages.

Will Akerman, founder and managing director of MyKindaFuture, said: “We are a social business supporting young people of all backgrounds in the transition from school through to the first year of employment. This new funding from Puma Private Equity will allow us to continue building on our success within the emerging talent space, supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace and achieving our goal – to reduce youth unemployment.”

Tommy O’Sullivan, managing director at Puma Private Equity, said: “MKF creates a positive social impact for young people across the UK whilst operating a successful, scalable business. This funding will allow the team to continue setting the standard for this sector, build out its tech platform to solve more customers’ problems and help address the frustration of the skills gap currently holding back corporates, educators and young people."

Founded in 2011, MKF has built a network of secondary schools, having delivered 882 school events this year, as well as organising 57 events across 28 universities and engaging with more than 25,000 young people via its innovative, award-winning tech platform, connectr. The Company draws on a mix of face-to-face workshops, online challenges, digital tools, events, campus ambassadors and pre-boarding programmes to upskill students and employees.

MKF focuses its recruitment on young people – bridging the gap between education and the world of work, and raising the skills and aspirations of those aged 11 to 25. It aims to help students from a range of backgrounds develop employability skills and succeed in the workplace, whilst supporting employers with their specific recruitment needs – from work experience and apprenticeships through to graduate programmes. Its extensive client base includes 65 leading employers, such as BT, Burberry, Cisco, Deloitte, Dentsu Aegis and TCS.

Puma Private Equity is the private equity division of Puma Investments and partners with SME management teams to accelerate growth and help businesses achieve their potential.

Helena Deacon, senior manager at Wilson Partners, said: “MKF is an impressive and impactful business, led by a driven and inspirational management team. We look forward to seeing all that they achieve in partnership with Puma Private Equity.”