London based tech-firms attracted $795.2m from US investors!
Technology entrepreneur with a computer science degree from Cambridge, Herman Narula, CEO of Improbable and Ozymandias productions, whose passion lies in changing the way people play games by bringing together and working with the very best computer science and artistic talent to solve hard and overlooked problems. The son of Harpinder Singh Narula, the Indian construction billionaire, said : “We have grand ambitions to create an operating system for an brand new class of applications”. The company employs 50 techies including former staff ofFacebook and Google and software engineers from Goldman Sachs.
The company attracted $1.5m from angel investors including Herman Hauser, the Austrian entrepreneur who co-founded Acorn computers in 1970s, Alex Asseily Co-founder of Jawbone the Bluetooth handsfree gadget.
22 London fintech firms currently in New York on trade mission to win deals for the capital with new announcements from TransferWise and Digital Shadows
London-based tech firms attracted a record breaking $795.2m from US investors in 2014, new figures released by the Mayor of London’s promotion London & Partners reveals. The record is more than double that of 2012’s record $296m, with investment from the US into the UK as a whole also a record breaking $1.35bn, compared to $582m in 2012.
Several major US investments are looking to invest heavily in potential London Tech companies in 2015 as it looks set to continue the exponential trend. Fintech company TransferWise secured $58m of new investment from Silicon Valley-based Andreessen Horowitz, while music tech company Shazam recently received a $30m investment, valuing the company at more than $1bn.
The proximity of world class financial services infrastructure to London’s booming tech industry is driving innovation across mobile payments, retail banking and crowd funding subsequent creation of dynamic products and apps for a plugged-in generation, as similar story is happening in New York and it makes sense for both cities to corroborate further bringing the next generation of financial products to the markets and the world.
TransferWise co-founder, Hinrikus, said: “London has been a great place to start and grow our business. Its proximity to both a tech and financial hub means we’ve been able to grow the company from just my co-founder and I to a company of 250 employees, processing over £3bn worth of customers’ money in four years.
Gordon Innes, chief executive of London & Partners, said: “As the world’s leading financial centres, London and New York are also in the forefront of developments in financial technology.
Boris Johnson, the London Mayor, during a trade mission to the United States aimed at strengthening economic and cultural ties between the capital and the US.