9 July 2024
Mindflair
plc
("Mindflair" or the "Company")
Infinite Reality agrees to
acquire Landvault, a Sure Valley Ventures portfolio company, for
US$450 million
Mindflair plc, the company investing
in next-generation technology focused on AI, notes the announcement
made by Infinite Reality ("iR"), that it has agreed to acquire
Landvault for US$450 million in an all-share transaction.
Landvault is a portfolio company of the Sure Valley Ventures
Fund ("SVV1"), in which Mindflair has an
investment.
SVV1 has a 7% shareholding in
Landvault, and Mindflair has a 13% direct interest in SVV1 and a
5.3% indirect investment in SVV1 via its holding in Sure Ventures
plc. The purchase consideration for Landvault would comprise new
shares in iR and it is expected that this company will be seeking a
listing on Nasdaq in Q3 2024 through a combination with its SPAC
partner, Newbury Street Acquisition Corp.
Based on the figures set out above,
this disposal has the potential to generate proceeds for Mindflair
of circa US$6 million depending on the value of iR shares, a
circa 470% uplift on SVV1's carrying value of Landvault as at
31 December 2023 and an increase in the net asset value of SVV1
from the value at 31 December 2023.
Furthermore, iR has also today
announced
a US$350 million minority investment from
a private multi-family office focused on global technology, media,
and real estate, increasing iR's valuation to $5.1
billion.
Further details will become
available once iR publishes details of its proposed listing on
Nasdaq, although there can be no guarantee that a listing of iR
will ultimately take place.
iR is an innovation company powering
the next generation of digital media and ecommerce through AI and
immersive technologies. iR's virtual worlds enable brands and
creators to fully control how they distribute content, engage
audiences, and monetize their creations while maintaining ownership
of their data. With deep expertise in Hollywood production and
extended reality ("XR"), iR is redefining the infinite
possibilities of connected digital environments in the modern age.
iR's portfolio of brands includes
the Drone Racing
League, XR production
facility Thunder
Studios, creator talent
management firm TalentX, and digital marketing
agency Fearless
Media.
The company is backed by a number of
investors including RSE Ventures, Liberty Media, Lux Capital, Lerer
Hippeau, MGM, CAA, T-Mobile Ventures, Courtside VC, Exor, Terracap,
IAC, Live Nation, DJ and producer Steve Aoki, rock band Imagine
Dragons, NBA player Rudy Gobert, Interscope Records, and more. For
more information, go to theinfinitereality.com.
SVV1 is a venture capital fund,
investing in a range of software companies with a focus on
companies in AI and ML, Immersive Tech, Metaverse and Cybersecurity
sectors. The fund is run by the same SVV team which has been highly
successful in achieving a number of cash realisations from, and
upward revaluations of, companies in the SVV portfolio.
SVV1, which includes a cornerstone
EUR 10 million investment from Enterprise Ireland, was launched in
March 2017. SVV1 is currently in its investment realisation
phase.
Nicholas Lee, Director of Mindflair,
commented:
"This is a very exciting and
potentially material development for Mindflair given its
significant exposure to SVV1. We very much look forward to further
news regarding iR's proposed listing."
The Directors of the Company are
responsible for the release of this announcement. The person who
arranged for the release of this information is Nicholas Lee, a
director of the Company.
Enquiries:
Mindflair plc
Nicholas Lee, Director
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3368 8961
|
Nominated Adviser
Cairn Financial Advisers
LLP
Liam Murray / Ludovico
Lazzaretti
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880
|
Broker
Peterhouse Capital
Limited
Duncan Vasey/Lucy
Williams
|
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7469 0935
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7469 0936
|
Notes to Editors
Mindflair plc (AIM: MFAI) is an
investment company providing investors with access to a portfolio
of next generation technology businesses focused on AI with
significant growth potential. The Company is building an investment
portfolio of high-tech businesses focused on Artificial
Intelligence, across such areas as Internet of Things, Cyber
Security, Machine Learning, Immersive Technologies and Big Data,
which the Board believes demonstrate evidence of traction and the
potential for exponential growth, due to increasing global demand
for development in these sectors. For further information,
visit: http://www.mindflair.tech/.
Sure Valley Ventures
(www.surevalleyventures.com)
("SVV") is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage AI
software companies in the UK and Ireland. Investing in AI since the
firm's inception in 2017, SVV has a strong track record of
accelerating the growth of private AI companies through to Series A
and beyond.
Caution regarding forward looking statements
Certain statements in this
announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking
statements. Forward looking statements are identiÞed by their use
of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should"
''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'',
''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those,
variations or comparable expressions, including references to
assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on
historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations
and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of
operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures
(including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof),
competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such
forward looking statements reßect the Directors' current beliefs
and assumptions and are based on information currently available to
the Directors.