Com Laude and Valideus were founded by Nick Wood and Lorna Gradden in 2005 to provide support for brand owners seeking to protect and position their intellectual property in the domain name system. Com Laude is a corporate domain name registrar and Valideus is a market-leading consultancy which delivers strategic advice and services to Dot Brand new gTLD registry operators. The shareholders were seeking to crystallise value from their investment to date and bring on board the right funding partner to capitalise on the significant growth opportunities available and maximise the strategic value in the business in the medium term.
We worked closely with the shareholders, understanding what was important to them, whilst refining the business plan, building a financial model, and exploring a variety of investment options with potential investors. Following these extensive discussions, the team ran a full competitive marketing process which created significant interest from the private equity community. The shareholders received a number of attractive offers and concluded that Vespa Capital was the right partner to support them through the next phase of the journey for the business.
We provided corporate finance advisory, modelling, vendor due diligence and tax advisory services, enabling a seamless and joined-up process for all parties throughout.
“The Grant Thornton team provided us with excellent advice and support. They are strategic, commercial, responsive and tireless. They helped us to develop an international vision for our business that was backed up by sound financial plans. They then guided us through a complex sale process to a result that exceeded our expectations. When we needed specialist support, they had access through the Grant Thornton network to experts who fitted neatly into the team. We will work with them again and we recommend them highly.”
Nick Wood Founder & Managing Director, Com Laude
