Forward advise Alpha on fundraising to support acquisition

Forward is delighted to have advised Cambridge based Alpha CRC Limited (“Alpha”) on securing a £7.25m debt facility from Shawbrook Bank to fund a European acquisition.

Founded in 1987 by Isabelle Weiss, Alpha is a leading localisation company, with 360 employees, across 16 offices in 14 countries. Alpha manages large scale projects for multi-national corporations across a variety of sectors including IT & software, gaming, lifestyle and fintech.

The latest acquisition continues the impressive growth of the privately-held company and will expand the client base into new sectors and countries.

Forward worked with Alpha to run a competitive process with a number of lenders, from high street banks to SME focused debt funds. The interest level was high, and the Company selected Shawbrook as the best fit in terms of both structure and commitment to deliver exactly as they promised from the outset.

Commenting on the transaction Peter Nash, CEO Alpha said, “Forward worked extremely closely with us throughout the project helping us to prepare our financials, present to the lenders, evaluate the offers, and negotiate the final terms with Shawbrook. They were efficient, always available to answer questions, and provided an excellent service all round.”

Sarah Moores, Director Forward Corporate Finance commented “Alpha is an excellent business so we weren’t surprised to get such good interest from lenders. Oli Sutton at Shawbrook was creative and responsive and the bank will make a good partner for Alpha as they continue to grow.”

Oli Sutton, Director at Shawbrook Bank added “Alpha stood out to us as a fantastic business, not only for its industry, product and sector knowledge but for its cultural sensitivity and local insight too, which makes a big difference to the way translations are received across territories and is a significant value add for their global client base. The transaction had some complexities, but working closely with both the client and the team at Forward meant we were able to deliver the structure and quantum required.”

The Forward team comprised Sarah Moores and Amie Goodlad. Legal advice for Alpha was provided by Adrian Seagers, Alex Schaafsma and Caroline Nicholls from Birketts, Cambridge.