The former leadership team from a FTSE plc has launched Aura Futures (Aura), bringing together collaboration solutions specialists (Intevi) and workflow and managed print services experts (Karlson), in a management buy-in deal backed by Baird Capital.
As a leading consultancy and technology provider offering a full end-to-end service for clients from consultancy to integration, Aura has an ambitious buy and build programme to create a business worth over £200m within five years. Today it operates across six offices globally, servicing 300 large clients in over 60 countries.
Aura is the culmination of CEO (Alpesh Unalkat), COO (Sajan Shivshanker) and CFO (Steven Hallissey)’s vision to create a holistic and seamless tech experience for the world’s most progressive companies by reimagining workspace futures. The trio worked together at Capita and handpicked Intevi and Karlson as two complementary and pioneering businesses to join them on that journey and become the platform for growth.
Intevi’s co-founders (Adam Wilson and Tom Scott) and Karlson’s MD and co-founder (Martyn Kidd) and Director (Stephen Todd) have invested into Aura and will join the operating board, together with Stuart Beere, formerly of Deloitte LLP. The remaining three directors of Karlson are also investing in the new business including co-founder William Todd.
Alpesh Unalkat, commented:
“With private equity backing, two complementary businesses as the foundation for growth and the entrepreneurial spirit and track record of those involved; we have huge aspirations for Aura in reimagining the future of workspaces.
“The business world has been facing a number of challenges in adapting to changing working practices, no more so than now. Bringing together changing generational attitudes in the workplace, being agile as to how and where people work and injecting greater connectivity to ensure that no matter where people are they feel part of something, can create huge differentiation in organisations.
“We believe we have an opportunity to reimagine the future workspace, bringing together a unique combination of products and services, and using our expertise to integrate these seamlessly for our clients.”
The investment into creating the platform and its subsequent growth is backed by a highly reputable and capable Global Investment Fund, Baird Capital, which has raised and managed more than £2.4bn and invested in nearly 300 portfolio companies since 1989.
Andrew Ferguson, partner at Baird Capital, said:
“At Baird we partner with entrepreneurs and, leveraging our executive networks, strive to build exceptional companies.”
He added: “We are passionate about Aura and have made a significant commitment to forming the platform and then scaling the Aura business through further organic and acquisitive growth with an entrepreneurial team that has previously developed, diversified and scaled managed services businesses.”
The Aura Futures operating board includes Alpesh Unalkat (CEO), Sajan Shivshanker (COO), Steven Hallissey (CFO), Martyn Kidd (Chief Commercial Officer), Tom Scott (Chief Technology Officer), Adam Wilson (Chief Sales Officer – Collaboration), Stephen Todd (Chief Sales Officer – Workflow/MPS) and Stuart Beere (Director of M&A/Integration).
