Hamilton Bradshaw
Encyclopedia
Hamilton Bradshaw is a mid-market private equity firm
with headquarters in London
, England
.
The company was founded in 2003, by UK serial entrepreneur and Dragons' Den
panelist James Caan
. Hamilton Bradshaw's main offices are located in Mayfair
, London. Hamilton Bradshaw (HB) can be segmented into private equity, venture capital
, recruitment
, and real estate
.
Hamilton Bradshaw's focus is on acquiring companies that have unique selling points
(USPs). In Caan's book, "The Real Deal", he affirms that, “If you don't have a Unique Selling Point – you're dead in the water." To ensure that this is present in business opportunities that Hamilton Bradshaw evaluates, one of the first things that its investment team does is assess the business plan
.
's Dragons' Den
panelist and CEO James Caan
, along with Tristan Ramus and Deepak Jalan. By 2002, Caan had sold off his stakes in Humana International, Recruitment International, and Alexander Mann. These sales allowed Caan to take a "gap year", studying advanced management at Harvard. The sale of Alexander Mann also led to James Caan forming a company that would focus on private equity. Caan says that his success at Alexander Mann has "given me the opportunity to do what I do today."
Hamilton Bradshaw employs staff in finance, media, investment, and operations. Tristan Ramus is a Managing Director and is Hamilton Bradshaw's non-executive director on company boards and is directly involved with the executive leadership of many of Hamilton Bradshaw's holdings.
Caan's past experience is reflected in Hamilton Bradshaw's holdings in recruitment. Caan's first company, recruitment pioneer Alexander Mann, became one of the UK's most successful recruitment firms of the late 20th century. While Hamilton Bradshaw has a diverse range of investments, its CEO's experience in recruitment has led the company to invest in these types of businesses.
joined Dragons' Den
in 2007, Hamilton Bradshaw's scope was expanded. This is because Caan's investments on Dragons' Den are managed by HB. In fact, James Caan has pursued 15 pitches on the Den, with investments totalling over £900,000. In 2009, company's assets increased by 82%, partially due to the amount of investments Dragons Den brings in. Caan states that his television dealings are time-consuming but rewarding.
While Hamilton Bradshaw and its staff is involved in holdings related to the Den, HB is not centred around these venture capital investments. Most of the company's business comes from other sources and opportunities.
to leisure. The primary sector is recruitment; nevertheless, Hamilton Bradshaw's portfolio includes firms in fitness, commercial, online recruitment, education, financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and technology. Also, HB controls Caan's venture capital investments related to Dragons' Den.
Hamilton Bradshaw is divided into four areas, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Recruitment, and Real Estate. Additionally, James Caan and Hamilton Bradshaw have Advisory Partnerships with businesses. These partnerships are for Hamilton Bradshaw to impart business knowledge and assist in operational efficiency. For small-business owners or those seeking investment, Hamilton Bradshaw offers an online feature to submit business proposals to Caan and his staff.
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
with headquarters in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The company was founded in 2003, by UK serial entrepreneur and Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den (UK)
Dragons' Den is a British television series, hosted by Evan Davis. The format of the show is owned by Sony Pictures and is based on the original Japanese series, which has been sold around the world...
panelist James Caan
James Caan (entrepreneur)
James Caan is a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality. Caan has been building and selling businesses since 1985, including Alexander Mann Group, Humana International, and the private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw.Caan initially achieved success in the recruitment industry,...
. Hamilton Bradshaw's main offices are located in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London. Hamilton Bradshaw (HB) can be segmented into private equity, venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
, recruitment
Recruitment
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job. For some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies.The recruitment...
, and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
.
Hamilton Bradshaw's focus is on acquiring companies that have unique selling points
Unique selling proposition
The Unique Selling Proposition is a marketing concept that was first proposed as a theory to explain a pattern among successful advertising campaigns of the early 1940s. It states that such campaigns made unique propositions to the customer and that this convinced them to switch brands...
(USPs). In Caan's book, "The Real Deal", he affirms that, “If you don't have a Unique Selling Point – you're dead in the water." To ensure that this is present in business opportunities that Hamilton Bradshaw evaluates, one of the first things that its investment team does is assess the business plan
Business plan
A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals....
.
History
Hamilton Bradshaw was founded in 2003 by BBC TelevisionBBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den (UK)
Dragons' Den is a British television series, hosted by Evan Davis. The format of the show is owned by Sony Pictures and is based on the original Japanese series, which has been sold around the world...
panelist and CEO James Caan
James Caan (entrepreneur)
James Caan is a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality. Caan has been building and selling businesses since 1985, including Alexander Mann Group, Humana International, and the private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw.Caan initially achieved success in the recruitment industry,...
, along with Tristan Ramus and Deepak Jalan. By 2002, Caan had sold off his stakes in Humana International, Recruitment International, and Alexander Mann. These sales allowed Caan to take a "gap year", studying advanced management at Harvard. The sale of Alexander Mann also led to James Caan forming a company that would focus on private equity. Caan says that his success at Alexander Mann has "given me the opportunity to do what I do today."
One of the things that makes Hamilton Bradshaw quite unique is that unlike a lot of private equity firms...my company only invests my own money. So the good thing is that when they work, all the return is mine. The sad thing is when they don't work, unfortunately, I lose all my money.
Hamilton Bradshaw employs staff in finance, media, investment, and operations. Tristan Ramus is a Managing Director and is Hamilton Bradshaw's non-executive director on company boards and is directly involved with the executive leadership of many of Hamilton Bradshaw's holdings.
Caan's past experience is reflected in Hamilton Bradshaw's holdings in recruitment. Caan's first company, recruitment pioneer Alexander Mann, became one of the UK's most successful recruitment firms of the late 20th century. While Hamilton Bradshaw has a diverse range of investments, its CEO's experience in recruitment has led the company to invest in these types of businesses.
Dragons' Den and investment opportunities
After CEO and founder James CaanJames Caan (entrepreneur)
James Caan is a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality. Caan has been building and selling businesses since 1985, including Alexander Mann Group, Humana International, and the private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw.Caan initially achieved success in the recruitment industry,...
joined Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den (UK)
Dragons' Den is a British television series, hosted by Evan Davis. The format of the show is owned by Sony Pictures and is based on the original Japanese series, which has been sold around the world...
in 2007, Hamilton Bradshaw's scope was expanded. This is because Caan's investments on Dragons' Den are managed by HB. In fact, James Caan has pursued 15 pitches on the Den, with investments totalling over £900,000. In 2009, company's assets increased by 82%, partially due to the amount of investments Dragons Den brings in. Caan states that his television dealings are time-consuming but rewarding.
Most of my investments in Dragons' Den are probably the most demanding...but to a large extent, that is one of the fun parts in investing in Dragons' Den.
While Hamilton Bradshaw and its staff is involved in holdings related to the Den, HB is not centred around these venture capital investments. Most of the company's business comes from other sources and opportunities.
Portfolio
Hamilton Bradshaw's portfolio consists of 44 companies. These holdings are in a range of industries, from financeFinance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
to leisure. The primary sector is recruitment; nevertheless, Hamilton Bradshaw's portfolio includes firms in fitness, commercial, online recruitment, education, financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and technology. Also, HB controls Caan's venture capital investments related to Dragons' Den.
Investment criteria
Hamilton Bradshaw directs its focus and investments largely at companies it believes have Unique Selling Points. Along with this, the company looks to invest in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES). Hamilton Bradshaw attempts to create value by injecting capital into these SMEs and improving their processes. The company affirms this on its web page: "Our role, however, is strategic and we do not look to interfere in the day-to-day running of businesses. The support we provide to management teams extends across all areas including strategy, operations and financing. We are commercial and creative in our approach, and have the flexibility and inclination to address difficult situations that other investors would avoid." Hamilton Bradshaw's investments are generally between £500,000 and £3 million, but the company's largest investments are well into the millions of pounds.Hamilton Bradshaw is divided into four areas, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Recruitment, and Real Estate. Additionally, James Caan and Hamilton Bradshaw have Advisory Partnerships with businesses. These partnerships are for Hamilton Bradshaw to impart business knowledge and assist in operational efficiency. For small-business owners or those seeking investment, Hamilton Bradshaw offers an online feature to submit business proposals to Caan and his staff.