Technology is reshaping every sector, and the pace of innovation means that acquisitions and investments in tech businesses are now central to many clients’ growth strategies. Yet, with every opportunity comes risk - whether it is protecting intellectual property, ensuring data privacy, or navigating complex regulatory environments.
Clients need to move quickly to secure competitive advantages, expand their reach, or enhance their offerings. They seek clear, commercially focused advice that helps them identify and manage risks, protect the value of technology assets, and achieve successful outcomes in complex transactions.
Our technology transactions team works closely with clients across the deal lifecycle, from due diligence and negotiations to post-acquisition integration. By collaborating firm-wide, we deliver integrated, practical solutions that address issues such as ownership of intellectual property, data protection, management retention, competition law, and supply chain resilience. Our experience includes advising on public and private mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions, joint ventures, initial public offerings, and restructurings.
We have deep expertise supporting technology companies backed by private equity and venture capital funds, including advising on new platform transactions and bolt-on acquisitions throughout the investment lifecycle.
Established enterprises and start-ups regularly turn to Stephenson Harwood.’
The Legal 500 UK
Clients trust us for our deep sector knowledge and proven track record in relation in advising all parties across the technology chain and focus in always on helping clients realise commercial value and future-proof their businesses in a rapidly evolving market.
Our Services
Our specialist competition lawyers advise on the full spectrum of competition law issues across the UK and EU.
- Advised a UK software company (and long-standing client) on potential acquisitions, including in relation to a close competitor in the accounting, property and asset software solutions markets to local governments and authorities, as well as an entity providing payments solutions for local authorities and social housing.
- Advised a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics and digital solutions company with revenue in excess of US$15 billion in relation to its options vis-à-vis the acquisition by its key competitor of a much smaller competitor.
- Advised an international software company on the acquisition of a parking software provider.
- Advised a major US corporation on all non-US merger control filings relating to an acquisition of a competing business in the technology sector (cleared by the European Commission in Phase 2).
- Advising a France-based network infrastructure services provider active in the telecommunications sector on merger control and foreign investments regulations for the acquisition of certain assets of a French company specialising in the deployment and maintenance of telecommunication networks in the context of the insolvency procedures of this company.
As more countries adopt foreign direct investment rules, businesses must understand the requirements. We help clients navigate the complexities of global FDI regimes.
- Advised Augmentum Fintech PLC on its US$7 million investment in Payable Technology Holding Limited, the owner of Pemo, an AI-driven expense management platform serving the Middle East. The matter involves cross-border elements between the UK and UAE and supports Pemo’s expansion into new GCC markets.
- Advised an online gaming and technology group on its entry into the UAE market, including entity establishment and ongoing regulatory support, with cross-border elements involving the UAE, Malta, and the Philippines.
- Advised the BW Group in obtaining regulatory clearance from (i) the Overseas Investment Office in New Zealand, (ii) the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board in Australia, and (ii) the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in its acquisition of shares of Hawaiki Submarine Cable and International Connectivity Services.
- Advised Kroll on the implications of its acquisition of Redscan, a UK-based cyber security firm, under the NSIA and the public interest regime under the Enterprise Act 2002, ensuring the transaction was completed successfully.
- Advised the founders and shareholders of a French data centre operator and B2B internet provider in connection with the FDI issues arising from the sale of their company to a strategic European data centre specialist.
- Advised FanFixApp, LLC, an online subscription platform on the prospects and practicalities of setting up an entity in the UAE, to operate local aspects of the FanFix platform.
- Advised FENIX, a e-scooter company backed by Israeli venture capital funding, on expanding its fleet across the MENA region via its launch in the Emirate of Dubai in collaboration with Arnab scooters.
Support for companies/issuers, brokers, banks, Nomads and other advisers in relation to all equity capital markets transactions.
- Advised Seraphim Space Investment Trust plc on its IPO and the subsequent acquisition of a seed portfolio with a value in excess of £100 million from Seraphim Space LP.
- Advised TBO Tek Limited one of the leading global travel distribution platforms, on the initial public offering of its equity shares.
- Advised Vulcan Two Group plc on its AIM IPO listing, raising £12 million to invest in the e-pharmacy sector.
- Advised venture capital firm Augmentum Capital on the successful IPO of its first listed investment fund, raising £94 million on IPO. The company will invest in early stage financial technology companies in the UK and wider Europe, giving investors access to fast growing start-ups offering disruptive technologies in the banking, insurance and asset management sectors.
- Advised VR Education Holdings plc, a virtual reality technology company, on its £19 million admission to AIM and to ESM of the Irish Stock Exchange.
- Advised Singer Capital Markets as nomad and joint broker, and Berenberg as joint broker, on the £180 million initial public offering of Made Tech Group plc, on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
Strategic guidance on joint ventures - supporting growth, managing risk and delivering successful partnerships worldwide.
- Advised Finnish-based 3 Step IT on its strategic partnership with BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions to create a leading integrated IT leasing business across various European jurisdictions.
- Advised KFin Technologies, a listed Indian fund services provider, on its US$34.7 million acquisition of a 51% stake in Ascent Fund Services, a Singapore-based full-suite global fund administrator.
- Advised Orange, a French telecommunications group on:
- its 60% joint venture with Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts group) to establish Hexadone, a platform offering local authorities an open, secure and interoperable programme for the aggregation, structuring, use and enhancement of data from their territories.
- a 50:50 joint venture with Publicis, the advertising group to establish Voilà, a company specialising in the organisation of digital events for companies.
- Advised Esyasoft Holding Ltd, a Dubai-based software as a service products and solutions technology company that specialises in providing smart grid solutions within the energy, water, and utilities sectors, on its acquisition of a 70% stake in Float IoT, an innovative Internet of Things (IoT) company located in the Netherlands.
Clear, commercial advice for complex M&A - supporting clients worldwide to achieve strategic goals and manage risk across every stage of the transaction.
- Advised Kroll, a global provider of services and digital products related to governance, risk and transparency, on its acquisition of Redscan, a UK-based cyber-security services provider.
- Advised Aura, the workspace technology solutions specialist, on its acquisition of Reflex, the AV integration specialist.
- Advised Altitude Group, the 3rd largest fibre optic infrastructure operator in France, on its acquisition of Netwo, a tech start-up offering access to the telecoms’ infrastructure marketplace with the aim of simplifying, automating and boosting the business of telecoms operators.
- Advising Neoxia, the cloud technologies group, on the exclusive negotiations regarding the acquisition of Neoxia and Skale 5 by the global professional services provider Deloitte.
- Advised Elemica, a US-based digital supply chain network for the manufacturing sector, on its acquisition of OmPrompt, a UK-based order management software provider.
- Advised Muller & Phipps on its acquisition of Power League Gaming FZ-LLC, the MENA region’s leading e-sports and gaming marketing consultancy headquartered in the UAE.
- Advised the owners of TSA Group, a global hotel and hospitality customer experience technology and services company, with operations in Singapore, Dubai, US and UK, on its sale to Frontline Performance Group a US-based software and performance consultancy group, creating a leading global provider of front office technology and training for the hospitality industry.
- Advised Physicswallah Pvt Ltd, an Indian-headquartered online education platform, on its acquisition of Knowledge Planet Centre Group, Dubai – its first market entry into the MENA region.
We are dedicated private equity experts who combine deep sector knowledge with a commercial, responsive approach to deliver results quickly and efficiently.
- Advised Civica, a leading public sector software provider backed by Blackstone, on its acquisition of OLM Systems, a leading provider of cloud-native social care management solutions in the UK.” Can we add something to acknowledge that the transaction was a key step in Civica’s continued growth and global expansion and was the 14th successful transaction we advised Civica on over a 6 year period.
- Advised Jorge Lurueña, CEO and Founder, and the management team of the Mapal Group, a leading pan-European operational management software provider, on PSG Equity's sale of a majority stake in the Mapal Group to Eurazeo.
- Advised the management team of Nalanda Global, which was backed by PSG Equity, on its sale to GTCR's portfolio company Once for All.
- Advised the management team of leading Mobile Virtual Network Operator, Lebara, in connection with its acquisition by Waterland Private Equity.
- Advised Pelican Capital on its:
- buyout of Capacitas, a London-based cloud transformation consultancy, from its shareholders.
- sale of YourParkingSpace, the UK's fastest growing parking technology provider, to Flowbird Group.
- investment in and subsequent £57m sale of Atech to iomart.
- Advised a tech-focused venture capital fund on its investment in a network-coding technology services provider based in Hong Kong Science Park.
Advised Knowcross, a global hospitality software as a service (SaaS) company, on its sale to US private equity company Riverside Company through its platform UniFocus. This was a cross-border matter involving India, Singapore and the United StateS. - Advised Bowmark Capital on:
- the sale of Tax Systems, the global tax and accounting software provider, to Providence Equity Partners.
- the sale of IWSR, the global leader in data, analytics and insights for the beverage alcohol industry, to WGSN, the world’s leading consumer trend forecaster.
- its investment in Transparity, a leading Microsoft technology partner providing digital transformation solutions.
- its investment in Eque2, a leading provider of specialist Enterprise Resource Planning (‘ERP’) software to the construction industry.
- its investment in CubeLogic, a leading provider of risk management software solutions.
- Advised FPE Capital on its investment in:
- the sale of Zest, an award-winning employee benefits software platform, to Epassi Group, a leading pan-European employee benefits technology provider.
- Global App Testing, a global testing platform utilised by hundreds of brands including Google and Microsoft.
- Dynamic Planer, a software provider which serves almost 40% of UK wealth advice firms and over 150 asset managers.
- Egress, a cloud and data migration specialist.
- Codestone a business applications and cloud services platform, and on Codestone's subsequent acquisition of Clarivos.
- Advised Transreport, an accessibility technology company, on a £10 million funding round, led by Puma Private Equity and with participation from Pembroke VCT.
- Advised mylight150 in securing €100 million to accelerate the expansion of its solar self-consumption and smart energy management solutions in Europe. The funding round is co-led by Eiffel Investment Group, Azora Capital and Andera Partners, with existing investor Elevation Capital Partners also participating.
- Advised an ultra-high-net-worth Saudi national and prominent angel investor in relation to the Series A equity financing round of Kaykroo Foodtech Ltd, a UAE-headquartered innovative foodtech start-up.
Clear and practical industry recognised guidance for all stakeholders navigating financial distress or involved in the insolvency process, with cross-border expertise and outcome-driven solutions.
- Advised Foliateam, France’s leading alternative telecom operator specialising in cybersecurity, cloud and network services, on its acquisition of Fastnet Réseaux et Télécom out of French receivership proceedings.
- Advised a leading global supplier of lasers and photonics technology on securing additional investors and a pre-investment restructure.
- Advised a leading video-on-demand subscription service provider on the restructuring of its joint venture arrangements with a leading telecommunication group in the Middle East.
Awards and Recognition
Our People
Guillaume Briant
Partner - Head of Corporate, Avocat au Barreau de Paris
Paris
Melissa Forbes-Miranda
Partner
Dubai
Jean-Julien Lemonnier
Partner - Head of Ethics, Investigations, Defence, Avocat a la Cour
Hauts De Seine
Chris Manning
Partner
London
Michelle Gomes
Partner
London
Tom Platts
Partner - Head of Corporate, Singapore
London
Jane Ng
Partner - Head of Corporate, Greater China
Hong Kong