PORTFOLIO / OVO
Supercharged transition from challenger brand to market leading energy technology business.
Sales
£6bn+
Employees
8,500
Investment date
April 2015
Status
The company
OVO launched in 2009 as a challenger brand to the dominant ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers with a clear focus on customer service, green energy and technology leadership. With valuable knowledge gained from the team’s previous backing of energy comparison service uSwitch, Mayfair was ideally positioned to help accelerate management’s ambitious growth plans.
Number of acquisitions during Mayfair’s investment
9
Growth in customer numbers since Mayfair’s investment
9X
The investment
As OVO’s first external equity investment partner, Mayfair has supported the company’s meteoric rise. By February 2019, just a decade after launch, the business was valued at £1 billion when Mitsubishi Corporation made a £200m investment. Soon after this, OVO became the second-largest home energy provider in the UK when it acquired SSE’s retail business.
Our partnership
- Backing OVO’s ongoing investment in its proprietary technology platform, helping to cement the company’s reputation as an innovator in making energy cheaper, greener and simpler.
- Supporting expansion in new markets, including OVO’s joint venture in France with Italian energy supplier Eni.
- Strategic guidance on the acquisition of SSE. This included deploying one of Mayfair’s Specialists to work closely with OVO’s management team and helping to recruit a permanent integration director post deal.
