London/ Brigh­ton –  MPB, the world’s largest resel­ler of photo and video kit, has raised £49.8 million in its latest funding round, led by Vitru­vian Part­ners with parti­ci­pa­tion from current inves­tor Acton Capi­tal, joining exis­ting inves­tors Mobeus Equity Part­ners, Berin­gea and FJ Labs.

Foun­ded in Brigh­ton in 2011, MPB is a stand­out driver of the crea­tor economy groun­ded in a busi­ness model of circu­la­rity that deli­vers both econo­mic and envi­ron­men­tal sustaina­bi­lity. Recir­cu­la­ting 300,000 items of kit globally each year, MPB has trans­for­med access to photo and video kit by offe­ring a tech­no­logy-based, custo­mer-centric service that remo­ves the risk and uncer­tainty atta­ched to using many of its competitors.

Matt Barker, Foun­der and CEO, MPB said: “This funding round is a major mile­stone for MPB culmi­na­ting a decade of strong perfor­mance and a vision to make great kit acces­si­ble and affordable.

With the back­ing of Vitru­vian Part­ners and those reinves­t­ing in our busi­ness we can acce­le­rate our US and Euro­pean growth stra­tegy at scale, profi­ta­bly. Photo­gra­phy and video­gra­phy are intrin­sic to socie­ties and cultures all over the world, and at MPB we have crea­ted a circu­lar model that offers ever­yone the chance to be visual storytel­lers and content crea­tors in a way that’s good for the planet.”

The used kit market is in a period of signi­fi­cant expan­sion as more consu­mers purchase sustain­ably in the circu­lar economy. With estab­lished loca­ti­ons in the UK, US and Germany, MPB is well-posi­tio­ned to take advan­tage of this growing trend. The new wave of funding will allow the company to focus on new product deve­lo­p­ments and tech­no­logy that broa­den the ways in which people can access kit, and bols­ter exis­ting opera­ti­ons to bring more kit to more people.

Tom Studd, Part­ner at Vitru­vian Part­ners, the inde­pen­dent growth-focus­sed private equity firm, said: “MPB has deve­lo­ped a unique tech-enab­led plat­form to meet a market need, trans­forming access to photo­gra­phy kit to become a global leader in its field, whilst buil­ding a product that genui­nely has a posi­tive impact on the world. Matt and the team have achie­ved strong and profi­ta­ble growth through recent laun­ches in the US and Germany, and we’re deligh­ted to part­ner with them for the next step of the jour­ney. Vitru­vian looks to back excep­tio­nal teams with unique products in large markets, and we believe Matt and the team fit those crite­ria perfectly.”

Vitru­vian Part­ners, which has previously inves­ted in successful circu­lar compa­nies inclu­ding Vesti­aire Coll­ec­tive as well as house­hold names Carwow, Just Eat, Farfetch, Skyscan­ner and Trust­pi­lot, beco­mes MPB’s largest share­hol­der and is supported in this round by exis­ting inves­tor, Acton Capi­tal. Mobeus Equity Part­ners, which first inves­ted in MPB during its Series A funding and remains MPB’s second largest insti­tu­tio­nal share­hol­der, has parti­ally exited. Berin­gea and FJ Labs remain involved.

Sebas­tian Wossagk, Mana­ging Part­ner at Acton Capi­tal, said: “It’s always a privi­lege to watch compa­nies like MPB grow and excel in their field. Matt and his team have alre­ady taken the first steps into inter­na­tio­na­li­sa­tion by opening loca­ti­ons in Brook­lyn and Berlin, and we’re exci­ted to support them as they pursue further expan­sion in both the US and Europe.”

Arma Part­ners has acted as exclu­sive finan­cial advi­sor to MPB on the £50m invest­ment led by Vitru­vian Part­ners, with parti­ci­pa­tion from exis­ting inves­tor Acton Capital.

About Arma Partners
Arma Part­ners provi­des inde­pen­dent corpo­rate finance advice to compa­nies and inves­tors active in the global Digi­tal Economy. We act as trus­ted advi­sors to Digi­tal Economy leaders throug­hout their entire corpo­rate life­cy­cle, from raising private capi­tal for fast-growing disrup­t­ers and foun­der-led busi­nesses to orchest­ra­ting complex cross-border M&A deals for private equity inves­tors and global large-cap public compa­nies. Foun­ded in 2003, Arma today employs a large dedi­ca­ted advi­sory team with unpar­al­le­led domain exper­tise and an envia­ble track record in each of the diverse sub-segments that toge­ther comprise the ever-expan­ding global Digi­tal Economy.