Caffeine & Machine
Caffeine & Machine (C&M) is a vibrant community for vehicle enthusiasts. Members engage online and gather at physical venues to share their love of all things automotive, from classic cars to motorcycles to supercars.
We backed the founders of C&M because we were impressed by its blend of online and offline experiences, which create a strong sense of community and reinforce the brand’s key values - inclusion and all things vehicular. We continue to provide capital to support the growth of the network.
C&M's brands include Cult of Machine, Don't be a Dick, and I Love You Man. Its current venues are in Warwickshire and Bedfordshire.
caffeineandmachine.com
Dynisma
Dynisma is a cutting-edge engineering company that develops and manufactures the world's most advanced driving simulators used by automotive manufacturers and motorsport teams. Its simulators boast unrivalled realism and immersion, facilitating more accurate and cost effective vehicle development.
We invested in Dynisma because we believe in its founder, Ash Warne, and his vision for the company. Warne has a proven track record of success at McLaren and Ferrari, and we are excited about Dynisma’s strategy to continue to develop its motorsport and automotive products and bring its technologies to new markets.
Dynisma is headquartered in Bristol.
dynisma.com
Unbranded Finance
Unbranded Finance is a UK-based privately funded alternative real estate lender and investor. Founded in 2020 by two highly experienced property development and investment professionals, the business has since invested over £100m.
Unbranded Finance focuses on opportunities in the real estate debt market that require rapid underwriting and execution, or esoteric situations. This approach is particularly attractive in the current market environment because mainstream lenders have retreated from real estate lending and interest rates are rising, creating a dislocation in the market.
We were attracted to Unbranded Finance because of its experienced management team, strong lending track record, and its attractive risk-reward ratio.
unbrandedfinance.com
Techmet
TechMet is a technology metals investment company with a portfolio of assets that responsibly produce, process, and recycle critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, vanadium and rare earth metals. These metals are essential to the production of batteries, electric motors, and steel, which are key constituents of the energy transition.
We were attracted to TechMet because it offers exposure to several key trends in the critical metals market:
• Supply shortages
• Nearshoring
• Battery recycling
• Diversification of metal
Techmet is based in Dublin.
techmet.com
Snowcentres
Snowcentres Ltd is the UK's leading provider of indoor snow sports activities. Established in 2007, the company owns and operates The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead and Chill Factore in Manchester. Snowcentres caters for snow sports enthusiasts of all ages and at all levels, from complete beginners to experienced professionals. As well as activities on the slope, Snowcentres operates a substantial F&B business and manages a diverse portfolio of retail and leisure tenants.
Through a relentless focus on guest experience and technical excellence, Snowcentres increases in scale and capability year-on-year. Dolphin is highly supportive of Snowcentre's ambitions to further expand.
thesnowcentre.com and chillfactore.com
Lightful
Lightful is a technology company that helps nonprofits and social enterprises improve their storytelling, foster trust and increase donations and grant funding. Through its digital marketing training and products, Lightful has empowered over 2,000 nonprofits in over 80 countries to enhance their communications through different channels and reach wider audiences. Working in partnership with local and global trusts and foundations, Lightful's programmes are grouped by cause areas such as climate change, gender justice, racial equity, public health and emergency relief.
We invested in Lightful because of its vision of developing a self-service subscription product powered by a proprietary data set and AI-tools, designed to empower nonprofits and social enterprises to enhance their digital presence. Lightful is a hybrid business with offices in London.
lightful.com
