Nauiokas Park in the (Financial) News
Vivek at Financial News reports today:
Nauiokas Park – which was set up last summer by Amy Nauiokas and Sean Park, a former head of debt syndicate, credit trading and digital markets at Dresdner Kleinwort – has recruited an ex-NYSE Group electronic trading expert and the former global co-head of financial technology advisory at Deutsche Bank as venture partners.
Nauiokas Park was set up by the pair to offer strategic advice, leadership and capital to growth companies with innovative business models at the intersection of financial services, markets and technology. Nauiokas has in the past featured in Financial News’ list of the Top 100 Women in Finance, while Park is a former Financial News Rising Star.
It has now struck a joint venture agreement with Financial Technology Advisors, a new corporate finance and advisory boutique set up by Udayan Goyal after he left Deutsche Bank in February. Goyal has become a venture partner at Nauiokas Park. The two firms share offices in central London.
Also joining as a venture partner is Sam Johnson, a former vice president in equities electronic trading at Goldman Sachs who left in 2000 to found a trading connectivity solutions company that was acquired in 2007 by NYSE Group. Johnson remained at NYSE, most recently as executive vice president and co-chief executive of NYSE Technologies, until his departure earlier this year, according to Nauiokas Park’s website.
Nauiokas Park has made five investments since its creation, but market conditions have put its focus more on advisory work in recent months, according to its founders.
Nauiokas said of Goyal’s arrival: “When we launched it was clearly a very interesting time in the markets, and while our long-term capital raising and investment strategy has not changed we made the decision to focus our efforts more on consulting and advisory work. As Sean and I turn our attention back to capital raising, it makes sense to bring on a partner who can share in and pick up the advisory side of the business. The partnership with FT Advisors offers complementary skills in a similar sector and critical mass for both firms.”
Park also highlighted the complementary skills of the four partners encompassing financial sector experience and knowledge of the start-up technology industry, citing the “technical skills and network contacts” of Johnson, whom he has known since their days playing rugby at the same university.
Nauiokas said the company hopes to turn its attention to fundraising soon, following signs that investors’ risk appetite is returning in the financial sector. Nauiokas Park is weighing several potential investments, while broader plans over the coming months could include expanding the team at analyst and associate level, particularly in New York.
Nauiokas and Johnson are based in New York, where the company does not yet have offices, while Park and Goyal are London-based, and Park believes the rare approach of having twin bases spanning the Atlantic can yield benefits because the London and New York markets are very different and yet equally important in terms of understanding and investing in emerging opportunities for disruption and innovation in financial services.
– Write to Vivek Ahuja at vahuja@efinancialnews.com
Aren’t sure what kind of overlap there is between Financial News and Park Paradigm subscribers so hope they don’t mind me posting this here.
