Haynes Boone has represented NordicNinja, the largest Japanese VC in Europe, in its capacity as lead investor in a $23 million Series B fundraising round for Lightyear Financial Ltd. NordicNinja led the round, with support from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mosaic Ventures, Superangel, Specialist VC, Metaplanet, Taavet Hinrikus, Sten Tamkivi and Bolt’s Markus Villig.
This fundraising follows Haynes Boone’s initial representation of NordicNinja in the establishment of its EU Article 8 Luxembourg fund and subsequent representations in several of NordicNinja’s UK deals, including a fundraising for HIVED earlier this month.
The Haynes Boone Investment Management team representing NordicNinja was led by London Partner Andrew Pannell with assistance from Associates Mina-Marie Doherty and David Harris, and Trainee Solicitors Zainab Al-Qaimi and Kirsty Harshaw.
Lightyear is one of Europe’s fastest-growing FinTech businesses, launched in 2020 with a wealth management platform offering its customers the opportunity to invest, on a multi-currency basis, in a broad range of stocks and exchange-traded funds. It was built to remove the traditional barriers around investing, offering a simple and transparent way for anyone to grow their money globally without hidden fees or jargon.
“It was a pleasure to once again support the NordicNinja team on this lead investment into Lightyear, a company with an exciting trajectory,” said Pannell. “We value our ongoing relationship with NordicNinja and we look forward to supporting the team as they actively invest in the most promising UK startups.
“Thank you to Andrew and the team at Haynes Boone for their commercially and legally astute advice on this exciting new investment for NordicNinja,” said NordicNinja Senior Associate Ryo Ota. “We appreciate the depth of knowledge and experience that the Haynes Boone team has to offer and their ability to deliver and execute deals in an efficient manner.”
The Investment Management Practice Group provides assistance with the formation and ongoing operation of investment funds engaging in a broad spectrum of investment activities, from general investment in listed stocks to targeted acquisitions in a wide variety of industries, including in technology, digital assets, energy, real property, venture, businesses and investments. The team represents both domestic and offshore investment vehicles and serves as lead outside counsel to numerous investment funds who, combined, have tens of billions of dollars in assets under management. The London team has unparalleled experience acting as cross-border counsel to U.K. and European fund managers who want to access capital across the globe.
