Aon Advantage Funds, an affiliated registered investment adviser of Aon, has launched a vehicle to provide corporations new ways to access capital based on the value of their intellectual property (IP), with a $300m commitment from M&G Investments.
The global asset manager will do this through its Catalyst private assets strategy focused on innovation for impact. Its investment and strategic collaboration with Aon will help develop the firm’s IP-backed investing strategy, according to the announcement.
Aon has established itself as a leader in the IP-backed lending space. To date, the firm has supported more than $1bn of financing in the market, through the services offered by its IP Solutions group and the lending strategies offered by Aon Advantage Funds.
Matthew Farrar, managing partner and head of Aon Advantage Funds, LLC., said: “Aon Advantage Funds can help organisations protect and grow their business by matching capital with companies that have transformative technologies, enabling better capital decisions for emerging companies.
“Working with M&G allows us to help create a more sustainable world by providing minimally or non-dilutive capital to innovative companies.”
Through its commitment to Aon Advantage Funds, M&G is seeking to unlock the value of Aon’s proprietary capabilities as leaders in the IP space.
The fund’s mission, the firm explained, is to pursue insured first lien IP-backed loans with equity-backed, innovation-led organisations, prioritising opportunities with strong potential to help drive a positive impact for society through the application of their IP.
Thierry Masson, M&G head of Catalyst – Americas: “We are looking forward to helping innovative technology businesses accelerate their development.
“With Aon’s IP Solutions, which help us understand the value of a business’ intellectual property, and Aon’s insurance brokerage service, we can offer financing solutions as innovative and unique as the technology companies benefiting from this capital.”
