Fibre broadband investment UK: Silverpeak advises Zzoomm on £100m Oaktree deal
Silverpeak, the technology investment bank, acted as exclusive financial advisor to Zzoomm on an initial £100m equity investment from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management (“Oaktree”). The deal advances Zzoomm’s ambition to become a leading fibre broadband operator across UK market towns.
Industry veteran Matthew Hare founded Zzoomm, having previously launched rural broadband operator Gigaclear a decade earlier. This year, the company also appointed Richard Sinclair — formerly of Virgin Media and TalkTalk — as chief operating officer. Over the past 12 months, Zzoomm built a full-fibre network in Henley-on-Thames. The company now plans to expand to similar locations, focusing on market towns that lack access to high-speed internet. In total, the Oaktree investment will fund a rollout to pass one million homes with full-fibre connectivity within five years.
How Silverpeak delivered the fibre broadband investment mandate
Zzoomm appointed Silverpeak for its expertise in growth fundraising and its connections with global investors. In particular, Silverpeak approached a range of infrastructure investors with strong interest in telecoms and technology infrastructure. The team advised Zzoomm on its funding strategy and managed the full process from start to finish. As a result, the company secured strong interest from multiple investors before selecting Oaktree as the right long-term partner.
Matthew Hare said: “Silverpeak has been at my side with huge dedication and provided very valuable support throughout the whole deal. They created a lot of interest from investors, helped us choose the right financial partner and skilfully negotiated the deal. The Board really trusted their advice.”
Pietro Strada, Managing Partner at Silverpeak, added: “It has been a pleasure to work with Matthew and the Zzoomm team and to help them bring in the right partner for the next phase of their journey.”
Explore our transaction history to see further examples of how Silverpeak supports technology and infrastructure companies in raising growth capital, or contact Pietro Strada to discuss a mandate.