REUTERS/Charles Platiau
A cyclist rides a bicyle as he delivers food for Deliveroo, an example of the emergence of what is known as the 'gig economy', in Paris, France, April 7, 2017. Picture taken April 7, 2017.
- One of the UK's richest men, Simon Nixon, has backed fast-growing food delivery startup Deliveroo.
- Filings show that Nixon took a small stake in Deliveroo when it raised a massive $482 million funding round in 2017.
- Nixon is the cofounder of price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com and has backed several tech startups.
- There are persistent rumours that Deliveroo will float some time in the next 2 years.
British billionaire and Moneysupermarket.com cofounder Simon Nixon has invested in fast-growing food delivery firm Deliveroo, according to financial filings with Companies House.
The documents show that Nixon participated in Deliveroo's $482 million (£365 million) Series F raise last year. The round was led by private equity firm T. Rowe Price and asset management giant Fidelity, and included existing venture capital investors such as Index Ventures and Accel Partners. There were also a number of private investors who were not named at the time.
Nixon, it appears, was one of those anonymous backers.
Nixon made his name cofounding Moneysupermarket.com in 1999, arguably the UK's biggest and best known price comparison site. According to The Sunday Times' Rich List, he has a net wealth of £1.25 billion, making him one of the UK's wealthiest tech entrepreneurs. He has reportedly invested £270 million into tech firms to date, backing failed cab price comparison startup Kabbee, and food and drink service The Food Market.
Deliveroo has raised almost $1 billion in total funding, and its valuation is more than $2 billion. Its chief executive Will Shu said in May that the firm was not thinking about going public, but rumours persist that the company will float some time in the next two years.
Deliveroo has been contacted for comment.