Our stories
Transporting UK clients to New Zealand at the flick of a switch
Using virtual reality technology, our Deals team gave potential buyers the opportunity to ‘visit’ a client’s New Zealand based operations. Using VR significantly saved the client time, costs and reduced emissions associated with global travel.
Setting the scene
Our Deals M&A practice acted as the sell-side adviser to Lintbells, a pet health supplements company, on the sale of a minority stake of the business to Inflexion Private Equity. Crucial to understanding the business was the farming and processing of their key ingredient (green lipped mussels), which could only be farmed in specific locations in New Zealand.
How we helped
To bring the mussel farms to life, specialist virtual reality filming was conducted by Scott Cardwell (immerseme.co) and was used to ‘transport’ buyers to New Zealand and familiarise them with the harvesting process. Transforming the way we deliver for our clients to provide greater insight and value is just one example of how we’re modernising our firm.
Using a VR headset, buyers were taken on a boat journey to the offshore mussel farm and shown the harvesting process.
“PwC were instrumental in delivering a successful outcome for Lintbells. Their flexible and dynamic approach to the sales process allowed us to find the right investor for the business whilst also minimising distraction for the management team. By using virtual reality - to give potential investors a thorough understanding of our New Zealand based operations without flying them there - they were able to run a faster and more efficient auction process, and still communicate the key success factors of the business which was crucial for finding the right buyer.”
Making a difference
By investing in virtual and augmented reality technology, we are bringing assets across the globe to life for our clients in the UK.
The VR experience helped demonstrate the farming and harvesting techniques that Lintbells has developed to produce mussels with a high content of the active ingredient, which was critical to the success of their nutritional supplement products. Educating the buyers in this process made the deal more transparent and in turn the sale was completed.
Combining our technology innovation with our people’s insights, we are able to improve the client experience. We are also reducing the costs involved in travel across the globe for short visits, in money, time and carbon emissions.