Rooney, KP and Theo Paphitis invest in Currie’s SME vehicle

TWO of England’s best known sports stars, Wayne Rooney and Kevin Pietersen, have teamed up with entrepreneur Theo Paphitis to invest in a £2.5m vehicle which has lent to cash strapped small businesses.

The celebrities invested in Senone LLP, which was set up by North West financial and investment group Seneca Partners.

Senone, which also counts former Blackburn Rovers director Richard Matthewman and Seneca founder Ian Currie among its investors, has made 12 investments into financially stressed but financially sound SMEs based in Yorkshire and the North West.

Mr Currie told TheBusinessDesk.com: “Senone is one of a number of partnerships and funds we have set up to help SMEs access finance. All the partners look at the deals we do as they come up and do take an interest.

“We have probably saved around 200 jobs as a result of the investments Senone made – we’ll continue to invest in other businesses as we get our money back.

“There continues to be huge demand for capital from small businesses who can’t borrow from the banks.”

It has funded a variety of SMEs including a printing firm, a petrol forecourt business, an interior design company and a luxury motorhomes business. Investments will range from £200,000 to £500,000.

Mr Currie, a former director of Bolton Wanderers, has built up a large network of contacts in the sporting and business world over his career in finance.