Birmingham private equity company backs global expansion of hospitality tech firm

Beech Tree Private Equity has invested in Fourteen IP, a provider of cloud telephony and AI solutions for the hospitality sector.

The Birmingham-based firm’s backing is expected to support Fourteen IP’s international growth, including planned expansion into Asia, Australia, and new market verticals in the US.

Founded 14 years ago, Wigan-based Fourteen IP supplies communications and AI-based services to hotel and hospitality providers.

Its offerings include products like Evolution Voice and the AI-driven Evolution Virtual Assistant (EVA).

Beech Tree had maintained a long-standing relationship with Fourteen IP before the investment, which both parties say helped establish alignment between their respective management teams and strategies.

Neil Tolley CEO said: “Beech Tree’s decision to invest in Fourteen IP validates our vision, performance, and commitment to delivering world-class solutions. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership brings and look forward to bringing our exceptional services and innovative technology to new markets and customers around the globe.”

“Our culture and our people have always been at the heart of our success. With Beech Tree, we have a partner who understands and fully supports the importance of maintaining the unique spirit and customer-centric approach that makes Fourteen IP so special.”

The private equity firm has previous experience in the telecoms and technology sector, notably through its investment in Wavenet, where it supported a series of acquisitions to scale the business.

Fourteen IP is expected to pursue a similar strategy, supported by an acquisition facility from NatWest, led by Mike Malone.

James Rosthorn, investment director at Beech Tree said: “It has been a pleasure to build a strong relationship with Neil and his team over the past few years. We have closely tracked Fourteen IP’s progress, and investing on their 14th anniversary feels particularly fitting. Our search for complementary acquisitions is already underway, and we anticipate announcing further transactions as we accelerate the M&A strategy. I am also delighted to join the board alongside Paul Franks, who successfully led Wavenet’s buy-and-build strategy in the telecoms sector.”