Penningtons Manches Cooper advises Navigator on its £4 million investment from IW Capital

Posted: 04/12/2025

The corporate team at Penningtons Manches Cooper has advised Navigator, an advanced digital marketing platform founded by Olympic rowing medallist Steve Rowbotham, on its £4 million investment from leading venture capital firm, IW Capital.  

Navigator utilises two billion exclusive first-party travel data to deliver precision-targeted digital advertising in the travel sector. The exclusive data points gathered by Navigator allows it to provide fully consented, first-party insights to brands allowing them to target consumers when they most need their products or services: a privacy compliant solution to changing consumer habits and attitudes towards cookie consent and the sharing of third-party data. 

Navigator has offices in locations across the world such as London, Miami, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and its unique service led IW Capital to invest £4 million to help it achieve further growth. The investment reflects IW Capital's ongoing commitment to supporting ambitious, high-growth UK businesses. Remarkably, this Series A fundraising comes less than six months after Penningtons Manches Cooper advised Navigator on its MBO, highlighting the company’s rapid progress in that short time.

The team at Penningtons Manches Cooper was led by Richard Wrigley with support from corporate associate, Anoushka Gangji, IP partner Rachel Bradley, and head of employee options Kathy Potter.

Steve Rowbotham, CEO of Navigator, says: "We’re delighted to have IW Capital’s backing as we enter this next phase of growth. This £4 million investment will allow us to accelerate our mission to deliver privacy-first advertising solutions built on consented first-party travel data. With the industry moving beyond cookies, we’re focused on helping brands reach audiences in a privacy compliant and effective way. We look forward to shaping the future of targeted advertising together."

Richard Wrigley says: "We’re thrilled to support Navigator with this £4 million investment. This funding will help accelerate the platform's development and expand its commercial reach. We look forward to seeing how Navigator continues to redefine advertising across sectors worldwide."

Charlie Lyon Carroll, investment director at IW Capital, says: ‘Navigator is solving one of the most urgent challenges in digital marketing – how to deliver effective advertising in a world where privacy is paramount. With exclusive access to rich data, a proven commercial model, and a leadership team with deep industry experience, Navigator is perfectly positioned to scale. We’re excited to support its next stage of growth.’ 

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