IP Group plc - Company behind removable chewing gum technology, Revolymer, raises £10m

07 May 2008

IP Group plc (LSE: IPO) ("IP Group" or the "Company" or "Group"), the UK's leading university intellectual property commercialisation company, is delighted to note that Revolymer Limited ("Revolymer"), a spin-out company from the University of Bristol, has successfully completed a £10 million financing round.

Founded in 2005 and based in Mostyn, Wales, Revolymer is a specialised FMCG polymer company focused on technology to allow the development of new consumer products with enhanced physical properties. The new polymers that Revolymer develops are manufactured from existing polymers allowing a fast track product introduction.

Revolymer is best known for its 'removable chewing gum', having developed a polymer technology which has the potential to prevent gum from sticking to pavements and other surfaces, a problem which costs UK local governments millions of pounds annually in clean-up charges. Revolymer's technology also has potential applications in markets including medicated gums, personal care products and paints and coatings.

Following completion of the financing round, IP Group has an 11.2% beneficial stake in Revolymer, valued at £3.0 million. Funds managed by Top Technology Ventures Limited, a subsidiary of IP Group plc, have invested £0.8 million in the financing. The remaining £9.2 million was raised from institutional and private investors.

The fundraising will result in a total fair value gain to IP Group of £2.3 million.

For further information, please contact:

IP Group plc                                           0845 0742929
Alan Aubrey, Chief Executive Officer
Liz Vaughan-Adams (Communications)                     020 7444 0062/07979853802

Financial Dynamics
Ben Atwell, Rob Bailhache, John Dineen                 020 7831 3113

Revolymer Ltd
Roger Pettman, Chief Executive Officer                 01745 562301

Publicis Consultants
Liam Clark                                             020 7462 7758
Carrie-Anne Savage                                     020 7462 7625

University of Bristol
Caroline Clancy, press officer                         0117 928 7777

Notes for Editors

About IP Group

IP Group is an intellectual property (IP) commercialisation company that specialises in commercialising university technology. Founded in 2001, IP Group listed on AIM in October 2003 and moved to the Official List in June 2006. It has made two acquisitions to date - Techtran, a company set up to commercialise university intellectual property under a long term contract with the University of Leeds, in 2005 and Top Technology Ventures, an investment adviser to early stage technology venture capital funds, in 2004.

IP Group has formed long-term partnerships with ten universities - the University of Oxford, King's College London, CNAP/University of York, the University of Leeds, the University of Bristol, the University of Surrey, the University of Southampton, Queen Mary (University of London), the University of Bath and the University of Glasgow.

The Company's portfolio is diverse with exposure to five main sectors - Energy & Renewables, Healthcare & Life Sciences: Non-therapeutics, Healthcare & Life Sciences: Therapeutics, IT & Communications and Chemicals & Materials. To date, ten portfolio companies have listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, one on PLUS Markets and there have been two trade sales. IP Group also established three 'Modern-themed' subsidiaries - Modern Biosciences, Modern Water and Modern Waste. Modern Water was the first of these subsidiaries to float on AIM in June 2007.

For more information, please visit our website at www.ipgroupplc.com.

About Revolymer

RevolymerTM Ltd is a specialised FMCG polymer company which focuses on developing intelligent polymers with enhanced physical properties.

Polymers are used in everyday synthetic items including fabric, rubber and plastic. A polymer is a substance which is made up of a chain of molecules.

Revolymer was established as a spin-out company in October 2005 after scientists at the University of Bristol set out to provide a solution to products that had a secondary detrimental affect such as chewing gum removability.

It was discovered that the use of a polymer can be changed and applied to existing products to create commercial opportunities.

www.revolymer.com

About the University of Bristol

The University was founded in 1876 as University College, Bristol. It was the first higher education institution in England to admit women on an equal basis to men. The University of Bristol is internationally distinguished and one of the very best universities in the UK dedicated to learning, discovery and enterprise. It is a world leader in research and a member of the Worldwide Universities Network and of the Russell Group of universities.

The University has around 12,500 undergraduate and 3,500 postgraduate students. The University organises its academic affairs in some 45 departments and 15 research centres which are arranged in six faculties.

In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), 15 of the University's units of assessment achieved the top grade of 5* and a further 21 were awarded grade 5. Thus 36 (78 per cent) of the 46 units of assessment were judged as world class or of international standing.  Seventy-six per cent of the academic staff work in departments ranked at these levels.

www.bristol.ac.uk

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