Samuel Holcroft

Led an end-to-end sell-side valuation of Playtika (NASDAQ: PLTK, ~$3bn EV), building a fully integrated DCF with a bolt-on M&A schedule implying $3.82/share, a 41% premium to the $2.71 share price; defended in a 30-page management presentation to the deal team.

Valued

Superplay for carve-out at $1.5bn ($1.0–2.0bn range, c.48% of implied group EV) within a SOTP framework, benchmarking Tencent's rumoured approach against it. Assessed the controlling shareholder's liquidity pressures and a previously failed sale process, recommending a sale above a $3.25/share floor (20% premium) to clear all existing debt and meet the shareholder's liquidity needs.

Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Aream & Co (2026-07 – 2026-08)

• Led an end-to-end sell-side valuation of Playtika (NASDAQ: PLTK, ~$3bn EV), building a fully integrated DCF with a bolt-on M&A schedule implying $3.82/share, a 41% premium to the $2.71 share price; defended in a 30-page management presentation to the deal team.
• Valued Superplay for carve-out at $1.5bn ($1.0–2.0bn range, c.48% of implied group EV) within a SOTP framework, benchmarking Tencent's rumoured approach against it.
• Assessed the controlling shareholder's liquidity pressures and a previously failed sale process, recommending a sale above a $3.25/share floor (20% premium) to clear all existing debt and meet the shareholder's liquidity needs.
• Supported financial due diligence on a live ~$200m EV transaction, preparing 10 years of historical financials delivered directly to the client.
• Contributed to two editions of the firm's monthly gaming market report, distributed across its client base, synthesising broker estimates and results for ~20 listed gaming companies; identified Q2-26 mobile IAP spend down 4% YoY to $19.4bn with downloads at a five-year low (-12%), against 13% LTM growth on Steam.

Strategy Consultant at Grapevine (2025-07 – 2025-12)

• Advised an early-stage tech venture building a multi-product student platform across social, booking, and transport verticals, executing a national go-to-market strategy across 28 universities.
• Drove 580% user growth over six months through structured campaign deployment and performance optimisation, building KPI frameworks to monitor traction across multiple product verticals.

Strategic Consultant at Ideal Heating Hybrid (2025-02 – 2025-05)

• Analysed consumer sentiment and misinformation barriers driving underperformance in heat pump adoption, benchmarking market penetration against the government's 600,000 annual installation target.
• Developed and presented a brand positioning and communications strategy to senior Ideal Heating stakeholders, designed to correct market misinformation and accelerate adoption of sustainable heating solutions.

EU Head of Branding at ATHX Games Europe (2024-05 – 2026-06)

• Designed and standardised branding systems across 10 European markets, ensuring consistency across 15 multi-country campaigns and live events.
• Presented brand positioning strategy and partnership agreements to senior stakeholders, managing campaign budgets and optimising spend allocation to reduce deployment timelines by 10-15%.

Executive Committee - Club Secretary, Club Captain Heslington East RFC at University of York Men's Rugby Club (2023-07 – 2025-07)

• Managed club budgeting, logistics and governance across fixtures, fundraising and welfare, contributing to the club receiving the University-wide Club of the Year award; personally recognised with the Service to Rugby award.
• Planned and executed the university’s highest-grossing charity fixture, raising £5,000 for Young Minds and driving a 28% increase in attendance through targeted promotion and event management.

MSc in Banking and Finance – University of St Andrews (2025-09 – 2026-08)

BSc in Business Management (First Class Honours) – University of York (2022-09 – 2025-07)