Novestra, the Swedish venture capital firm that last week recorded a &euro23m ($21m) loss in 2000 to 2001, says that it has been shutting the door to bankers keen to float its star performing asset.

Thomas Akerman, Novestra's chief executive, says that it is not only equity capital market bankers desperate for deal fees who have tried to prise Q-branch, an IT service provider, from its arms.