Monthly Archives: July 2018

H.I.G. Capital Announces the Sale of KidsFoundation

LONDON – July 19, 2018 – H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global private equity investment firm with more than €21 billion of equity capital under management, announced today that one of its affiliates has entered a definitive agreement to sell the KidsFoundation Group (“KidsFoundation”), the Dutch market leader in childcare services, to Onex Corporation (“Onex”)(TSX:ONEX). Terms were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, KidsFoundation provides high-quality childcare to nearly 30,000 children between the ages of six weeks and 12 years. H.I.G. created KidsFoundation in 2014 through the acquisition of assets from the estate of Estro Group. During H.I.G.’s ownership, the company has developed strongly with significant capital invested by H.I.G. to create a high-quality childcare offering. H.I.G. worked with KidsFoundation management to optimise the footprint of the company by exiting loss-making locations, introduce new IT systems to drive operational improvement and develop an internal M&A capability. H.I.G. supported the company with capital to undertake a number of bolt-on acquisitions in the past year and to pursue a wider pipeline of inorganic growth opportunities. The business is now the largest provider of childcare in the Netherlands receiving strong advocacy ratings from staff and parents.

Carl Harring, Managing Director at H.I.G. Capital, commented on the transaction: “The Dutch childcare market has returned to growth in recent years and is set to develop in a stable manner going forward. We have enjoyed working with the KidsFoundation team to build a market-leading business well positioned to take advantage of growth opportunities in the Netherlands and further afield. The business has a best-in-class product with management and staff working hard to deliver the highest quality of care. KidsFoundation has delivered an outstanding return for H.I.G. and its investors; we look forward to observing the future development of the company.”

Jeanine Lemmens, Group CEO, KidsFoundation, stated: “We would like to thank H.I.G. for their financial and strategic support in the development of the KidsFoundation Group into the market-leading childcare provider in the Netherlands. It is a true example of what can be achieved when passion and know-how are bundled in the right way. We are excited to partner with Onex as we focus on further national and international expansion.”

About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with over €21 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach:

  1. H.I.G.’s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalisations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.
  2. H.I.G.’s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.
  3. H.I.G.’s real assets funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices.

Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of €28 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com.

About KidsFoundation
KidsFoundation was founded in 2014 and is the largest childcare organisation in the Netherlands. KidsFoundation offers high quality childcare and out-of-school care at 281 locations throughout the country. Our 3750 employees take care of nearly 30,000 children on a daily basis. KidsFoundation is the parent company of Smallsteps, Zus and Zo, Kits, the Speelbrug and SKS Alles Kids. KidsFoundation aims to offer parents the best and most appreciated childcare in the Netherlands.

* Based on total capital commitments managed by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates.

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Onex to Acquire KidsFoundation

Onex

Toronto, July 19, 2018 – Onex Corporation (“Onex”) (TSX: ONEX) today announced it has agreed to acquire KidsFoundation Holdings B.V. (“KidsFoundation”) in partnership with the existing management team. KidsFoundation is the largest childcare provider in the Netherlands. The transaction is expected to close later this year, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals. The terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.
KidsFoundation is one of the highest-rated childcare providers in the country. It offers nursery care for children between six weeks and four years old as well as before and after school care services for children between four and 12 years old. The company provides childcare for more than 30,000 children across 281 centres with approximately 3,750 employees.
“KidsFoundation is committed to a high standard of care and quality for the families it serves, and that is a commitment we want to continue and build on,” said Nigel Wright, a Managing Director with Onex. “We are pleased to be partnering with the KidsFoundation management team and look forward to supporting their growth for years to come.”
“Onex’ strong investment track record and history of supporting the teams it invests alongside makes it an ideal partner for us,” said Jeanine Lemmens, Chief Executive Officer of KidsFoundation. “Our first priority is to provide high-quality care of our children in safe facilities with the best staff. Onex is aligned with the strategic direction of our firm and we are excited to work together in our next phase of growth.”
The investment will be made by Onex Partners, Onex’ private equity platform focused on larger investment opportunities.

About Onex
Onex is one of the oldest and most successful private equity firms. Through its Onex Partners and ONCAP private equity funds, Onex acquires and builds high-quality businesses in partnership with talented management teams. At Onex Credit, Onex manages and invests in leveraged loans, collateralized loan obligations and other credit securities. Onex has more than $32 billion of assets under management, including $6.7 billion of Onex proprietary capital, in private equity and credit securities. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey and London, Onex and the team are collectively the largest investors across Onex’ platforms.
Onex’ businesses have assets of $49 billion, generate annual revenues of $31 billion and employ approximately 207,000 people worldwide. Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONEX. For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com. Onex’ security filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to known and unknown uncertainties and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Onex is under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein should material facts change due to new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information:
Emilie Blouin
Director, Investor Relations
Tel: 416.362.7711

 

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DIF Infrastructure V acquires 100% of American Roads

DIF

Toronto, 17 July 2018 – DIF Infrastructure V is pleased to announce the acquisition from Syncora Holdings Ltd. of a 100% stake in American Roads LLC.

American Roads is an infrastructure holding company that owns and operates, through its subsidiaries, four toll bridges in Alabama and a concession-lease of the U.S. side of an international tunnel crossing connecting Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario.

DIF was advised by Allen & Overy (Legal), Agentis Capital (Financial), Buro Happold (Traffic), BTY (Technical) and Marsh (Insurance). Financing for the investment was provided by ING and National Australia Bank (NAB).

Paul Huebener, Partner and Head of Americas, said: ”DIF is pleased to invest in this high-quality portfolio of tolled crossings led by a strong management team.”

About DIF
DIF is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €5.6 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield assets located primarily in Europe, North America and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.
  • DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with stable and predictable cash flows.

DIF has over 100 professionals in eight offices, located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. Please see www.dif.eu for further information.

For more information by press and investors, please contact:

Allard Ruijs
Partner, Head of Investor Relations and Business Development
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

Paul Huebener
Partner, Head of Americas
Email: p.huebener@difamericas.com

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Exclusive negotiations underway to sell Peopledoc to Ultimate software

Eurazeo

Eurazeo Croissance, the Eurazeo investment division that specializes in assisting fast-growing companies, today announced the start of exclusive negotiations to sell its interest in PeopleDoc alongside Accel Partners, Alven Capital and Kernel Investissements and PeopleDoc’s founders, to NASDAQ-listed and US-based Ultimate Software, a leading provider of human capital management (HCM) solutions.

Ultimate Software plans to acquire PeopleDoc for approximately $300 million, to be paid with a combination of cash and shares of Ultimate Software common stock, with approximately $75 million of cash to be paid at the closing and approximately $50 million of cash to be paid 12 months after the closing date. Ultimate Software expects that the PeopleDoc acquisition will have no material impact on Ultimate’s total revenues in fiscal year 2018.

Founded in 2007, PeopleDoc is a pioneer in HR software as a service (SaaS) with more than 1,000 customers in 180 countries. More than 4 million employees worldwide access their information and connect with their HR department using PeopleDoc. Clients enjoy major benefits in terms of productivity and security and reducing their environmental footprint. PeopleDoc has recently been mentioned by Forbes for advances in employee process automation and Inc. Magazine for helping define the category of HR Service Delivery. In 2014, PeopleDoc was named to the “Cool Vendors in Human Capital Management” list by Gartner. More information is available at www.people-doc.com.

Thanks to its positioning and the expertise of its Founders, PeopleDoc has enjoyed rapid growth since its creation. The company has undergone a significant ramp-up since Eurazeo’s investment in 2015, due in particular to the speed of its organic business growth in France but above all to its geographical expansion in the US, the UK, Germany and Canada.

Yann du Rusquec, Managing Director, Head of Eurazeo Croissance, stated: “We wish to thank Jonathan and Clément for the confidence they have shown over the past years. We take pride in our support of PeopleDoc and wish them the greatest success with the next stage of their development.”

Jonathan Benhamou, CEO and co-founder of PeopleDoc, added: “Today, I can measure how far PeopleDoc has come since its creation. Our company is entering a new phase in its development, the goal being to create a global HR leader. I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Eurazeo, Yann and his teams for their support over the last three years and their contribution to this great adventure.”

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EURAZEO CONTACTS PRESS CONTACT CAROLINE COHEN HEAD OF INVESTOR RELATIONS E-mail: ccohen@eurazeo.com Tel: +33 (0)1 44 15 16 76 STEPHANIE MARIA-BAJARD DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS E-mail: smaria-bajard@eurazeo.com Tel: +33 1 44 15 80 44 HAVAS PARIS Mael Evin E-mail: mael.evin@havas.com Tel: +33 (0)6 44 12 14 91 For more information, please visit the Group’s website: www.eurazeo.com Follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube

 

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Gilde Buy Out Partners and Management acquire Caseking Group

Gilde Buy Out

Berlin – Funds advised by Gilde Buy Out Partners (“Gilde”) today announced the acquisition of Caseking Group (“Caseking” or the “Company”), together with the Founders and management. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Caseking, a leading supplier of high-performance PC-gaming equipment and peripherals, maintains a track record of strong organic growth, excellent market understanding and successful product placement supporting the future growth of the Company. Caseking has displayed consistent growth, both organically as well as through add-on acquisitions, becoming a leading platform for PC-gaming equipment in Europe. Operations are based in Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Portugal and Taiwan. The Company processes 540.000 orders and sells approximately 4 million products worldwide per year. Products sold include own brands, brands exclusively available at Caseking and third-party brands.

Commenting on the sale, Toni Sonn, CEO of Caseking says: “I am thankful to all employees at Caseking for their contribution and support in putting the Company on a path of sustained growth. We have experienced exciting years with strong organic growth and the expansion of Caseking to other regions outside Germany. The sale of Caseking to Gilde will allow us to further strengthen the strong position of Caseking in the PC-gaming industry and we are looking forward to work with Gilde as an experienced partner for companies with a strong growth and expansion focus.”

Matthias Wilcken, Partner at Gilde: “We are impressed with Caseking’s track record of consistent growth and the ability to understand the needs of performance PC-gamers. The Company has built a leading position in Europe focusing on the most demanding clients in the categories of PC equipment and peripherals. Caseking is in an excellent position to further build on this solid foundation and to become the most respected brand within the PC-gaming community. We are excited to support Caseking in this next phase of development.” Read more at: http://gilde.com/news/2018/gilde-buy-out-partners-and-management-acquire-caseking-group

 

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Cetera Financial Group Selects Genstar Capital as Strategic Partner

Genstar Embraces Cetera’s Commitment to the Advice-Centric ExperienceTM and Focus on Financial Well-Being Through an Enriched Client Engagement

Company to Continue Operating Under Current Brand, Culture and Leadership, with Significant Capital for Investments in Future Growth

LOS ANGELES, July 17, 2018 – Cetera Financial Group® (“Cetera”), a leading network of nearly 8,000 financial advisors, today announced that it has partnered with Genstar Capital (“Genstar”), to accelerate the company’s growth and success under its current brand, culture and leadership team.  Genstar is a leading private equity firm focused on investments in targeted segments of the financial services, software, industrial technology, and healthcare industries.  The transaction reflects a shared commitment to Cetera’s Advice-Centric Experience™ model and provides access to significant capital for future investments in technology, customer experience, operations, data and growth platforms for the financial advisors and financial institutions served by Cetera.

Robert “RJ” Moore, CEO of Cetera, said, “The successful conclusion of our capital structure review process represents the next milestone in our company’s strategic transformation that began in 2016.  This outcome affirms our vision for the future of the financial advice profession and creates a powerful partnership to help make this vision a reality for the financial advisors and financial institutions we support.  Working alongside Genstar, our entire organization will continue to serve our advisor community by advancing our Advice-Centric Experience, which envisions a profession driven by high-caliber, planning-based advice for clients.” Mr. Moore went on to say, “This is a unique time in our profession, when the need and desire for financial advice is at its greatest. We believe there continues to be significant opportunities for Cetera to be a compelling leader in the delivery of that advice.”

Going forward, Cetera will continue to operate under a multi-affiliation structure, through two core channels – Traditional and Specialty – that collectively serve the full spectrum of independent advisor businesses and financial institutions.

Under this new partnership, Genstar has entered into a definitive agreement with Aretec Group, Inc., the holding company for Cetera, in a transaction expected to close in the late third quarter of this year.  Under the agreement, the specific terms of which were not disclosed, Genstar will assume majority equity control of Cetera, with Cetera’s leadership team maintaining a meaningful ownership position.

Tony Salewski, Managing Director of Genstar, said, “We’re excited to work closely with the team at Cetera to build on the company’s longstanding leadership in the financial advice space, and to support the growth and success of its nearly 8,000 financial advisors across the country.  From its scale and breadth of solutions, to its leadership team and vision for the future of advice, Cetera is well-positioned to capitalize on long-term secular tailwinds in wealth management. We have deep sector expertise and we see enormous opportunities to promote the long-term success of Cetera, its advisors and institutions to address the rising importance of professional financial advice to help individuals reach their financial goals.”

Genstar’s current and previous financial services investments include Mercer Advisors, AssetMark, Ascensus, Apex Fund Services, Acrisure, ISS, and Strategic Insight.  For this investment Genstar has assembled a strong Board of Directors to help guide the company’s strategic direction. In addition to RJ Moore, CEO of Cetera, Genstar representatives will include Tony Salewski and Sid Ramakrishnan as well as Ben Brigeman, former Executive Vice President for Charles Schwab & Co. who led the company’s Individual Investor (Retail) business; and Hal Strong, formerly Vice Chairman of Russell Investments.

Mr. Moore concluded, “The future of Cetera, its independent financial advisors and financial institutions, and indeed, the broader wealth management profession, has never been brighter.  We thank our advisors, institutions and our employees for their strong support and confidence throughout this process, and we’re excited to continue this journey together.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory and other approvals.  Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as Cetera’s financial advisors in this transaction, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP served as legal counsel for the company.

UBS Investment Bank and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. served as financial advisors to Genstar, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP served as legal counsel for Genstar.

About Genstar Capital

Genstar Capital (www.gencap.com) is a leading private equity firm that has been actively investing in high quality companies for 30 years.  Based in San Francisco, Genstar works in partnership with its management teams and its network of strategic advisors to transform its portfolio companies into industry-leading businesses. Genstar has approximately $10 billion in assets under management and targets investments focused on targeted segments of the financial services, industrial technology, healthcare and software industries.

About Cetera Financial Group®

Cetera Financial Group (“Cetera”) is a leading network of independent firms empowering the delivery of professional financial advice to individuals, families and company retirement plans across the country through trusted financial advisors and financial institutions. Cetera is the second-largest independent financial advisor network in the nation by number of advisors, as well as a leading service provider to the investment programs of banks and credit unions.

Through its multiple distinct firms, Cetera offers independent and financial institutions-based advisors the benefits of a large, established broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, while serving advisors and institutions in a way that is customized to their needs and aspirations. Advisor support resources offered through Cetera include award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment adviser services, practice management support and innovative technology. For more information, visit cetera.com.

“Cetera Financial Group” refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Investment Services (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions), Cetera Financial Specialists, First Allied Securities and Summit Brokerage Services. All firms are members FINRA / SIPC.

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Cetera
Joseph Kuo or Chris Clemens
Haven Tower Group
424 652 6520 ext 101 or 102
kuo@haventower.com
cclemens@haventower.com

Genstar Capital
Contact: Chris Tofalli
Chris Tofalli Public Relations
914-834-4334
chris@tofallipr.com

 

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Genstar Capital to Acquire CRF Health from Vitruvian Partners and Combine with Bracket

Combined organization will bring together complementary strengths with a shared focus on accelerated customer value through patient-centric clinical technology solutions

London, United Kingdom and Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA (July 17, 2018) – Genstar Capital, a leading investor in healthcare technology and services companies, is pleased to announce the acquisition of CRF Health, a global provider of eCOA and eConsent solutions for the life sciences industry. As part of the transaction, CRF will be combined with Bracket, a provider of software and technology-enabled solutions utilized in clinical trials. Bracket is a portfolio company of Genstar.

CRF Health has been majority-owned by Vitruvian Partners, a leading growth-and technology-focused investment firm, since 2015.

The newly combined organization will drive accelerated value for pharmaceutical companies and CRO customers, providing patient-centric solutions, combined with deep and broad therapeutic area expertise, across a strong and efficient global footprint.

“CRF Health earned an outstanding reputation with 20 years of experience providing eCOA and now eConsent solutions to the biopharma industry around the world,” said Mike Nolte, who will lead the combined organization as CEO. “CRF’s technology and therapeutic experience dovetail well with our solutions, and they expand our ability to support increasingly complex clinical research. I am excited to bring two outstanding teams together to provide a reliable and scalable platform that accelerates the development of life changing medicines for our families and communities across the globe.”

The combined company will have over 1,500 employees worldwide, and will be in a position to accelerate the penetration of user-friendly technologies across the clinical trial spectrum – driving the transfer from manual, paper based services to electronic while improving service quality and data integrity.

“This is an exciting step forward for patients, clients, and our new combined team,” said Rachel Wyllie, CEO of CRF Health, who will become the Executive Chairman of the combined company. “The complementary nature of the two businesses provides us with the platform and scale for future growth in our dynamic markets, while ensuring our customers have more access to the latest patient-centric innovations in clinical research.”

Jean-Pierre Conte, Chairman and Managing Director at Genstar Capital, added, “Bringing CRF and Bracket together will create a world-class healthcare technology company supporting clinical trials and will accelerate adoption and growth in eCOA, eConsent, patient engagement, rater training and trial supply management solutions. We look forward to working with the outstanding leaders at both organizations. This notable event in pharmaceutical services is another example of Genstar’s private equity strategy of driving change at our portfolio companies to create high-growth and extremely valuable companies. Healthcare is an important sector for Genstar and we continue to identify great opportunities to apply our growth model to build great companies.”

Philip Russmeyer, Partner at Vitruvian Partners, commented, “We are delighted to support the combination of Bracket and CRF to further accelerate, and build upon, the excellent advances that our partnership with the strong management team at CRF has produced over the past years.”

The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and is subject to customary closing and regulatory approvals.

Jefferies International Limited served as exclusive financial adviser and Dickson Minto as legal adviser to CRF.  Ropes & Gray LLP served as legal adviser to Genstar Capital.

About Bracket

Bracket (www.bracketglobal.com) is a technology company that accelerates clinical research and improves the experience of patients accessing potentially life-changing therapies. Our solutions, combined with deep scientific and clinical insight, link engaged patients to researchers, provide faster, more reliable decision making, and help provide longer, healthier and more productive lives for our families and communities around the globe. Bracket has over 800 employees and delivers services in more than 90 countries to a diverse base of global customers, including 15 of the top 20 biopharma companies.

About CRF Health

CRF Health is the leading provider of patient-centered eSource technology solutions for the life sciences industry. With experience in more than 800 clinical trials, over 100 languages and across 74 countries, CRF Health’s TrialMax® platform consistently demonstrates the industry’s highest data accuracy, patient and site compliance, and patient retention. The integrated TrialMax platform includes eCOA solutions for collecting PROs (Patient Reported Outcomes), ObsROs (Observer Reported Outcomes), ClinROs (Clinician or Rater Reported Outcomes), and PerfOs (Performance Outcomes), and features TrialConsent®, an electronic solution for collecting and managing informed consent in clinical trials. CRF Health’s eSource solutions improve trial engagement by making the patient the center of the clinical trial process.

About Genstar Capital

Genstar Capital (www.gencap.com) is a leading private equity firm that has been actively investing in high quality companies for more than 25 years. Based in San Francisco, Genstar works in partnership with its management teams and its network of strategic advisors to transform its portfolio companies into industry-leading businesses. Genstar manages funds with total capital commitments of approximately $10 billion and targets investments focussed on targeted segments of the healthcare, financial services, software, and industrial technology industries.

About Vitruvian Partners

Vitruvian is a European growth-focused investment firm specialised in ‘dynamic situations’, where companies undergo growth and change typically driven by technology. Vitruvian helps portfolio companies scale their operations by providing an operational support system and assistance with strategic initiatives including acquisitions. Other notable investments to date include global market leaders in their field such as Just Eat, FarFetch, Skyscanner, EasyPark, Snow Software, Trustpilot, Voxbone, Callcredit, Ebury and others. The €2.4bn Vitruvian Investment Partnership III (“VIP III”) is among the largest pools of capital in Europe supporting innovative and higher growth companies. Vitruvian has backed 30 companies in its first two funds and has assets under management of c. €5 billion, operating out of offices in London, Munich, Stockholm, Luxembourg and San Francisco. More information can be found at: www.vitruvianpartners.com

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Contact: Chris Tofalli
Chris Tofalli Public Relations
914-834-4334

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Fortino Capital is investing in the international expansion of e-health company Dobco Medical Systems

Fortino Capital

Fortino Capital is investing EUR 2.2 million in Dobco Medical Systems, a Belgian software company specialising in online solutions for medical imaging. Fortino Capital will help Dobco Medical Systems’ management with the further development of their platform and their international expansion.

Dobco Medical Systems was founded in 2011 and quickly became the reference for online medical imaging in the Benelux. Their most well-known solution, the PACSonWEB platform, is used in 9 out of 10 Flemish hospitals. PACSonWEB is a secure cloud platform that provides an efficient way to exchange medical images and reports between all involved parties. Dobco is thus able to simplify complex processes within medical imaging and provide doctors and patients with medical information faster, more accurately and in a secure manner.

“Together with Fortino Capital, Dobco Medical Systems can take the next step and further scale up the company. Thanks to Fortino Capital’s knowledge of Software-as-a-Service, as well as their experience in putting companies on the map in an international context “, confirms Jan Dobbenie, CEO at Dobco Medical Systems.

Dobco’s aim is to further expand its platform and service offering both in Belgium and internationally to Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France and Cyprus. With Fortino as its partner, the company is looking to strengthen its sales team so it can meet the increasing international demand.

Matthias Vandepitte, partner at Fortino Capital, explains: “We are impressed with the expertise at Dobco Medical Systems. Their commercial traction confirms the added value for their customers, as well as the potential for further international growth. This explains our enthusiasm to further grow the company together with the Dobco team.”

Dobco Medical Systems has a turnover of approximately EUR 3 million and currently employs 24 people. With this investment, Fortino Capital emphasises its role of providing growth capital to companies that are successful in their domestic market, such as Dobco Medical systems, to further grow on an international level. This venture capital investment is the tenth software investment in Fortino Capital’s portfolio.

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AURELIUS Group to expand its management team

Aurelius Capital

  • Donatus Albrecht to look after the group-wide M&A strategy
  • Matthias Täubl newly appointed to the Executive Board with responsibility for operations

Munich, July 17, 2018 – AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE000A0JK2A8) is announcing changes to its Executive Board today. From August 1, 2018, Donatus Albrecht will look after the group-wide M&A strategy of all business areas of the AURELIUS Group and will step down from the Executive Board of the listed AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA. Matthias Täubl, who has already been with AURELIUS since 2008, will join the Executive Board with responsibility for operations at the same time.

These personnel changes are in response to the significant increase in the size of the AURELIUS Group in recent years, which now has operations as an investment group across Europe. Since it was founded, AURELIUS has progressed from being a local turnaround investor to a pan-European multi-asset manager. AURELIUS Equity Opportunities is the publicly traded investment arm with a focus on the acquisitions of companies in transitional or exceptional situations. The AURELIUS Group also operates in the Growth Capital and Debt Opportunities business fields.

Donatus Albrecht to look after the group-wide M&A strategy

Donatus Albrecht will head up the acquisitions and sales for all of the Group’s business areas in the future. Before now, Donatus Albrecht was a board member at AURELIUS Equity Opportunities, where he was responsible for the M&A activities. He has managed a total of more than 70 corporate transactions to date in his career.

Matthias Täubl newly appointed to the Executive Board with responsibility for operations

Matthias Täubl will join the Executive Board of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities, where he will be responsible for the realignment of portfolio companies. Matthias Täubl has already held various positions on the AURELIUS Task Force since 2008, responsible among other things for the very successful realignment of the Getronics group, which was sold in 2017 as the largest exit in the company’s history to date. He studied International Business Relations at the University of Applied Sciences in Eisenstadt in Austria and at Helsinki Business Polytechnic in Finland.

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Ardian arranges the Unitranche refinancing of Evernex

Ardian

Paris, July 17th 2018 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces the arrangement of a Unitranche facility to refinance the existing debt of Evernex, a leading global provider of third party maintenance services for IT infrastructures and a Carlyle Europe Technology Partners portfolio company. The Unitranche package will also include a dedicated committed acquisition facility to finance future build-ups.

Founded in 1983, Evernex has built a broad global network over time covering 160 countries through 330 stocking locations and over 400 employees, of which 200 specialized engineers. This footprint enables the Company to support and maintain its customers’ locations 24/7, leveraging over 750,000 available spare parts from its inventory.

Evernex’s rapid growth can be explained by dynamic organic performance, enabled by the expansion of its operations into new geographies, as well as by a selective external growth strategy, with the aim of securing the Company’s leadership in its core markets and enhancing its service range. Evernex is indeed involved in a fragmented competitive landscape, which offers enticing consolidation opportunities, from which the company wishes to benefit as it did in 2016 with the acquisition of Nexeya. The Group intends to further capitalize on these opportunities to densify its network and continue supporting its customer base in their evolving IT hardware needs.

Carlyle acquired a majority stake in Evernex in 2015 (named CapVert Finance at the time) and the Company has now chosen Ardian Private Debt as financing partner, thanks to its tailor-made Unitranche financing, which combines flexibility and rapidity of execution.

“The acquisitive ambition of Evernex made the Unitranche choice an obvious one to unlock further opportunities and contribute to the continued growth of the business.” commented Jean-David Ponsin, Director in the Private Debt team of Ardian. Charles Villet, Associate Director at Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, added: “Ardian’s ability to deliver terms perfectly in line with the Company’s needs was key in this partnership. Ardian demonstrated a strong level of creativity and has set up a financing package particularly well suited to the story we wish to continue writing with Evernex.”

“We are delighted and excited to carry out this transaction alongside Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, to support a Company with such an impressive growth track record and quality management team.” said Olivier Berment, Co-Head of Ardian Private Debt and Managing Director. “Evernex’s preference for a Unitranche solution demonstrates the strength of this type of financing, especially in the context of fast-growing companies, by providing them with the flexibility and reactivity they need to unlock their full development potential.”

“With this Unitranche financing, our intention is to accelerate even further the execution of our original investment thesis and establish Evernex as the uncontested global leader in its market.” concluded Vladimir Lasocki, Managing Director at Carlyle Europe Technology Partners. “We are convinced that Ardian will prove to be a strong growth partner for Evernex in the long run, and will have the capacity to further finance the Group’s needs for its development.”

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$71bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 500 employees working from fourteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo). It manages funds on behalf of around 700 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Funds of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
Ardian on Twitter @Ardian
www.ardian.com

ABOUT THE CARLYLE GROUP

The Carlyle Group is a global alternative asset manager with $201 billion of assets under management across 324 investment vehicles. Founded in 1987 in Washington, DC, Carlyle has grown into one of the world’s largest and most successful investment firms, with more than 1,575 professionals operating in 31 offices in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (CETP) is a pan-European growth & small-cap buyout fund predominantly investing in technology, media and telecoms companies. CETP seeks to partner with entrepreneurs and management teams and invest in businesses with substantial potential for growth which typically have enterprise values between €25m and €250m.

www.carlyle.com

LIST OF PARTIES INVOLVED

Evernex: Stanislas Pilot, Stéphane Régenet, Farid Seddar.
Carlyle Europe Technology Partners: Vladimir Lasocki, Charles Villet.
Ardian Private Debt: Olivier Berment, Jean-David Ponsin, Clément Chidiac.
Financing Legal Advisor (Ardian): K&L Gates – Mounir Letayf, assisted by Adeline Roboam and Patrick Gerard-Boucher.

PRESS CONTACTS

ARDIAN
Headland
TOM JAMES
Tel: +44 207 3675 240
tjames@headlandconsultancy.co.uk

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