Bridgepoint Growth invests in software services provider Elgin

Bridgepoint

Bridgepoint Growth has made a growth capital investment in Elgin, the home of roadworks.org, the local and national planning, management and communications hub for roadworks, road closures and traffic disruptions. The terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Co-founder Shane O’Neill said: “We began several years ago with a vision to aggregate official traffic information across hundreds of different official sources. We have achieved a substantial market coverage within England, Scotland & Wales serving the traffic management community and developed a suite of software tools which syndicate official and real-time traffic data into the global satnav providers and other media outlets.”

CEO and co-founder James Harris added: “Our ambition is to build on our strengths in providing traffic management solutions in the UK and to play a major role in supporting the growth of autonomous vehicles and Smart Cities worldwide, leveraging our uniquely close relationships to the global satnav providers. Today’s investment by Bridgepoint Growth will allow us to accelerate our growth ambitions and extend and develop our range of services.”

Duncan Calam, a partner of Bridgepoint Growth, said: “This is an opportunity for Bridgepoint Growth to invest in a high quality, SaaS annuity business and to help it internationalise. Elgin is at the heart of the digital transport revolution, producing cost effective real-time software solutions for the world of connected vehicles and genuinely helping highway authorities to reduce congestion and costs”.

Advisers involved in this transaction were: for Bridgepoint Growth – KPMG (FDD and Tax), Taylor Wessing (Legal), Cross Lake (ITDD) and Marsh (Insurance); for Elgin – WTA Partners (M&A) and Gowling WLG (Legal)

This investment is made by Bridgepoint Growth I, a fund which  focuses on companies seeking equity investment between £5 million and £15 million that use digital technologies to achieve transformational growth in their end-markets.

Capricorn Venture Partners announces SCG as limited partner in the Capricorn Sustainable Chemistry Fund

Bangkok, Thailand and Leuven, Belgium: 23 August 2018 – SCG Chemicals Co., Ltd, part of the Siam Cement Public Company Limited (SCG), one of the largest integrated petrochemical companies in Thailand and a key industry leader in Asia, which offers a full range of petrochemical products, has joined the Capricorn Sustainable Chemistry Fund (CSCF) as limited partner.

SCG has a strong commitment in creating sustainability along with innovations. SCG Chemicals has focused on developing innovation and advanced technology to create high value-added products (HVA), services and solutions.

Cholanat Yanaranop, President of Chemicals Business, SCG: “CSCF matches SCG’s focus on innovation and circular economy. Investing in the CSCF will bring us further corporate venturing insights and both early and later stage potential co-investment opportunities in the sustainable chemicals field.”

Jos Peeters, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Capricorn Venture Partners says, “We already have a financially very strong shareholder base from which we can leverage significant co-investment for the fund investments. With SCG we are not only strengthening the shareholder base of CSCF further, but we have also a partner on board that brings insights, innovation and access to new markets.”

Jacques van Rijckevorsel, chairman of the CSCF: “As a former corporate executive I know what the added value of a fund investment can be for the innovation capability of a corporate investor. It does not only improve the reach of the innovation field, but it also broadens the view of the corporation beyond its current business areas. It provides a good view on technology and business possibilities that may arise beyond the horizon of the normal corporate business planning cycles and allow for early stage option development.”

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bm-t invests in world leading enzyme company

BM-T

c-LEcta, a world-leading biotechnology company focused on enzyme engineering and applications in regulated markets like food and pharma, has closed a financing round with Capricorn Venture Partners and the German investment company bm|t. The capital increase provides the company with growth capital as well as valuable access to an international network.

c-LEcta already has a diversified shareholder structure. In addition to the founder, Dr. Marc Struhalla, private industrial investors and German institutionals, the company has now expanded its circle of shareholders by attracting international investors. c-LEcta has received growth capital from two new shareholders. Lead investor, Capricorn Venture Partners, is an independent, internationally oriented investment company, based in Leuven, Belgium. Capricorn invests in innovative, technology driven companies and has a multidisciplinary team of experienced investment professionals. Capricorn invested through two funds, namely the Capricorn Sustainable Chemistry Fund NV and Quest for Growth NV. The German investment company bm|t invests in high-growth technology companies led by entrepreneurial teams. bm|t invested via the MFT Mittelstands-Fonds Thüringen GmbH & Co. KG. These new funds are planned to be particularly invested in the approval, launch and scale-up of products from the project pipeline, further development of the pipeline as well as the expansion of international sales.

Mr. Ludwig Goris, Investment Manager of Capricorn, commented on the investment in c-LEcta: “We see that global mega trends and challenges in human nutrition are paving the way for industrial biotech companies like c-LEcta. Since its foundation, c-LEcta has built up a remarkable track record of technology and product development and has been able to validate that through a growing customer base of leading pharma, chemical and food ingredient companies. In addition, we were impressed by the highly qualified team in Leipzig. Founder and CEO Dr. Marc Struhalla and his motivated team have created a great company that has arrived at an attractive inflection point where the current product pipeline forms the foundation for an accelerated growth curve. We are proud to lead this growth capital round and contribute to the success of c-LEcta.”

Kevin Reeder, CEO of bm|t added, “bm|t, which has a substantial life sciences portfolio, is very optimistic about its investment in c-LEcta. The company´s strong team, track record of successful development, and a highly compelling product pipeline were extremely impressive. We feel c-LEcta is well-positioned to transition to a high-value biotechnology product company.” The two new investors expand the group of shareholders, which previously included the following investors: SHS Gesellschaft für Beteiligungsmanagement mbH, High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH, KfW Bankengruppe, Dr. Marc Struhalla, Warning Beteiligungs GmbH, Dr. Bader Beteiligungs GmbH, and Arthur Steinmetz Beteiligungs GmbH.

In order to reinforce management and the board and support the anticipated growth, Thomas Pfaadt (45) recently joined c-LEcta as CFO. He enriches the company with his experience in corporate finance and M&A. Previously Thomas Pfaadt worked for a private equity-owned operator of rehabilitation clinics as well as for a family-owned integrated healthcare group. He also gained experiences as an investment banker and consultant with a strong focus on the healthcare sector. He commented on what excites him about c-LEcta: “c-LEcta is a young, lean, and dynamic company and a global player at the same time. We are fighting the serious challenges of today’s human nutrition. A growing population and a growing demand for healthy natural food require solutions from enzyme technologies that the chemical industry cannot provide. We are pleased to have won these two new investors to finance our work in addressing these large opportunities.”

c-LEcta is a fully integrated biotechnology company based in Leipzig, Germany, with focus on enzyme engineering and application in regulated markets like food and pharma. c-LEcta currently employs around 60 people. The company is well diversified and covers a large part of the value chain from discovery to engineering to the commercial production of enzymes as well as the manufacturing of other high-quality biotechnology products, either as in-house developments or in close coöperation with the industry. Over the last five years, c-LEcta has conducted more than 30 enzyme engineering projects with a success rate of >90%. Only a few weeks ago, the company announced a major breakthrough as the first company to develop a process to enable the mass-production of a plant-based sweetener with a real sugar-like taste. In addition, two further food ingredient products with high market potential are in an advanced development stage and the project pipeline comprises several promising candidates addressing the multi-billion-euro food ingredients market. This growth financing is intended to raise c-LEcta to a new level and elevate the focused food ingredients from the project pipeline to commercial scale production.

CEO Dr. Marc Struhalla commented on c-LEcta’s core technology and the capital increase: «The performance requirements for enzymes to be applied in industrial processes are in most cases very specific and vary from naturally occurring variations. Enzymes therefore need to be adapted to industrial conditions via enzyme engineering, and c-LEcta owns one of the most efficient technology platforms in this area. For enzyme optimization as well as for the development of artificial enzyme activities, we use patent-protected strategies that are inspired by nature. The industrial application of these technologies holds great market potential. The financial strength and valuable international network that we have gained through this financing round now offers us the opportunity to develop the full potential of our technology and people. With Capricorn Venture Partners and bm|t, we get two active investors on board that can contribute substantially to our international growth ambitions. Also, I am all the more pleased that our new CFOThomas Pfaadt will support us in this endeavor. Our goal is that in the future c-LEcta´s technology will be employed in many things we encounter in everyday life.”

 

About Capricorn Venture Partners:

Capricorn Venture Partners is an independent European manager of venture capital and equity funds, investing in innovative European companies with technology as competitive advantage. It is based in Leuven, Belgium and licensed by the FSMA (the Financial Services and Markets Authority in Belgium).

About bm|t:

Erfurt-based, bm|t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh (bm|t) is the largest growth investor in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. bm-t invests in innovative companies with strong growth potential across all sectors and phases of the corporate lifecycle.

About c-LEcta

c-LEcta is a fully integrated world-leading biotechnology company with focus on enzyme engineering and application in regulated markets like food and pharma. The company is located in Leipzig, Germany, and has established itself as a leading player in the realization of high-value biotech products, either in the form of in-house developments or in close coöperation with industry. The company currently employs around 60 people.

c-LEcta delivers cost-efficient and sustainable production processes which open new markets and allow for better penetration of existing markets. The company is characterized by fast and efficient development of best-in-class biotech solutions and a rapid and successful market introduction and commercialization of the resulting products. This enables c-LEcta to leverage the unique potential of its core technologies. c-LEcta has a proven track record of more than 10 successfully commercialized high-value industrial biotech products.

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The Carlyle Group Invests in One Medical, the Largest Independently Held, Technology-Enabled Primary Care Practice in the U.S.

Carlyle

Carlyle’s Global Platform and Deep Industry Expertise To Help Grow and Scale the Business

New York, NY – Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) today announced that it is making a significant minority investment of up to $350 million into 1Life Healthcare, the technology and management company behind One Medical, to support the company’s growth. One Medical is the largest independently held primary care practice in the U.S. The company is working to transform health care by making high-quality primary care personal, accessible and affordable.

One Medical CEO Amir Dan Rubin said, “Partnering with Carlyle, given their extensive network and significant resources, will fuel our next stage of growth and innovation. Carlyle has a deep understanding of the health care sector and a track record of helping to build market-leading companies, while maintaining the highest levels of quality and patient support.”

Ram Jagannath, Managing Director on Carlyle’s Healthcare team, said, “We are excited to partner with Amir Dan Rubin and the One Medical team to continue growing and building out the platform. The company has developed an innovative, membership-based model that key stakeholders — including patients, providers, employers and health systems — find highly compelling. One Medical’s combination of best-in-class service and seamlessly integrated technology is delighting patients in an increasingly frustrating primary care environment. We look forward to working with the company to bring the One Medical brand and experience to more patients across the country.”

Founded in 2007, One Medical is reimagining primary care by improving the quality, service and affordability of care through a technology-enabled model. The company provides service in nine metropolitan regions: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and Washington, DC. In addition to its consumer membership model, more than 1,000 companies have added One Medical to their health benefits packages, giving employees unparalleled, integrated access to near-site primary care, 24/7 virtual care and even on-site care that helps them improve population health and decrease overall health care costs. Health systems are now also partnering with One Medical as they acknowledge the value of having high-quality longitudinal, preventative care in their networks.

Bruce Dunlevie, Partner at Benchmark Capital and current 1Life Healthcare board member, said, “We are excited to have Carlyle join the 1Life Healthcare Board and investor group to help advance One Medical’s mission to transform health care. The primary proceeds from Carlyle’s investment will help fund One Medical’s go-forward expansion, while the Carlyle team’s experience building successful health care companies will serve as a valuable asset for the company.”

Equity for the transaction comes from Carlyle Partners VII, an $18.5 billion fund that makes majority and strategic minority investments primarily in the U.S. across five industries. The investment in One Medical is a continuation of Carlyle’s long-term global commitment to health care, in which it has invested more than $11 billion of equity since inception. Carlyle’s significant experience investing in the healthcare space includes MedRisk, Albany Molecular Research, PPD, WellDyneRx, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Rede D’Or São Luiz, Healthscope, Qualicorp, MultiPlan, and most recently, Millicent Pharma.

Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to Carlyle.

* * * * *

About One Medical

One Medical is the nation’s leading member-based, technology-powered national primary care organization focused on transforming health care. One Medical delivers it unique model of real life care through digital health services and convenient medical offices in 72 locations in nine metropolitan regions, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle,  Washington, D.C, and San Diego (launching next year).

In addition to its direct-to-consumer membership model, One Medical works with more than 1,000 companies who have added One Medical to their health benefits packages, giving their employees unparalleled, integrated access to near-site primary care, 24/7 virtual care, and even on-site care that helps them improve population health and decrease health care costs. One Medical is affiliated with 1Life Healthcare, Inc., a healthcare technology and management services company.

About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $210 billion of assets under management across 335 investment vehicles as of June 30, 2018. Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, many of whom are public pensions. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, real estate, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,625 people in 31 offices across six continents.

Web: www.carlyle.com
Videos: www.youtube.com/onecarlyle
Tweets: www.twitter.com/onecarlyle
Podcasts: www.carlyle.com/about-carlyle/market-commentary

Contact:
Chris Ullman
+1 (202) 729-5450
Chris.ullman@carlyle.com

 

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Prime Ventures exits Greetz

Prime Ventures

Photobox Acquires Greetz to Create European Leader in Online Greetings Cards and Personal Gifting

Photobox Group, Europe’s leading personalisation business, has snapped up Dutch online cards and giftingretailer Greetz. The acquisition makes Photobox Group the European market leader in online greetings cards and personal gifting through the Greetz and Moonpig brands.

Founded in 2001 as an online greetings cards retailer – in which it is the undisputed market leader with over 7.5 million cards sold in the Netherlands in 2017 – Greetz has now established itself as Holland’s number one brand in personal gifting, with strong positions in categories like online flowers, chocolate, beverages and balloons. In 2017 the company sold almost 1 million gifts. Growing at 25% year on year, the business is on course to double its 2015 revenues in 2018.

Greetz now joins Photobox Group’s family of brands which include Moonpig – the UK leader in online cards, gifts & flowers – as well as Photobox (Europe-wide leader in photo-personalised gifts), Hofmann (Spanish leader in photo-personalised gifts) and PosterXXL (a leading player in the German photo-personalised market).

“We’re delighted to welcome Greetz to our family of gifting and personalisation businesses”, said Jody Ford, CEO Photobox Group. “Much like Moonpig in the UK, Greetz is a loved, household brand, offering customers a highly emotive, personal and convenient way to share special moments and occasions together, and a vibrant, dynamic alternative to generic, off the shelf cards, gifts and flowers. The UK and Netherlands are the two main greetings card markets in Europe and we now have leadership positions in both”, said Ford.

Joining Photobox Group gives us access to a Europe-wide pool of talent, expertise and creativity as we build the next stage of Greetz story”, said Niek Veendrick, CEO Greetz. “Our vision is to be the number one destination for personal gifting and greeting, enabling consumers to surprise and support people close to them. This is a 100% match with the Photobox ambitions and in Moonpig they have a very similar business that we can grow with.”

Photobox Group’s brands and products enable over 10 million customers across 15 countries to share memories, celebrate great moments and inject personal expression into their everyday lives every year. The Group generated revenues of £325m in the fiscal year ending 30 April 2017 and is owned by Exponent Private Equity and Electra Private Equity.

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OAKLEY CAPITAL to invest in CPANEL

oakleycapital

Oakley Capital Private Equity III (“Fund III”) is pleased to announce an agreement to invest in cPanel.  WebPros BV, the holding company that owns Plesk and Solus VM, is acquiring a majority stake in cPanel from its founder J. Nick Koston. Fund III first invested in WebPros in April 2017 in order to acquire Plesk, which has performed very strongly since. The transaction is partly funded by an extension of the unitranche debt facility from WebPros’ existing lender TPG.  Fund III will make a further investment of $50 million into WebPros as part of this transaction. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

Established in 1997 by CEO J. Nick Koston, cPanel provides one of the internet infrastructure industry’s most reliable and intuitive control panel software platforms.  With its rich feature set and customer first support, the fully-automated hosting platform empowers infrastructure providers and gives customers the ability to administer every facet of their website using simple, point-and-click software.  Based in Houston, Texas, cPanel employs over 220 colleagues and has customers in more than 70 countries.

This transaction is a continuation of Oakley’s strategy to acquire leading internet infrastructure software businesses.  It will keep its companies’ products active, supported and developed.  Oakley is committed to making significant investments into, and growing headcount in, cPanel’s Houston headquarters.

Peter Dubens, Managing Partner of Oakley Capital Private Equity, commented:

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to acquire one of the most well-respected businesses in internet infrastructure software.  Oakley has significant experience of investing in this sector, and we look forward to working with Nick and the team to continue cPanel’s growth.”

Nick Koston, CEO of cPanel, Inc. commented:

“This investment reflects a great step forward for cPanel.  Our team has developed software that contributes to the success of millions of websites operating globally and looks forward to continuing to do so with the same passion that our loyal  customers have come to love.  This investment will give internet infrastructure providers access to a wider range of software, features and support.  I am excited about what the future holds for the company and the great team at cPanel.”

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Volpi Capital completes its fourth deal with management buyout of CycloMedia

Volpi Capital

London, 20 August 2018: Volpi Capital (“Volpi”), a specialist European lower mid-market private equity firm, today announces the fourth deal from its first fund – Volpi Capital Fund I – with the management buyout of CycloMedia, a leading global B2B geospatial data and information business headquartered in the Netherlands.

CycloMedia provides intelligent geospatial data and information services by virtualising large cities for B2B governmental and commercial use cases, such as tax assessment, remote infrastructure monitoring, asset inspection for insurance underwriters and visual support for control rooms. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, CycloMedia operates across Europe and the US with the majority of customers buying a repeat service.

CycloMedia is a highly innovative business that through its Research & Development team has developed proprietary technology providing advanced camera and processing techniques. Its technology is currently used in government, public safety and security markets, as well as in construction, infrastructure management and insurance.

The company, which has over 140 employees, has a track record of strong growth with high margins and had revenues of c.€30m in 2017.

The deal will see Volpi acquiring a majority stake. Working closely with CycloMedia’s management, Volpi plans to add value to the business through continued international expansion, particularly in the US. In addition, Volpi will support management with a buy and build strategy, whilst also enhancing the business’ governance and operations.

Volpi’s average ticket size across its four deals to date has been c.€60m, with the investment in CycloMedia consistent with this.

Commenting on the transaction, Crevan O’Grady from Volpi Capital, said: “CycloMedia matches perfectly with our investment thesis of backing businesses harnessing technologies to improve productivity and efficiency within B2B value chains. I am confident that we can support management in driving transformative growth for CycloMedia through further internationalisation, with a particular focus on the US.”

Frank Pauli, CEO of CycloMedia added: “We have been very impressed by Volpi’s deep industrial knowledge and their ability to truly understand our business and the market opportunity. Having developed a relationship with Volpi over the last year, we are confident that they are the right partner to help us take the business to next level.”

This is Volpi’s first deal since closing its maiden fund – Volpi Capital Fund I – at its €185m hard cap in April 2018.

Volpi was advised by Allen & Overy and PwC.

About Volpi Capital

Volpi Capital is a specialist European lower mid-market private equity firm. Volpi has a thesis-driven approach targeting ambitious businesses using enabling technologies to disrupt traditional B2B value chains. Volpi typically invests €25-75 million of equity in businesses with enterprise values between €50 million and €200 million and seeks to drive transformative growth through international expansion and consolidation. The firm, which was founded in 2016 by Crevan O’Grady and Marco Sodi, closed its first fund (Volpi Capital Fund I) in April 2018 with commitments of €185 million.

http://www.volpicapital.com

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Instinctif Partners

Nick Woods/Ambrose Fullalove

+44 20 7457 2020

volpi@instinctif.com

About CycloMedia

Founded in 1980 CycloMedia is a leading international provider of data and software solutions virtualising the outside world accurately on-screen. CycloMedia’s customers derive actionable insights from the geo-data platform to power day-to-day decisions remotely and with more accuracy, delivering exceptional ROI. CycloMedia focuses its solutions on tax assessment, asset management, public safety, construction & engineering, utility & transportation and insurance & real estate. CycloMedia employs 140 people and is based in Zaltbommel, the Netherlands, with operations in the US, Germany, and Scandinavia.

http://www.cyclomedia.com

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IrisVR Brings VR to Construction Industry with First Ever Navisworks Integration to Support BIM

Azure Capital

NEW YORKAug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — IrisVR, the leading immersive design review and collaboration software for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries, is thrilled to announce a new native Beta integration between Prospect and Autodesk Navisworks as part of their latest release.

As the first Navisworks plugin built for VR, this integration will deliver a premium immersive experience that puts comfort and performance first. You can expect:

  • Real time performance
  • Low latency
  • Locomotion best practices
  • Access to BIM metadata
  • Experiences running at 90FPS

This new Navisworks beta integration will let construction and engineering teams quickly launch 3D models in VR, meaning faster, more efficient model reviews. The ability to capture issues in the model before construction begins will save thousands of dollars and avoid delays.

While Prospect users have been exporting FBX files from Navisworks and importing them into Prospect for months, the workflow required extra steps that the IrisVR team wanted to eliminate. Now, engineering and construction firms can bring their 3D models into VR with just one click, so they can easily:

  • Perform visual clash detection and evaluate complex systems
  • Review models with accurate spatial relationships and true-to-scale layouts
  • Coordinate trades in 1:1 scale across the project
  • Collect feedback from construction and operations staff
  • Improve collaboration and communication among teams

“While the architecture community and some construction firms have been early adopters of VR, the Navisworks plugin now enables construction teams to perform design review, QA/QC, and coordination in 1:1 scale, taking out the ambiguity of 2D coordination and driving much clearer communication,” says IrisVR Co-founder and CEO, Shane Scranton.

The first beta release supports a basic geometry and file structure export that will allow you to select individual elements in VR. IrisVR is already working to expand these capabilities to provide support for full BIM data, advanced clash detection, project timeline tools, and more. For a look at how the Navisworks plugin works watch this quick video.

IrisVR Co-founder and CTO, Nate Beatty, says of the Navisworks integration launch, “Over the next few months the IrisVR team will continue investing in the development of this integration, focusing on improving the efficiency and expanding the capabilities. We strive to make VR model reviews and project planning as intuitive, efficient, and productive as possible – and we will do our best to deliver on that promise.”

The new Prospect release also includes other features beyond the Navisworks integration that enhance design review workflows for AEC professionals. A new feature will allow users to hide or unhide any selected element which provides greater visibility into the inner workings of a building. Improved teleportation with a door fade feature, section capping, and Multiuser Meeting host controls are also included in this launch.

Prospect is available on a monthly or annual subscription basis, with three pricing tiers starting at $50/month. The Navisworks plugin is available to customers on any tier.

AEC firms across 105 countries have been using Prospect to improve design communication internally and with clients, speed up design approvals, collaborate with teams all over the world, and coordinate across disciplines. For more information and to start a free 45-day trial of Prospect, visit irisvr.com.

About IrisVR

IrisVR creates the leading software tools for immersive design review and collaboration. Prospect by IrisVR is a desktop product used by design firms, BIM and VDC teams, and engineers to instantly communicate design intent and regularly collaborate with stakeholders around the world. Because IrisVR integrates with Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, Navisworks, and other 3D tools out of the box, you can generate immersive walkthroughs in less than 10 seconds. Try Prospect free for 45 days.

SOURCE IrisVR

Related Links

http://irisvr.com

Artemis Capital Partners announces acquisition of StanChem Polymers

Artemis Capital Partners

New Era of Innovation & Investment at Leading Manufacturer of Emulsion Polymers, Adhesives, & Coatings

Boston, MA (August 17, 2017) – Artemis Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm focused on leading industrial technology companies, announced today that is has led the acquisition of StanChem Polymers, a specialty chemicals manufacturer based in East Berlin, Connecticut.

Founded in 1968, StanChem specializes in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of emulsion polymers, adhesives, and specialty coatings for a variety of applications including paints, paper and packaging, building products, textiles, and non-wovens. In addition to its specialty polymers business, StanChem produces and markets the well-known Albi line of flame retardant products. Consistent with Artemis’ investment strategy, StanChem possesses a compelling combination of differentiated process and product solutions, a blue-chip customer base, and significant growth potential. According to StanChem’s management team, that growth will be fueled by a new era of innovation and investment.

“Using the ‘Voice of our Customer’ as our guide, we are excited to systematically expand our R&D capabilities to deliver new emulsion polymers and Albi coatings to our new and existing customers, applications, and markets,” stated Paul Stenson, PhD, StanChem’s Vice President of Technology, Sales, & Marketing.

Stephen McGuff, StanChem’s Vice President of Operations, concurred: “StanChem’s existing process technology is both formidable and flexible and we plan to further invest in our people, technology, and equipment to realize StanChem’s full potential as a world-class manufacturer in the specialty polymers industry. After we have implemented our investment plans, we will have significantly increased the Company’s capacity and capabilities.”

In addition to Dr. Stenson and Mr. McGuff, Michael Foley, PhD., Peter Hunter, and James Ward will join StanChem’s Board of Directors on behalf of Artemis, with Dr. Foley serving as the Company’s new Chairman.

 

StanChem Polymers

Leveraging more than forty years of industry heritage and applications expertise, StanChem, Inc. develops and manufactures emulsion polymers, specialty adhesives, and intumescent coatings for a wide variety of markets. With state-of-the-art laboratories and over 125,000 square feet of flexible production space, StanChem offers its OEM and end-user clients with end-to-end solutions including custom formula development, applications testing, quality control, and production-scale manufacturing. For more information on StanChem, please visit: www.stanchem-inc.com.

 

Artemis Capital Partners

Founded in 2010, Artemis Capital Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on acquiring and growing manufacturers of differentiated industrial technologies, including specialty chemicals and materials. Artemis seeks to partner with companies that have strong established management teams, outstanding engineering capabilities, unique products, and expanding niche markets. For more information on Artemis, please visit: www.artemislp.com.

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EQT invests in China Shine, a fast-growing facility management service provider

eqt

  • EQT Mid Market Asia acquires a 40% stake in China Shine, a fast-growing facility management service provider with a focus on the Chinese market
  • The strategy is to support Shine’s continued growth and development of a broader service scope, as well as further geographical expansion, to become a national integrated facility management service platform
  • EQT is partnering with the current management of Shine, which remains as majority shareholders and will continue to drive the growth strategy

The EQT Mid Market Asia III fund (or “EQT Mid Market Asia”) has acquired a 40% stake in China Shine (Cayman) Co. Ltd. (“Shine” or the “Company”) from the current management shareholders. Shine’s management team will, under the joint leadership of Jack Zhou, CEO and Chairman, Sally Wu, COO and Alan Pang, General Manager, continue to lead and drive growth and development of the Company.

Founded in 2016 in Shanghai, Shine offers general cleaning, support, building maintenance, security and integrated facility management services across China. The two-year-old company is on track to achieve annual sales of RMB 200 million (USD 30 million) in 2018. Under the leadership of the current management team, which possesses more than 20 years of industry experience, Shine has demonstrated remarkable growth since inception and is today a fast-growing facility management service provider with a stable customer base.

With a strong management team and support from EQT’s industrial network and previous experience within facility management, Shine is well-positioned to capture the attractive growth opportunities in the under-penetrated and highly fragmented facility management market in China. The strategy includes continued growth, both organically and through add-on acquisitions, and development of a broader service scope as well as further geographical expansion, with the ambition to become a fully-integrated national facility management service platform.

Shine has also announced the strategic alliance with Shanghai East Asia Hong’An Cleaning Service Co. Ltd., a company focusing on Shanghai’s prime commercial and office building vertical.

Jack Zhou, CEO and Chairman of Shine, says: “We are excited to work together with EQT and further develop Shine into an integrated facility management service platform. With its industrial and operational growth-focused approach, EQT is the ideal partner for Shine”.

Martin Mok, Partner, Head of EQT Mid Market Asia and Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market Asia III, concludes: “We are impressed by the management’s vision, vast industry experience and entrepreneurial spirit. EQT looks forward to the new partnership and the focus going forward will be on geographical and service scope expansion, while maintaining high service quality and customer satisfaction”.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value.

Contacts
Martin Mok, Partner, Head of EQT Mid Market Asia and Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market Asia III. + 852 2971 5877
EQT Press Office +46 8 506 553 34

About EQT
EQT is a leading investment firm with approximately EUR 50 billion in raised capital across 27 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Shine
Shine is a fast-growing facility management service provider with a strong cleaning business in Eastern China and across China. The Company also offers support, building maintenance, security and integrated facility management services. Founded recently in 2016, Shine is on track to achieve annual sales of RMB 200 million (USD 30 million) in 2018.

More info: www.zxchinashine.com