Monthly Archives: December 2018

KKR Appoints Sumanth Cidambi and Vijay Padmanabhan as Directors in its India Credit Business

KKR

Appointment Aimed at Meaningfully Scaling Credit Operations in India

MUMBAI, India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 4, 2018– KKR today announced the appointment of Sumanth Cidambi and Vijay Padmanabhan as Directors for the firm’s credit business in India. Both the appointments will help KKR deepen and scale its existing India credit strategy and move into adjacencies.

KKR has been the pioneer in developing private high-yield and structured credit investing in India. The firm operates in the credit space through an NBFC and Alternative Investment Funds, suitably complemented with global capital pools. Since 2009, the firm has executed on over 140 transactions in India, valued at close to US$6 billion.

Speaking on the appointments, BV Krishnan, Member, KKR, and CEO, KKR India Financial Services, said: “Both Sumanth and Vijay join our team at a very opportune time. Sumanth brings to us the much necessary owner-operator mindset and has a track record of delivering sustainable value. He will complement our focus on building capabilities in the operational turnaround and workout areas, which are becoming a critical differentiator in credit investing in India.”

He further added, “Vijay brings on board deep credit underwriting experience. He has a unique risk-reward perspective, having worked in the UK and India. His skill sets and understanding of the domestic eco-system give him a wholesome understanding of what it takes to succeed in this space. His ability to underwrite across the capital structure will be a critical element in our plan to further scale our platform where we have been the market leader in private high-yield investing.”

With nearly two and a half decades of diversified industrial experience, Sumanth Cidambi has worked extensively with corporate boards and senior management teams in Asia, Europe and the US, to create sustainable value. Leveraging his deep experience in operations restructuring and business turnarounds, he will work closely with KKR’s credit portfolio companies in India to deliver identified and specific value. Sumanth’s addition highlights the firm’s strong view that operational involvement in companies is a dimension that is critical to delivering value to stakeholders, and risk managing outcomes.

Vijay Padmanabhan has extensive experience in credit underwriting and distress investing, in the UK and India, including in Old Lane, Fidelity Investments, SBI Funds Management, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors.

Early this year, KKR’s India Financial Services made two Director level hires viz. Jigar Shah as the Legal and Compliance Head for the firm in India, from JP Morgan, and Niraj Karia as a senior credit originator, from Kotak Investment Bank.

KKR has been investing in India since 2006. In addition to a strong private equity practice, KKR is highly focused on credit, capital markets and real estate opportunities in India. Its credit portfolio in India includes, but is not limited to, Enzen Global Solutions, Amanta Healthcareand Walchandnagar Industries.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About KKR India Financial Services

KKR India Financial Services (“KIFS”) is KKR’s alternative credit business in India that provides flexible financing to companies via a unique business model that comprises balance sheet — via a non-bank finance company —alternative asset management, and capital markets. As of Nov 30, 2018, KIFS has executed over 140 transactions in India worth close to US$6 billion.

Source: KKR

Media

For KKR Asia:
Cara Major
Cara.Major@KKR.com

For KKR India:
Edelman
Siddharth Panicker, +91-9820-857-522
Siddharth.Panicker@Edelman.com

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BBS Automation acquires industrial software specialist ANT

eqt

EQT portfolio company BBS Automation today announced the add-on acquisition of ANT – a leading developer of innovative “Industry 4.0” solutions that digitize production workflows in large-scale manufacturing processes.

Headquartered in Munich, Germany, BBS Automation develops flexible and high-quality automation solutions for complex manufacturing and testing processes. With production sites in Germany, the US, China and Malaysia, BBS Automation supports a diverse network of blue-chip customers on a global scale. EQT Mid Market Europe and EQT Mid Market Asia III jointly invested in BBS Automation alongside its founding families to support the growth ambitions of the company both organically and through add-on acquisitions.

BBS Automation and ANT – expanding offering of digital factory solutions

Better utilization of data analytics and IoT technologies represent an enormous opportunity for manufacturing companies across all sectors. The ability to increase the efficiency of assembly processes, allow for more rigorous testing and quality management practices as well as to enable predictive maintenance are only some of the manifold potentials that can be provided by integrated digital factory solutions.

In order to expand its offering in this regard, BBS Automation acquired the industrial software specialist ANT Sp. z o.o, a developer of highly innovative “Industry 4.0” solutions headquartered in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 2006 by Jerzy Fulara and Andrzej Jarosz, ANT has developed a core platform (“AOS”) that can be combined with highly customized software modules tailored to the specific needs of each customer.

Among other features, solutions of ANT include digital dashboards to visualize production workflows, data analysis tools to optimize machine efficiency, assistants to enable predictive maintenance and tools to digitize processes like documentation and quality control. One key strength of ANT’s solutions is the high compatibility with existing hardware and software infrastructures. Data can be drawn from a wide range of available machine sensors, complemented with ANT data acquisition modules wherever required. Analyses can subsequently be fed into a wide range of ERP-systems. This makes ANT a valuable partner for the digital transformation of existing factories, proven in more than 450 system implementations in more than 30 countries to date.

The combination of BBS Automation’s deep industrial automation expertise with ANT’s experience in software and data analytics will strengthen the ability to jointly develop integrated “Industry 4.0” solutions.

Uwe Behr, Co-founder of BBS Automation, comments: “In ANT we found our ideal counterpart among industrial software developers: ANT draws on a remarkable sector experience and truly understands the needs of its customers in their respective end markets, acting in close partnership with its clients to develop customized solutions of highest quality. With every new implementation they expand their ‘toolkit’ of capabilities. We are looking forward to partner up with its founders to combine our capabilities and jointly develop new innovative solutions that will allow our customers to master the digital transformation of their assembly and testing processes.”

Andrzej Jarosz, CEO and Co-founder of ANT adds: “Over the course of the last twelve years we expanded the depth and scope of our solution offering and were looking for a strong partner to further accelerate our growth. Our customers increasingly request us to serve them on a global scale. The global platforms of BBS Automation and EQT will allow us to better serve customers internationally. In addition, we see strong demand for our solutions in new end markets that BBS Automation already serves today and for which we will now work on customized solutions together.”

Andreas Fischer, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market Europe concludes: “Both BBS Automation and ANT have a strong entrepreneurial culture and share a passion to build best-in-class solutions for their customers. EQT is thrilled to support this add-on acquisition only six months after investing in the company. This transaction is a strong fit, not only in terms of synergistic technologies and geographic expansion potential, but especially in terms of the cultural fit of both businesses and we welcome the decision of ANT’s founders to stay on board. EQT looks forward to jointly develop BBS Automation’s positioning as a key enabler of Industry 4.0 production systems.”

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HQ Capital Gives Back! in New York

HQ Capital

New York, NY, 3 December 2018. HQ Capital’s New York office participated in a “Reading Party” for grade school children as part of the firm-wide HQ Capital Gives Back! Initiative.

More than 30 employees attended the event, hosted by Pajama Program, a national organization dedicated to providing new pajamas and books to vulnerable children in support of a caring bedtime ritual and good night’s sleep. The Reading Party began with introductions and then the children spent an hour reading with their adult “reading buddies.”  At the end of the Reading Party, the children each selected a book of their choice to take home and were presented with a new pair of pajamas, specially wrapped and labeled with their name. Each child was given a round of applause to encourage their participation in reading activities.

“As a parent of teenage children, the Reading Party brought back memories of reading to my own children. Knowing the importance of this activity made the experience especially meaningful,” said Chris Lawrence, Managing Director at HQ Capital. “The event was well-run, and the staff is extremely devoted and caring. It was truly rewarding to have contributed to the impact the Pajama Program is making in the lives of these kids.”

Pajama Program was founded in 2001 by Genevieve Piturro after she was asked by a young girl living in a shelter, “What are pajamas?” Piturro regularly read to children at a local shelter and was shocked to realize how many did not have pajamas to change into or a book to read before bedtime. She started the program with the goal of helping to transform bedtime into a loving ritual for children living in difficult circumstances. The program now serves children in every state and has delivered more than 3 million pajamas and over 2 million books.

“The number of employees who participated in the Reading Party is a testament to HQ Capital’s commitment to giving back to the community,” said Jeremy Katz, Co-Head of Real Estate at HQ Capital. “We are proud to have partnered with the Pajama Program and to have supported their mission of providing new pajamas and books to children who might not otherwise have them. We are continually looking for opportunities in which we can make a positive social impact.”

About Pajama Program

At Pajama Program, we understand deeply how many children in this country don’t have a stable home life, or a home at all. To these children — often abandoned, neglected, living in shelters or temporary housing — we pledge our unwavering commitment to the inherent right of every one of them to have a loving bedtime and restful good night as the start of a positive, empowering good day. New pajamas and books are magical gifts that we collect and give, with love, to vulnerable children. They inspire them, teaching them how to use imagination and creativity to change their lives in the moment, and every day. They are the building blocks of confidence, trust and love. Further information can be found at www.pajamaprogram.org.

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Leading Fintech Innovator Cross River Raises $100 Million Funding Round Led by KKR

KKR

KKR Makes $75 Million Investment and is Joined by CreditEase, Lion Tree Partners and Returning Investors Battery Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Ribbit Capital

FORT LEE, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cross River Bank (“Cross River” or the “Company”), a fast-growing provider of banking services for financial technology companies, announced today that it has completed a funding round of approximately $100 million, led by a $75 million equity investment from KKR. KKR is joined in the round by new investors, CreditEase and Lion Tree Partners, and by returning investors Battery Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Ribbit Capital.

Cross River combines innovative technologies with the trust, security and established expertise of a bank to create new services and solutions for fintech companies that are redefining global financial services. In addition to traditional banking, Cross River has developed partnerships with financial technology leaders to build fully compliant and integrated products for the marketplace lending and payment processing arenas. Current clients consist of leading technology brands, start-ups and financial services firms disrupting global finance including marketplace lenders Affirm, Best Egg, Upstart and RocketLoans as well as financial technology companies like Coinbase and TransferWise.

“We are very pleased that our growth and progress has the endorsement of leading investors such as KKR,” said Gilles Gade, founder, CEO and Chairman of Cross River. “We also welcome new investors CreditEase and Lion Tree Partners and are especially grateful for the continued confidence of our previous investors Battery Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Ribbit Capital. This is a very strong signal that we continue to execute on our plan and are poised to take Cross River through its next phase of successful development here in the U.S. and across the globe.”

The new funding round follows $28 million in venture capital secured in late 2016 from Battery Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Ribbit Capital.

This additional funding will enable Cross River to invest in the Company’s continued growth by expanding its technology and product development teams as well as its compliance infrastructure. The capital will allow Cross River to continue building and enhancing a complete banking platform where fintech companies can leverage best-in-class banking technology coupled with compliance excellence.

“We believe Cross River has a great future ahead and we are very pleased to support Gilles and the talented management team to continue their impressive growth,” said Dan Pietrzak, Member and Co-Head of Private Credit at KKR. “Cross River offers solutions to address a number of challenges faced by fintech companies by giving them access to a full suite of banking solutions and services in a single, fully compliant and innovative platform, making it an increasingly attractive and valuable franchise in a dynamic marketplace.”

KKR is making the investment primarily from its Private Credit Opportunities Partners II L.P fund.

About Cross River

Cross River Bank is a fast-growing financial services organization that merges the established expertise and traditional services of a bank, with the forward-thinking offerings of a technology company. They combine a fully compliant and comprehensive suite of products into a unique banking-as-a-platform solution, encompassing lending, payments and risk management. Cross River partners with leading marketplace lenders and fintech companies enabling them to focus on their own growth without hindering innovation. Founded in 2008, Cross River is a New Jersey state-chartered FDIC insured bank. For more information, please visit Cross River’s website at www.crossriver.com or the company’s Twitter @crossriverbank.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Contacts

Cross River
Robert Rendine/Robin Weinberg/Cameron Seligmann
Sard Verbinnen & Co.
Phone: 212-687-8080
CrossRiver-SVC@sardverb.com

KKR
Kristi Huller or Samantha Norquist
Phone: 212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

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Impel NeuroPharma Closes $67.5 Million Series D Financing

KKR

Crossover Financing to Advance Clinical Development of Central Nervous System Assets in Migraine, Parkinson’s Disease and Acute Agitation

SEATTLE, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Impel NeuroPharma (“Impel” or the “Company”), a Seattle-based, privately-held biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for the treatment of central nervous system (“CNS”) disorders with unmet medical needs, today announced that it has completed a Series D financing totaling $67,500,000. The investment is co-led by KKR and Norwest Venture Partners (“Norwest”), with participation from existing investors, Vivo Capital, 5AM Ventures and venBio Partners.

In connection with the financing Dr. Robert Mittendorff, Partner at Norwest, and Ali Satvat, Member at KKR, will join the Impel Board of Directors.

This financing will enable Impel to accelerate its existing clinical development portfolio in CNS disorders. Impel is currently investigating three programs leveraging its novel Precision Olfactory Delivery, or POD®, device technology: INP104 in a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of acute migraine headache, INP103 in a Phase 2 trial for the reversal of OFF episodes in Parkinson’s disease and INP105 in a Phase 1 trial for the treatment of acute agitation in bipolar I and schizophrenia disorders.

“We are delighted to have the support of this exceptional group of both new and existing investors. Dr. Mittendorff and Mr. Satvat will be tremendous assets as new members of Impel’s Board of Directors and we believe that this investment is a testament to the strength of our POD® technology, our clinical programs and our management team,” said Jon Congleton, Chief Executive Officer of Impel. “With three product candidates progressing through various stages of clinical development in 2018, it has been an exciting year for Impel, and this financing confirms the value that we are generating with our clinical programs.”

“We are excited to have co-led this financing round with KKR and look forward to helping Impel reach its goals as the Company progresses the development of these novel investigative therapies,” said Dr. Mittendorff. “Norwest shares in Impel’s belief that the Company’s pipeline has the potential to bring important new treatments to the market for the CNS community.”

“We are thrilled to contribute to the development of innovative solutions that may enhance the lives of patients with CNS disorders,” said Mr. Satvat. “Impel’s proprietary, novel platform has the potential to transform intranasal drug delivery, significantly improving the range of treatment options for people living with acute migraine, acute agitation and Parkinson’s disease.”

About Impel NeuroPharma
Impel NeuroPharma, Inc., is a privately-held, Seattle-based biotechnology company devoted to creating life-changing, innovative therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Impel NeuroPharma is currently investigating INP104 (POD-DHE) for acute migraine headache, INP103 (POD-levodopa) for reversal of OFF episodes in Parkinson’s disease and INP105 (POD-olanzapine) for acute agitation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

Impel’s products utilize its novel, nasal drug-delivery Precision Olfactory Delivery, or POD™, device technology to deliver liquid or dry powder forms of drug to the upper nasal cavity in a consistent and predictable manner.

IMPEL, POD and the IMPEL Logo are trademarks of Impel NeuroPharma, Inc. To learn more about Impel NeuroPharma, please visit our website at http://impelnp.com.

About Precision Olfactory Delivery™ or POD™ Devices
Impel NeuroPharma’s proprietary POD™ intranasal drug delivery device is designed to deliver drugs to the richly-vascularized upper nasal cavity to achieve superior biodistribution and bioavailability of both small molecules and biologic drugs. By consistently and predictably delivering therapeutics to the upper nasal cavity, the POD nasal delivery device may improve overall bioavailability of drugs. The POD device also has the potential for nose-to-brain delivery via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves. Impel has developed dry powder and liquid compatible POD devices to improve upon current treatment options for central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Contact:
Melyssa Weible
Elixir Health Public Relations
Ph: (1) 201-723-5805
E: mweible@elixirhealthpr.com

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Gladstone Investment Corporation acquires EDUCATORS RESOURCE

Gladstone

MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gladstone Investment Corporation (NASDAQ: GAIN) (“Gladstone Investment”) announced today that on November 30, 2018, it acquired Educators Resource, Inc. (“Educators Resource” or the “Company”) in partnership with members of the Company’s executive management team.  Gladstone Investment provided equity and senior secured debt to complete the transaction.

Educators Resource is a leading wholesale distributor of school supplies and K-12 supplemental teaching materials to market leading e-retailers and brick-and-mortar stores nationwide. The Company offers the broadest array of products in the market, with over 25,000 SKUs sourced from over 300 suppliers, ensuring that reseller customers are able to deliver upon an “endless aisle” experience without the burden of onerous inventory and fulfillment costs. Additional information can be found at www.educatorsresource.com.

“Educators Resource is a leader in e-commerce fulfillment, providing a value-added, turnkey solution to resellers of supplemental teaching materials. We are excited to partner with the talented team at Educators Resource and look forward to helping the Company as it enters its next phase of growth,” said Peter Roushdy, Managing Director of Gladstone Investment.

Gladstone Investment is a publicly traded business development company that seeks to make secured debt and equity investments in lower middle market businesses in the United States in connection with acquisitions, changes in control and recapitalizations. Additional information on the transaction can be found at www.gladstoneinvestment.com.

For Investor Relations inquiries related to any of the monthly dividend paying Gladstone funds, please visit www.gladstone.com.

Forward-looking Statements:
The statements in this press release regarding the longer-term prospects of Gladstone Investment and Educators Resource and its management team, and the ability of Gladstone Investment and Educators Resource to grow and expand are “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements inherently involve certain risks and uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Although these statements are based on Gladstone Investment’s current plans that are believed to be reasonable as of the date of this press release, a number of factors could cause actual results and conditions to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, including those factors described from time to time in Gladstone Investment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Gladstone Investment undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE:  Gladstone Investment Corporation

For further information: Gladstone Investment Corporation, 703-287-5893

Gladstone Investment Corporation logo

Source: Gladstone Investment Corporation

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Vagaro Raises $63 Million in Growth Equity Led by FTV Capital

FTV Capital

Online booking, payments and business management platform for salons, spas and fitness businesses expands technology offering to meet digital demand

Dublin, CA — Vagaro, a leading cloud-based business management platform for the salon, spa and fitness industry, today announced the company has raised a $63 million growth equity round, its first institutional capital, led by FTV Capital. The company will continue to invest in cloud-based, industry-specific technology to help businesses of any size optimize operations, reduce complexity and seamlessly process payments. In addition, Vagaro will expand its sales and marketing team and geographic footprint. Vagaro will benefit from FTV’s Global Partner Network®, which includes executives from the world’s leading financial services and payments companies, and the firm’s experience in scaling high growth companies that operate in specialty industry verticals. As part of the transaction, FTV Capital partner Robert Anderson and FTV Capital managing partner Richard Garman will join the Vagaro board of directors.

Vagaro’s platform successfully meets the needs of a digital-first, productivity-focused millennial generation by providing salon, spa and fitness business owners with a powerful and comprehensive suite of back-office and consumer-facing business management software solutions, including appointment booking, calendaring, client management, marketing, reporting, payroll, inventory management and payment acceptance.

Most recently, Vagaro added a form builder to collect registrations, waivers and surveys to its highly customizable platform, leaving the company uniquely positioned to aggressively compete in the fitness management software segment. The company also added a competitively priced multi-transaction EMV reader to its point-of-sales solutions, making EMV payment processing even faster and more convenient for U.S. business owners.

In addition to automating and streamlining business processes, Vagaro connects businesses to consumers who are searching for spa, salon and fitness services via Vagaro.com, an online marketplace, and via the easy-to-use Vagaro booking app.

“I feel privileged to have led Vagaro’s talented team for the past 10 years. Our company has completely transformed — moving from delivering industry-changing salon software technology to offering a full suite of industry-specific business management solutions coupled with a powerful online marketplace,” said Vagaro founder and CEO Fred Helou. “Vagaro’s partnership with FTV Capital opens up exciting new possibilities for us, including the expansion to additional international markets, and will usher in a new chapter in the company’s growth story. Thanks to our compelling price point and newer technology, we are perfectly positioned to compete against slow-moving, more traditional industry players.”

“We are energized by our new partnership with FTV Capital, a firm that has helped many high growth companies, like Vagaro, build on their success to best meet customer needs,” said Kerry Melchior, Vagaro’s chief of operations. “Our near-term plans include expanding the range of payment solutions and digital functionality for our clients, while continuing to deliver the highest quality, easiest to use solutions with superior customer service.”

“Vagaro’s innovative and integrated product suite makes it easy for businesses to run all aspects of their operation from attracting and retaining customers to managing day-to-day activities to accepting payments,” said FTV partner Robert Anderson. “The Vagaro team is well-positioned to continue to capitalize on secular growth trends across the more than $9 billion global health and wellness market, and we are excited to provide the capital and strategic support for this next phase of growth.”

ABOUT VAGARO

Vagaro, Inc. develops all-in-one business management platforms and powerful online marketplaces for the salon, spa and fitness industries. Businesses in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia use Vagaro’s cloud-based software to manage all aspects of their operations and to market their services to local customers. Consumers choose Vagaro to search for and book services in their community at their convenience. Vagaro is easy-to-use and works on any device. Learn more by visiting Vagaro.com and https://sales.vagaro.com.

ABOUT FTV CAPITAL

FTV Capital is a growth equity investment firm that has raised over $2.7 billion to invest in high-growth companies offering a range of innovative solutions in three sectors: enterprise technology & services, financial services, and payments & transaction processing. FTV’s experienced team leverages its domain expertise and proven track record in each of these sectors to help motivated management teams accelerate growth. FTV also provides companies with access to its Global Partner Network®, a group of the world’s leading enterprises and executives who have helped FTV portfolio companies for two decades. Founded in 1998, FTV Capital has invested in 106 portfolio companies, including CardConnect, CashStar, EBANX, Enfusion Systems, Clearent, NeonOne, VPay and WorldFirst. FTV has offices in San Francisco and New York. For more information, visit www.ftvcapital.com.

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GP Bullhound appoints Floris Backer van Ommeren as Executive Director

Gp Bullhound

GP Bullhound today announced that Floris Backer has joined its advisory team as Executive Director. Based in London and Amsterdam, Floris will oversee the firm’s activities in Benelux.

Previously, Floris was Head of Tech Media & Telecom at ABN AMRO in the Netherlands. Prior to that, he worked at Deutsche Bank and Lehman Brothers in London, New York and Amsterdam.

Manish Madhvani, Managing Partner of GP Bullhound, said: “We are excited that Floris will be joining our fast-growing franchise at a time of healthy deal-activity in the technology sector. He brings a wealth of experience and a strong network, helping us increase our reach in Benelux.”

GP Bullhound has been active in the region for many years, both as an advisor and an investor, working with companies including Zoover and Greetz which was recently sold to Photobox Group.

Floris Backer said: “GP Bullhound is a leading global technology specialist, and I am excited to help grow the business further. Reflected in the rise of companies like Adyen, Takeaway.com and Elastic; we see a strong ecosystem of tech companies and investors in Benelux and we look forward to working with them closely.”

Floris has built up an extensive investment banking experience, executing and originating numerous transactions. He was involved in many deals in Europe and the US for companies including Adyen, Takeaway.com, Independer.nl, Plaxis, Telegraaf Media Group, Wolters Kluwer, SLM Solutions, Deutsche Telekom and Nielsen.

A native speaker in Dutch, and passionate about technology, competitive cycling and sailing, Floris holds a master degree in Engineering from Delft University of Technology.

Enquiries
For any enquiry, please contact floris.backer@gpbullhound.com or manish.madhvani@gpbullhound.com

About GP Bullhound
GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the best entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999, the firm today has offices in London, San Francisco, Stockholm, Berlin, Manchester, Paris, Hong Kong, Madrid and New York. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com, or follow on Twitter @GPBullhound

 

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Leading talent marketing solutions provider, partners with Google to improve candidate engagement and conversion

Symphony Talent, a leading talent marketing solutions provider, today announced its partnership with Google Cloud Talent Solution to provide its clients with enhanced search capabilities to attract, hire and engage high-quality talent faster.

Google Cloud Talent Solution provides a combination of search APIs that leverages machine learning and Google’s learnings in search to produce better search performance and conversion by delivering high-quality results to job seekers far beyond the limitations of typical keyword-based methods. This integration provides candidates with the same superior search experience they have come to expect from Google. The seamless integration of Google Cloud Talent Solution with the career site job content of Symphony Talent’s clients will help return enhanced search results for candidates that account for the role level, jargon, abbreviations and acronyms, and misspellings. In addition, the job search capability leverages machine learning, so the results will continue to improve over time.

“Our partnership with Google Cloud Talent Solution delivers a significant opportunity for our clients to optimize their candidate and recruiter experiences,” said Roopesh Nair, president and CEO, Symphony Talent. “The synchronicity of Google’s industry-leading search capabilities with our data-driven, experience-focused solutions will empower global brands to redefine how they connect with quality talent.”

Symphony Talent has collaborated with Google to deliver enhanced search capabilities and advance the candidate experiences for its portfolio of global clients, such as UCLA Health and Hilton Grand Vacations.

According to Nair, the benefits of Symphony Talent’s seamless integration with Google Cloud Talent Solution include:

0_medium_SymphonyTalent-logo-DblStkd-RGB1.png
  • More accurate results and a shorter funnel for candidates
  • Enhanced candidate and recruiter experiences
  • Higher apply rates and decreased drop-off
  • Increased candidate conversion
  • Better fit candidates

Symphony Talent is an alpha partner for future Google Cloud Talent Solution enhancements, including the profile APIs. This partnership and shared vision between Symphony Talent and Google Cloud Talent Solution will also allow their teams to collaborate and further advance the experiences, job search function, candidate job recommendations and the recruiter profile search on Symphony Talent’s platform.

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FSN Capital V has signed an agreement to acquire Rameder Group

Fsn Capital

FSN Capital V has, together with management, acquired a majority stake in the Rameder Group, the European market leader in the distribution of towbars and related products. This partnership marks FSN Capital Funds’ first platform investment in Germany.

Founded in 1996, Rameder is today Europe’s leading distributor of towbars, bike carriers and roof racks. Based in the German town of Leutenberg and with offices in Ingolstadt (DE), Lille (FR) and Prague (CZ), the 200 employees at Rameder manage online shops in over ten countries (including kupplung.de in Germany), selling around 300,000 towbars each year throughout Europe. In addition, the Company operates 16 assembly points making them one of the largest professional towbar installation service providers in Germany. In recent years, Rameder has succeeded in making strategically important acquisitions both in Germany and abroad, with the acquisitions of Bertelshofer (DE) in 2012, France Attelage (FR) in 2017 and ELSA (CZ) in 2018. Combined with robust organic growth, these acquisitions have resulted in strong topline development. Today Rameder generates approximately €70m in revenue.

Focusing on organic and acquisition-driven growth
After two decades of successfully investing in Scandinavia, in early 2018 FSN Capital Partners, acting as investment adviser to the FSN Capital Funds, opened an office in Munich and hired a team of professionals to advise the FSN Capital Funds on investments in the DACH region. The team, led by partners Robin Mürer, Justin Kent and Patrice Jabet, focuses on growth-oriented, mid-sized companies that have a strong value proposition and a clear market-leading position, where the FSN Funds see a clear potential to support management teams to achieve their growth strategies by providing both capital and know-how. The FSN team will seek to support FSN Capital V and Rameder’s management to achieve its strategic goals to boost turnover further in the core markets of Germany and Austria, expand its assembly network, and foster greater international growth by way of acquisitions and strategic partnerships.

Expanding market leadership
“Rameder is an exceptionally well positioned company with a clear value proposition for its customers. We look forward to supporting the Rameder team to further solidify its leadership position in its core markets, while continuing to expand internationally in a sustainable and responsible manner” says Justin Kent, partner at FSN Capital Partners in Munich.

“We are delighted to have found the ideal partner in FSN for the next stage of our development and we look forward to working with the FSN team to continue Rameder’s success story. FSN Capital Funds’ outstanding track record partnering with growing companies and their managers, combined with its strong focus on values, was a key aspect of our decision to partner with FSN”, say Dirk Schöler and Stefan Bertelshofer, Co-CEOs of Rameder Group.

Six successful investments in 2018
2018 has been a highly successful year for the FSN Capital Funds. Thus far, FSN Capital Funds have acquired the Norwegian road safety and road infrastructure solutions provider Saferoad the Norwegian equipment supplier for the aquaculture and fishery sectors Mørenot and the Swedish retailer of limited-edition trainers Sneakersnstuff. In addition, FSN Capital Funds have assumed a controlling interest in a new IT outsourcing business group that was created by the joint acquisitions of Swedish companies OITP, Zetup and Dicom. Key add-on acquisitions have also been successfully completed for the portfolio companies Holmbergs, which acquired the Austrian company Fasching Safety Belts, and Fitness World, which acquired the Swiss fitness chain basefit.

The team at FSN Capital Partners responsible for advising on the transaction is composed of Justin Kent, Eskil Koffeld and Clemens Plainer. FSN Capital V was also advised by Hengeler Mueller (legal), Bain (commercial), Alvarez & Marsal (financial), PwC (tax & ESG), eccelerate (e-commerce), JLT (insurance), capitalmind (debt advisory) and mcf (M&A).

The transaction is still subject to regulatory approval with closing of the transaction scheduled for January. The details of the transaction will not be disclosed.

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