Monthly Archives: July 2019

KKR Acquires Leading Software Platform Corel Corporation from Vector Capital

KKR

OTTAWA, July 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KKR, a leading global investment firm, and Corel Corporation (“Corel”), one of the world’s top software platforms, announced today that KKR has completed its acquisition of Corel from Vector Capital, a leading technology-focused private equity firm. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Uniquely positioned at the intersection of several large and growing end-markets totaling almost $25 billion across its key verticals, Corel offers a wide portfolio of software solutions that deliver best-in-class capabilities to over 90 million knowledge workers worldwide. Comprised of some of the industry’s best-known brands Corel’s products empower professionals across industries in three main verticals: Creativity, Productivity, and Desktop-as-a-Service.

Corel has a consistent track record of organic growth and product innovation, as well as a proven history of accretive acquisitions, the most recent of which include the products Parallels®, ClearSlide®, and MindManager®. Combining top-rated operational capabilities with a focused product portfolio addressing attractive niche industries, Corel has accelerated its growth profile in recent years. KKR is committed to furthering that growth trajectory by enhancing internal capabilities and building on the company’s established track record of successful acquisitions.

“Corel has differentiated itself by offering an impressive portfolio of essential tools and services for connected knowledge workers – across devices, operating systems, and a range of fast-growing industries. KKR looks forward to working together with management to drive continued growth across its existing platforms while leveraging the team’s extensive experience in M&A to deliver a new chapter of innovation and growth on a global scale,” said John Park, Member at KKR.

“KKR recognizes the value of our people and their impressive achievements, especially in terms of our commitment to customers, technology innovation, and our highly successful acquisition strategy. With KKR’s support and shared vision, our management team is excited by the opportunities ahead for our company, products, and users,” said Patrick Nichols, CEO of Corel.

“Corel has been an important part of the Vector Capital family for many years and we are pleased to have achieved a fantastic outcome for our investors with the sale to KKR,” said Alex Slusky, Vector Capital’s Founder and Chief Investment Officer. “Under Vector’s ownership, Corel completed multiple transformative acquisitions, grew revenue and meaningfully improved profitability, highlighting Vector’s proven strategy of partnering with management teams to position companies for long-term success.  We are confident the company has found a great partner with KKR and wish them continued success together.”

For KKR, the investment in Corel is primarily being made from KKR’s Americas XII Fund.

Corel and Vector Capital were represented by Sidley Austin LLP during this transaction, with Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Deloitte representing KKR.

About Corel
Corel products enable millions of connected knowledge workers around the world to do great work faster. Offering some of the industry’s best-known software brands, we give individuals and teams the power to create, collaborate, and deliver impressive results. Our success is driven by an unwavering commitment to deliver a broad portfolio of innovative applications – including CorelDRAW®, ClearSlide®, MindManager®, Parallels®, and WinZip® – to inspire users and help them achieve their goals. To learn more about Corel, please visit www.corel.com.

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 Vector Capital
Vector Capital is a leading global private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses. With more than $4 billion of capital under management, Vector actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of businesses and enhance value for employees, customers, and all stakeholders. For more information, visit www.vectorcapital.com.

© 2019 Corel Corporation. Corel, the Corel logo, the Corel Balloon logo, CorelDRAW, MindManager, and WinZip are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere. ClearSlide is a trademark or registered trademark of ClearSlide Inc., in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere. Parallels is a trademark or registered trademark of Parallels International GmbH in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Patents: www.corel.com/patent.

Media Contacts:

Corel:
Jessica Gould
media@corel.com

KKR:
Kristi Huller or Cara Major, 212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

Vector Capital:
Nathaniel Garnick/Grace Cartwright
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170

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Axcel invests in SteelSeries, a leading global brand within gaming peripherals

Axcel

For nearly two decades, SteelSeries has been a frontrunner in the gaming industry, offering high-quality gaming peripherals to pro and enthusiast gamers. Its software platform has millions of daily users and is integrated with games and applications. Over the years, the company has built a strong brand and has leveraged this to outpace category growth globally. The gaming peripherals market is expected to continue experiencing significant growth, mainly driven by an increased number of gamers, growth in esports and a clear trend towards multiplayer/social games.

“I am very proud of our growth, driven by relentless innovation, inspired design, and a commitment to esports. We are well positioned to benefit from category growth and a loyal fan base. We have built the best team in the business and we look forward to a new partnership with Axcel.” says Ehtisham Rabbani, CEO of SteelSeries.

SteelSeries helped create the gaming audio category, in a list of many industry firsts. Today, the Arctis headset line is an award-winning market leader. SteelSeries’ other market leading products lines include the Rival gaming mice, Apex gaming keyboards and QcK gaming surfaces.

“Ehtisham and the rest of the management team have done an excellent job in defining a clear value proposition and setting a focused strategy. Furthermore, the company has been able to develop new and innovative products across the key gaming peripherals supporting today’s enthusiast and professional gamers,” says Lars Cordt, who is responsible for the investment at Axcel. “Based on SteelSeries’ strong position as a leading global gaming peripherals brand, we believe that we can grow the company significantly going forward.”

Founded in Denmark to serve the needs of esports pros, the company has sponsored some of the world’s first professional esports teams and tournaments. This legacy has solidified SteelSeries as a top esports brand and continues to drive all aspects of the company’s hardware and software development.

Jacob Wolff-Petersen, the founder, is excited about the prospects of partnering with Axcel:

“I’m excited about partnering with Axcel for the next phase of the company’s journey. SteelSeries has become a global company, but the company’s Nordic heritage is still an essential part of our DNA. Axcel was therefore an obvious partner. I’m certain that together with Axcel, we will be able to further expand the SteelSeries brand across regions and channels.”

Christian Bamberger Bro, partner at Axcel, adds:

“SteelSeries is an exciting investment opportunity for Axcel, where we will be able to leverage our experience within the consumer and technology sectors to develop the company together with its exceptionally talented management team.”

SteelSeries is being acquired from US-based L Catterton. The parties have agreed not to disclose any financial terms. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

SteelSeries is Axcel V’s ninth investment. Axcel will control the majority of SteelSeries’ shares.

About SteelSeries
SteelSeries is a leader in gaming peripherals focused on quality, innovation and functionality, and the fastest growing major PC gaming headset brand in the US. Founded in 2001, SteelSeries improves performance through first-to-market innovations and technologies that enable gamers to play harder, train longer, and rise to the challenge. SteelSeries is a pioneer supporter of competitive gaming tournaments and eSports and connects gamers to each other, fostering a sense of community and purpose. SteelSeries’ team of professional and gaming enthusiasts help design and craft every single accessory and are the driving force behind the company. In 2018, the company generated sales of DKK +1 billion.

About Axcel
Founded in 1994, Axcel is a Nordic private equity firm focusing on mid-market companies and has a broad base of both Nordic and international investors. Axcel has raised five funds with total committed capital of just over EUR 2.0 billion. These funds have made 55 platform investments, with almost 100 major add-on investments and 43 exits. Axcel currently owns 12 companies with combined annual revenue of more than EUR 1.1 billion and some 4,000 employees.

Further information:

Axcel:
Lars Cordt, Partner
E-mail: lc@axcel.dk
Tel.: +45 3336 6999

Christian Schmidt-Jacobsen, Managing Partner
E-mail: csj@axcel.dk
Tel.: +45 3336 6999

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DIF, Aberdeen Standard Investments and Local Pensions Partnership to acquire Elenia Heat

DIF

Schiphol, 1 July 2019 – DIF Infrastructure V (“DIF”), SL Capital Infrastructure II (“ASI”) and Local Pensions Partnership Investments (“LPPI”) are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement to acquire 100% of Elenia Lampö Oy (“Elenia Heat”) from Elenia Oy.

Elenia Heat is the 9th largest district heating company in Finland. The company owns and operates 16 district heating networks across Finland with a total network length of 499km, via which it operates in 10 municipalities and serves approximately 85,000 end-customers. Elenia Heat also owns a gas distribution business, selling gas via 6 distribution networks. In addition, the company holds a 50% stake in Oriveden Aluelämpö Oy, a small district heating network in Central Finland in the city of Orivesi.

The consortium was advised by Jefferies as sole financial adviser.

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 infrastructure 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 and companies in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.

DIF has over 125 professionals in nine offices, located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto.

DIF contact:

Allard Ruijs
Partner
a.ruijs@dif.eu

About ASI
Aberdeen Standard Investments has over €4 billion of assets under management across direct economic and concession infrastructure. The Economic infrastructure funds’ primary objective is to achieve long term, consistent returns by investing in brownfield core/core+ infrastructure assets in Europe. The fund’s aim is to construct a balanced portfolio of high quality European infrastructure opportunities focussing on small to mid-market opportunities across the utilities, transport and energy sectors.

Aberdeen Standard Investments is a leading global asset manager dedicated to creating long-term value for our clients, and is a brand of the investment businesses of Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life Investments. With over 1,000 investment professionals we manage €643 billion (31/12/18) of assets worldwide. We have clients in 80 countries supported by 50 relationship offices. This ensures we are close to our clients and the markets in which they invest. We are high-conviction; long-term investors who believe teamwork and collaboration are the key to delivering repeatable, superior investment performance. We are resolute in our commitment to active asset management.

Standard Life Aberdeen plc is headquartered in Scotland. It has around 1.2 million shareholders and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The Standard Life Aberdeen group was formed by the merger of Standard Life plc and Aberdeen Asset Management PLC on 14 August 2017.

About LPPI
Local Pensions Partnership Investments Ltd (“LPPI”) is an FCA authorised investment manager for UK local government pension funds. LPPI was established in 2016 to enable public sector schemes to pool resources and improve management of their assets for the benefit of their members and employers.

LPPI manages approximately £17 billion in assets, allocated across numerous asset classes, on behalf of three pension funds: Lancashire County Pension Fund, London Pensions Fund Authority and Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund. The infrastructure commitments are managed mainly through the fund LPPI Infrastructure Investments LP, launched in June 2017 which, including infrastructure assets held on individual clients’ balance sheets, has assets and commitments around £1.8 billion.

The infrastructure investment team has a long term ‘buy and hold’ strategy and seeks to gain cost-effective, diversified exposure to global infrastructure assets, predominantly in the UK, Europe and North America. With eight dedicated infrastructure professionals LPPI is well positioned to support continued capital deployment in direct investments and fund allocations.

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