Monthly Archives: April 2020

Ardian Infrastructure acquires LAKIAKANGAS Wind Farm in Finland, growing existing portfolio in the Nordics

Ardian

The investment is the first build-up for eNordic, Ardian’s windfarm platform in the Nordics. Ardian’s first investment in Finland, supporting the transition towards sustainable energy.

Helsinki, 2 April 2020 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house with $96bn assets under management, today announces the 100% acquisition of Lakiakangas 1 from, German based wind power company, CPC Finland Oy. The wind farm is Ardian’s first investment in Finland. It is an add-on to Ardian Infrastructure’s existing asset base in the Nordics and will be part of Ardian and eNordic’s partnership.

“With this investment, we aim to make a lasting contribution to the delivery of clean energy to our customers and we will continue to pursue strong cooperation with our local partners. Thanks to Fingrid’s long-sighted grid reinforcement programme, we will be able to add additional turbines, which would significantly increase the capacity of the power plant” says Eero Auranne, CEO of eNordic.

The Lakiakangas 1 wind farm currently has 14 turbines in operation and a production capacity of 57MW, with permits to build-up capacity to 90MW.

“Although this investment comes during a challenging period for the world, we remain committed to sustainable energy, which will continue to play an important role in the transition to a more climate friendly society. This investment, our first in Finland, is underpinned by agreements with strong counterparties to whom we will deliver all of the produced electricity under long term contracts. This combined with the opportunity to build additional capacity in the future is a great fit for our industrial asset management strategy” says Simo Santavirta, Head of Asset Management of Ardian Infrastructure.

CPC Finland built the Lakiakangas 1 wind farm in Isojoki in 2018-2019. Following the transaction, CPC will remain responsible for the technical and commercial asset management of the wind farm in cooperation with Ardian and eNordic. The parties will not disclose the value of the transaction.

“We are pleased to partner with Ardian and eNordic in this transaction. It was one of the most efficient transactions and it has been a real pleasure to work with the Ardian/eNordic’s highly competent team. We look forward to a long lasting partnership” says Erik Trast, Managing Director of CPC Finland Oy.

“This investment is a significant step in our strategy to build a leading independent sustainable energy group with presence across three Nordic countries” says Amir Sharifi, Managing Director at Ardian Infrastructure.

Ardian Infrastructure’s portfolio, which already includes three wind farm investments in Norway and Sweden, is now at nearly 500MW of gross capacity, corresponding to the yearly energy consumption of more than 750,000 electric vehicles. The portfolio is comprised of a balanced mix of greenfield and brownfield assets. The assets all operate under a mixture of pay as produced schemes. Ardian’s total renewable portfolio represents 3.5GW of capacity across Europe and Americas.

Lakiakangas Wind Farm transaction was completed through the Ardian Infrastructure Fund IV and Ardian Clean Energy II funds.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$96bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.

Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.

Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 680 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of around 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

www.ardian.com

ABOUT ENORDIC

eNordic is the Nordic’s first sustainable energy platform, formed by a partnership between Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, and leading domestic industry executives.
Through a local, responsible and agile investment approach, eNordic enables the transformation of the energy sector through long-term partnerships with those that develop or operate sustainable energy projects in the Nordics.
It invests in opportunities in wind, biomass, hydro and district heating, in addition to traditional energy assets that have the potential to be transformed or managed in a particularly sustainable way.
eNordic is based in Sweden and Finland, with local teams operating throughout the Nordics region.
www.enordic.fi

ABOUT CPC FINLAND

CPC Finland is a fully owned subsidiary of the German based CPC Germania GmbH & Co. KG. CPC Germania plans,  builds and operates wind farm projects. It is one Europe’s oldest wind energy company with more than 650 MW of wind energy projects constructed in Germany and Europe since its founding in 1993. CPC Germania manages a portfolio with a total installed capacity of more than 750 MW for institutional investors, utilities and the CPC Group.
www.cpc-germania.com

PRESS CONTACTS

Ardian/eNordic
Headland Consultancy
CARL LEIJONHUFVUD
cleijonhufvud@headlandconsultancy.com
+44 20 3805 4827

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Nordic Capital-backed Signicat acquires Dutch Identity Specialist Connectis to create Europe’s strongest digital identity platform

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Nordic Capital

The combined entity will accelerate Signicat’s share of the identity verification market—worth $15 billion by 2024

Signicat, the Trusted Digital Identity™ company, has acquired digital identity specialist Connectis, to create the most comprehensive digital identity platform in the European market.

Connectis was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Rotterdam with an office in Bucharest, Romania. Connectis primarily delivers digital identity solutions to customers in the Netherlands, particularly organisations in the public sector, health care, insurance and financial services. The company has 52 employees in total.

Connectis develops secure solutions for online identification, authentication and authorisation for more than 350 organisations to identify over 14 million customers. Its products include:

  • Connectis Identity Broker: With connections to multiple electronic identities, such as eHerkenning, iDIN, DigiD, and more.
  • Connectis Identity & Access Management (CIAM): A comprehensive, yet fast and user-friendly CIAM solution.
  • We-ID eRecognition tokens (eID): A standardised login system supplied as certified supplier in a public-private partnership with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

As society continues to move online and interactions between consumers, businesses and institutions are becoming predominantly digital and increasingly mobile-first, trust is at a premium. Reducing fraud, and meeting regulatory requirements around digital identification, verification and recurring authentication ensures transactions can proceed with a stronger degree of trust.  The identity verification market alone is set to be worth $15 billion by 2024 (Goode Intelligence, 2019).

Signicat’s and Connectis’ combined expertise forms a strong collaboration from which to continue to drive and shape the digital identity industry in Europe. Signicat’s heritage in the Nordics and Connectis’ footprint in Benelux, particularly in the government and healthcare sector, will be instrumental in developing solutions that tackle some of the most complex digital identity challenges. The combined entity will focus on helping organisations looking to streamline online business while reducing risk and meeting a range of regulations such as KYC and AML. The combined offering now represents the most comprehensive digital identity solution on the market.

“The adoption of digital identity in the Netherlands and Belgium has been impressive, and we are very pleased with now expanding our operations in the region,” states Asger Hattel, CEO of Signicat. “With Connectis joining Signicat, we are not only expanding our reach and customer base, we are creating Europe’s strongest digital identity platform. We are really looking forward to working together and to offer existing and new customers an even stronger digital identity offering.”

“It’s time for Connectis to take the next step, towards a prominent role on the European market.” said Jeroen de Bruijn, CEO, Connectis. “By joining forces with Signicat, we really have the expertise, scale and competence to be an European market leader. We are looking forward to jointly serving customers a market-leading offering and driving innovation in the market.”

“Nordic Capital acquired Signicat a year ago with the ambition to support and accelerate its international expansion and strengthen its position as a leading digital identity platform. This acquisition is an important step to deliver even better digital identity solutions to the market, and Nordic Capital is enthusiastic about supporting Signicat’s continued growth journey in Europe”, said Fredrik Näslund, Partner, Nordic Capital Advisors.

Connectis’ previous owners, SIDN and 2050 Foundation, have reinvested in the combined entity, providing a further endorsement in Signicat’s future.

-End-

About Connectis

Connectis was founded in 2008 and is located in Rotterdam with an office in Bucharest, Romania. Over 14 million customers have been identified using its software and eRecognition tokens, and 70% of all transactions using the eHerkenning identity and authorisation system (one of the most prevalent identity schemes in the Netherlands) are performed using Connectis infrastructure. Connectis allows customers to log in to online services using DigiD, eHerkenning, Facebook, Google, eIDAS, iDIN and many other digital identity methods.

About Signicat

Signicat is a pioneering, pan-European digital identity company with an unrivalled track record in the world’s most advanced digital identity markets. Its Digital Identity Platform incorporates the most extensive suite of identity verification and authentication systems in the world, all accessible through a single integration point. The platform supports the full identity journey, from recognition and on-boarding, through login and consent, to making business agreements which stand the test of time. Signicat was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway.

 

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Smith Technologies Completes Acquisition by Francisco Partners and Rebrands as RedSail Technologies

Franciso Partners

Francisco Partners, a leading technology-focused growth equity firm, has completed its acquisition of Smith Technologies, a leader in pharmacy technology and public sector software, from J M Smith Corporation. The investment by Francisco Partners will help the company accelerate its growth strategy as an independent entity. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

As it embarks on a new chapter as a standalone business, the company will be rebranded as RedSail Technologies™. Under this new name, the company will continue to build upon decades of market leadership and will also continue to offer the same solutions under its three core product brands: QS/1®, Integra®, and PUBLIQ®.

In connection with the transaction, Kraig McEwen will join the company as Chief Executive Officer. Kraig McEwen has over 20 years of experience in healthcare technology markets. Previously, McEwen was co-founder of TrellisRx, a leader in the health system specialty pharmacy market. Prior to that, McEwen was the CEO of Aesynt, a market leader in pharmacy medication management solutions.

“I am fortunate to be joining the company at such an exciting time,” McEwen said. “RedSail has developed an unparalleled reputation as a leader across its core markets, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help the company and its employees continue to execute on their vision. Through focused product investments, our goal is to address our customers’ most critical needs, empowering them with innovative software and services.”

“Kraig McEwen is a very accomplished executive in the healthcare technology space, and we are thrilled to have him join RedSail,” said Chris Adams, Co-Head of Healthcare IT at Francisco Partners. “His experience in the pharmacy sector will be invaluable as the company grows and expands its leadership as a standalone business.”

The investment by Francisco Partners marks a transition in ownership from the J M Smith organization, which has grown the company over many decades to provide industry leading software solutions used by thousands of pharmacies and public sector customers across the country.

Piper Sandler & Co. served as financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP acted as legal advisor to J M Smith Corporation. Robert W. Baird & Co. served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor to Francisco Partners.

About RedSail Technologies

RedSail Technologies provides healthcare and governmental software solutions to pharmacy and public sector customers across North America. Under its QS/1 and Integra brands, the company designs, builds, and supports industry-leading solutions for the community and institutional pharmacy markets. Under its PUBLIQ Software brand, the company provides software and services for state and local governments, judicial offices, and municipal utilities. The company is headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, with additional offices in Anacortes, WA and Lynnwood, WA.

About J M Smith

J M Smith Corporation was founded in 1925 as a single community pharmacy in Asheville, North Carolina and is now headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In the decades since, the company has grown to operate business units that supply healthcare and distribution services and technology to pharmacies, institutions, government agencies and businesses across the U.S.

About Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners is a leading global private equity firm that specializes in investments in technology and technology-enabled businesses. Since its launch 20 years ago, Francisco Partners has raised over $14 billion in committed capital and invested in more than 275 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. The firm invests in opportunities where its deep sectoral knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential. For more information on Francisco Partners, please visit: www.franciscopartners.com

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