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Main Capital backed TMA acquires US based Decisionwise

Main Capital Partners

TMA’s acquisition of DecisionWise enhances talent management solutions, expands cross-Atlantic reach, and strengthens growth, serving 450 clients in 75 countries.

The Hague, May 15th 2025 – TMA announces its acquisition of DecisionWise, a US-based provider of cloud-based employee feedback and engagement solutions. The combination between TMA and DecisionWise creates a cross-Atlantic player within the talent management and engagement market. This investment marks TMA’s first acquisition since the partnership with Main Capital Partners in December 2024.

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Springville, Utah, DecisionWise is a provider of employee experience surveys, employee engagement and a 360-degree feedback platform. The company serves approximately 450 clients across 70+ countries with 20% software growth. The solutions are sector agnostic and used by customers active across education, government, manufacturing, and healthcare, among other industries. Customers include Dropbox, City of Seattle, Avocados from Mexico, Standford University, ChildFund, American Automobile Association, and Fidelity International.

TMA is a provider of talent management solutions in the HR software space. TMA’s integrated talent management platform enables customers to manage human capital through assessments and other employee development solutions across the pre- and post-hiring phase. By combining strong industry expertise, market knowledge, and the latest IT developments, TMA has developed the scientifically based ‘TMA Method.’

The solutions provided by TMA & DecisionWise are complementary. The combination offers customers tools to manage and retain talent by identifying and tracking performance, engagement, and overall satisfaction. TMA’s strategy is to offer customers all tools to optimally position employees for long-term success. Talent management is one piece of this puzzle and employee experience is another key piece. Customers worldwide rely on both TMA and DecisionWise software solutions. Together, the combined solutions are used in 75 countries and continue to experience strong annual software growth of over 20%.

TMA maintains a global customer base but will be able to better serve North America and specifically United States-based customers.

– Charly Zwemstra, Managing Partner & CEO at Main

Charly Zwemstra, Managing Partner & CEO at Main, “We are very pleased to announce this major strategic step for TMA in becoming a global talent management player. Talent management remains a top priority for employers who face daily talent-related challenges. Talent retention post-identification is also crucial for organizations, and Employee Experience plays an important role in achieving this objective. This combination allows TMA to not only expand its product offering, but also its geographical coverage. TMA maintains a global customer base but will be able to better serve North America and specifically United States-based customers while also providing a more extensive product offering to customers based in Europe and across the rest of the world.”

Bastian Müller, CEO of TMA, said, “We are thrilled to join forces with DecisionWise, and we see an excellent cultural and product fit that we’re excited to continue developing through the next stages of our growth. We fundamentally believe that happy employees create and drive performing organizations. In order to track employee happiness, employee experience is key and DecisionWise’s software perfectly serves those needs.”

Matthew Wride, CEO at DecisionWise, concluded, “We are looking forward to this new chapter for DecisionWise. We are very excited about the strong fit between TMA and DecisionWise and we expect to better serve our customers’ needs across the areas of talent management, employee experience management, and people analytics.

About TMA

TMA is a Dutch provider of talent management software founded in 1999. The company started as a profiling theory within Human Resource Management, which they developed into an innovative software solution. The company serves more than 600 customers globally and continues its growth towards becoming one of the leading providers of cloud-based talent management solutions.

About DecisionWise

DecisionWise is an American provider of Employee Experience (EX) solutions to businesses worldwide. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Springville, Utah, DecisionWise is a provider of employee experience surveys, employee engagement solutions, and a 360-degree feedback platform. The company serves over 450 clients across +70 countries.

Nothing contained in this Press Release is intended to project, predict, gu

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Akido Raises $60 Million Series B to Expand Reach of ScopeAI, its Breakthrough Health Artificial Intelligence

Oak HC FT

Akido’s ScopeAI is a first-of-its-kind system that fully integrates AI into a provider visit

Akido Labs, Inc. (“Akido”), the AI and care delivery company reimagining healthcare, today announced it has raised $60 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Oak HC/FT with participation from Greco, SNR, and existing investors Y Combinator, Future Communities Capital, Jeff Dean (Chief Scientist, Google DeepMind & Google Research), and the Comprehensive Blood & Cancer Center. Funding will be used to expand the reach of ScopeAI, a system that increases clinical capacity and improves healthcare access.

ScopeAI is transforming how Akido providers practice medicine – enabling them to care for dramatically more patients without compromising on quality. This unlocks time for providers to focus on complex cases, while increasing the total number of patients the system can support. The U.S. population requires over 3 billion doctor visits per year, yet only 825 million are currently available. The result is longer waits, especially for specialists, rushed appointments, and rising rates of preventable disease. Akido is addressing this crisis by embedding powerful medical intelligence directly into the clinical workflow – bringing scale, efficiency, and consistency to the front lines of care.

“We built ScopeAI to tackle the single biggest challenge facing healthcare systems worldwide: the physician shortage. With demand for care far exceeding supply, AI is the key to addressing the global doctor deficit, empowering healthcare providers, and ensuring patients receive the timely, high-quality care they deserve, regardless of financial means or geography,” said Prashant Samant, Co-Founder & CEO of Akido. “At Akido, we believe exceptional healthcare is a basic human right. Our work has always focused on democratizing high quality healthcare, and this funding enables us to accelerate that mission.”

In a ScopeAI visit, a trained Medical Assistant (MA) meets with a patient, guided by intelligent prompts from ScopeAI throughout the encounter. ScopeAI uses clinical reasoning to actively listen, adapt in real time, and build a comprehensive understanding of the patient’s condition. Its scribing and auditory capabilities allow for dynamic conversation while simultaneously generating a full clinical report, including a preliminary diagnosis, treatment plan, and justification log for each decision it makes. With ScopeAI, providers gain a deeper, more complete picture of a patient’s health with less time spent capturing it. An Akido provider can oversee a team of MAs conducting ScopeAI visits, increasing access to care while enabling the provider to focus on higher-acuity or more complex cases.

Akido’s AI-based healthcare visits have delivered 5x more face-to-face time with patients and have achieved a 96 NPS score. With this new funding, Akido will accelerate the development and deployment of ScopeAI throughout its Akido Care medical network of 240 providers across 26 specialties. It will also help support Akido’s entrance into new markets like the recently announced first-of-its-kind healthcare program in New York City that is designed to address specific chronic diseases for professional rideshare and for-hire drivers.

“Akido is delivering on the promise of changing how patients experience a visit with their provider through AI,” said Andrew Adams, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Oak HC/FT. “With its robust, longitudinal dataset, Akido has the refinement in its foundational model to offer clinical accuracy where others have struggled. We are excited to partner with their exceptional team of healthcare and technical operators to scale ScopeAI, expanding access to high-quality, AI-powered care for more patients.”

Akido was founded in 2015 with the goal of reimagining healthcare for historically vulnerable communities by leveraging AI and machine learning. In 2022, Akido launched Akido Care, a medical network that today includes nearly 100 clinics, offering primary and specialty care across 26 sub-specialties. This dual strategy is what created the opportunity for Akido to leverage its proprietary dataset of over 10 million patient case studies and reinforcement-loop-human-feedback (RLHF) environment to launch ScopeAI. ScopeAI is one of the most sophisticated clinical AI systems available to providers, and it is continuously refined by incorporating real-time provider feedback. By integrating ScopeAI into the Akido Care medical network, Akido is positioned to empower providers to deliver highly personalized care to an individual patient while also scaling programs at a population level.

About Akido

Akido is pioneering a reimagined healthcare system with AI at its core; one that bridges artificial intelligence and empathy to bring exceptional healthcare to everyone. Its breakthrough technology unlocks the ability to transform the clinical experience, empowering providers and patients through an entirely new healthcare model. Founded in 2015, Akido was created out of the University of Southern California’s Digital Health Lab with the idea that empowering government, healthcare, and nonprofit services with population-based data could help usher in a new era of preventive public health. Known for developing award-winning data and technology solutions, today Akido leverages its market-leading technology to power its bicoastal Akido Care medical network, which includes more than 240 providers and 90 clinics across both coasts and a patient base of nearly half a million. For more information, please visit www.akidolabs.com.

About Oak HC/FT

Oak HC/FT is a venture and growth equity firm specializing in investments in fintech and healthcare. Using partnership as a foundation, Oak HC/FT guides companies and founders at every stage, from seed to growth, to create businesses that make a measurable and lasting impact. Founded in 2014, Oak HC/FT has invested in over 85 portfolio companies and has over $5.3 billion in assets under management. Oak HC/FT is headquartered in Stamford, CT, with an office in San Francisco, CA. Follow Oak HC/FT on LinkedIn and X and learn more at https://www.oakhcft.com/.

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EQT completes sale of common stock of Kodiak Gas Services

eqt
  • The sale resulted in gross proceeds of c. USD126 million

An affiliate of the funds known as EQT Infrastructure III and EQT Infrastructure IV (“EQT”) is pleased to announce the completion of the sale (the “Sale”) of c. 3.2 million shares of common stock of Kodiak Gas Services, Inc. (NYSE: KGS) (the “Company”) for gross proceeds of c. USD116 million. The Sale was made on May 12, 2025, pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as the broker for the Sale. Concurrently with the closing of the Sale, the Company repurchased c. 278,000 shares of its common stock from EQT in a private transaction for gross proceeds of c. USD10 million. Following these transactions, EQT now holds c. 31.3 million shares of the Company’s common stock.

Contact

EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com

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About EQT

EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 273 billion in total assets under management (EUR 142 billion in fee-generating assets under management) as of 31 March 2025, within two business segments – Private Capital and Real Assets. EQT owns portfolio companies and assets in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas and supports them in achieving sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com

Follow EQT on LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram

About Kodiak

Kodiak is a leading contract compression services provider in the United States, serving as a critical link in the infrastructure that enables the safe and reliable production and transportation of natural gas and oil. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, Kodiak provides contract compression and related services to oil and gas producers and midstream customers in high–volume gas gathering systems, processing facilities, multi-well gas lift applications and natural gas transmission systems.

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Carlyle, SK Capital Partners and bluebird bio Amend Merger Agreement

Carlyle

Stockholders may elect to receive either $3.00 per share plus CVR of $6.84 per share in cash payable upon achievement of a net sales milestone or $5.00 per share with no CVR

SOMERVILLE, Mass.—(BUSINESSWIRE)—May 14, 2025—bluebird bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLUE) (“bluebird”), Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) (“Carlyle”) and SK Capital Partners, LP (“SK Capital”) today announced they have amended their definitive agreement pursuant to which  Carlyle and SK Capital will purchase all of the outstanding shares of bluebird. Under the terms of the amended agreement bluebird stockholders can elect to receive either (x) the original offer of $3.00 per share in cash plus a contingent value right (“CVR”) of $6.84 per share in cash payable upon achievement of a net sales milestone or (y) $5.00 per share in cash. The amended offer price provides an alternative for stockholders who would prefer greater upfront cash consideration instead of the potential upside of the CVR. Any shares tendered for which no election is made will receive the original consideration of $3.00 per share in cash and a contingent value right per share.

The bluebird board of directors unanimously approved the amended agreement and recommends that all stockholders immediately tender their shares in support of the transaction.  The bluebird board of directors continues to believe that the transaction with Carlyle and SK Capital, as amended, represents the only viable option for stockholders to receive consideration for their shares. Absent a majority of stockholders tendering, bluebird is at significant risk of defaulting on its loan agreements with Hercules Capital, and it is extremely unlikely that stockholders would receive any consideration for their shares in a bankruptcy or liquidation.

In connection with the amended agreement, the expiration date of the tender offer has been extended to expire at one minute after 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on May 29, 2025. Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, the depositary for the Offer, has advised that as of the close of business on May 13, 2025, approximately 2,281,724 shares of bluebird common stock have been validly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the Offer.

Instructions for Stockholders:

  • Stockholders that have previously tendered their shares and elect to receive the original offer of $3.00 per share plus a CVR do not need to re-tender their shares or take any other action in response to this extension
  • Stockholders that have previously tendered their shares and wish to elect to receive $5.00 per share in cash must withdraw and re-tender their shares and complete and sign the letter of election and transmittal attached to the Offer to Purchase. Detailed instructions are available in the Offer to Purchase.
  • Stockholders that hold shares of bluebird through a broker or other nominee may be subject to a processing cutoff that is prior to the tender deadline, so it is important to act now.
  • Stockholders who need assistance with tendering their shares of bluebird may contact the Information Agent, Innisfree M&A Incorporated, by calling toll-free at (877) 825-8793.

As previously announced on May 5, 2025, Carlyle and SK Capital have received all required regulatory approvals to complete the transaction, and all parties expect the transaction to be consummated promptly following the successful completion of the ongoing tender offer.

About bluebird bio, Inc.

Founded in 2010, bluebird has been setting the standard for gene therapy for more than a decade—first as a scientific pioneer and now as a commercial leader.  bluebird has an unrivaled track record in bringing the promise of gene therapy out of clinical studies and into the real-world setting, having secured FDA approvals for three therapies in under two years.  Today, we are proving and scaling the commercial model for gene therapy and delivering innovative solutions for access to patients, providers, and payers.

With a dedicated focus on severe genetic diseases, bluebird has the largest and deepest ex-vivo gene therapy data set in the field, with industry-leading programs for sickle cell disease, ß-thalassemia, and cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.  We custom design each of our therapies to address the underlying cause of disease and have developed in-depth and effective analytical methods to understand the safety of our lentiviral vector technologies and drive the field of gene therapy forward.

bluebird continues to forge new paths as a standalone commercial gene therapy company, combining our real-world experience with a deep commitment to patient communities and a people-centric culture that attracts and grows a diverse flock of dedicated birds.

About Carlyle

Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across its business and conducts its operations through three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Carlyle AlpInvest.  With $453 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2025, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,300 people in 29 offices across four continents.  Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on X @OneCarlyle and LinkedIn at The Carlyle Group.

About SK Capital 

SK Capital is a transformational private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the life sciences, specialty materials, and ingredients sectors.  The firm seeks to build resilient, sustainable, and growing businesses that create substantial long-term value.  SK Capital aims to utilize its industry, operating, and investment experience to identify opportunities to transform businesses into higher performing organizations with improved strategic positioning, growth, and profitability, as well as lower operating risk.  SK Capital’s portfolio of businesses generates revenues of approximately $12 billion annually, employs more than 25,000 people globally, and operates more than 200 plants in over 30 countries.  The firm currently has approximately $9 billion in assets under management. For more information, please visit www.skcapitalpartners.com.

 

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication is not an offer to buy nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities of bluebird.  The solicitation and the offer to buy shares of bluebird’s common stock is only being made pursuant to the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (as amended), including an offer to purchase, a letter of election and transmittal and other related materials, that Parent and Merger Sub filed with the SEC. In addition, bluebird filed with the SEC a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 (as amended) with respect to the tender offer. Investors may obtain a free copy of these materials and other documents filed by Parent, Merger Sub and bluebird with the SEC at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.  Investors may also obtain, at no charge, any such documents filed with or furnished to the SEC by (i) bluebird under the “Investors & Media” section of bluebird’s website at www.bluebirdbio.com or (ii) by Parent and Merger Sub by calling Innisfree M&A Incorporated, the information agent for the Offer, toll-free at (877) 825-8793 for stockholders or by calling collect at (212) 750-5833 for banks or brokers.

INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 14D-9 OF BLUEBIRD AND ANY AMENDMENTS THERETO, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE TENDER OFFER AND THE MERGER THAT ARE FILED WITH THE SEC, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY PRIOR TO MAKING ANY DECISIONS WITH RESPECT TO WHETHER TO TENDER THEIR SHARES INTO THE TENDER OFFER BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE TENDER OFFER.

Investors & Media Contacts 

Bluebird 

Investors: 

Courtney O’Leary

(978) 621-7347

coleary@bluebirdbio.com

Media: 

Jess Rowlands

(857) 299-6103

jess.rowlands@bluebirdbio.com

 

Carlyle 

Media: 

Brittany Berliner

(212) 813-4839

brittany.berliner@carlyle.com

SK Capital 

Ben Dillon

(646)-278-1353  

bdillon@skcapitalpartners.com

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CapMan Special Situations invests in assisted residential care

Capman

CapMan Special Situations invests in assisted residential care

The CapMan Special Situations I -fund invests in two providers of assisted residential care for the elderly, Nonna Group Oy and Aurahovi Oy, with the aim of building a leading nationwide operator in the sector.

Both companies offer tailored housing and care services to meet the diverse needs of the elderly. Nonna Group, founded in 2020, operates five units located in Rovaniemi, Oulu, Turku and Kuopio, with estimated revenue of approximately €5 million in 2024. Aurahovi, established in 2017, runs four units in Lieto, Huittinen, Uusikaupunki and Helsinki, with 2024 revenue of around €4 million.

By combining the two companies, CapMan Special Situations is forming one of Finland’s leading operators in the residential care sector, with a nationwide network of nine housing units and around 500 apartments.

“Assisted residential care addresses the growing need to provide seniors with meaningful daily life and tailored support. By bringing together two strong companies, we are laying the foundation for a nationwide operator with excellent potential for growth and societal impact. We look forward to working with the new management to drive the next phase of development and growth,” says Karri Keistinen, Investment Manager at CapMan Special Situations.

“Assisted residential care is a new service model that has gained strong support in regional welfare strategies. It is designed for seniors whose needs are not fully met by home care but who do not yet require round-the-clock support. Both companies have great potential, an excellent workforce and satisfied customers, providing a solid foundation for future success”, comments Jere Pessala, new CEO of Nonna Group and Aurahovi.

Investments in Aurahovi Oy and Nonna Group Oy constitute the seventh investment for the CapMan Special Situations I fund.

For more information, please contact:

Karri Keistinen, Investment Manager, CapMan Special Situations, +358 40 735 6593

Jere Pessala, CEO, Nonna Group & Aurahovi, +358 40 538 3834

About CapMan

CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation and €6.4 billion in assets under management. As one of the private equity pioneers in the Nordics we have developed hundreds of companies and assets creating significant value for over three decades. Our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors by enabling change across our portfolio companies. An example of this is greenhouse gas reduction targets that we have set under the Science Based Targets initiative in line with the 1.5°C scenario and our commitment to net-zero GHG emissions by 2040. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover real estate and infrastructure assets, natural capital and minority and majority investments in portfolio companies. We also provide wealth management solutions. Altogether, CapMan employs around 200 professionals in Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, London and Luxembourg. We are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki since 2001. www.capman.com

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Julius Clinical and Peachtree BioResearch Solutions Merge to Form a Fully Integrated Global CRO with Increased CNS Capabilities

Ampersand

Zeist, Netherlands, May 14, 2025– Julius Clinical, a leading full-service Contract Research Organization (CRO) headquartered in the Netherlands (Zeist), and Peachtree BioResearch Solutions, a specialized CNS CRO based in the United States (Georgia), announce they have merged as a fully integrated clinical research organization. The merger combines scientific and operational excellence, an expanded international footprint and increased capabilities across therapeutic areas, particularly within CNS.

Building on nearly a decade of successful collaboration between the two companies, the merged organization creates a comprehensive clinical CRO, bringing together extensive expertise in managing Phase I – III clinical trials with particular depth in central nervous system (CNS), cardio-metabolic, renal and rare diseases. Their combined strength delivers end-to-end clinical research services, enhanced global access in Europe and North America, and robust scientific expertise tailored to pharmaceutical-, biotech-, and medical device companies.

“We are thrilled to merge with Peachtree BioResearch Solutions,” says Martijn Wallert, Chief Executive Officer of Julius Clinical. “This marks a significant step forward in expanding our presence and deepening our capabilities across North America and Europe. This natural evolution of our long-term successful relationship allows us to leverage our aligned strengths to become a more versatile and capable partner for our clients.”

“This merger represents a transformative opportunity for Peachtree, our dedicated team, and the clients we serve,” says Kristy Nichols, Chief Executive Officer of Peachtree BioResearch Solutions. “By joining forces with Julius Clinical, we are significantly expanding our capabilities, offering our clients access to an established international network while preserving the personalized approach we are known for.”

This strategic move, combining global reach with the flexibility of a highly specialized provider, positions Julius Clinical and Peachtree BioResearch Solutions to better address the increasing complexity and borderless nature of modern clinical research as they work together with innovators to advance therapies to patients worldwide.

Julius Clinical is supported by Ampersand Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm specializing in growth equity investments in the life sciences and healthcare sectors.

 

About Julius Clinical

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Zeist, The Netherlands, Julius Clinical is a leading CRO specializing in central nervous system, cardio-metabolic, renal, and rare diseases. With over 380 clinical trials and 220,000+ subjects across 39 countries, Julius Clinical combines scientific leadership, operational excellence, and a global network of research sites to deliver tailored solutions for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and partners. For more information, visit https://www.juliusclinical.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Ampersand Capital Partners, founded in 1988, is a middle-market private equity firm with $3 billion of assets under management, dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With offices in Boston, MA, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Ampersand leverages a unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm’s core healthcare sectors. For additional information, visit https://ampersandcapital.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Peachtree BioResearch Solutions

Founded in 2008, Peachtree BioResearch Solutions, Inc. is a Clinical Research Organization that specializes in providing clinical development services for emerging to mid-sized biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies. With a highly experienced clinical development team, Peachtree offers Clinical Project Management, Clinical Monitoring, Medical Monitoring, Biometrics, Technical Report Writing, Quality Assurance, and Clinical Staff Resourcing. Peachtree has grown its portfolio to over 65 clients providing services ranging from niche projects to full-service support. For additional information, visit https://peachtreebrs.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Peachtree BioResearch Solutions

 

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FSN Capital IV has sold its remaining shares in Kjell & Company

FSN Capital IV* has sold its remaining shares in Kjell & Company, a leader in consumer electronics accessories in the Nordics. Under FSN Capital IV’s ownership, Kjell & Company has transformed into a leading omnichannel player with operations in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

FSN Capital IV* has agreed to sell its remaining shares of 13,534,368 in Kjell Group AB (publ) (“Kjell & Company” or the “Company”), corresponding to approximately 23% of the total number of shares in the Company, to Jofam AB, Cervantes Capital, Nordea Fonder and SIBA Invest together with a number of other Nordic institutional and qualified investors (the “Transaction”). The shares were sold at a price of SEK 7.10 per share, equal to a discount of 9% compared to yesterday’s closing price. The Transaction realized gross proceeds of approximately SEK 96 million. Following the Transaction, FSN Capital IV no longer owns any shares in Kjell & Company.

Kjell & Company was acquired by FSN Capital IV in 2014 and listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market on September 16, 2021, when FSN Capital IV sold a majority of its stake. FSN Capital IV remained the largest shareholder in the Company until the Transaction.

Under FSN Capital IV’s ownership, Kjell & Company has grown significantly, acquiring AV-Cables, expanding its product offering, and increasing its geographical footprint. Today, the company is a leading Nordic omnichannel player serving customers across Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Net sales have grown from SEK 1 billion in 2014 to SEK 2.6 billion in the last 12 months as of March 2025.

Simon Larsson, Principal at FSN Capital Partners (acting in the capacity as investment advisor to FSN Capital IV), said: “FSN Capital IV is proud to have supported Kjell & Company through its strong transformational growth phase, becoming a listed company in 2021, and through the more challenging markets in recent years. We believe Kjell & Company is now well positioned to deliver on its strategy for long-term growth and further value creation as a leading omnichannel player in the Nordics.”

Andreas Rylander, CEO at Kjell & Company, said: “FSN Capital IV has been a longtime partner in building Kjell & Company into a leading consumer electronics accessories player in the Nordics. We are thankful to FSN for a great partnership over the years and now look forward to the next growth stage for Kjell.”

* FSN Capital GP IV Limited acting in its capacity as general partner for and on behalf of each of FSN Capital IV L.P., FSN Capital IV (B) L.P. and FSN Capital IV Invest L.P. (“FSN Capital IV”).

 

About Kjell & Company

Kjell Group offers one of the most comprehensive assortments of electronic accessories on the Nordic market. The company operates online in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, as well as through 145 service points, including 114 in Sweden and 31 in Norway. Headquartered in Malmö, the company generated SEK 2.6 billion in revenue in 2024.

With Kjell & Company’s customer club, which boasts over 3 million members, and its Danish subsidiary AV-Cables, the Group has a unique understanding of people’s technology needs. Approximately 1,350 employees work every day to improve lives through technology.

 

About FSN Capital

Established in 1999, FSN Capital Partners is a leading Northern European private equity firm and investment advisor to the FSN Capital Funds. FSN Capital Partners has a team of more than 100 professionals across Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Munich. Our ethos, “We are decent people making a decent return in a decent way” defines our core values.

The FSN Capital Funds have more than €4 billion under management and make control investments in growth-oriented Northern European companies, to support further growth and to transform companies into more sustainable, competitive, international, and profitable entities. The FSN Capital Funds are committed to being responsible investors and having a positive environmental and social impact across its portfolio while achieving market-leading returns.

 

 

For more information please contact the following persons at FSN Capital Partners (investment advisor to the FSN Capital Funds):

Simon Larsson, Principal
simon.larsson@fsncapital.com

Morten Welo, Partner & COO/IR
morten.welo@fsncapital.com

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Coupa Acquires Cirtuo, Leader in AI-Powered Category Management

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Thomabravo

Cirtuo’s technology will unlock the full potential of AI-powered category management and sourcing, accelerating Coupa’s autonomous spend management vision and roadmap

FOSTER CITY, Calif.—Coupa, the leader in AI-native total spend management, today announced it has acquired Croatia-based Cirtuo, an industry leader in AI-powered category management. This strategic investment accelerates Coupa’s autonomous spend management vision and underscores Coupa’s commitment to developing AI-powered solutions that improve productivity, agility, and resilience while delivering margin impact.

Category managers are under mounting pressure to align procurement strategies and initiatives with enterprise priorities such as sustainability, risk mitigation, and innovation. Recognizing the widening gap between strategic planning and tactical buying, organizations are turning to AI-enabled solutions to bridge productivity and efficiency gaps.

By integrating Cirtuo’s AI-enabled category management capabilities with Coupa’s leading Total Spend Management platform, Coupa is set to deliver a comprehensive solution that seamlessly translates robust, data-driven strategies into sourcing pipelines, supplier actions, and savings realization. This includes supporting the full supplier strategy lifecycle, from strategy planning, to execution, to monitoring, all within a unified system. These new capabilities will help procurement stakeholders not only drive cost reduction and cost avoidance, but extend to deliver a deeper understanding of business needs.

“Transforming the end-to-end procurement process requires reimagining technology’s role. We’re investing heavily in GenAI to automate routine tasks, enhance strategic decision-making, and bring autonomous procurement to market,” said Salvatore Lombardo, Coupa Chief Product and Technology Officer. “With the acquisition of Cirtuo, we strengthen our AI-native solutions and fill a critical gap in Coupa’s Strategic Sourcing Suite. This allows us to deliver a comprehensive category management solution where customers can create margin impact, especially in direct spend categories, by integrating analysis, strategy, and execution in one place.”

“Cirtuo empowers procurement teams to build AI-guided, insight-driven strategies that align with business priorities and flow directly into tactical activities resulting in seamless, closed-loop procurement processes,” said Drasko Jelavic, Cirtuo CEO. “We’re excited to join Coupa as businesses embrace digital transformation in the AI era.”

Making Category Strategies Actionable
Cirtuo’s market leading category management solution continues to be recognized for its pioneering technology by procurement practitioners, technology experts, and customers. Key solutions include:

  • Guided Category Strategy: Guides users with an interview-style approach to craft holistic category strategies without robust training enabling in-depth spend analysis and actionable insights for data-driven category management.
  • Guided Supplier Strategy: Leverage supplier relationships by connecting the dots between category and supplier strategies. Develop strategies that align seamlessly with business requirements and extend the focus on relationship metrics.
  • Initiative Management & Value Tracking: Manage your strategic savings, supplier, and risk mitigation initiatives end-to-end with clearly defined tasks, owners, milestones, and timelines to easily demonstrate impact on savings and value tracking.

As a leader in AI-powered category management, Cirtuo has helped some of the world’s biggest and best global brands create real business impact, including Ball Corporation, Braun, Molson Coors, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Utz Brands, Walmart, and more. Customers are saying:

  • “Cirtuo greatly enhances the category strategies that we’re developing. Cirtuo follows best practices and helps us to be more strategic and get us out of the tactical execution that we are stuck in. It’s easy to use. It’s a no-brainer.” – Michael DeWitt, VP of Indirect Spend Management & Center of Excellence, Walmart
  • “The digitization of category management is a required and necessary journey. Through Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation, integrated market intelligence and AI, Cirtuo makes it faster and easier.” – Stephane Morel, Procurement Director, ex-Novartis
  • “By providing proof-of-impact to BT and capturing the pay-for-performance element of BT Sourced’s total compensation, Cirtuo enables our procurement team to develop high-quality category strategies that generate savings and present new opportunities.” – Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer, BT Sourced

Attendees at Coupa’s flagship annual event, Inspire, will have a chance to learn more about the power of combining Coupa and Cirtuo from Cirtuo’s CEO Drasko Jelavic at a dedicated breakout session and in the Expo Hall. Learn more about cirtuo.com and coupa.com.

Learn more about how you can master spend and cost management without sacrificing growth.

Kaizen Equity Partners served as financial advisor to Cirtuo. Kirkland & Ellis and Wolf Theiss served as legal counsel to Coupa.

About Coupa
Coupa is the leader in AI-native total spend management. Using its trusted, community-generated, $8 trillion dataset, Coupa brings autonomous AI agents, a network of 10M+ buyers and suppliers, and leading apps together on one unified platform to seamlessly automate the buying process and connect to customers in a whole new way. With Coupa, you’ll make margins multiply™. Learn more at coupa.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

About Cirtuo
Cirtuo is the pioneer in digital category management and strategy creation. Based on the original consulting blueprint for category management and refined in countless client workshops, Cirtuo distills the insights from hundreds of category strategies across global and local procurement organizations and spend categories into one digital consultant: Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ Pro. Cirtuo supports over 5,000 category managers of leading national and multinational companies like Siemens Energy, Boeing, Walmart, Novartis, Molson Coors, or British Telecom across industries and 40+ countries in creating business-centric and actionable category and supplier strategies that deliver unparalleled impact and value.

Read the release on the Coupa website here.

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IK Partners to acquire Lohoff

IK Partners

IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap III (“IK SC III”) Fund has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Lohoff Pension Services GmbH (“Lohoff” or “the Company”), a German specialist provider of occupational pension administration solutions, from the founding family. IK is investing from its dedicated pool of Development Capital, alongside the Company’s existing management team. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Founded in 1992 by Petra and Heinz-Günter Lohoff and headquartered in Isernhagen, Germany, Lohoff is a full-service provider of occupational pension administration solutions, offering its clients and their employees a comprehensive, fully digitalised and software-enabled pension administration platform. The Company primarily focuses on managing complex occupational pension schemes for large corporations. Its offering includes highly automated and customisable processes, systems and reporting structures. As a result, Lohoff has built longstanding partnerships with a broad and diversified base of customers, including many notable blue-chip clients.

Lohoff has a highly experienced team, focused on designing and delivering tailored solutions for the occupational pension market. The Company operates from two locations: its main office in Isernhagen, near Hanover and a secondary base in Warnemünde, near Rostock.

With IK’s support, Lohoff plans to strengthen its market position by expanding its product and software offerings across existing verticals and complementary service areas, while continuing to invest in operational scalability, systems enhancements and digital infrastructure.

Petra Lohoff, Founder and Shareholder of Lohoff, said: “I am very pleased to see the vision my husband and I built being carried forward by IK, in partnership with the management team at Lohoff. IK brings the right combination of experience and perspective to support the Company’s continued growth. I wish all parties every success in this new chapter.”

Martin de Vries, Managing Director at Lohoff, said: “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved at Lohoff. With over two decades of experience in designing, implementing and administering pension plans, we are well positioned to benefit from long-term structural growth in the market. This new partnership comes at the right time as we look to enhance our offering and continue delivering a best-in-class service. We are excited to work with IK, who bring the strategic insight and expertise required to support Lohoff in its next phase of growth.”

Sebastian Hinz, Managing Director at Lohoff, commented: “We are proud of the strong and differentiated position we have built over the last two decades. Lohoff’s unique capabilities in digital integration and service customisation have allowed us to build lasting relationships with clients that manage complex pension structures. We look forward to working with IK as we scale the business and broaden our service offering.”

Ingmar Bär, Partner at IK and Advisor to the IK SC III Fund, added: “Lohoff has positioned itself as a leading provider of specialist pension administration services in an attractive, resilient market supported by strong regulatory tailwinds. Its strong IT capabilities, high quality standards and flexible offering provide a solid foundation for continued growth. We are pleased to be partnering with Martin, Sebastian and their team to accelerate the Company’s development and leverage our expertise in the Business Services sector to support its ambitions.”

For further questions, please contact:
IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Phone: +44 (0)7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com

About Lohoff Pension Services

Lohoff Pension Services (“Lohoff”) was founded in 1992 and is a leading provider of occupational pension plan administration solutions. The Company leverages over 30 years of experience to deliver highly flexible, bespoke administration services tailored to the specific needs of its client base. Lohoff acts as a trusted partner to its blue-chip clients throughout the entire occupational pension lifecycle, supporting the design, implementation and ongoing management of their pension schemes. For more information, visit lohoff.com

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About IK Partners

IK Partners (“IK”) is a European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €19 billion of capital and invested in over 200 European companies. IK supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects. For more information, visit ikpartners.com

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Coupa Acquires Cirtuo, Leader in AI-Powered Category Management

Thomabravo

Cirtuo’s technology will unlock the full potential of AI-powered category management and sourcing, accelerating Coupa’s autonomous spend management vision and roadmap

FOSTER CITY, Calif.—Coupa, the leader in AI-native total spend management, today announced it has acquired Croatia-based Cirtuo, an industry leader in AI-powered category management. This strategic investment accelerates Coupa’s autonomous spend management vision and underscores Coupa’s commitment to developing AI-powered solutions that improve productivity, agility, and resilience while delivering margin impact.

Category managers are under mounting pressure to align procurement strategies and initiatives with enterprise priorities such as sustainability, risk mitigation, and innovation. Recognizing the widening gap between strategic planning and tactical buying, organizations are turning to AI-enabled solutions to bridge productivity and efficiency gaps.

By integrating Cirtuo’s AI-enabled category management capabilities with Coupa’s leading Total Spend Management platform, Coupa is set to deliver a comprehensive solution that seamlessly translates robust, data-driven strategies into sourcing pipelines, supplier actions, and savings realization. This includes supporting the full supplier strategy lifecycle, from strategy planning, to execution, to monitoring, all within a unified system. These new capabilities will help procurement stakeholders not only drive cost reduction and cost avoidance, but extend to deliver a deeper understanding of business needs.

“Transforming the end-to-end procurement process requires reimagining technology’s role. We’re investing heavily in GenAI to automate routine tasks, enhance strategic decision-making, and bring autonomous procurement to market,” said Salvatore Lombardo, Coupa Chief Product and Technology Officer. “With the acquisition of Cirtuo, we strengthen our AI-native solutions and fill a critical gap in Coupa’s Strategic Sourcing Suite. This allows us to deliver a comprehensive category management solution where customers can create margin impact, especially in direct spend categories, by integrating analysis, strategy, and execution in one place.”

“Cirtuo empowers procurement teams to build AI-guided, insight-driven strategies that align with business priorities and flow directly into tactical activities resulting in seamless, closed-loop procurement processes,” said Drasko Jelavic, Cirtuo CEO. “We’re excited to join Coupa as businesses embrace digital transformation in the AI era.”

Making Category Strategies Actionable
Cirtuo’s market leading category management solution continues to be recognized for its pioneering technology by procurement practitioners, technology experts, and customers. Key solutions include:

  • Guided Category Strategy: Guides users with an interview-style approach to craft holistic category strategies without robust training enabling in-depth spend analysis and actionable insights for data-driven category management.
  • Guided Supplier Strategy: Leverage supplier relationships by connecting the dots between category and supplier strategies. Develop strategies that align seamlessly with business requirements and extend the focus on relationship metrics.
  • Initiative Management & Value Tracking: Manage your strategic savings, supplier, and risk mitigation initiatives end-to-end with clearly defined tasks, owners, milestones, and timelines to easily demonstrate impact on savings and value tracking.

As a leader in AI-powered category management, Cirtuo has helped some of the world’s biggest and best global brands create real business impact, including Ball Corporation, Braun, Molson Coors, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Utz Brands, Walmart, and more. Customers are saying:

  • “Cirtuo greatly enhances the category strategies that we’re developing. Cirtuo follows best practices and helps us to be more strategic and get us out of the tactical execution that we are stuck in. It’s easy to use. It’s a no-brainer.” – Michael DeWitt, VP of Indirect Spend Management & Center of Excellence, Walmart
  • “The digitization of category management is a required and necessary journey. Through Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation, integrated market intelligence and AI, Cirtuo makes it faster and easier.” – Stephane Morel, Procurement Director, ex-Novartis
  • “By providing proof-of-impact to BT and capturing the pay-for-performance element of BT Sourced’s total compensation, Cirtuo enables our procurement team to develop high-quality category strategies that generate savings and present new opportunities.” – Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer, BT Sourced

Attendees at Coupa’s flagship annual event, Inspire, will have a chance to learn more about the power of combining Coupa and Cirtuo from Cirtuo’s CEO Drasko Jelavic at a dedicated breakout session and in the Expo Hall. Learn more about cirtuo.com and coupa.com.

Learn more about how you can master spend and cost management without sacrificing growth.

Kaizen Equity Partners served as financial advisor to Cirtuo. Kirkland & Ellis and Wolf Theiss served as legal counsel to Coupa.

About Coupa
Coupa is the leader in AI-native total spend management. Using its trusted, community-generated, $8 trillion dataset, Coupa brings autonomous AI agents, a network of 10M+ buyers and suppliers, and leading apps together on one unified platform to seamlessly automate the buying process and connect to customers in a whole new way. With Coupa, you’ll make margins multiply™. Learn more at coupa.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

About Cirtuo
Cirtuo is the pioneer in digital category management and strategy creation. Based on the original consulting blueprint for category management and refined in countless client workshops, Cirtuo distills the insights from hundreds of category strategies across global and local procurement organizations and spend categories into one digital consultant: Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ Pro. Cirtuo supports over 5,000 category managers of leading national and multinational companies like Siemens Energy, Boeing, Walmart, Novartis, Molson Coors, or British Telecom across industries and 40+ countries in creating business-centric and actionable category and supplier strategies that deliver unparalleled impact and value.

Read the release on the Coupa website here.

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