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EQT Life Sciences invests in Asceneuron, a neurodegeneration therapeutics company, as part of USD 100 million Series C financing round

EQT Life Science
  • EQT Life Sciences has invested in Asceneuron’s oversubscribed Series C and Prof. Philip Scheltens will join the Asceneuron Board of Directors
  • Asceneuron – which is developing small molecules targeting tau protein aggregation, a root cause of neurodegenerative disease – will use the funds to progress its lead asset ASN51 into Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

EQT Life Sciences is pleased to share that the LSP Dementia Fund has invested in Asceneuron SA (“Asceneuron” or “the Company”), a clinical stage biotech company developing small molecules, targeting tau protein aggregation, a root cause of neurodegenerative disease. New investors in the oversubscribed USD 100 million Series C also include Novo Holdings – which led the round – OrbiMed and SR One. Existing investors M Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, GSK Equities Investments Limited and Johnson & Johnson Innovation also participated. Prof. Philip Scheltens, Partner and Head of the LSP Dementia Fund, will join the Asceneuron Board of Directors, and Dr. Arno de Wilde, Director at the Fund will join as board observer.

The financing will be used to advance the clinical development of Asceneuron’s clinical pipeline of OGA inhibitors for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Primarily, Asceneuron plans to take its lead asset, known as ASN51, into Phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. ASN51 is an oral small molecule drug designed to inhibit OGA, an enzyme implicated in protein aggregation. By preventing the aggregation of tau proteins, ASN51 aims to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. OGA inhibition has also shown promise in the prevention of other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Asceneuron has completed five early-stage clinical trials, showing that their treatment effectively reaches the brain and targets the OGA enzyme. Asceneuron plans to initiate its first Phase 2 clinical study later this year.

Barbara Angehrn Pavik, Chief Executive Officer of Asceneuron, said: “This high caliber life sciences investor syndicate further validates the potential of our OGA inhibitor pipeline and leadership in the field of tauopathies. We are excited to be working with the LSP Dementia Fund given their outstanding track record in the field of Alzheimer’s disease as we advance our lead asset ASN51 into Phase 2 clinical development, recognizing its potential to significantly expand treatment options for patients with Alzheimer’s disease”.

New Asceneuron Board Member and Head of the LSP Dementia Fund Prof. Philip Scheltens added: “Dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases are some of the greatest healthcare challenges of our time. With our LSP Dementia Fund, EQT Life Sciences can invest in innovative companies across the neurodegenerative spectrum. Asceneuron is exactly this kind of company. Its clinical pipeline has breakthrough potential to change patients’ lives for the better and we’re delighted to be joining Asceneuron on its journey.”

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com 

About EQT Life Sciences
EQT Life Sciences was formed in 2022 following an integration of LSP, a leading European life sciences and healthcare venture capital firm, into the EQT platform. As LSP, the firm raised over EUR 3.0 billion (USD 3.5 billion) and supported the growth of more than 150 companies since it started to invest over 30 years ago. With a dedicated team of highly experienced investment professionals, coming from backgrounds in medicine, science, business, and finance, EQT Life Sciences backs the smartest inventors who have ideas that could truly make a difference for patients. The LSP Dementia Fund (USD 297Million) started in 2020 and has a dedicated team of neurologists and neuroscientists focused on investing in therapeutics targeting neurodegenerative diseases.

For more information, go to https://eqtgroup.com/private-capital/life-sciences/      

About Asceneuron
Asceneuron is a clinical stage biotech company focused on the development of orally bioavailable therapeutics for debilitating neurodegenerative disorders with high unmet medical need. The company’s pipeline reflects its ambition and commitment to developing treatments for a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases. Asceneuron has two clinical-stage small molecule OGA inhibitors in development: ASN90 (licensed to Ferrer Pharmaceuticals) for the treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and a potential best-in-class molecule, ASN51, for Alzheimer’s disease. The company is also planning to advance its pre-clinical development pipeline in Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative indications. Asceneuron is backed by a renowned syndicate of investors consisting of Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), LSP Dementia Fund, GSK Equities Investments Limited, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), Kurma Partners, M Ventures, Novo Holdings, OrbiMed, Sofinnova Partners and SR One. For more information, please visit www.asceneuron.com 

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Ardian enters in exclusive discussions to acquire a majority stake in Robot-Coupe and Magimix

Ardian

Ardian will invest in the two iconic and leading brands alongside the Hameur Group, who is the Group’s historic shareholder

Ardian, a world-leading private equity house, announces that it has entered into exclusive discussions to acquire a majority stake in Robot-Coupe and Magimix, alongside Hameur Group.

Founded in 1961 in the French region of Burgundy, Robot-Coupe is the undisputed global market leader in premium benchtop equipment for professional use. Robot-Coupe has become a must-have in all professional kitchens, leveraging its superior brand image and value proposition. Its products are known for their reliability, durability, adaptability, reparability, easy-to-use features and Made-in-France quality.

The company is present in over 130 countries and serves more than 7,000 distributors and importers across the world, with leading market shares in its core geographies (namely the US, France, Australia and the UK). Robot-Coupe’s expansion is supported by a unique sales & marketing strategy, which benefits from a large and proactive on-the-ground sales team.

Over the past 60 years, Robot-Coupe has developed an attractive and innovative product portfolio covering most food preparation, from chopping and mixing to whisking and emulsifying. Its main product groups are food processors, vegetable preparators, juicers, and blenders, with each model designed in a wide range of sizes and functions for greater capacity and versatility.

Magimix was created in 1971 by leveraging Robot-Coupe’s expertise and focuses on premium small kitchen appliances for domestic use. This iconic brand is an industry leader in food preparation equipment such as food processors, blenders, juicers and coffee machines (via a strategic partnership with Nespresso initiated in 1997). The company primarily operates in France, the UK and the Netherlands, and serves a diversified customer base of specialized retailers, department stores and independent retailers, supported by a strong online presence.
Through this partnership, Ardian and the Hameur Group will support the Robot-Coupe and Magimix’s management teams plan to consolidate their market leadership position through accelerated organic growth and internationalization. This growth is expected to be delivered by the continued success of their existing products, a pipeline of new innovative solutions and potentially seizing external growth opportunities. Ardian is well placed to support the group’s ambitious strategic plan given its track record, expertise and international network in the Food Value Chain sector.

The completion of the transaction is subject to the legal usual conditions and the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities.

“Given our common DNA, based on French roots combined with international reach, we are convinced that Ardian is the right partner to begin a new chapter for the Group. We would like to welcome the Ardian team, who share our values, our vision and our ambition to accelerate the development of the company. Together, we will focus on enhancing Robot-Coupe and Magimix’s leadership position by combining our resources, know-how and strategic vision. We are delighted with this partnership, which marks a new momentum for our group.” Gilbert Verdun, CEO of Robot-Coupe and Magimix

“We are very pleased by this ambitious partnership with the Hameur Group, based on shared values and mutual trust. This partnership allows us to invest in a unique Group combining two iconic brands in a sector we know well and in which we have a strong network. This transaction is another example of how Ardian is the partner of choice in accompanying a family-owned group in its next development phase.” Thibault Basquin, Co-Head of Buyout and Member of the Executive Committee, Ardian

“With their renowned expertise and their long-term vision, the Hameur Group representatives, Gilbert Verdun and his teams have created global market leaders, offering innovative and unrivalled products targeting the attractive Food-Service industry. We are glad to partner with them in this new chapter and to accompany them in their accelerated growth and diversification strategy.” Emmanuel Miquel, Co-Head of Buyout France & Managing Director, Ardian

Over the course of our interactions, we have been very impressed by the quality of Robot-Coupe and Magimix’s management and their passion to create the best and most efficient food preparation products. We look forward to supporting them in the next development phase.” Alexis Manet, Managing Director Buyout, Ardian

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

  • ARDIAN

    • ARDIAN: THIBAULT BASQUIN, EMMANUEL MIQUEL, ALEXIS MANET, NICOLAS KASSAB, ANOUK DAOUDAL, MARTIN BLANC
    • ARDIAN FINANCING TEAM: GREGORY BUSCAYRET, ARIS TORANIAN
    • BUYER M&A ADVISORS: AMALA PARTNERS (JEAN-BAPTISTE MARCHAND, VINCENT VILLE, CHLOÉ SPIGOLON), J.P. MORGAN (KYRIL COURBOIN, ROGIER POP, MOUNIR CHAHINE), SYCOMORE CORPORATE FINANCE (FRANÇOIS VIGNE), PC ASSOCIÉS (ANDRÉ FRANÇOIS-PONCET)
    • BUYER LEGAL ADVISOR: LATHAM & WATKINS (GAETAN GIANASSO, MICHAEL COLLE, AYMERIC DERRIEN-AKAGAWA (CORPORATE), XAVIER FARDE, CARLA-SOPHIE IMPERADEIRO (FINANCING), XAVIER RENARD, CAMILLE PONS (STRUCTURING))
    • BUYER STRATEGIC DD: BAIN & COMPANY (DAPHNÉ VATTIER, ANDREA GONDEKOVA, PAUL QUIPOURT)
    • BUYER FINANCIAL DD: ALVAREZ & MARSAL (FRÉDÉRIC STEINER, BAPTISTE RIDEAU)
    • BUYER OPS DD: ALVAREZ & MARSAL (RENALD BEJAOUI, MEHDI TAHRI)
    • BUYER LEGAL & SOCIAL DD: LATHAM & WATKINS (GAETAN GIANASSO, MICHAEL COLLE, AYMERIC DERIEN-AKAGAWA)
    • BUYER TAX DD: DELOITTE (OLIVIER VENZAL, JEAN-CHRISTOPHE TEORE-BORASCHI)
    • BUYER ENVIRONMENT & ESG DD: DELOITTE (LAURIANE MAROUZE, CHARLOTTE BANCILHON)
    • BUYER DIGITAL DD: SINGULIER X INDEFI (RÉMI PESSEGUIER, DAVID TOLEDANO)
    • BUYER INSURANCE DD: MARSH (JEAN-MARIE DARGAIGNARATZ, CLARA NOT)

  • ROBOT-COUPE & MAGIMIX

    • MANAGEMENT: GILBERT VERDUN, MARC DE SAINTE-CROIX, MAXIME DE JENLIS, PATRICK MARIANI, JEAN-MARIE LOZANO
    • VENDOR M&A ADVISORS: BNP PARIBAS (MARC WALBAUM, SÉBASTIEN REBEIX), SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE (CYRIL PAOLANTONI, MARCO BESSONE)
    • VENDOR LEGAL ADVISORS: WHITE & CASE (THIERRY BOSLY, THOMAS GLAUDEN, LAURE BAUDURET)
    • VENDOR STRATEGIC DD: ROLAND BERGER (STÉPHANE TUBIANA, LOUIS CHUPIN)
    • VENDOR FINANCIAL DD: EY (GILLES MARCHADIER, ELSA ABOU MRAD, FRANÇOIS ESTIN)
    • VENDOR LEGAL & SOCIAL DD: EY (FRÉDÉRIC RELIQUET, ANNE-ELISABETH COMBES), DE GAULLE FLEURANCE & ASSOCIÉS (HENRI-NICOLAS FLEURANCE, JEAN-CHRISTOPHE AMY), STEVENS & BOLTON
    • VENDOR TAX DD: EY (CÉDRIC DEVOUGES), RSM (LEONID KHRISTOFOROV)
    • VENDOR ENVIRONMENT DD: AECOM (BENOIT SOUFFRE)

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house, managing or advising $166bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,650 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. Private Wealth Solutions offers dedicated services and access solutions for private banks, family offices and private institutional investors worldwide. Ardian’s main shareholding group is its employees and we place great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 1,050+ employees, spread across 19 offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.
At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.

ardian.com

ABOUT ROBOT-COUPE

Founded in 1961 in Burgundy, Robot-Coupe is the undisputed global market leader of premium benchtop equipment for professional kitchens. Its early success relied on innovation solutions, directly addressing the chefs’ needs for a robust, efficient, reliable, safe and easy-to-use product. Robot-Coupe has quickly expended globally leveraging its strong brand image associated with Made-in-France excellence in gastronomy, becoming the common name for professional food processors, while diversifying into other benchtop product categories (e.g. juicers, immersion blenders, etc.). The company is present in more than 130 countries where it serves more than 7,000 distributors and importers, with leading market shares in its core geographies (namely the US, France, Australia and the UK). Robot-Coupe is operating through a global footprint with three manufacturing and assembly sites located in France, the US, and Sweden.

www.robot-coupe.com

ABOUT MAGIMIX

Created in 1971 leveraging Robot-Coupe’s expertise, Magimix focuses on premium small kitchen appliances for domestic use, with a clear leadership in food preparation equipment and coffee machines. Magimix offers a wide range of products consisting of food processors (notably its flagship product, the Cook Expert), blenders, juicers, co-branded coffee machines through a strategic long-term partnership with Nespresso, and other products (e.g. ice-cream machines, toasters, steamers). Primarily operating in France, the UK and the Netherlands, the company serves a diversified customer base of specialized retailers while benefitting from strong online presence.

www.magimix.com

MEDIA CONTACTS

ARDIAN

HEADLAND

ardian@headlandconsultancy.com

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Legend Capital’s Portfolio Company Singfilm Solar Achieves Breakthrough in Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency

Legend Capital

HONG KONG, July 15, 2024 – (ACN Newswire) – Legend Capital’s portfolio company, Singfilm Solar, a leading innovator in the research and manufacturing of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells, has announced that its self-developed perovskite solar module has achieved a steady-state conversion efficiency of 22.6%, certified by authoritative institutions. This breakthrough has earned a place in the esteemed Martin Green Efficiency Table (Version 64), marking the third time Singfilm Solar’s innovations have been recognized by this authority. This achievement underscores Singfilm Solar’s pioneering status in the global perovskite field and highlights the potential for transitioning from laboratory research to commercial production.

Founded in July 2023 in Singapore, Singfilm Solar’s team brings over a decade of experience in perovskite materials, processes, and equipment. The company is focused on developing and producing highly efficient and stable perovskite cells.

The improvement of photovoltaic conversion efficiency is crucial, as each 1% increase can result in a 4% rise in power generation and revenue. Perovskite cells, with their ideal band gap width, offer theoretical efficiencies of over 33% for single-junction and 43% for tandem cells, far exceeding traditional crystalline silicon cells. This positions perovskite as the next-generation photovoltaic material.

Despite its potential, the widespread adoption of perovskite in the photovoltaic industry has been hindered by stability challenges. Achieving a balance between power conversion efficiency and operational stability under complex conditions, while also ensuring manufacturing scalability, remains a critical hurdle. Moreover, exploiting the unique properties of perovskite, such as adjustable band gap, lightweight, high efficiency, and simple raw materials, to develop various photovoltaic products for different applications is a significant challenge in its commercialization.

Singfilm Solar’s proprietary Quasi-Mono high-quality perovskite industrial preparation technology supports high-throughput continuous production on large rigid and flexible substrates. Accelerated aging tests have validated the commercial product’s lifespan, making Singfilm’s commercial-sized perovskite modules the first to combine high efficiency, stability, and manufacturability. The company holds several core technologies in perovskite materials, preparation methods, and cell and module structures.

The founder of Singfilm Solar, Professor Yi Hou, is a Presidential Young Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and leads the Perovskite and Tandem Solar Cells group at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). A pioneer in perovskite research, Professor Hou’s work has been published in top academic journals such as Science and Nature （https://blog.nus.edu.sg/yihoulab/). The establishment of Singfilm Solar has received substantial support from NUS, providing a strong scientific foundation for the company’s rapid development.

In early 2024, Legend Capital led a round of angel funding for Singfilm Solar. This financing aims to expand Singfilm’s pilot line in Singapore, enhance the R&D team, and develop a global client base.

Professor Yi Hou, founder of Singfilm Solar, stated:

We are standing at the pinnacle of a perovskite technology revolution, committed to transforming laboratory innovations into real-world applications. Singfilm has not only repeatedly broken the records of the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells but has also continuously made significant progress in device stability and scalable manufacturability.

I am filled with anticipation and excitement for Singfilm’s first commercial project in Europe. This is not only a recognition of our team’s technological maturity but also an important step in showcasing innovative clean energy solutions to the world.

I would like to thank Legend Capital and all the partners who support Singfilm. It is your trust that allows us to keep moving forward. We look forward to welcoming a brighter future for perovskite technology together with you all.

Managing Director of Legend Capital, Wenlong Wang, commented:

Singfilm is dedicated to creating the next generation of mainstream photovoltaic products, attracting top experts in perovskite research and thin-film industrialization from around the world. The team possesses comprehensive and solid technical expertise, and what is even more commendable is their focus on addressing the challenges of mass production implementation from day one.

Legend Capital is fortunate to be part of this exciting entrepreneurial journey, actively providing support in equipment, materials, scenarios, and channels by leveraging its accumulated resources in the new energy industry. Congratulations to the company for breaking the world record in its debut, and I look forward to this young and high-potential team continuing to make breakthroughs and successfully achieving subsequent milestones.

About Legend Capital

Founded in 2001, Legend Capital is a leading VC&PE investor focusing on the early-stage and growth-stage opportunities in China, with offices across Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore.

It currently manages USD and RMB funds of over US$10 billion in commitments, and has invested in around 600 companies, covering technology, healthcare, consumer, enterprise service and intelligent manufacturing sectors. Rooted in China, Legend Capital participated in the rise of many world-leading companies by solid investment coverage and systematic post-investment value-add. Over the years, Legend Capital has also become a widely recognized name in bridging key resources in China and overseas through cross-border activities, and a valuable partner to Chinese and overseas investors.

Legend Capital values long-term sustainable investment and incorporates ESG into its long-term development strategy. As a UNPRI signatory since November 2019, Legend Capital is among the first group of top VC/PE firms in China to join the initiative.

For more information, please visit www.legendcapital.com.cn/index_en.aspx and follow us on LinkedIn @Legend Capital.

The article is distributed by Ever Bloom (HK) Communications Consultants Group Limited on behalf of Legend Capital.

For further information, please contact:
Ms. Orianna Ou / Ms. Arina He
Tel: +852 3468 8171
Email: legendcapital.list@everbloom.com.cn

News URL: https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/91775/

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Marktlink Capital closes second Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds at €80 million

Marktlink Capital

Amsterdam 15 July 2024 – Marktlink Capital has successfully closed the subscription for its second venture capital fund-of-funds in six months, securing €80 million in capital commitments from approximately 150 private investors. This second fund follows the success of the first fund launched in 2022, which was fully subscribed within six months. A significant portion of the private investors in the new fund also invested in the first fund, attracted by the access to top venture capital funds in Europe and North America.

Unicorns and trends
The strategy, size, and diversification of the funds in the second venture capital fund-of-funds are largely similar to those in 2022. Based on extensive research, the Marktlink Capital team selects funds that perform exceptionally well. “There are thousands of VC funds, but only a few consistently perform well”, says Bouke Marsman, partner at Marktlink Capital. “In venture capital, good funds continue to perform well year after year. 85% of Unicorns (companies valued over a billion) are owned by just 5% of the funds.”

Marsman continues, “Only 0.5% of companies grow into Unicorns, but ten companies in our portfolio have achieved that status. This is relatively high, especially considering we’ve only been operating for a year and a half. The results so far are in line with our expectations.”

Marktlink Capital has taken broader technological trends into account when composing its portfolio, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). Marsman explains, “With an investment in Saga Ventures, a fund specialising in AI led by Max Altman, and in funds backing the European AI champion Mistral, we aim to reflect this trend in our portfolio.”

About Marktlink Capital
Marktlink Capital, born from the merger of Marktlink Investment Partners and Welt Ventures, is an investment company providing entrepreneurs and private investors with access to the best private equity and venture capital funds in Europe and North America. The team consists of approximately 35 FTEs with specialist knowledge and experience in private equity and venture capital. To date, more than €1.5 billion in committed capital has been secured, almost entirely from Dutch entrepreneurs. The initiator of Marktlink Capital is Marktlink, which has been advising entrepreneurs on the sale or purchase of companies in the upper mid-market segment since 1996. With more than 300 employees and 150 deals per year, Marktlink understands the critical role private equity and venture capital play in the development and growth of businesses.

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EQT and Kühne Holding invest in Flix, the global travel company

eqt

EQT Future and Kühne Holding to acquire a 35% stake in Flix

Investment is part of a long-term strategic partnership built on a common vision for Flix’s next phase of profitable growth across new and existing markets and offerings

EQT is investing through EQT Future, its impact-driven, longer-hold fund, and will support Flix’s ambition to expand the offering of sustainable and affordable travel options

Flix SE (“Flix” or the “Company”), the global travel tech company, and EQT, the global investment organisation, together with Kühne Holding, representing one of the world’s leading logistics entrepreneurs and investors, today announce that a definitive agreement has been reached for EQT Future and Kühne Holding to acquire a 35% minority stake in Flix.

In addition to a primary investment in Flix, EQT Future and Kühne Holding will acquire shares from existing shareholders to build a long-term anchor shareholding in Flix. This investment will further strengthen Flix’s balance sheet and help accelerate the Company’s successful trajectory of profitable growth. The closing of the transaction is subject to certain customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

“We are delighted to welcome EQT Future and Kühne Holding as strong and purpose-driven investors with proven track records of building upon sustainable long-term investment strategies. Their capital and know-how will be a strong asset to our company’s overall strategic vision. We couldn’t ask for better partners to embark on the next chapter of Flix’s journey”, commented André Schwämmlein, CEO and Co-Founder of Flix.

“EQT Future backs high-quality, growing companies that have the potential to be sustainability leaders in their fields. Flix is the perfect example of this. We are deeply impressed by what Andréand his team have built, having developed Flix from a startup into the clear global market leader, operating in 43 countries,” said Andreas Aschenbrenner, Founding Partner and Deputy Head of the EQT Future advisory team. “For us at EQT, it is always about providing more than capital. We are proud to partner with Kühne Holding, one of the leading transportation and logistics investors, and together with André and his team, we are excited to support Flix’s strategic growth agenda over the long-term. We aim to ensure Flix’s low carbon solution to long-distance travel reaches even more people across the world and believe that Flix is on a path to being the category defining player in mass ground transportation, with huge potential to become a household name in the industry and beyond.”

Dominik de Daniel, CEO Kühne Holding AG, commented: “Flix is driving the next generation of collective transport. The Kühne Holding is proud to actively support them as a strategic partner in their next phase of expansion. Over the past few months, we have established a great relationship with the colleagues of EQT Future. We have great confidence in André Schwämmlein and his team and very much look forward to supporting Flix’s future in a beneficial partnership.”

Karl Gernandt, Chairman Kühne Holding AG, added: “As one of the largest strategic investors in the transport and mobility sector, the Kühne Holding is now taking a further step into the market for collective transport by bus. With Flix’s proven asset-light operating model, we see great synergies with our other investments in the transport sector. Furthermore, we want to support the expansion strategy of their international network. We are building on the great successes that Flix has achieved in establishing the bus as the leading sustainable means of transport – for more than a decade in Europe and now also overseas.”

Driving profitable growth
The investment comes at a time of continued significant growth momentum and strategic expansion at Flix. The company reported 30 percent total revenue growth in 2023 and thus, for the first time, reached EUR 2 billion in annual total revenue. This comes at an increased profitability with adjusted EBITDA of EUR 104 million in 2023. The strong momentum enables Flix to deliver on strategic targets such as the expansion of its global footprint, transforming the North American bus market and further scaling FlixTrain to respond to the rising demand for alternative rail services in Germany.

Expanding the global footprint
To further strengthen its geographical presence, Flix has recently entered two of the most important bus markets worldwide: Chile and India. The company’s global footprint now stretches across 43 countries worldwide. With both FlixBus and FlixTrain, the European expansion is moving forward. FlixBus is significantly expanding its services in UK, Portugal and Ukraine and has launched in Norway and Finland. Flix’s clear ambition is to reach market leadership in these markets.

Advancing the North America business
Flix has been operating in the United States since 2018. In 2021, the company acquired Greyhound Lines, an iconic intercity bus service provider, further expanding its reach, including in Canada and Mexico. The transformation and integration of operations into the Flix platform is well underway and increasingly reflected in a growing asset-light share, driving growth and profitability in the market.

With growth comes responsibility
Flix is on a continuous mission to deliver a great travel experience while constantly reviewing the impact of its business. To underpin the Company’s commitment to a responsible business model, Flix recently published itssecond voluntary ESG report for 2023. With its vision to drive sustainable and affordable travel, Flix aligns strongly with EQT Future’s mission to support market leading businesses which improve our planet through the products and services they deliver, while having the potential to shape their industries.

About

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 242 billion in total assets under management (EUR 132 billion in fee-generating assets under management), 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 Flix
Flix intends to transform the public transport sector by offering sustainable and affordable long-distance bus and train travel solutions in more than 40 countries across four continents. With its asset-light business model and innovative technology platform, Flix, launched in 2013, swiftly established market-leading positions for long-distance bus travel in Europe, North America and Türkiye and is rapidly expanding further into South America and India through its brands FlixBus, FlixTrain, Kamil Koç, and Greyhound.

Driven by increased awareness for sustainable travel, Flix aims to become carbon neutral in Europe by 2040 and globally by 2050. To assess its progress within a scientifically recognized framework, Flix established near-term targets for emissions reduction with the Science Based Targets initiative.

While Flix manages the commercial side of the business such as network planning, pricing, operations control, marketing and sales, quality management and continuous product development with a data-driven approach, trusted Flix partners conduct the daily operations. The innovative combination of Flix’s technology and sales platform with traditional passenger travel has turned a European start-up into a leading and globally expanding travel tech company.

For more information, please visit corporate.flixbus.com

About Kühne Holding
Kühne Holding AG, based in Switzerland, comprises Klaus-Michael Kühne’s business interests. With an entrepreneurial focus on investments in the logistics and transport sector, it holds a majority stake in Kühne+Nagel International AG and is the largest single shareholder of Hapag-Lloyd AG, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Brenntag SE. In April 2024, the Kühne Holding announced the acquisition of Aenova Group, a globally leading pharma contract development and manufacturing organization.

Contacts
EQT: Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com
Flix: Lara Hesse, globalpress@flixbus.com
Kühne Holding: Dominique Nadelhofer, Dominique.nadelhofer@kuehne-holding.com

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CVC DIF agrees to sell stake in France LNG Shipping to KKR-backed Ocean Yield

DIF

FLS

The strategic partnership and investment provided by CVC DIF funds has led to substantial expansion in FLS’ fleet of Liquefied Natural Gas ships

CVC DIF is pleased to announce that it has agreed to sell a 29% economic interest in France LNG Shipping (FLS), which operates state-of-the-art Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier vessels under long-term charters to tier-one European energy companies.

CVC DIF’s stake in FLS, held through its CIF I and CIF II funds, will be acquired by Ocean Yield AS, a ship-owning company with investments in vessels on long-term charters. Ocean Yield AS is wholly owned by KKR Global Infrastructure Investors IV, a fund managed by KKR.

Over the past five years, CVC DIF and FLS’s management team have partnered with some of the most well-known players in the maritime industry to establish a leading, integrated French LNG ship owning platform. During this period, LNG has proven to be essential to global energy security.

Willem Jansonius, Partner and Head of CIF Investments at CVC DIF, said: “This transaction is a perfect example of CVC DIF’s value-add strategy as FLS is a bigger and better business now than it was in 2019.”

“A key CVC DIF objective is to support growing infrastructure businesses on the back of strong positive sectorial trends and realise attractive returns for our investors. We are proud of the development of the FLS platform and pleased to see a new partner coming in to support its future growth.”

FLS is a 50:50 joint-venture between Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), a leading Japanese shipping company, and French company Geogas LNG. Geogas LNG is jointly owned by CVC DIF, Access Capital Partners and Geogas Maritime, a leading French ship-owner that has been active in the market for the past 45 years.

In November 2019, the CIF I fund closed an investment to finance an initial batch of five newbuild LNG vessels through FLS. In 2021 and 2022, the CIF II fund also invested in FLS to finance the acquisition of Gazocean, a French ship management company which has operated LNG vessels for more than 60 years, and the addition of three more vessels.

Closing of the transaction is subject to conditions and is expected to take place in the second half of 2024.

CVC DIF was advised on the transaction by Rothschild & Co (financial), Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (legal, corporate), Watson Farley & Williams (legal, project), FTI Consulting (commercial), DNV (technical & environmental), KPMG (tax), 8Advisory (accounting) and Marsh (insurance).

 

About CVC DIF 

CVC DIF (formerly DIF Capital Partners) is a leading global mid-market infrastructure equity fund manager.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, CVC DIF has c. €18 billion of infrastructure assets under management in energy transition, transport, utilities and digitalisation.

With over 240 people in 12 offices, CVC DIF offers a unique market approach, combining a global presence with the benefits of strong local networks and sector-focused investment capabilities.

CVC DIF forms the infrastructure strategy of leading global private markets manager CVC. This partnership allows CVC DIF to benefit from CVC’s global platform, with 29 offices across five continents.

For more information, please visit www.dif.eu or follow us on LinkedIn.

 

Press contact:

DIF Capital Partners: press@dif.eu

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Ratos company SSEA Group secures new contracts including construction of arena area worth SEK 800 million

Ratos

The construction group SSEA Group has secured four new contracts in its important geographic regions of Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden, of which the largest is worth SEK 800 million and was signed with the municipality of Kungälv in the Gothenburg area. The contract pertains to the development and construction of a new arena area with a swimming facility, two indoor ice rinks, two sports halls and an ice stadium. The total value of all four new contracts is approximately SEK 1.1 billion.

All four projects will be carried out as partnering projects, with SSEA Group involved in the early stages and thus in the development phase.

“SSEA Group has added four excellent projects to its backlog of orders that are entirely in line with our business model and our strategic focus on conducting partnering projects together with our customers. We’re pleased that our customers have entrusted us with these assignments and look forward to many years of rewarding collaboration,” says Christian Johansson Gebauer, Chairman of the Board of SSEA Group and President, Business Area Construction & Services, Ratos.

“I’m very proud that we have secured these four projects. SSEA Group’s employees have put in a lot of work, both ahead of and during the tendering period. Now we’re looking forward to getting started with all four projects and helping our customers to realise the most important priorities of the projects,” says Christian Wieland, CEO, SSEA Group.

Information about the four contracts
New arena area in Kungälv – SEK 800 million
In Kungälv, just north of Gothenburg, SSEA Group has a signed an agreement with the municipality of Kungälv to develop and construct a new arena area with a swimming facility, two indoor ice rinks, two sports halls and an ice stadium.

Three other contracts – total value approximately SEK 300 million
Renovation of Vattenpalatset in Lerum
In Lerum, just east of Gothenburg, SSEA Group was awarded the contract for the renovation of Vattenpalatset. The project will involve a major renovation and refurbishment of the existing swimming facility from 1988.

Mobility hub in Väsjön
SSEA Group has an ongoing school project in the new development area around Väsjön together with the municipality of Sollentuna. The municipality has now chosen to exercise an option in the agreement and task SSEA Group with constructing the new mobility hub for the area.

Renovation of preschools in the municipality of Ekerö
In the municipality of Ekerö, SSEA Group has signed an agreement with the municipality to renovate two existing preschools. One of these was included as an option in the agreement.

In all cases, the transactions include a fixed fee for SSEA Group, and the customer’s evaluation of potential partners emphasised the organisation’s experience, earlier reference projects and a description of the proposed execution of each project.

About SSEA Group
SSEA Group has solid expertise in large and technically complex collaboration/partnering projects. SSEA Group carries out construction projects for customers in the private and public sectors across Sweden. The project portfolio includes Sweden’s tallest timber building, Sara Kulturhus in Skellefteå, who won the Träpriset 2024, one of Sweden’s most prestigious architectural tour prizes, awarded by Svenskt Trä.

For more information, please contact:
Josefine Uppling, VP Communication & Sustainability, Ratos, +46 76 114 54 21
Christian Wieland, CEO, SSEA Group, +46 70 654 09 30

About Ratos
Ratos is a Swedish business group focusing on technological and infrastructure solutions, consisting of 17 companies divided into three business areas: Construction & Services, Industry and Consumer. The companies have approximately SEK 34 billion in net sales (LTM). We have a distinct corporate culture and strategy – everything we do is based on our core values: Simplicity, Speed in Execution and It’s All About People. We enable independent subsidiaries to excel by being part of something larger. People, leadership, culture and values are key focus areas.

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Ratos company SSEA Group secures new contracts including construction of arena area worth SEK 800 million

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LegalFly secures €15 Million to set security standard in AI legal services

Fortino Capital

LegalFly raises €15m in a Series A round led by Notion Capital to further expand its GenAI-driven product to power corporate legal teams and democratise legal services.

London, UK – Monday, 15th July, 2024 – LegalFly, a pioneering legal AI platform, today announced it has raised over €15 million in Series A funding led by Notion Capital, with participation from redalpine and Fortino Capital. Founded one year ago, LegalFly has swiftly made its mark on the legal tech industry. This investment comes just eight months after the company’s €2 million Seed round led by redalpine, which saw early participation from industry leaders including Mehdi Ghissassi, Director of Product at Google Deepmind.

LegalFly was founded by a team of former product experts from Tinder – Ruben Miessen, Kasper Verbeeck, Dennis Montégnies and Gregory Vekemans – with a vision to democratise legal services for enterprises. The company has swiftly built momentum in the market with its advanced and intuitive legal AI solutions tailored for law firms and in-house teams, particularly within the finance and insurance sectors. Today, LegalFly counts dozens of leading European law firms and enterprises as customers and has forged strategic partnerships with industry giants such as Slaughter & May and Allianz.

“LegalFly is redefining how legal services are delivered, ensuring they are more accessible within a corporate environment while upholding the highest standards of security and efficiency,” stated Ruben Miessen, CEO of LegalFly. “This investment enables us to scale our operations and innovate further, driving forward the digital transformation in legal services that our clients require globally.”

Ruben Miessen, CEO

LegalFly is revolutionising legal and compliance departments with a full suite of Legal AI agents designed to automate legal services and enhance productivity. As the €884 billion legal services market turns to AI to boost efficiency and cut costs, LegalFly is setting the global standard for responsible legal AI featuring unrivalled security.

Unique in its approach, LegalFly ensures that sensitive client data never leaves a company’s premises. This is achieved through on-premise anonymisation, where a fine-tuned model secures data before it ever reaches the LLMs. Coupled with an LLM-agnostic platform that selects the best foundational models for each legal scenario, LegalFly increases both product efficacy and security.

The investment will fuel LegalFly’s ambitious growth plan, tripling its current team by year’s end and accelerating feature development. The funding will also support LegalFly’s continued expansion across Europe and enhance its partnerships with leading law firms and enterprises, paving the way for next-generation legal services that are both effective and secure.

“The legal industry is a perfect fit for AI. We have been looking at making an investment in the market for sometime and in LegalFly we are very confident that they will be one of the enduring success stories,” said Jos White, General Partner at Notion Capital. “The super talented team have a clear vision for the future and have already built a market leading product. The true test of this is the way it’s being received in the market which has been nothing short of amazing after only a year.”

“LegalFly’s rapid ascent showcases their exceptional vision and execution, solidifying their product leadership in the Legal AI space. Their unique focus on enterprise-grade security and an LLM-agnostic platform not only meets a critical industry need but also drives their continuous expansion and innovation. Transforming legal services with secure, AI-driven solutions, we are proud to have led their seed round and to witness their robust and sustained growth.” said Sebastian Becker, General Partner at redalpine.

 

About LegalFly

Founded in 2023 by four Tinder tech veterans, LegalFly is driving a monumental shift in the legal industry from its base in Belgium. Our mission is to democratise legal services within enterprises, making complex legal processes more accessible and manageable. Our leading AI solution automates a broad spectrum of the more repetitive legal tasks, translating legalese to ease. Discover how we’re simplifying legal workflows for enterprises at https://www.legalfly.ai.

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KKR Acquires Park 8Ninety, A 12 Building Class A Industrial Logistics Park In Houston, From Artis REIT

KKR

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that KKR has completed the acquisition of Park 8Ninety, a 12 building industrial logistics park in Houston, Texas, from Artis Real Estate Investment Trust (“Artis REIT”) for approximately $234 million.

The approximately 1.8 million square-foot (SF) master planned park was completed in phases between 2017 and 2022. The 127-acre property boasts a diverse mix of Class A single-tenant and multi-tenant modern logistics buildings, with clear heights ranging from 24 to 36 feet, catering to a variety of industrial uses. The park is strategically located in southwest Houston with direct access to Beltway 8 and other major interstate transportation routes.

“Park 8Ninety is a great addition to our national logistics portfolio and expands our footprint in Houston which continues to benefit from strong demand fundamentals and comparatively lower supply than many other markets in the United States,” said Ben Brudney, a Managing Director in the Real Estate group at KKR who oversees the firm’s industrial investments in the United States. “Park 8Ninety is a high-quality, well-designed, multi-tenant park with a diverse and staggered rent roll.”

KKR is acquiring the park through the KKR Real Estate Partners Americas III fund and capital accounts advised by KKR. Across its strategies in the U.S., KKR has committed or acquired approximately $7.5 billion of logistics assets in the industrial sector since 2018 and currently owns over 48 million SF of industrial real estate in major U.S. metropolitan areas.

KKR’s global real estate business invests in high-quality, thematic real estate through a full range of scaled equity and debt strategies. Managing $71 billion in assets as of March 31, 2024, KKR’s more than 150 dedicated real estate investment and asset management professionals across 16 offices apply the capabilities and knowledge of KKR’s global platform to deliver outcomes for clients and investors.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com. For additional information about Global Atlantic Financial Group, please visit Global Atlantic Financial Group’s website at www.globalatlantic.com.

Media
Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

Source: KKR

 

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IK Partners to invest in Kran og Industri Service

IK Partners

IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap III (“IK SC III”) Fund has signed an agreement to invest in Kran og Industri Service (“KIS” or “the Company”), a leading Norwegian provider of inspection and services for cranes and lifting equipment. IK is partnering with the Company’s management and employees; most of whom will be reinvesting as part of the transaction. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Founded in Norway in 1987, KIS is a leading market participant in the crane inspection and service industry. The Company is equipment-agnostic and employs over 420 employees who serve approximately 4,600 clients. These clients are primarily in the Industrials sector and consider cranes mission-critical to their operations. KIS’ model is based on a full-service offering, covering both testing, inspection and certification as well as service and maintenance. The Company has a long history of providing safe and high-quality services for its customers and has established itself as the clear market leader in Norway.

KIS benefits from a strong platform in a comparatively under-professionalised sector, with solid systems infrastructure and a structured go-to-market strategy which targets the most attractive customer verticals. The Company has also already started its international expansion journey with add-on acquisitions in the Netherlands, laying the groundwork for further geographic diversification.

With the support of IK’s investment and sector expertise, KIS aims to continue its organic growth trajectory by winning new customers in its target markets and improving operational efficiency. Additionally, KIS plans to pursue inorganic growth in both existing and new markets to create a pan-European inspection and service player.

Svein-Frode Børsting, Chairman and Group CEO of KIS, said: “We are looking forward to working closely with the IK team to ensure that KIS solidifies its position as a leading inspection and service player in both Norway and the Netherlands. We are confident that, with their experience of building pan-European champions, we can further expand our position internationally and improve the product offering for our existing customer base to continue our already strong growth trajectory.”

Henrik Geijer, Partner at IK and Advisor to the IK SC III Fund, said: “We have been very impressed with the work already done by the KIS management team to build the market leader in the Norwegian market. With the support of IK’s investment and experience, the Company will be able to target new European markets and ensure that it continues to attract high-quality clients on a recurring basis. We look forward to working closely with Svein-Frode and his team to deliver continued success.”

For further questions, please contact:

IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Phone: +44 (0) 7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com

About Kran og Industri Service

Kran og Industri Service (“KIS”, the “Company”) is a Norwegian provider of inspection and services for cranes and lifting equipment. The company is equipment agnostic with a customer base primarily comprising of industrial clients, for whom the cranes are mission-critical to its operations. KIS’ model is based on a full-service offering, covering both testing, inspection and certification as well as service and maintenance. For more information, visit kis.no

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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 €16.5 billion of capital and invested in over 180 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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