American Campus Communities Announces $13 Billion Transaction with Blackstone Funds

Blackstone

ustin, Texas and New York – April 19, 2022 – American Campus Communities, Inc. (NYSE: ACC) (“ACC” or the “Company”), the largest developer, owner and manager of high-quality student housing communities in the United States, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Blackstone Core+ perpetual capital vehicles, primarily comprised of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (“BREIT”), alongside Blackstone Property Partners (“BPP”), will acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of ACC for $65.47 per fully diluted share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $12.8 billion, including the assumption of debt.

The purchase price represents a premium of 22 percent to the 90-calendar day volume-weighted average share price ending April 18, 2022, a premium of 30 percent over the closing stock price of February 16, 2022, the date immediately prior to the Company disclosing receipt of an indication of willingness to offer to acquire the Company, and a 14 percent premium to yesterday’s closing price.

ACC’s portfolio comprises 166 owned properties in 71 leading university markets including Arizona State University, The University of Texas at Austin, Florida State University, and the University of California – Berkeley, among many others. The majority of ACC’s properties are high-quality, purpose-built student housing assets located within walking distance of their respective university campuses, with approximately 24 percent of ACC’s communities located on campus.

“Through our IPO, eighteen years ago, we began our pioneering quest to transform the student housing sector into a mainstream, institutional asset class within the commercial real estate sector,” said Bill Bayless, American Campus Communities Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer. “We have certainly accomplished that mission and are proud and excited to have our best-in-class company join Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager. This announcement represents the culmination of the passion and dedicated service of the ACC team to our student residents and university partners, while creating significant value for our shareholders.”

Bayless continued, “This transaction delivers compelling, immediate, and certain value to our shareholders while positioning ACC to further expand our competitive advantage as we continue in our quest to lead the student housing industry to new heights. Blackstone’s expertise, resources and consistent access to capital will allow us to rapidly leverage our platform and core competencies to entrepreneurially grow our core business and to pursue additional innovative opportunities. Moving forward together, the combined synergies of our organizations will enable us to better serve our current and future residents and university partners.”

Jacob Werner, Co-Head of Americas Acquisitions for Blackstone Real Estate, said, “American Campus Communities has a best-in-class portfolio and platform, built on longstanding relationships with some of the most distinguished and fastest growing universities in the country. Our perpetual capital will enable ACC to invest in its existing assets and create much-needed new housing in university markets. We’re excited to work with the ACC team to deliver communities where students love living.”

The transaction has been unanimously approved by ACC’s Board of Directors and the independent Special Committee of ACC’s Board and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022, subject to approval by ACC’s shareholders and other customary closing conditions.

As a condition to the transaction, ACC has agreed to suspend payment of its quarterly dividend, effective immediately.

As a result of today’s announcement, ACC does not expect to host a conference call and webcast to discuss its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.

Advisors
BofA Securities is serving as ACC’s lead financial advisor. KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. is also acting as a financial advisor. Dentons US LLP is serving as the Company’s legal counsel.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and TSB Capital Advisors are serving as Blackstone’s financial advisors, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as Blackstone’s legal counsel.

About American Campus Communities
American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management and operational management of student housing properties. As of December 31, 2021, American Campus Communities owned 166 student housing properties containing approximately 111,900 beds. Including its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC’s total managed portfolio consisted of 203 properties with approximately 140,900 beds. Visit www.americancampus.com.

About Blackstone Real Estate
Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing. Blackstone’s real estate business was founded in 1991 and has US $279 billion of investor capital under management. Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally, owning and operating assets across every major geography and sector, including logistics, residential, office, hospitality and retail. Our opportunistic funds seek to acquire undermanaged, well-located assets across the world. Blackstone’s Core+ business invests in substantially stabilized real estate assets globally, through both institutional strategies and strategies tailored for income-focused individual investors including Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT), a U.S. non-listed REIT, and Blackstone’s European yield-oriented strategy. Blackstone Real Estate also operates one of the leading global real estate debt businesses, providing comprehensive financing solutions across the capital structure and risk spectrum, including management of Blackstone Mortgage Trust (NYSE: BXMT).

Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed transaction, ACC will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a proxy statement on Schedule 14A. Promptly after filing its definitive proxy statement with the SEC, ACC will mail the definitive proxy statement and a proxy card to each stockholder entitled to vote at the special meeting relating to the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF ACC ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION THAT ACC FILES WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. The definitive proxy statement, the preliminary proxy statement and any other documents filed by ACC with the SEC (when available) may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or at ACC’s website at www.americancampus.com or by writing to American Campus Communities, Inc., Attention: Investor Relations, 12700 Hill Country Boulevard, Suite T-200, Austin, TX 78738.

Participants in the Solicitation
ACC and its directors and certain of its executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from ACC’s stockholders with respect to the proposed transaction. Information about ACC’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of ACC securities is set forth in ACC’s proxy statement for its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on March 17, 2021 and subsequent documents filed with the SEC.

Additional information regarding the identity of participants in the solicitation of proxies, and a description of their direct or indirect interests in the proposed transaction, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement and other materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction when they become available.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or “potential” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release reflect ACC’s and BREIT’s current views about future events and are subject to numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances, many of which are beyond the control of ACC and/or BREIT, that may cause actual results and future events to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, which risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the ability to complete the proposed transaction on the proposed terms or on the anticipated timeline, or at all, including risks and uncertainties related to securing the necessary shareholder approval and satisfaction of other closing conditions to consummate the proposed transaction; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement relating to the proposed transaction; risks that the proposed transaction disrupts ACC’s current plans and operations or diverts the attention of ACC’s management or employees from ongoing business operations; the risk of potential difficulties with ACC’s ability to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with suppliers and other third parties as a result of the proposed transaction; the failure to realize the expected benefits of the proposed transaction; the proposed transaction may involve unexpected costs and/or unknown or inestimable liabilities; the risk that ACC’s business may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the proposed transaction; the risk that shareholder litigation in connection with the proposed transaction may affect the timing or occurrence of the proposed transaction or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; effects relating to the announcement of the transaction or any further announcements or the consummation of the transaction on the market price of ACC’s common stock.

While forward-looking statements reflect ACC’s and/or BREIT’s good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance or events. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. ACC and BREIT disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, of new information, data or methods, future events or other changes. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause ACC’s future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in ACC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and in the other periodic reports ACC files with the SEC. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause BREIT’s future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in BREIT’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and prospectus, and in the other periodic reports BREIT files with the SEC.

Contacts

ACC Investor Contact:
Ryan Dennison (512) 732-1000
Senior Vice President Capital Markets & Investor Relations
American Campus Communities, Inc.

ACC Media Contact:
Andrew Siegel
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
(212) 355-4449

Blackstone Media Contact:
Jeffrey Kauth
(212) 583-5395

Categories: News

GBL makes its first sizeable investment in the healthcare sector with the acquisition of Affidea, the leading provider of medical diagnostic services in Europe

GBL

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (“GBL”) has signed definitive agreements to acquire a majority stake in Affidea,
the leading provider of healthcare diagnostic services in Europe, from B-FLEXION. GBL will invest up to
EUR 1.0 billion of equity into the transaction. Affidea’s majority shareholder B-FLEXION will fully exit its stake, and
management will re-invest alongside GBL. This investment in a defensive sector provides both resilience and
portfolio diversification.

Founded in 1991, Affidea is the leading European diagnostic imaging player, with 320 centers operating across
15 countries. Affidea has expanded its offering across the value chain, providing an integrated pathway in advanced
diagnostics, outpatient and cancer care services with an outstanding quality and value of care.
Providing accurate diagnostics is paramount for delivering appropriate treatment. GBL will support Affidea in the
development of high-quality medical services in the interest of all of its stakeholders – patients, doctors and
regulators. Together with management, GBL plans to further strengthen Affidea’s leading platform in its core
markets as well as accelerate M&A into new, attractive and fragmented European markets.
This transaction marks GBL’s first sizeable private investment in the healthcare sector. GBL has expressed its strong
interest in this space, given its resilience to economic cycles and long-term underlying growth trends.
The acquisition also corresponds to GBL’s ambition to increase the share of private assets within its portfolio. The
group’s long-term objective is for private and alternative assets to account for approximately 40% of its portfolio.
They represented 25% of the portfolio as of the end of 2021.
Ian Gallienne, CEO of GBL, commented: “Following recent investments in Webhelp, Canyon and Voodoo, Affidea is a
continuation of GBL’s strategy to increase its exposure to majority-owned private companies operating in growing markets and
underpinned by attractive secular trends. Together with Affidea’s management, we look forward to contributing to this
company’s success.”

Michal Chalaczkiewicz, Investment Partner at GBL, added: “Affidea provides GBL exposure to highly-attractive healthcare
verticals and geographies. We are delighted to become the custodian of the business in its next stage of development. In
partnership with management, we will strive to accelerate organic growth, M&A and digital health programs.”
Giuseppe Recchi, CEO of Affidea, commented: “I’m grateful to B-FLEXION for their investment and support to the
company since the start of their ownership in 2014 and since my appointment as CEO in 2018. We have built a world-class
organization, almost doubling the size of the business in the last 4 years, paving the way for new avenues of growth. I am pleased
to have GBL as our partner, given their deep understanding of our business and long-term investment horizon.”
Stefan Meister, Vice-Chairman of B-FLEXION, further added: “It has been a privilege to work with Giuseppe and the whole
Affidea team, and we are proud to have contributed to the company’s incredible success over nearly ten years of ownership. The
GBL team have impressed us with their track record of supporting high-quality companies. We are delighted to transition Affidea
to GBL for the next phase of the company’s growth.”
GBL has been advised by Citi, Bain & Company, EY and Kirkland & Ellis.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2022.

For more information, please contact:
Xavier Likin Alison Donohoe
Chief Financial Officer Head of Investor Relations
Tel: +32 2 289 17 72 Tel: +32 2 289 17 64
xlikin@gbl.be adonohoe@gbl.be

About Affidea
Affidea Group is the largest European provider of advanced diagnostic imaging, outpatient and cancer care services.
Founded in 1991, the company operates today 320 centres across 15 countries, providing high quality medical
services to over ten million patients every year. Affidea has a track record in successfully adding and integrating
more than 90 centres in the last three years. Due to its track record for patient safety, the company became the most
awarded diagnostic imaging provider in Europe by the European Society of Radiology – over 50% of all the centres
awarded on the Eurosafe Wall of Stars belong to Affidea.

About B-FLEXION
B-FLEXION is a private, entrepreneurial investment firm that partners with sophisticated capital to meet the shared
goal of delivering exceptional value over the generations, while also contributing positively to society. Chaired by
Ernesto Bertarelli and with offices across Europe and the United States, B-FLEXION seeds, acquires and builds asset
management investment partnerships, principally in the fields of Private Equity, Venture Capital, Infrastructure,
Technology, Real Estate, Hedge Funds, Public and Private Credit, and Public Securities. As well as these
partnerships, B-FLEXION makes principal investments in operating businesses in transformative industries with a
focus on Healthcare, Planet and Technology.

About Groupe Bruxelles Lambert
Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (“GBL”) is an established investment holding company, with over sixty years of stock
exchange listing, a net asset value of EUR 22.5 billion and a market capitalization of EUR 15.3 billion as at the end of
December 2021. GBL is a leading investor in Europe, focused on long-term value creation and relying on a stable and
supportive family shareholder base. GBL is both a responsible company and investor and perceives ESG factors as
being inextricably linked to value creation.
GBL strives to maintain a diversified high-quality portfolio of listed and private assets as well as alternative
investments (through Sienna Investment Managers, the group’s alternative investment platform), composed of
international companies that are leaders in their respective sectors, to which it can contribute to value creation by
being an active, supportive and professional investor.
GBL is focused on delivering meaningful growth by providing attractive returns to its shareholders through a
combination of growth in its net asset value, a sustainable dividend and share buybacks.
GBL is listed on the Euronext Brussels stock exchange (Ticker: GBLB BB; ISIN code: BE0003797140) and is included
in the BEL20 index.

 

Categories: News

Johan Arvidsson appointed new CEO of Diab

Ratos

Johan Arvidsson has extensive experience from senior positions at Nolato. He is currently Executive Director and President of Nolato’s Industrial Solutions business area and part of the company’s management team. He will assume the position of CEO of Diab by October 2022 at the latest.

“We are delighted that Johan Arvidsson will be taking on the role as CEO of Diab. He is very knowledgeable about the industry and has extensive international experience and a track record as a strong leader. We believe that the next phase of Diab’s development should take place under new leadership. At the same time, we want to thank Tobias Hahn who, during his time as CEO, has developed and strengthened Diab as a company, primarily in the wind segment,” says Joakim Twetman, Chairman of the Board of Diab and President Business Area Industry, Ratos.

Per Magnusson, a Board member of Diab since 2018, has been appointed as interim CEO until Johan Arvidsson takes over.

“I very much look forward to leading Diab into the future. There are major changes taking place in the world that we need to take into consideration, and I am convinced that Diab, with its talented employees and world-class products, has a bright future ahead. I want to thank Ratos for the trust they have placed in me and look forward to getting started,” says Johan Arvidsson, incoming CEO of Diab.

About Diab
Diab is a global company that helps its customers with high strength, low weight structures through strong technical expertise, manufacturing and processing of core sandwich composite material. Diab’s high-performance core materials and solutions all over the world, for example in boats, vessels, aircraft and other means of transport and in wind turbines. The various core materials have unique combinations of characteristics such as low weight, high strength, insulation properties and chemical resistance. Diab has production units in Sweden, Italy, the US, China, Lithuania and Ecuador combined with 14 sales units around the world.

For further information:
Joakim Twetman, Chairman of the Board of Diab and President Business Area Industry, Ratos,
+46 70 339 16 66

Josefine Uppling, VP Communication, Ratos, +46 76 114 54 21

About Ratos
Ratos is a business group consisting of 13 companies divided into three business areas: Construction & Services, Consumer and Industry. In total 2020, the companies have approximately SEK 36 billion in sales. Our business concept is to develop companies headquartered in the Nordics that are or can become market leaders. We enable independent companies to excel by being part of something larger. People, leadership, culture and values are key focus areas for Ratos. Everything we do is based on Ratos’s core values: Simplicity, Speed in Execution and It’s All About People.

Categories: People

Ampersand Capital Partners Invests in Syft Technologies, Leading SIFT-MS Solutions Provider

Wellesley, MA, 18 April, 2022 – Ampersand Capital Partners, a private equity firm specializing in growth equity investments in the life sciences and healthcare sectors, today announced a minority investment in Syft Technologies Limited, a world leading provider of Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS) solutions. Ampersand’s investment will allow Syft to accelerate their progress in the semiconductor market and develop the next scalable opportunity in life sciences.

Canterbury, New Zealand-based Syft develops SIFT-MS, a form of direct mass spectrometry that analyses volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air with typical detection limits at parts-per-trillion level (by volume; pptv). Realtime, quantitative analysis is achieved by applying precisely controlled soft chemical ionization and eliminating sample preparation, pre-concentration and chromatography. Syft’s SIFT-MS instrumentation is industry-proven, providing non-technical operators with laboratory-grade chemical analysis presented in a format that they can understand and act on.

Alex Fala, CEO of Syft, comments “We are excited to partner with Ampersand and benefit from the firm’s expertise and networks as we continue to build on Syft’s momentum and develop our next scalable opportunity in life sciences.”

David Patteson, Partner at Ampersand, shared “Syft has a remarkable technology and product platform, with notable traction in semiconductor and adjacent segments. Their life science market pull, applications, and commercial expertise, combined with Ampersand’s investments, should allow for meaningful penetration and adoption rates. We are thrilled to partner with their executive team, board, and shareholders to help realize the full potential.”

As part of the investment, Syft will also welcome David Patteson to the Board. David leads Ampersand’s Portfolio Acceleration team, and currently serves as Chairman of US headquartered Alliance Pharma. He has over 30 years of experience in Board and CEO roles, scaling businesses built on mass spectrometry, and other analytical instrumentation technologies.



About Syft Technologies Limited

Syft is a world leading provider of Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS) solutions. Revolutionizing the trace analysis world, Syft’s instruments enable the rapid, targeted and comprehensive analysis of compounds in air to a parts-per-trillion level. Syft’s technology is used in industries including semiconductor, energy, life sciences, environmental, consumer products, laboratory and research, security and air quality monitoring. Based in Christchurch, Syft trades on New Zealand’s Unlisted Securities Exchange (USX: SYF). Further information is available at syft.com.

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Founded in 1988, Ampersand is a middle market private equity firm with more than $2 billion of assets under management dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector.  With offices in Boston and Amsterdam, Ampersand leverages its unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive superior 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.  Additional information about Ampersand is available at ampersandcapital.com.

Categories: News

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CVC Fund VIII to acquire the Neolith Group, the global leader in sintered stone surfaces

The company is pioneer in the creation of sintered stone and a global leader with business in over 100 countries

CVC Capital Partners VIII, a global private equity platform, has agreed to invest in the Neolith Group, the global leader in the sintered stone industry, that has been controlled by Investindustrial and its founders, the Esteve Family, until now.

Neolith, pioneer in the creation of sintered stone and a global leader with business in over 100 countries, leads the ongoing process of transformation in the stone surfaces industry with innovative and sustainable solutions that combine design and functionality for a wide range of applications; from kitchens, bathrooms and designer furniture to building façades and coverings for the most cutting-edge architecture projects.

Neolith’s strong organic growth and profitability in recent years alongside a unique market position were key factors in the acquisition. Jose Luis Ramón, CEO of Neolith Group said: “It is a privilege to welcome CVC into the great Neolith project and its arrival will no doubt represent a new turning point in the group’s history, accelerating our ambitious strategic objectives. Its extensive experience and global presence will be a great help to us in developing our enormous potential”. He went on to add: “We are grateful for the confidence and constant support of Investindustrial and the Esteve Family in making Neolith a unique platform that has enabled us to consistently expand the business with a firm commitment based on innovation, branding, sustainability and a straightforward approach based on open collaboration.”

Javier de Jaime, Managing Partner at CVC, said: “We are thrilled to have materialised this investment in Neolith so we can continue leading this industry together and undertake the next stage of the investment, which will allow the company to continue accelerating its international expansion and multiply its growth behind the unique value proposition and position it enjoys in the market. CVC funds invest in companies with outstanding track records that are leaders in their respective industries. Neolith symbolises what we look for in any investment: a growing global market, a unique business model and a multi-disciplinary team that is highly skilled, motivated and international. Our vision is to multiply value in the long term and help the company to unleash its full potential, behind sustainable growth, by committing to technology, research and development of advanced materials, design and branding.”

In turn and on behalf of the current investors, Andrea C. Bonomi, the Chairman of the Industrial Advisory Board of Investindustrial, which became a majority shareholder in 2019, said: “We identified the sintered stone sector as the fastest growing niche within high-end design surfaces solutions, due to its strong technical and sustainable features. Within the sector, Neolith is a global leader based on a strong culture of quality and R&D built by the founding Esteve family, and carried on by the excellent management team in place.”

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The Stephens Group Hires Four to Bolster Business Development, Investment and Operational Teams

Stephens Group

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS – APRIL 14, 2022 –The Stephens Group, LLC (“The Stephens Group”), the private investment firm backed by the Witt Stephens and Elizabeth Campbell families, announced it has hired four new employees to bolster The Stephens Group’s business development, investment, and operational teams.

Ryan Morrow was hired as a Principal to focus on technology investing and is responsible for all aspects of deal sourcing, evaluation, and execution of new technology-focused investments as well as partnering with portfolio company management to execute strategic and operational initiatives. Previously, Mr. Morrow spent nearly a decade s in various leadership roles in venture capital and private equity backed technology companies. Most recently, he was the CFO of Ungerboeck, a vertical SaaS provider to the events industry, and Apptegy, a high growth EdTech SaaS provider. Ryan began his career in both buyside and sellside equity research and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Callie Blankenau was hired as a Senior Associate to assist with the business development efforts and is actively involved in sourcing and originating new transactions on behalf of The Stephens Group. Previously, Mrs. Blankenau spent four and a half years as an Associate at ORIX in the Private Equity Solutions group, a generalist lower middle market private equity, and Energy Capital, an energy focused flexible capital provider.

Lindsey Joseph was hired as a Senior Associate to advise the firm’s portfolio companies on strategies to improve operational performance. Previously, Mrs. Joseph spent seven years as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Accenture Strategy and Kurt Salmon serving Fortune 500 clients. Through her time in consulting, Mrs. Joseph has built particular expertise in the change management, ecommerce, data analytics and supply chain network optimization space.

Karlton Haney was hired as an analyst to assist the team’s investment and operational efforts.  He conducts financial analysis, due diligence and industry research to evaluate new investment opportunities and works on the operations team, supporting strategic priorities for existing portfolio companies. Previously, Mr. Haney spent a year as a financial analyst in Walmart’s Accounting and Finance Development Program.

Witt Stephens, Chairman and CEO of The Stephens Group, said, “By investing in our people and expanding our functional capabilities over the last few years, we have seen measurable improvements in our ability to source and execute on new opportunities as well as create value across the existing portfolio. We are excited about strengthening our team across both our investment and functional disciplines.”

ABOUT THE STEPHENS GROUP, LLC

The Stephens Group, LLC is a private investment firm that partners with talented management teams to help build valuable businesses. Backed by the resources of the Witt Stephens and Elizabeth Campbell families, the firm combines the operational expertise of a private equity firm with the flexibility provided by long-term capital. With nearly $2 billion of private equity assets under management, the firm has a long history of providing informed, sophisticated expertise and working with owners and managers to help them successfully achieve their strategic visions and build long-term value. Since 2006, The Stephens Group has invested in 49 companies, targeting investments in industries across the U.S., including industrial and commercial products and services, specialty distribution, B2B food, technology infrastructure and tech-enabled services.

CONTACT:

Allie Laborde
Principal, Business Development
The Stephens Group, LLC
pressreleases@stephensgroup.com
501.377.3401

Categories: People

Adams Street Partners Closes Second Private Credit Program with More Than $3 Billion of Capital

Adams Street

Private Credit II Program exceeds target fundraise with strong global demand, increasing total Private Credit strategy assets to $7.6 billion

CHICAGO, IL – April 14, 2022 – Adams Street Partners, LLC, a private markets investment management firm with more than $51 billion of assets under management, announced today it has successfully completed fundraising for its second Private Credit program (PC II), closing the oversubscribed program with more than $2.1 billion of committed capital and over $3.0 billion, including leverage.

Adams Street’s PC II saw high demand globally, surpassing its original target of $1.5 billion. A number of pension plans, insurance companies and family offices new to Adams Street invested in the program, in addition to strong representation from existing investors. The close of PC II raises the total Private Credit strategy assets to $7.6 billion, including leverage, since Adams Street launched the inaugural Private Credit strategy in 2016.

Adams Street’s Private Credit Team is a lead lender to middle market sponsor-backed transactions. Underlying investments within PC II currently have a loan-to-value ratio of less than 40% and an average debt multiple within 5X.

“We are extremely pleased with the investor support for our second Private Credit program,” said Bill Sacher, Partner and Head of Private Credit. “The strong demand for Adams Street’s Private Credit offering shows the value of the asset class and the appetite in this market for investments that target high-yields while also prioritizing stable returns. Our team looks forward to continuing to work with our longstanding sponsor relationships.”

“The strength of our Private Credit strategy reflects Adams Street’s strong relationships with LPs and private equity sponsors,” said Jeff Diehl, Managing Partner and Head of Investments. “Adams Street’s extensive relationships with buyout general partners helps open the door to exemplary deal flow and diligence insights. Having a seat at that table provides our Private Credit strategy investment vehicles with real value. The Private Credit platform has exceeded our expectations and we look forward to continued growth of this strategy.”


About Adams Street Partners

Adams Street Partners is a global private markets investment manager with investments in more than 30 countries across five continents. The firm is 100% employee-owned and has over $51 billion in assets under management. Adams Street strives to generate actionable investment insights across market cycles by drawing on 50 years of private markets experience, proprietary intelligence, and trusted relationships. Adams Street has offices in Austin, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, London, Menlo Park, Munich, New York, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo. Visit www.adamsstreetpartners.com

Media Inquiries:
Rich Myers / Rachel Goun
Profile Advisors
+1 347 343 2999
adamsstreet@profileadvisors.com

Categories: News

Care Cosmetics and 3d investors continue to expand in Benelux through acquisition of Mikos

3D Investors

Care Cosmetics, a cosmetics distributor and producer of 39 brands, acquires Mikos, the exclusive distributor of RefectoCil, among others. This increases its brand portfolio to 44 and the customer base to over eight thousand beauty professionals. This is the second acquisition since 3d investors came on board as an active shareholder in 2020 and fits within Care Cosmetics’ buy and build strategy that strengthens its position as market leader in the Benelux.

Shareholders Duco van Keimpema, Founder and CEO Care Cosmetics, and Nicolas Sneyers, Investment Director 3d investors, together with Robbin Extra, COO Care Cosmetics, completed the acquisition of Mikos. This acquisition increases the expected group turnover to around 30 million euros by 2022 and the team grows to 95 people.

Duco van Keimpema – CEO Care Cosmetics: “We work with winners. With companies that understand the game of the beauty industry, embrace the future and know that together you are stronger. With Mikos it all adds up; the company and its portfolio is complementary to ours and in a very solid position.”

Mikos has been operating for over 50 years and offers everything for professional beautysalons. Erik Ceelen, Founder and Director of Mikos, remains on board as a shareholder and looks forward to the collaboration. Ceelen was given the opportunity to take over Mikos over six years ago, as a total supplier in the beauty industry. According to him, the takeover by Care Cosmetics offers enormous opportunities for their current customer base. “The range for beauty professionals is higher than it has ever been. Everything under a single umbrella, what more could you want?”

Read more about the partnership between 3d investors and Care Cosmetics.

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Qualium Investissement acquires Recocash from IK Partners

IK Partners

Paris, 14 April 2022 – Qualium Investissement (“Qualium”) is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement to acquire Recocash (‘the Company’) from IK Partners (“IK”). Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Since 1971, Recocash has provided its clients with an unrivalled approach to debt servicing, addressing both B2B and B2C debt claims. The Company offers tailor-made solutions adapted to each customer environment, resulting in a high level of efficiency and customer satisfaction. Thanks to its proprietary credit management software Eagle-Act, Recocash offers through its subsidiary Altisys, a full range of debt collection services from software to servicing for its diversified client base.

Recognised as one of the leading players in the French debt servicing market, Recocash employs approximately 150 people across two sites in Rambouillet and in Lyon. On an annual basis, the company handles over 1,000,000 debt claims, helping clients to optimise their payment cycles and improve cashflow.

Since 2019 and under IK’s ownership, the Company has developed rapidly and expanded its customer base, particularly in the B2B segment by leveraging its customer centric-approach and efficient servicing processes. Qualium will acquire a majority stake alongside the management.

Guillaume Peroz, Partner at Qualium, said: “Recocash is a standout player in the growing debt service market, with a long history of providing a trusted service to customers across France. With a motivated team, we are confident in the future prospects of the business and look forward to providing our support.”

Arnaud Bosc, Partner at IK and Advisor to the IK Small Cap II Fund, said: “It has been fantastic to work with Hatime, Fabienne and the Recocash team over the last few years. The Company has successfully expanded its blue-chip customer base and is now clearly recognised as a leader within the growing B2B segment. We wish everyone at Recocash every success as they move onto the next stage in their journey.”

Hatime Ouali, President of Recocash, said: “We are grateful for all the support we received from IK and are proud of the journey accomplished with the team over the past couple of years. We are excited to work together with Qualium in the next exciting phase of growth to strengthen our market position and explore new services, building on our agile organisation.”

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

Qualium Investissement
Marie Delcourt
Phone: +33 (0)6 25 35 57 04
marie.delcourt@qualium-invest.com

Categories: News

Alinda Capital Partners rebrands its mid-market infrastructure strategy to Astatine Investment Partners

Wednesday April 13, 2022: Alinda Capital Partners has been investing in and managing infrastructure investments for over 17 years. Today, our mid-market, core-plus infrastructure business is known as Astatine Investment Partners (“AIP”). Our name change is a reflection of our shift from our origins as a large-cap, core focused infrastructure manager, to our current focus as a mid-cap, core-plus focused manager, under a new leadership team. Astatine is the rarest naturally-occurring chemical element on earth and is difficult to synthesise. We believe that our mid-market investment strategy is unique, ahead of the curve and difficult to replicate. We are focused on finding innovative ways to invest in digital, transportation, utility-related and essential services infrastructure, in spaces adjacent to core infrastructure.

Categories: News