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AXA Venture Partners (AVP) strengthens its leadership team and appoints Benoit Fosseprezas General Partner of the Growth Fund

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AXA

AXA Venture Partners (AVP) accelerates onthe development of itsgrowth strategy and is pleased to announce the appointment of a new General Partner in Paris. Benoit Fosseprez, who was Deputy CEOand CEO Franceof Veepee,will be joining the team as General Partner and will be managing the Growth Fund together with François Robinet, Imran Akram,and Alex Scherbakovsky. Benoit is an experienced leaderwith a very inspiring background combining deep knowledge of the techindustry and strong operational experience in a leading digital company.

Benoit has successfully been CFO and then Deputy CEO, focusingon France, of Veepee, a digital-native e-retailer in 14 marketswith over €4bn in sales. Benoit started his career inthe year 2000, by helpingthe first generation of French tech entrepreneurs as an investment banker focused on Technology, Media and Telecommunicationsat CACIB. He then led the development of the investment banking platform of this bank in the USA, based in NewYork, for five years. As CFO of Veepee.com, Benoit invested in several growth tech companies. Benoit brings a strong knowledge of the European tech ecosystem, combining more than 12 years of investment banking in France,and strong operational experience at Veepee.com as a C-level executive.“On behalf of the AVP team, I am extremely happy and proud to welcome Benoit as a General Partner of ourGrowth Fund. Benoit will reinforce our leadership team and will bring a solid knowledge of the tech ecosystem but even more a strong operational background in a period of acceleration of ourGrowth strategy. We also believe that the AVP team,after 5 years of successfullyworking together, isready to welcome a new member. This is a healthy development for our platform” commented François Robinet,AVP Managing Partner.

Paris –London-New York–San Francisco –Hong Kong Benoit reinforces the existing global growth team led by Francois Robinet (Paris), Imran Akram (London),and Alex Scherbakovsky (NewYork) for its new Growth Fund, AVP Capital II. The team willalsobe further strengthened shortly by the recruitment of several additional senior level individuals. “With a differentiating true transatlantic presence and a proven multi-stage trackrecord in the tech industry, AVP is an impressive independent investment platform to accompany entrepreneurs in their growth. The quality and complementarity of the teams, together with the support of a committed global financial institution, AXA, are two pillars that support the ambitious objective of AVP to become a leading Ventureand GrowthCapital firm in Europe and in the USA. I strongly believe in the value that AVP can bring to both investors and tech entrepreneurs, especially in the growth segment,whichwill benefit from very strong tailwindsin Europe”, commented BenoitFosseprez, AVP General Partner.

ABOUT AVP

AXA Venture Partners (AVP) is a global venture capital firm investing in high-growth, technology-enabled companies. AVP has built, in less than five years, a unique investment platform specialized in tech investments with $800 million of assets under management through three pillars of investment expertise: early stage, growth stage, and fund of funds. To date, AVP has invested in more than 45 companies and more than 20funds. The AVP team operates globally with offices in San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. Beyond investments, AVP provides unique access to business development opportunities helping portfolio companies to scale globally and accelerate their growth.

More details here: www.axavp.com

For further information, please contact: Sébastien LOUBRY Partner, Business Development Sebastien@axavp.com06.15.31.61.68

Categories: People

ImCheck Announces Investment by BB Pureos Bioventures to Close Series B Fundraising with Total of €54 million ($64 million)

GIMV

15/09/2020 – 11:19 | Portfolio

Marseille, France, September 15, 2020 – ImCheck Therapeutics today announced that it has secured an additional €6 million ($7.1 million) from BB Pureos Bioventures (“Pureos”) in an extension of its Series B bringing the total raised in this round to €54 million in capital (approximately $64 million).

The newly added capital underscores the broad potential of ImCheck’s butyrophilin superfamily-focused pipeline and the progress the company has achieved in the ongoing EVICTION (NCT04243499) Phase I/IIa clinical trial for the company’s first-in-class gamma9 delta2 (γ9δ2) T cell-activating monoclonal antibody ICT01 (anti-butyrophilin 3A). In addition to supporting EVICTION, the funding will also accelerate the development of the company’s pre-clinical portfolio of antibody candidates in immuno-oncology, auto-immune and infectious disease indications.

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Combination of Revint and Triage joins subject matter expertise with rapidly growing technology platform creating comprehensive Revenue Integrity and Underpayment Solution

New Mountain Capital

Revint’s merger with Triage Consulting Group extends a commitment to delivering deep industry knowledge with technology-enabled solutions 

 ATLANTA, GA – Revint Solutions, a leader in technology-enabled revenue integrity solutions for healthcare providers, announced the execution of a definitive agreement to merge with Triage Consulting Group, one of the nation’s premier healthcare revenue integrity companies. The combined organization will deliver the most comprehensive revenue integrity services and technology platform in the healthcare industry.

“Together, these two companies will deliver a revenue integrity solution unlike any other in the industry, combining advanced technology with deep subject matter expertise,” commented Lee Rivas, Chief Executive Officer of Revint. “With health systems losing billions of dollars annually in unrecovered reimbursement, it is our mission and purpose to work with our customers to identify and capture every dollar that they are entitled to. By combining our strengths into a single, powerful solution, healthcare providers will benefit from a more effective way to capture all revenue accurately, securely, and reliably.”

Since its inception in 1994, Triage has identified and recovered billions of dollars in lost revenue for more than 900 hospital clients. Triage delivers a comprehensive array of payment review, recovery, consulting, and legal support services to its clients. Their healthcare reimbursement expertise encompasses all payers including commercial health plans, government programs, and workers’ compensation. Triage is the 2020 Revenue Integrity and Underpayment Services KLAS® Category Leader, with major office locations in Atlanta and San Francisco.

“We look forward to joining forces with Revint and accelerating innovation in revenue recovery,” said Brian Neece, President of Triage. “Now, more than ever, it is critical to ensure healthcare providers remain financially strong. Together with Revint, we can leverage technology and domain expertise to recover all potential revenue and ensure providers receive accurate and timely reimbursement.”

Revint has achieved tremendous growth, enabled by the first-of-its-kind revenue integrity enterprise platform. This technology-driven safety net solution identifies and recovers revenue and is delivered through a guaranteed ROI model for health systems. The company’s rapid growth has been bolstered by investments in technology and product innovation, which has enabled a more integrated customer experience and improved recoveries.

The Revint and Triage merger is being facilitated by New Mountain Capital LLC (“New Mountain”), a growth-oriented investment firm that currently manages over $25 billion in assets.

“Bringing together these highly complementary revenue integrity companies will be a big step forward in evolving the category,” said Matt Holt, President of Private Equity, New Mountain Capital. “The combination of technology and domain expertise will set a new standard for providers.”

The transaction is expected to close later this year, subject to customary conditions and approvals.

 About Revint 

Revint is a leading provider of technology-enabled solutions for health systems, focused on offering revenue integrity and recovery services to ensure accurate and timely reimbursement for their services. Serving over 1,700 healthcare organizations in the U.S., Revint helps recover over $800 million of underpaid or unidentified revenue for its clients annually. The Company’s solution set includes suites centered around Revenue Assurance, Payer Accountability, and Medicare Reimbursement. Revint was recognized by Black Book among the highest-ranked Revenue Recovery vendors based on customer satisfaction and client experience. Revint’s Revenue Recovery solution suites have HFMA Peer Review status and are HITRUST certified. For more information, visit www.revintsolutions.com.

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Enel X and Ardian Infrastructure launch battery storage partnership in Canada

Ardian

  • 14 September 2020 Infrastructure Rome , Italy
  • The joint venture, which currently includes ten projects for around 30 MW of capacity, is dedicated to operating and developing battery storage projects in Ontario, Canada

    • Ardian Infrastructure holds 80% of the partnership, while Enel X holds the remaining 20% and will continue to manage the operations and maintenance of all projects as well as the development of future projects

Rome, September 14, 2020 – Enel X, the Enel Group’s advanced energy services business line, and Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, have entered into a joint venture to manage Enel X’s battery storage projects in Canada and support the acceleration of the development of similar projects in the country.

“Battery storage systems represent a key element in the transition towards a decarbonized energy system as they facilitate the flexibility and stability of grids, and we are committed to empowering customers to help drive the shift towards these technologies,” said Francesco Venturini, CEO of Enel X. “This partnership with Ardian Infrastructure represents an important step that will further support the expansion of innovative energy efficiency solutions in the North American market. In partnering with Ardian we are combining our financial strength and Enel X’s industry expertise to create even more value for our customers and further accelerate our growth in the region.”

“This investment bolsters Ardian’s position as a leading player in the sustainable energy sector across the Americas,” said Stefano Mion, Senior Managing Director and co-head of Ardian Infrastructure US. “This latest partnership, our first in Canada, marks an important step forward as we diversify our sustainable energy portfolio into the rapidly growing battery storage sector. Behind-the-meter battery storage is a compelling component of the sustainable energy ecosystem as it allows users to store electricity when it is least expensive and consume it when costs from the grid are most expensive. We are excited to partner with Enel X on the opportunity to accelerate the joint venture’s growth, initially in Canada but longer term across the Americas.”

Under the agreement, a dedicated vehicle company, 80% owned by Ardian Infrastructure and 20% by Enel X, has been constituted to manage the battery storage projects in Canada currently included in the joint venture for around 30 MW of capacity. The battery storage portfolio is composed of ten asset locations throughout Ontario and includes two separate 10 MW/20 MWh projects expected to reach commercial operations in 2021. Through the partnership, Enel X will continue to construct, operate, and maintain these projects and will be responsible for the development of future projects.

The partnership with Ardian is in line with Enel X’s commitment to foster the deployment of cutting-edge energy service solutions for commercial and industrial (C&I) clients, leveraging on the company’s offering of integrated services to end customers. All of Enel X’s storage projects utilize the company’s Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Optimization software that has the unique capability to maximize the earnings potential across multiple use cases, such as demand and energy management programs. Through the financial support of Ardian, the platform will enable C&I customers to deploy state-of-the-art energy storage equipment, aimed at making power consumption and infrastructure more efficient.

The deal is part of Ardian’s ongoing commitment to invest in new technology and clean energy assets with the aim to create a more sustainable energy market and address climate change, as outlined in its most recent Augmented Infrastructure report. With 50 employees across eight offices throughout the Americas and Europe, the Ardian Infrastructure team is a world leading Infrastructure Fund Manager focused on the energy and transportation sectors.

About Enel X

Enel X in North America manages over 10.5 billion US dollars in customers’ annual energy spend for approximately 4,500 business customers, spanning more than 35,000 sites. The company has approximately 4.7 GW of demand response capacity and over 70 behind-the-meter storage projects in operation or under contract. Enel X’s intelligent DER Optimization Software is designed to analyze real-time energy and utility bill data, improve performance, and manage distributed energy assets across a number of different value streams and applications.
Enel X is Enel’s global business line dedicated to the development of innovative products and digital solutions in sectors where energy is showing the greatest potential for transformation: cities, homes, industries and electric mobility. The company is a global leader in the advanced energy services field with a demand management capacity of more than 6 GW globally managed and assigned and 110 MW of storage capacity worldwide, as well as a leading operator in the electric mobility sector, with 80,000 public and private EV charging points around the globe.

Visit the website

About Ardian

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of 100 billion US dollars managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base. Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 690 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of around 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

PRESS CONTACT

Enel X – Media relations

ufficiostampa@enel.com

+39 06 8305 5699

Ardian – The Neibart Group

Emma Murphy

emurphy@neibartgroup.com

+1 347 968 6800

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The Efficy group acquires INES CRM to create a customer relationship front player in France and become the European Champion

Fortino Capital

Brussels, September 10, 2020 – INES CRM, one of the French cloud-based CRM pioneers, is joining the Efficy group. The stated ambition is to complete the consolidation of the French market in order to conquer Europe!

Obvious product complementarity

Founded in 2005 in Brussels, Efficy publishes a highly flexible CRM intended for medium and large accounts, and positions itself as a partner close to its customers. Already present in 7 European countries and leader in the Benelux, the Efficy group offers CRM solutions at the right price. Daily used by 170,000 users, the group’s solutions support more than 3,500 companies in their growth.

Founded in 1999 in Lyon, INES CRM publishes and integrates an open collaborative SaaS platform, serving business development and the entire customer journey. This solution is particularly suitable for companies with 10 to 50 employees, wishing to quickly set up a personalized CRM solution.

“INES CRM is an ingenious addition to the Efficy group’s range of CRM solutions. Our teams are now able to offer a solution adapted to all contexts. Whether it is a start-up buying a CRM license on the web, a company with 40 employees that wants a customizable solution, or even a group that has several thousand users, ” emphasizes Damien Duchateau, co- founder of INES CRM.

“Joining the Efficy group will allow the INES CRM solution to be enriched with new functionalities. Mobile application, artificial intelligence, gamification, document management and customer extranet functions will quickly complete the INES CRM solution,” adds Max Patissier, co-founder of INES CRM.

A desire to consolidate the European market

The Efficy group aims to represent 5% of the CRM market share on the European scene in four years. This operation is part of this ambition.

The acquisition of INES CRM by Efficy creates a group of 220 employees in Europe with cumulative annual turnover of € 26.5 million for 2019. The customer portfolio stands at 4,500 references.

“In recent years, we have organized and structured ourselves to accelerate the pace of our growth. INES CRM allows us to establish ourselves durably in France. We are planning such operations in other countries in the coming months. Our desire: to become a very serious alternative to the American mastodons on European soil,” concludes Cédric Pierrard, CEO of the Efficy group.

The Efficy CRM group at a glance

Key figures (2019)

  • € 26,5m turnover
  • 220 employees in 9 countries
  • 4 500 clients
  • 185 000 users in 33 countries
  • 46% average growth over the past 5 years

Latest highlights

  • 2017: Acquisition of DESICO, publisher of the Vente Partner solution, in France
  • 2018: Acquisition of E-Deal in France
  • 2019: Acquisition of SumaCRM in Spain
  • 2019: Arrival of Fortino Capital as shareholders

About EFFICY

Efficy is a software provider offering medium & large businesses a complete, flexible and extended CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solution which helps companies manage their Customer Relationship. Efficy has over 170,000 daily users in 33 countries. Founded in 2005, the Efficy Group, ISO 9001 certified, works with companies from a wide variety of sectors: Banking (Belfius, BNP Paribas, Fortuneo), Insurance & Mutual insurance (Amma, Thélem), Social housing, Industry (CEA, Gradus, Poujoulat), Services, Tourism & Transport (Kinepolis, Geneva Tourism), Retail (La Redoute, Groupe Gautier), Local authorities & Chambers of commerce. Headquartered in Brussels, Efficy has approximately 165 employees in its 7 local offices in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Germany.

About INES CRM

French publisher and integrator for 20 years, INES CRM offers a collaborative, open and mobile SaaS platform, serving business development and the entire customer journey.

INES CRM teams support BtoB companies and ensure the sustainability of their digital transition. The INES solution is a tool designed to respond to the problems of different departments (sales, marketing, customer service, etc.) by giving companies a 360 ° view of their customer relationship.
www.inescrm.fr

Contact

For more information, please visit www.efficy.com or contact:
Laëtitia Baret
lba@efficy.com
+33 6 13 03 63 67

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EQT acquires idealista – the leading online real estate classifieds platform in Southern Europe

eqt

  • EQT IX to acquire idealista, the leading online real estate classifieds platform in Southern Europe, present in Spain, Italy, and Portugal
  • idealista’s underlying market is supported by favorable secular megatrends, such as the increasing shift from offline to online marketing spend, as well as significant network effects driven by the platform’s strong brand recognition
  • EQT will, together with idealista’s founders and management team, support idealista’s continued growth momentum and further penetration of existing markets, by leveraging EQT’s strong digital and sector expertise, “local with locals” approach, and extensive advisory network

The EQT IX fund (“EQT IX”) has agreed to acquire idealista (“the Company”) at a transaction price of EUR 1.3 billion from funds advised by Apax Partners and management. Management will re-invest significantly into the Company while EQT IX will have majority ownership. idealista’s management team, including founder and CEO Jesús Encinar, will continue to lead the Company, building on its strong track record of growth and innovation.

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain, idealista supports approximately 40,000 real estate agents and 38 million unique monthly visitors across Southern Europe by providing an online real estate classifieds marketplace for home buyers and sellers. The Company’s online platform and diversified portfolio of digital services, such as CRM tools, data analytics, and online mortgage brokerage, help enable efficient real estate transactions, making it a key destination for prospective homeowners and sellers in Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

EQT IX will support idealista’s growth and continued pursuit of commercial excellence by investing in the Company’s online platform and further developing its portfolio of value-add services for real estate agents. Moreover, the Company is expected to leverage EQT’s inhouse digital and tech expertise, global presence, and network of advisors. Together with its founders and management, EQT will support idealista’s plans to further penetrate its core markets and strengthen its position as the market leading and go-to platform for online real estate classifieds in Southern Europe.

Bert Janssens, Partner and Global Co-Head TMT at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT IX, said: “idealista represents a truly thematic investment, within one of EQT’s core sub-sectors. This investment fits strongly with EQT’s focus of investing in high growth companies and partnering with world class management teams. We are impressed by the market leading position idealista has built over the past 20 years and EQT is excited to support idealista and its entrepreneurial management team in this next stage of growth.”

Carlos Santana, Managing Director and Head of EQT Private Equity in Spain at EQT Partners, and Investment Advisor to EQT IX, concluded: “EQT believes that idealista has the potential to grow at an accelerated pace. Together with Jesús and the management team, EQT will support further expansion within idealista’s core markets and consolidate its leadership position in Southern Europe. The investment in idealista further demonstrates EQT’s commitment to pursue investment opportunities in the region.”

Jesús Encinar, CEO at idealista, said: “We are very excited to partner with EQT and look forward to working together during the coming years. EQT’s online classifieds and real estate expertise, local presence in Spain and Italy, and extensive network of advisors will be of great value for us and key to our future success. idealista and EQT share a similar culture and passion for growth, a key decision factor for me and my team to partner with them.”

In line with the commitment to invest in sustainable businesses, EQT will accelerate idealista’s growth as it supports local and industry technological innovation by leveraging its role as a key intermediary in the real estate transactions value chain. By supporting real estate agents’ transition from offline to online and enabling efficient transaction between prospective homeowners and sellers, idealista contributes primarily to the Sustainable Development Goal 11.

The transaction is expected to close subject to customary approvals in December 2020. PwC, Allen & Overy, and Freshfields served as advisors to EQT, while Evercore served as advisor to Apax and idealista.

With this transaction, EQT IX is expected to be 10-15 percent invested, based on its target fund size.

Contact
Bert Janssens, Partner and Global Co-Head TMT at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT IX, +31 652 523 675
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT

EQT is a differentiated global investment organization with more than EUR 62 billion in raised capital and around EUR 40 billion in assets under management across 19 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America with total sales of more than EUR 27 billion and approximately 159,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

About idealista
idealista supports approximately 40,000 real estate agents and 38 million unique monthly visitors across Southern Europe, by providing an online real estate classifieds marketplace for home buyers and sellers.

More info: www.idealista.com/en

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Bruker Announces Acquisition of Canopy Biosciences, LLC

Strengthens Bruker in Targeted Multi-Omics and High-Plex Biomarker Imaging Adds Innovative ChipCytometry Tools for Multi-Dimensional Immune Profiling

Bruker logo
BILLERICA, Massachusetts, September 11, 2020 — Bruker Corporation (Nasdaq: BRKR) today announced the acquisition of Canopy Biosciences, LLC, a leader in high multiplex biomarker imaging for immunology, immuno-oncology and cell therapy. This acquisition enhances Bruker’s offering in targeted multi-omics and fluorescence-based imaging techniques. Bruker’s global reach, complementary technologies and applications knowledge will help build on Canopy’s success to date. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“We are excited to add the multi-omics and high-content cytometry expertise of Canopy, and its novel ChipCytometry platform to Bruker,” said Dr. Mark R. Munch, the Bruker NANO Group President. “Canopy has a unique set of products that enable single cell, tissue and suspended cell-based discovery and validation in immunology and targeted proteomics, as well as a suite of complementary multi-omics services.”

“We are very pleased to join Bruker,” added Dr. Edward Weinstein, the CEO of Canopy Biosciences. “Joining forces with a leading life-science tools provider with broad geographic reach enables us to give many more researchers access to our powerful high-plex ChipCytometry platform, designed for accelerating basic immunology and clinical research, as well as biopharma drug development.”

“Canopy has built a powerful suite of multi-omics technologies,” explained Dr. Frank Witney, Operating Partner of Ampersand Capital Partners, the lead Canopy investor. “Joining Bruker will strengthen and deepen this platform, enabling researchers to better answer their scientific and translational questions with unprecedented power and precision.”

About Bruker Corporation (Nasdaq: BRKR)

Bruker is enabling scientists to make breakthrough discoveries and develop new applications that improve the quality of human life. Bruker’s high-performance scientific instruments and high-value analytical and diagnostic solutions enable scientists to explore life and materials at molecular, cellular and microscopic levels. In close cooperation with our customers, Bruker is enabling innovation, improved productivity and customer success in life science molecular research, in applied and pharma applications, in microscopy and nanoanalysis, and in industrial applications, as well as in cell biology, preclinical imaging, clinical phenomics and proteomics research and clinical microbiology. For more information, please visit: www.bruker.com.

About Canopy Biosciences, LLC

Canopy Biosciences was formed in 2016 and has rapidly built a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for gene editing, gene expression analysis and regulation, and bioprocessing. Canopy’s gene editing portfolio offers easy-to-use CRISPR kits and full-service custom cell line engineering. Canopy has also assembled an innovative multi-omic platform for immune profiling, including ultrasensitive DNA sequencing (RareSeq), RNAseq, gene expression analysis, and multiplexed protein detection in cells and tissue samples via ChipCytometry. Canopy Biosciences is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and serves researchers at universities, research institutions and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Additional information is available at www.canopybiosciences.com. Its subsidiary ZELLKRAFTWERK GmbH in Leipzig, Germany, designs and manufactures high-plex ChipCytometry platforms and complete workflows for high-content cytometry on cells and tissues (www.zellkraftwerk.com).

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Founded in 1988, Ampersand is a middle market private equity firm 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 our core healthcare sectors, including Brammer Bio, Confluent Medical, Genewiz, Genoptix, Talecris Biotherapeutics, and Viracor-IBT Laboratories.  Additional information about Ampersand is available at ampersandcapital.com.

Investor Contact:
Miroslava Minkova
Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Development
Bruker Corporation
T: +1 (978) 663-3660 x1479
E: Investor.Relations@bruker.com

Media Contact:
Stephen Hopkins
Content Marketing Manager
Bruker Nano Surfaces Division
T: +1 (520) 741-1044 x1022
E: steve.hopkins@bruker.com

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Active Assurances strengthens its health division with the acquisition of the portfolio of Cabinet Wilhelm SA

Activa Capital

One year afterthe acquisition of AFI Assurances, Active Assurances, the specialist digital insurance broker, is pursuing its development strategy and announces the acquisition of the healthcare insurance portfolio of Cabinet WILHELM SA. This transaction enables the Group to accelerate its development in the healthcare market.

Cabinet WILHELM is a French broker based in Lons (Southwestern France), specialised in the digital sellingof health, accident and life insurance products to B2C customers. The Company was created and managed by its founder, Gilbert Wilhelm, and developed with the support of its main shareholder, the Swiss Life Group. The firm was a pioneer in the distribution of health insurance policiesvia the internet and quickly built up a strong reputation and recognized know-how in this field.

With this operation, Frédéric Bacmann, Chief Executive Officer and founder of AFI Assurances, consolidates the Group’s healthcare portfolio by exceeding 35,000 policies in its portfolio. This operation is financed byequity from Active Assurances,backed by Activa Capital, BPIfrance and Idinvest Partners.

This operation underlines once more Activa Capital’s ability to support entrepreurial managers in the transformation of growing SMEs and the structuring of external growth operations.

Thomas Riottot, Co-founder of Active Assurances Groupe,declared: «We are delighted with this operation, which will strengthen AFI Assurances’ development in its market. We remain on the lookout for other build-ups operationsthat will enable us to accelerate our develpment. »

Frédéric Bacmann, Founding Director of AFI Assurances,stated: «With this operation, we are integrating new sales staff motivated by the Group’s development project and by our know-how in the distance selling of health insurance policies. »

Participants

Buyers

Active Assurances Groupe :Didier Naccache, Thomas Riottot, Denis Salmoiraghi, Frédéric Bacmann, Nolwenn OrealActiva Capital : Alexandre Masson, David Quatrepoint, Timothée HéronLawyers: Jean-Baptiste LeJariel–FORTEM Avocats

Vendors

Gilbert Wilhelm, FounderLawyers: Xavier Perinne–AFFINA Legal

About Active Assurances
Active Assurances is an insurance broker specialised in the on-line sale of automotive insurance policies. Based in Boulogne-Billancourt, in autonomous partnership with leading insurance companies, Active Assurances develops, distributes, and manages automotive insurance policies. For further information, visitactiveassurances.frAbout AFI AssurancesFounded in 1996 by Frédéric Bacmann, AFI Assurances is an insurance broker specialised in health and life insurance. The company selects for its customers the best insurance contract amongst the 200 insurance or mutual products available on line. To know more about AFI Assurances, please consult the websiteafiassurances.fr
About Activa Capital
Activa Capital is an independent private equity firm, owned by its partners, characterized by a proactive build-up strategy. It currently manages more than €300 million on behalf of institutional investors by investing in French SMEs and ETIs with high growth potential and an enterprise value of between €20 and €100 million. Activa Capital assists them to accelerate their development and international presence. To find out more about Activa Capital, visit activacapital.com
Press contacts:
Alexandre MassonManaging Partner+33 1 43 12 50 12alexandre.masson@activacapital.com
Christophe Parier Managing Partner +33 1 43 12 50 12christophe.parier@activacapital.com
Christelle PiattoCommunications Manager+33 1 43 12 50 12christelle.piatto@activacapital.com
ThomasRiottotCEO –Active Assurances Groupe+33 6 75 70 37 23tr@activeassurances.fr

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Innovestor invests in Shipit – One logistics platform solution for all your parcel shipping needs

Innovestor

Helsinki based Venture Capital firm Innovestor acts as lead investor in Shipit Oy Ab’s funding round. The total size of the round was EUR 800k. In addition to the investment made from our second fund, we were joined by institutional and private investors.

With the rapid growth of e-commerce over the past decade, parcel shipping volumes have increased steadily. This trend has only strengthened during the current covid-19 pandemic. Consumer behavior has in many regards changed for good, driving demand for more effective logistics solutions.

Shipit is a fast-growing Finnish technology company, which has developed a fully automated service platform for parcel and pallet shipment management, targeted particularly for e-commerce stores and SMBs. The company’s story began when Co-founder & CEO Lari Pihjalapuro noticed that Finnish SMB’s struggled to find cost effective ways for shipping internationally, thus limiting their potential for doing international business. How could a Finnish company compete, when shipping costs could easily be the same as the product itself? He set out to change this.

For the customer, Shipit provides value by offering more affordable parcel shipping rates, decreasing the need for own in house logistics team and making everything accessible via a single easy to use platform.

“The company is riding a strong wave with all forms commerce moving online. The team has been capital efficient in ramping-up volumes, and can demonstrate considerable traction on the Finnish market. We are excited to join the ride for the next growth phase”, says Innovestor’s Wilhelm Lindholm.

 

The Finnish parcel market is closing in on almost 90 million in annual shipping volume, and estimated at EUR 700 million in value in 2018. In comparison, the Global Parcel Market is valued at almost USD 380 billion in 2018, up from USD 310 billion in 2016.

As the industry has grown, it has also grabbed the attention of VC investors, who have been active in the sector. Some of the recent examples include: Shippo (USA), backed by Union Square Ventures and Bessemer; PackLink (Spain), backed by Accel and Eight Roads Ventures; Parcel2Go (UK), buy-out by Mayfair Equity Partners.

Shipit has grown strongly since its founding in 2016 and is now the market leader within its category in Finland. With revenue growth up 120% in 2019, and operating cashflow positive, the company currently ships c. 50,000 parcels each month among 4,000 registered customers.

“This investment makes it possible for us to speed up our product development, and even more aggressively aim for growth by bringing further liquidity to our internationalization efforts. All while proactively maintaining our outstanding customer service ensuring it scales as we grow. This is an exciting time for us!” commented Shipit’s Co-founder & CEO Lari Pihjalapuro.

 

 

Contact Information:

Lari Pihjalapuro, CEO, Shipit

lari.pihlajapuro@shipit.fi

+ 358 400 595 188

 

Wilhelm Lindholm, Managing Partner, Innovestor Ltd

wilhelm.lindholm@innovestor.fi

+358 405 811 051

 

Shipit joins our portfolio, which is one of the largest private venture backed portfolios in the Nordics, through the investment from Innovestor Growth Fund II.

Innovestor is a Nordic early-stage venture capital investor, who also offers direct co-investment syndication opportunities and builds growth programs.

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3Cloud Acquires 3Cloud Acquires Pragmatic Works Consulting

Gryphon Investors

Acquisition expands 3Cloud’s data and analytics capabilities and geographic reach, forming the largest Azure pure-play services firm in the U.S.

Chicago, IL – September 10, 2020 —

 

3Cloud, a leading Microsoft Azure services firm, today announced that it has acquired the consulting arm of Pragmatic Works, an award-winning services firm focused on Microsoft’s cloud and data platforms.

“With the acquisition of Pragmatic Works Consulting, 3Cloud has taken another big step towards achieving our goal of becoming the number one Azure pure-play services provider” said Mike Rocco, 3Cloud CEO and Co-Founder. “Pragmatic Works Consulting has built an outstanding reputation as a leader in Azure data and analytics solutions, and we are excited to combine the expertise of our two world-class teams to deliver leading-edge Azure solutions for Microsoft customers.”

With this acquisition, 3Cloud will form the largest Azure pure-play services firm in the U.S. Additionally, 3Cloud will gain an expanded geographic presence to better serve clients across the U.S.

Pragmatic Works Training will continue to operate as a separately owned company under the leadership of Pragmatic Works CEO and Founder Brian Knight. “I’m extremely proud of the market-leading position Pragmatic Works has built in the Microsoft data and analytics space,” said Knight. “I look forward to seeing the talented employees of our consulting division continue to excel as part of the 3Cloud team.”

“Pragmatic Works Consulting has always focused on helping companies grow their business and operate more efficiently with data. We take pride in helping our clients solve some of their most complex technology challenges,” said Adam Jorgensen, Pragmatic Works Consulting President. “3Cloud has the same client-focused and growth-oriented approach, and we’re excited to join forces with them.”

Both firms have strong partnerships with Microsoft and industry-leading Microsoft credentials. 3Cloud was recently named the winner of the Microsoft US 2020 Azure Influencer Partner Award, and Pragmatic Works was named the winner of the Microsoft US 2020 Power BI Partner Award. Pragmatic Works was also a finalist for both the Power BI and Power Apps 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards and is a Databricks partner with deep expertise on this platform.

“We continue to see tremendous Azure growth momentum in the marketplace, especially in the data and analytics space as companies seek to modernize their data warehouse and business intelligence platforms,” said Jim Dietrich, 3Cloud President and Co-Founder. “With the help of our financial partner Gryphon Investors, we will continue to pursue growth opportunities across the spectrum of Azure solution areas while remaining committed to our mission of delivering the ultimate Azure experience for our clients.”

7 Mile Advisors served as exclusive financial advisor to 3Cloud and Gryphon Investors. Gryphon Investors completed a majority investment in 3Cloud in June 2020.

About 3Cloud
3Cloud is a “born in the cloud” Gold-certified Microsoft Azure technology consulting firm and Azure Expert Managed Services Provider that provides cloud strategy, design, implementation, and managed services to clients across multiple industries. Founded by former Microsoft technology leaders, 3Cloud combines a team of highly experienced cloud architects and technologists with a strong network of Microsoft sales and engineering relationships to deliver the ultimate Azure experience for clients.  3Cloud is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices in Dallas, Texas and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and supports clients throughout North America and Europe. To learn more, visit www.3cloudsolutions.com.

About Pragmatic Works
Pragmatic Works is 100% focused on Microsoft’s cloud and data platforms. They have worked across the United States with thousands of companies including 97% of the Fortune 100. Through their weekly free training sessions, large-scale virtual Azure events and a team dedicated to helping customers grow their business with data, they are uniquely positioned to consult businesses on taking advantage of the latest Microsoft applications. Pragmatic Works’ focused work with Microsoft has led to them being recognized as a finalist for the Data Platform Partner of the Year award in 2017, Data Analytics Partner of the Year award in 2019 and both the Power BI and Power Apps Partner of the Year award in 2020. They have also been named the 2020 MSUS Partner Award winner for Business Applications – Power BI. To learn more, visit www.pragmaticworks.com.

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors is a leading private equity firm focused on growing and enhancing mid-market companies in partnership with management. The firm has managed over $5 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $100 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with sales ranging from approximately $100 million to $500 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise. For more information, visit www.gryphoninvestors.com.

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