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Blackstone Completes Acquisition of Majority Stake in the Largest Logistics Park in China’s Greater Bay Area

Blackstone

HONG KONG, January 20, 2021 – Blackstone (NYSE: BX) today announced that Blackstone Real Estate’s opportunistic funds have completed the previously announced acquisition of a majority stake in the Greater Bay Area’s largest urban logistics park for US$1.1 billion from R&F Group. Blackstone will have a 70% stake while R&F Properties Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of R&F Group, will retain a 30% stake. The transaction significantly expands Blackstone’s China logistics portfolio by approximately one-third to 53 million square feet across 23 Chinese cities.

Cliff Chen, a Blackstone Real Estate Managing Director based in Shanghai, said: “We are thrilled to continue our strategy of acquiring high quality logistics assets in China’s key distribution hubs and cater to ongoing tenant demand, driven by e-commerce tailwinds and emerging opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. This area, which connects 11 major cities including Shenzhen, Macau, and Hong Kong, is one of China’s biggest logistics markets and a rapidly developing trade, finance, and technology and innovation hub. We look forward to further developing the park by constructing additional cold storage facilities tailored for food and pharmaceutical industries as well as institutional-quality warehouses.”

Tenants of the logistics park include some of China’s most reputable corporations in various sectors such as third-party logistics (SF Express, YTO Express), e-commerce (Tmall, JD.com), pharmaceuticals (Sinopharm, CR Pharma), and telecommunications (China Mobile, China Telecom). The logistics park is located 15 kilometers from Guangzhou International Airport, a key transportation hub within the Greater Bay Area.

About Blackstone Real Estate
Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing. Blackstone’s real estate business was founded in 1991 and has $174 billion of investor capital under management. Blackstone is one of the largest property owners in the world, owning and operating assets across every major geography and sector, including logistics, multifamily and single-family housing, office, hospitality and retail. Our opportunistic funds seek to acquire undermanaged, well-located assets across the world. Blackstone’s Core+ strategy invests in substantially stabilized real estate globally through regional open-ended funds focused on high-quality assets and Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT), a non-listed REIT that invests in U.S. income-generating assets. 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).

Media Contact:
Ellen Bogard
Ellen.Bogard@Blackstone.com
Tel: +852 3651 7737

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Oakley Capital closes maiden Origin Fund at €455m

Oakley

Oakley Capital (“Oakley”), a leading Western Europe-focused private equity firm, is pleased to announce that its latest fund, the Oakley Capital Origin Fund (the “Origin Fund”), has now closed to institutional investors with expected final commitments of €455m. The Origin Fund is Oakley’s first vehicle focused on investing in lower mid-market companies, building on the firm’s successful history of investing in this segment. Following strong investor demand, the Origin Fund was raised in just over six months and closed well above its target size of €350m.

The Origin Fund applies Oakley’s proven growth-focused investment strategy and focus on Western European buyout opportunities in the technology, consumer and education sectors, to smaller-sized companies. It will invest between €10m and €50m in lower mid-market businesses with typical enterprise values of up to €100m. As the Oakley funds have grown, with Fund IV most recently closing at €1.46bn in June 2019, the Origin Fund is a natural step for Oakley to enable it to continue to focus on this particular market segment, where it has achieved much success in the past. Oakley’s realised and unrealised track record in this segment has been 3.6x gross MOIC and 63% gross IRR as at 31 December 2020.

The Origin Fund will sit alongside Oakley’s existing funds and will benefit from clear synergies across the firm’s platform. Oakley will leverage its in-depth sector expertise across the team; its well-established organisational and operational resources; its long-term partnerships; and its unique deal sourcing relationships via its network of entrepreneurs and management teams.

The Origin Fund has a strong pipeline of attractive deal opportunities and signed its first investment, 7NXT, just three months after the fund was launched, demonstrating the strength of its differentiated sourcing model. 7NXT is a leading online fitness and nutrition platform in the German-speaking markets. It is a typical Oakley deal, sourced through Oakley’s existing relationship with CEO Markan Karajica, and demonstrates Oakley’s ability to leverage its wide network and reputation as an attractive business partner for entrepreneurs.

The Origin Fund attracted capital commitments from a broad range of high-quality investors, with almost three-quarters raised from existing investors, as well as meaningful commitments from Oakley’s entrepreneur network which has been so effective at generating proprietary deal flow in previous Oakley funds.

We are delighted with the level of backing for the Origin Fund and are grateful for the support we have received from both new and existing investors. Oakley’s heritage is based on investing in and growing lower mid-market businesses, and so we are excited to now have a fund dedicated to this segment, alongside Oakley Capital Fund IV which is investing in mid-market companies.
Peter Dubens
Managing Partner, Oakley Capital

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EQT Growth makes its first investment – backs Wolt, a leading food delivery platform

eqt

  • EQT Growth invests in Wolt, a leading food delivery platform operating in 129 cities across 23 countries, as part of Wolt’s USD 530 million capital raise
  • EQT Growth joins EQT Ventures in Wolt’s capital raise – the first ever investment for Growth and Ventures’ fifth in Wolt since 2016
  • EQT Growth will, together with EQT Ventures, support Wolt on its accelerated expansion journey into new geographies and verticals

EQT is pleased to announce that EQT Growth has invested in Wolt Enterprises Oy (”Wolt” or “the Company”), a leading food delivery platform. The investment, which is the first by the EQT Growth strategy, is made through EQT AB’s balance sheet and is part of Wolt’s USD 530 million capital raise.

Wolt was established in 2014 in Helsinki, Finland by CEO Miki Kuusi who had a vision of creating a technology company that would make it easy and fun to discover great food and get it delivered directly to your home or office. Since then, Wolt has expanded rapidly and today the Company partners with over 30,000 restaurants and retail partners and 60,000 couriers in 129 cities across 23 countries. Wolt’s platform and delivery infrastructure provide great customer convenience and new revenue opportunities for both restaurants and retailers.

The transformation of food delivery into a digital service model has accelerated over the past years and the market is estimated to be worth around USD 365 billion by 2030 (according to UBS Evidence Labs’ report from June 2020). The combination of mobile app usage, connected restaurants and on-demand delivery networks have paved the way for technology platforms, such as Wolt.

The EQT Ventures I fund was one of Wolt’s first investors and led the Company’s Series A financing round in 2016 and has participated in all subsequent rounds, making the fund one of Wolt’s largest owners. Since then, the EQT platform has provided active board and operational support to the Wolt team and EQT will continue to partner with the Company on its mission to make cities better places to live and by enabling economic opportunities in local communities. Wolt offsets 100 percent of its delivery-services’ CO2 emissions and will continue the implementation of its green agenda with support from EQT’s sustainability team and global advisory network.

Johan Svanstrom, Partner and Investment Advisor at EQT Partners: “EQT Growth is proud to support Wolt with both capital and competence as the company expands to new heights. Ever since EQT Ventures partnered with CEO Miki Kuusi and his team in 2016, we have seen Wolt build an incredibly effective and international growth machine with strong emphasis on responsible partnerships and great customer solutions. We believe that there are strong prospects for continued international expansion and deeper penetration in the company’s core markets.”

Miki Kuusi, CEO of Wolt: “I am happy to welcome EQT Growth as our new investor and broaden our overall partnership with EQT. We have already come a long way together and the team and I are very excited to take the Wolt platform into the next phase of expansion and innovation together with EQT.”

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with close to three decades of consistent investment performance across multiple geographies, sectors, and strategies. EQT has raised more than EUR 75 billion since inception and had as of September 30, 2020 more than EUR 46 billion in assets under management across 16 active funds within two business segments – Private Capital and Real Assets.

With its roots in the Wallenberg family’s entrepreneurial mindset and philosophy of long-term ownership, EQT is guided by a set of strong values and a distinct corporate culture. EQT manages and advises funds and vehicles that invest across the world with the mission to future-proof companies, generate attractive returns and make a positive impact with everything EQT does.

The EQT AB Group comprises EQT AB (publ) and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, which include general partners and fund managers of EQT funds as well as entities advising EQT funds. EQT has offices in 16 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and North America with more than 700 employees.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com

Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

About Wolt
Wolt is a technology company that makes it incredibly easy to discover and get the best restaurants, grocery stores and other local shops delivered to your home or office. Wolt works together with over 30,000 restaurant and retail partners as well as with over 60,000 courier partners across 23 countries and 129 cities. The Helsinki-based company was founded in 2014, employs over 2,200 people today, and is led by its co-founder and CEO Miki Kuusi. Wolt has raised $856 million in funding from investors such as EQT Ventures & EQT Growth, ICONIQ Capital, Tiger Global, DST, Prosus, KKR, Coatue, 83North, Goldman Sachs, and Highland Europe among others.

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CITIC Capital Completed its Investment in RECLASSIFIED, a Leading Chinese Prestige Perfume and Home Fragrance Brand

Citic Capital

(Hong Kong, 22 January 2021) Private equity arm of CITIC Capital Holdings Limited (“CITIC Capital”) is pleased to announce that it has completed its investment in Shanghai Xiangmiao Trade Co., Ltd., brand owner of RECLASSIFIED (“RE” or “the Company”) via its third RMB-denominated China buyout fund on 18 January 2021. The transaction marks the eighth completed acquisitions in the beauty and lifestyle sector in recent years, and the on-going expansion of its exposure and footprint in the space.

Founded in Shanghai in 2013, RECLASSIFIED is a leading Chinese prestige perfumery house that has created a variety of iconic original scents featured in its extensive portfolio of products, including perfume, home fragrance, car fragrance, scented candles, and scented personal care products. The company runs over 100 retail outlets spanning 50 cities nationwide, offering customers extraordinary experience with scents and senses.

Mac LIN, CEO of RECLASSIFIED, said: “The name RECLASSIFIED is a combination of ‘RE’ and ‘Classified’, illustrating our determination to differentiate and refusal to be classified. Each bottle of RECLASSIFIED fragrance has its own story and a philosophy. Since its establishment, the brand has vowed to work only with world-leading perfumers and developers to create high quality, original fragrances and genuine experiences that are unique to Chinese consumers. We are committed to bridging interesting culture, upholding individuality, and expressing freedom for our consumers.”

Hanxi ZHAO, Senior Managing Director of CITIC Capital, said: “Consumers in China today have high aspiration for better lifestyle. This aspiration has stimulated the rapid development of related sectors. The growth of the perfume and fragrance sector has been particularly strong, with iconic brands such as RECLASSIFIED emerging in China. RE has a deep understanding of the needs of Chinese consumers and takes pride in its strong heritage in world-class product development. RE also has a strong offline retail network and online presence, enabling the brand to reach a broad consumer base through different channels. We are excited to be working with the young and passionate team of RECLASSIFIED and look forward to witnessing the rising of an authentic Chinese trendsetter in the perfume and fragrance sector.”

CITIC Capital believes in the long-term growth prospects of the beauty, personal care and lifestyle sector, and will continue to look for attractive investment opportunities in the sector. In addition to RECLASSIFIED, CITIC Capital’s investments in the related sector include: Erno Laszlo, a leading American premium skin care brand; Trilogy, a clean beauty brand from New Zealand; Axilone, a world-class cosmetics packaging provider; UCO, an e-commerce service provider serving premium beauty brands; ScentAir, a scent marketing solutions provider; Lifestyles/Jissbon and LELO, leading global brands in the intimate wellness sector.
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Note: PricewaterhouseCoopers and Haiwen & Partners provide financial and legal advisory services to CITIC
Note: PricewaterhouseCoopers and Haiwen & Partners provide financial and legal advisory services to CITIC Capital respectively.Capital respectively.

About Shanghai Xiangmiao

Established in Shanghai in 2013, Shanghai Xiangmiao Trade Co., Ltd.Shanghai Xiangmiao Trade Co., Ltd. owns “REowns “RECLASSIFIEDCLASSIFIED”, a leading Chinese ”, a leading Chinese prestige perfume and home fragrance brandprestige perfume and home fragrance brand. . The brand is renowned for its perfume, home fragrance, car The brand is renowned for its perfume, home fragrance, car fragrance, scented candles, fragrance, scented candles, scented personal care products. The company currently runs more than 100 retail scented personal care products. The company currently runs more than 100 retail outlets spanning 50 cities in China.outlets spanning 50 cities in China. For details, please visitFor details, please visit www.reclassified.cnwww.reclassified.cn

About CITIC Capital
Founded in 2002, CITIC Capital is an alternative investment management and advisory company. The firm manages over USD32 billion of capital across 100 funds and investment products through its multi-asset class platform covering private equity, real estate, structured investment & finance, and asset management. CITIC Capital has over 200 portfolio companies that span 11 sectors and employ over 800,000 people around the world.
CITIC Capital’s private equity arm focuses on control buyout opportunities globally and has completed over 79 investments in the past years in China, Japan, U.S. and Europe. The private equity arm currently manages USD7.6 billion of committed capital. For more information, please visit www.citiccapital.com.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Cindy TAM Director, Corporate Relations CITIC Capital Holdings Limited Tel: +852 3710 6813 cindytam@citiccapital.com
Irene GAO Senior Associate, Corporate Relations CITIC Capital Holdings Limited Tel: +852 3710 6814 irenegao@citiccapital.comirenegao@citiccapital.com

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Idera, Inc. Announces Investment from Partners Group

TA associates

Global Private Markets Investment Manager Acquires Majority Control In Partnership With Current Shareholders And Management

News provided by

Idera

Jan 22, 2021, 07:10 ET

HOUSTON, Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Idera, Inc. (“Idera” or “the Company”), parent company of global B2B software productivity brands, today announced an agreement to recapitalize the Company, with global private markets investment manager Partners Group becoming majority owner, on behalf of its clients. Current shareholders HGGC and TA Associates will continue as significant equity investors moving forward, along with Idera’s management team.

This recapitalization represents the fourth equity transaction for Idera since 2014 and reflects investor confidence in the Company’s innovative business model and M&A expertise.  Since 2014, Idera has grown revenue, bookings, and earnings by more than 10X.  Organic growth from market-leading assets and acquisitions of nearly 20 companies drive the growth and foretell continued investor success.

“Since partnering with TA in 2014, we devoted ourselves to achieving results beneficial to shareholders, customers, and employees,” said Randy Jacops, Idera’s CEO.  “Our business model ensures we focus on customer priorities and attracts great investors who advise our innovations and support our belief that accepting and managing risk encourages creativity and confidence from our team.  I am honored to lead such a great company and look forward to continuing our success with Partners Group and our other investors.”

“When we first met the Idera team, we discovered a company with a unique business model focused on efficiency, reliability and speed, and one that we believed to be an attractive investment opportunity,” stated Hythem El-Nazer, a Managing Director at TA Associates.  “We became fans of Idera’s product mantra of making products easier to use, more scalable and with exceptional quality. This clear focus eliminated friction from the go-to-market process and enabled the Company to focus on the highest value ideas. We are thrilled to continue to partner with Randy Jacops and his management team on the next phase of growth.”

“When we heard the Idera story, we jumped at the chance to invest in the Company as we pride ourselves on partnering with winning management teams to drive success,” said Steve Young, HGGC Co-Founder and outgoing Idera Chairman.

“After we acquired a majority interest in 2017, we worked with Idera to ramp up the acquisition engine and closed over ten transactions in two years. This pace continues with a new deal announced this week and another pending.  We look forward to more success as continuing investors in this great company,” added Neil White, Partner at HGGC.

Partners Group made an initial investment in Idera, on behalf of its clients, in 2019. As described by Hal Avidano, Managing Director at Partners Group, “We are excited to continue our relationship with Idera and expand its strong platform. Over the past 18 months, we became further convinced of Idera’s business model and the significant market opportunity in the sector. Partners Group is a transformational investor and we believe that our thematic and platform-building expertise is an excellent fit for Idera as it capitalizes on these secular trends and achieves further growth.”

Kirkland & Ellis and Horzepa, Spiegel & Associates acted as legal counsel for Idera.  Ropes & Gray acted as legal counsel for Partners Group.  Deloitte acted as accounting and tax advisor to Idera.  Jefferies will act as lead financing partner and M&A advisor for the transaction.

About Partners Group
Partners Group is a leading global private markets investment manager. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 145 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create broad stakeholder impact through its active ownership and development of growing businesses, attractive real estate and essential infrastructure. With over USD 109 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2020, Partners Group serves a broad range of institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,500 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN). For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Partners Group’s private equity business has an established track record of investing in leading businesses with development potential to generate attractive returns for its clients. With entrepreneurial governance at the heart of its approach, Partners Group’s private equity business aims to build high-performing boards and works together with management teams on targeted value creation initiatives. These enable long-term, sustainable growth, to the benefit of all stakeholders. Partners Group’s private equity business has directly invested in over 240 businesses since inception and today has USD 45 billion in assets under management.

About Idera, Inc.
Idera, Inc. delivers B2B software productivity tools that enable technical users to do more with less, faster. Idera, Inc. brands span three divisions—Database Tools, Developer Tools, and Testing Tools—with products evangelized by millions of community members and more than 50,000 customers worldwide, including some of the world’s largest healthcare, financial services, retail, and technology companies. To learn more, visit: https://www.ideracorp.com/.

About HGGC
HGGC is a leading middle-market private equity firm with over $5.4 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., HGGC is distinguished by its Advantaged Investing approach that enables the firm to source and acquire scalable businesses through partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. Since its inception in 2007, HGGC has completed more than 190 platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of over $27 billion. More information, including a complete list of current and former portfolio companies, is available at hggc.com.

About TA Associates
TA Associates is a leading global growth private equity firm. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries – technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services – TA invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth, and has invested in more than 500 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high-quality growth companies. TA has raised $33.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968 and is committing to new investments at the pace of over $3 billion per year. The firm’s more than 100 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA Associates can be found at www.ta.com.

Media Contacts

Partners Group – Clare Burrows
clare.burrows@partnersgroup.com
+1 (212) 908 2708

HGGC – Tom Faust
TFaust@StantonPRM.com
646-502-3513

TA Associates – Philip Nunes
phil.nunes@backbaycommunications.com
617-391-0792

SOURCE Idera

Related Links

https://www.ideracorp.com

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TA Associates Completes Investment in Mid America Pet Food, Manufacturer of VICTOR®

TA associates

BOSTON – TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm headquartered in the U.S., today announced that it has completed an investment in leading pet food marketer and manufacturer, Mid America Pet Food, LLC, proud manufacturer of VICTOR® Super Premium Pet Food (“VICTOR”).

Joining TA as an investor is Rx3 Growth Partners, a growth equity fund founded by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. TA and Rx3 acquired their stakes in the company from Trinity Hunt Partners, a growth-oriented middle-market private equity firm that invested in Mid America Pet Food in 2014. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Introduced in 2007, VICTOR offers super premium pet food in a variety of recipes to appeal to both dogs and cats, while helping to meet special dietary needs through grain inclusive and grain-free formulas, a variety of protein offerings and more. VICTOR is sold primarily in farm & feed and independent pet stores across the country, as well as through select online retailers. With a commitment to offering high-quality nutrition at a common-sense value, the company manufactures all kibble in-house at its Mt. Pleasant, Texas facility, sourcing many ingredients from farms and suppliers that are within a day’s drive of its East Texas plant. Ingredients are tested to ensure that they meet the company’s high-quality standards, with the goal of ensuring the health and safety of the animals VICTOR is entrusted to feed.

“VICTOR is a brand built on a foundation of quality and performance while delivering a common-sense value. The farm & feed customer was the first to recognize the superior quality of the product, and the brand continues to grow quickly in this important channel,” said Bill Christ, a Managing Director at TA Associates who has joined the Mid America Pet Food Board of Directors. “We believe that the Mid America Pet Food team has done an outstanding job creating a unique brand that offers a tremendous value to the end customer, and we look forward to working with them to drive continued growth.”

“TA Associates is an exciting partner for Mid America Pet Food at this stage of our growth,” said Greg Cyr, CEO and President of Mid America Pet Food. “We’ve never wavered from our commitment to delivering high-quality pet food at a common-sense value, which our customers have come to know and appreciate, helping to fuel our impressive growth. We look forward to continuing to deliver the premium nutrition that our customers expect, and we believe that TA will be key to supporting us in this effort as we scale the business. We would also like to thank the team at Trinity Hunt for their guidance and support over the last six years of our growth.”

“We are excited to back current management and the VICTOR brand, and believe that the pet sector, and premium pet food in particular, is a great place to invest given many favorable industry tailwinds,” said Jessica Gilligan, a Senior Vice President at TA Associates who has also joined the Mid America Pet Food Board of Directors. “More families are welcoming pets into their homes and spending per pet continues to increase as nearly all age groups, especially Boomers and Millennials, continue to view their pets as family members.”

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP provided legal counsel and Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor to Mid America Pet Food. Goodwin Procter LLP provided legal counsel and Harris Williams served as financial advisor to TA Associates.

About Mid America Pet Food, LLC
Founded in 2007, Mid America Pet Food produces VICTOR® Super Premium Pet Food (VICTOR) and Eagle Mountain Pet Food (Eagle Mountain). Based in East Texas, both brands offer reliable pet nutrition at a common-sense value. VICTOR’s super premium dog food formulas have been nationally recognized and are a trusted nutrition source for pet owners across the country, including outdoor enthusiasts, hunters, trainers and breeders. More information about Mid America Pet Food, VICTOR and Eagle Mountain is available at www.mapf.com, www.victorpetfood.com and www.eaglemountainpetfood.com.

About TA Associates
TA Associates is a leading global growth private equity firm headquartered in the U.S. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries – technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services – TA invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth, and has invested in more than 500 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high quality growth companies. TA has raised $33.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968 and is committing to new investments at the pace of over $3 billion per year. The firm’s more than 100 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA Associates can be found at www.ta.com.

About Rx3 Growth Partners
Rx3 Growth Partners is a growth equity fund focused on the consumer sector. Rx3 was co-founded in 2018 by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and counts a number of celebrities and professional athletes as investors. The fund seeks to align itself with high-quality brands that resonate with this network to help drive consumer awareness and long-term growth. More information about Rx3 Growth Partners can be found at www.rx3growthpartners.com.

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Priveq Investment divests 21grams to Unifiedpost Group

Priveq

Priveq Investment IV (”Priveq”) has, after a successful ownership period including three add-on acquisitions, entry into new geographies and a broadened service offering, together with the other owners divested 21grams (“21grams”) to the Belgian fintech company Unifiedpost Group.

 21grams serves companies handling large volumes of communication to optimize and digitalize these volumes to strengthen the companies’ businesses and customer relations. Headquartered in Stockholm 21grams has about 70 employees and revenue of approximately 770 MSEK. Customers include AGA, Länsförsäkringar, Rädda Barnen, ST1, Tele2, Unicef and Vasakronan.

Under Priveq’s ownership, 21grams has grown organically and through several acquisitions that has established the company into new geographies and with a broadened service offering. Revenue has grown from approximately 500 MSEK at the time of Priveq’s investment to approximately 770 MSEK today, with increased profitability.

Through 21grams innovative and agile culture the company’s offering has developed well according to increased digitalisation and demand for payment solutions. From the digital offering originally representing a small share of the product mix, the company today handles about every fourth e-invoice in Sweden.

”21grams has been developing strongly during our time as owner. The company has through its ability to innovate and its perceptiveness to its customers continued to grow and build on its already strong position. Through Unifiedpost Group’s acquisition of 21grams new opportunities to strengthen the customer value and to continue as a platform for Nordic expansion arise. 21grams’ great culture and committed employees has been of uttermost importance for our successful journey” says Louise Nilsson, Partner at Priveq Advisory AB, advisor to Priveq Investment IV and retiring board member of 21grams.

”Together with Priveq we have created structure and put down the foundation for a continued strong growth journey into new markets and new offerings. We are very pleased with the Priveq-cooperation throughout the years, especially with regards to acquisitions and strategy. The 21grams management team is excited about Unifiedpost Groups strong growth agenda that will support us in taking the next step in 21grams’ journey” says Stefan Blomqvist, CEO of 21grams.

 

For additional information contact:
Louise Nilsson, Partner and Investment Manager, Priveq Advisory AB
Tel: +46 (0)709 50 95 50
louise.nilsson@priveq.se

Stefan Blomqvist, CEO, 21grams
Tel. + 46 (0)76 808 21 21
stefan.blomqvist@21grams.com

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Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust and LBA Logistics Announce $1.6B Industrial Recapitalization

Blackstone

NEW YORK & IRVINE, Ca. – January 22, 2021 – Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (“BREIT”) and LBA Logistics (“LBA”) today announced the recapitalization of two industrial portfolios owned by LBA comprising $1.6 billion of gross value. BREIT acquired an approximately 60% combined interest across both portfolios, and LBA’s investment fund and its investors retained the balance.

The portfolios comprise 71 high quality assets totaling 9.5 million square feet and are approximately 95% occupied. The assets are located predominantly in last mile locations in West Coast markets with the vast majority in California and Seattle, which are two of the best performing industrial markets in the country.

Brian Kim, Head of Acquisitions & Capital Markets for BREIT, said, “This transaction represents a compelling opportunity to acquire high-quality last mile industrial assets on behalf of our BREIT investors. Logistics is one of our highest conviction investment themes globally, and this acquisition illustrates BREIT’s continued momentum executing on exciting opportunities with significant growth potential. LBA Logistics is a best-in-class operator in the logistics sector, and we look forward to expanding our partnership with them.”

Phil Belling, LBA’s Managing Partner, added, “These assets are benefitting from the strong fundamentals in the industrial sector, which we believe will continue to be attractive over the long-term. We are excited to grow our partnership with Blackstone and look forward to continuing to create value for our investors in the logistics space.”

Upon closing this transaction, more than 90% of BREIT’s real estate investments will be in multifamily, industrial, and net leased assets, with industrial representing more than 35% of BREIT’s portfolio.

Eastdil Secured served as an advisor to LBA Logistics.

Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust
Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT) is a perpetual-life, institutional quality real estate investment platform that brings private real estate to income focused investors. BREIT invests in stabilized, income-generating U.S. commercial real estate across key property types and to a lesser extent in real estate debt investments. BREIT is externally managed by a subsidiary of Blackstone (NYSE: BX), a global leader in real estate investing. Blackstone’s real estate business was founded in 1991 and has approximately $174 billion in investor capital under management. Further information is available at www.breit.com.

About LBA Logistics
LBA Logistics (LBA) is a full-service real estate investment and management company with a diverse portfolio of industrial properties in major markets throughout the United States. LBA Logistics’ portfolio currently totals over 60 million square feet and consists of state-of-the-art, high-bay distribution space, light manufacturing and multi-tenant business parks. LBA owns assets in major port and airport adjacent locations including South and Northern California, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, New York/New Jersey, and Florida as well as regional inland hubs and infill last-mile delivery locations. In addition, LBA Realty owns and operates a portfolio of office and mixed-use properties throughout the Western United States. www.LBALogistics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information contained in this communication constitutes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology, such as “outlook,” “indicator,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates”, “confident,” “conviction,” “identified” or the negative versions of these words or other comparable words thereof. These may include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements about plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, statements regarding future performance and statements regarding identified but not yet closed acquisitions. Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and there are or may be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. BREIT believes these factors also include but are not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in its prospectus, and any such updated factors included in its periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this document (or BREIT’s prospectus and other filings). Except as otherwise required by federal securities laws, BREIT undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Contact

Blackstone
Ilana Mouritzen
Ilana.Mouritzen@Blackstone.com
Tel: (212) 583-5776

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Altor-backed Iyuno Media Group enters agreement to acquire SDI Media

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Altor

Creating the Media and Entertainment Industry’s Largest, Most Comprehensive Global Localization Services Company

LOS ANGELES – January 22, 2021 – Iyuno Media Group, a market leader in localization services to the media and entertainment industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Imagica Group Inc. to acquire 100% of SDI Media. This transaction, which is subject to review and approval from relevant authorities, brings together two companies with the shared mission of supporting, innovating and leading the art of global storytelling. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“SDI Media is a great fit for Iyuno,” said Shaun Gregory, CEO, Iyuno Media Group. “We are well-aligned in our quality standards, complementary strategies and compatible service offerings. As a combined company, we will continue to deliver best-in-class services and technology innovations to our industry. We are certain that new and existing clients will benefit from the collective experience and capabilities of the combined company.”

“By merging IYUNO with SDI we create a clear global leader, optimally positioned to serve the accelerating and increasingly complex demand from the leading entertainment players”, said Klas Johansson, Partner at Altor and a Board member of Iyuno Media Group. “We also build scale and capacity within technology and data, to ensure that IYUNO will continue to lead the way in terms of developing next generation services to the benefit of all our clients”

“We are excited to join Iyuno and become part of the industry’s leading localization services company,” said Mark Howorth, Chief Executive Officer, SDI Media. “We believe that the explosive global content distribution needs of the industry can only be served by a complimentary service provider that can scale with them in support of their needs.”

Iyuno was supported in this transaction by Altor, Shamrock Capital and SoftBank Ventures Asia, its primary financial partners. The three investors are pleased to see this sustained momentum in the expansion and diversification of the Iyuno Media Group portfolio. The completion of this transaction remains subject to review and approval from relevant authorities.

For more information, please contact:
Tor Krusell, Head of Communications at Altor +46 705 43 87 47

About Altor
Since inception, the family of Altor funds has raised some EUR 8.3 billion in total commitments. The funds have invested in excess of EUR 4.2 billion in more than 60 companies. The investments have been made in medium sized predominantly Nordic companies with the aim to create value through growth initiatives and operational improvements. Among current and past investments are Dustin, Byggmax, Piab, Aalborg Industries, Trioplast, SATS and RevolutionRace. For further information please visit www.altor.com.

About IYUNO MEDIA GROUP
Iyuno Media Group (www.iyunomg.com) is a market leader in the localization industry with leading-edge technology providing dubbing, subtitling, and access services in any language. A technology trailblazer with grounded core values in an ever-changing industry, Iyuno Media Group uses its sophisticated in-house technology for all of its product and service offerings. Today, the company operates 35 local facilities globally, spanning a network of fully owned local sites across 30 countries in Europe, Asia and The Americas – offering clients end-to-end solutions for broadcasters, all major film studios, OTT and streaming platforms.

About SDI MEDIA
SDI Media (www.sdimedia.com) is one of the world’s leading media localization providers, offering dubbing, subtitling, and media services to content owners, broadcasters, and multi-platform distributors. SDI Media offers a complete end-to-end localization solution for theatrical releases and episodic series, using the most comprehensive suite of customizable localization software applications in the industry. With the world’s largest owned and operated network of 33 facilities in Asia, EMEA and the Americas, incorporating over 150 recording rooms and 85 mixing rooms globally.

Author: Katarina Karlsson
Date: 2021.01.22
Categories: News

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M-Files Secures $80 Million in Growth Investment

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Tesi

M-Files, the intelligent information management company, today announced that it has received a strategic investment of $80 million (€67 million). Bregal Milestone, a European growth capital firm, led the round with current investors Partech, Tesi and Draper Esprit also participating.

M-Files provides an intelligent, repository neutral platform that utilizes metadata and artificial intelligence (AI) to break down information silos and unify systems, data and content across an organization. M-Files seamlessly embeds within popular digital workplace platforms, including Microsoft 365, Salesforce and Google Workspace, enabling users to access and manage documents and information from the applications where they prefer to work.

From small and medium-sized businesses to large global enterprises, M-Files is a trusted partner to thousands of customers in over 100 countries, helping them increase efficiencies and drive productivity.  M-Files has more than 500 employees located across 11 global offices. The company’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model continues to propel its strong growth. M-Files has been featured in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Content Services Platforms (formerly Enterprise Content Management) since 2012 and named a Visionary for the last five consecutive years.

Cyrus Shey (on the left) and Antti Nivala (on the right)

Antti Nivala, CEO and founder of M-Files:

“Bregal Milestone’s extensive experience investing in the B2B enterprise software sector and their philosophy in partnering with fast-growing companies like M-Files made the firm an attractive investment partner. We’ve identified opportunities to accelerate our growth and further expand M-Files’ market penetration, especially in North America. The valuable investment from Bregal Milestone, bolstered by support from our existing shareholders Partech, Tesi and Draper Esprit, will enable M-Files to deliver further innovations in product development, AI and our cloud platform.”

Cyrus Shey, Managing Partner at Bregal Milestone:

“We are thrilled to partner with the M-Files team to support Antti and his team on their very exciting growth journey. M-Files has a robust and cutting-edge solution that brings tangible value-add to its customers. We look forward to supporting management in accelerating growth and further consolidating M-Files’ leadership position, namely in the US and other key geographies. The transaction is the 9th investment made by Bregal Milestone’s inaugural growth capital fund in just over 2 years, and we couldn’t be more proud to partner with Antti and the world-class M-Files team.”

Additional information:

Antti Nivala, CEO and founder, M-Files Oy
antti.nivala@m-files.com
+358 40 556 0471

Juha Lehtola, Director, venture capital invesments, Tesi Oy
juha.lehtola@m-files.com
+358 400 647 671

 

M-Files Oy

M-Files provides a next-generation intelligent information management platform that improves business performance by helping people find and use information more effectively. Unlike traditional enterprise content management (ECM) systems or content services platforms, M-Files unifies systems, data and content across the organization without disturbing existing systems and processes or requiring data migration. Using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in its unique Intelligent Metadata Layer, M-Files breaks down silos by delivering an in-context experience for accessing and leveraging information that resides in any system and repository, including network folders, SharePoint, file sharing services, ECM systems, CRM, ERP and other business systems and repositories. Thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries use M-Files for managing their business information and processes, including NBC Universal, OMV, Valmet, SAS Institute and thyssenkrupp. For more information, visit: m-files.fi.

Bregal Milestone

Bregal Milestone is a growth capital firm managing a €495 million pan-European fund dedicated to making investments in high-growth European companies. The firm provides growth capital and strategic assistance to support market-leading companies in the technology and technology-enabled services sectors. Bregal Milestone is part of Bregal Investments, who have invested over €15 billion to date.

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a Finnish state-owned investment company that wants to raise Finland to the front ranks of renewing economic growth by investing in funds and directly in companies. We invest profitably and responsibly, hand-in-hand with co-investors, to create the world’s new success stories. Our investments under management total 1.6 billion euros. Ambition for ownership and success – tesi.fi | @TesiFII

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