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Biotalys Submits First Protein-Based Biocontrol Registration Package to the EPA

GIMV

Ghent, BELGIUM and Research Triangle Park, NC, UNITED STATES – 21 January 2021 – Today, Biotalys NV, a transformative food and crop protection company, announces that it has submitted its first protein-based biocontrol, Evoca™, to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States for approval. Pending EPA registration, this biocontrol will offer U.S. fruit and vegetable growers a new way to combat major diseases to maximize yields and extend the shelf life after harvest of produce with substantially lower residues.

“Biotalys is thrilled to have begun the EPA registration process for its first product. While Evoca targets diseases like Botrytis cinerea and powdery mildew, we are leveraging the flexibility of our technology platform to advance a broad pipeline of products with new modes of action that will safely and reliably address key crop pests and diseases across the food value chain,” commented Luc Maertens, COO of Biotalys.
Evoca will help growers effectively control key pathogens in the field, as well as in the food value chain to protect fruits and vegetables post harvest, extending shelf life and reducing decay and food loss. With its new mode of action and favourable safety profile, Evoca provides growers with additional rotational options to manage resistance in a more sustainable way.

The submission follows Biotalys’ successful completion of an extensive field product development program and regulatory studies on Evoca. More than 200 field and greenhouse trials globally demonstrated high consistency in effective control of key pathogens in fruit and vegetables crops. With this submission and pending regulatory approvals, Biotalys is on track to introduce Evoca to select regions in the U.S. market in late 2022. Biotalys will proceed with international registrations on its own, maintaining full ownership of all rights. Aligned with the go-to-market strategy for Evoca, the submission in the United States will be followed by a submission in the European Union. Major agricultural markets in Latin America and Asia are in scope for future registrations. Evoca™: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the United States and is not being offered for sale.

About Biotalys

Biotalys is a rapidly growing and transformative food and crop protection company developing a new generation of protein-based biocontrol solutions, shaping the future of sustainable and safe food supply. Based on its groundbreaking technology platform, Biotalys has developed a broad pipeline of effective and safe candidate products that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Combining the high-performance characteristics and consistency of chemicals with the clean safety profile
of biologicals, Biotalys goal is to provide ideal crop protection agents for both pre- and post-harvest applications. Based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium, Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has raised €61 million ($66m USD) to date from specialist international investors. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.
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Media Contacts:
Erica Camilo
Connexa Communications for Biotalys
T: +1 (610) 639 5644
E: erica@connexacommunications.com

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CapMan Wealth Services strengthens its wealth advisory team – recruits top professionals in Finland and Sweden

Capman

CapMan press release 21 January 2021 at 9.00 a.m. EET

CapMan Wealth Services strengthens its wealth advisory team – recruits top professionals in Finland and SwedenCapMan Wealth Services is a leading Nordic client-centric wealth advisor focusing on institutional investors, foundations, family offices and high net-worth individuals (HNWI). The company offers its clients individually tailored service and product concepts in the public and private market universe. CapMan Wealth Services has recruited four new wealth advisory, alternative investment and marketing professionals in the beginning of 2021.

Mikael Falck (CAIA, MSc. (Econ.)) joins CapMan Wealth Services as Director, Head of Private Markets and will be responsible for private market investments. His most recent employer was Swedish public pension insurance company Kåpan, where he was responsible for alternative investments, including private equity, real estate and infrastructure investments. Prior to that, he worked as Director, Portfolio Manager at Nordea Investment Management in Stockholm. Mikael has more than 15 years of experience from the private investment market.

Piia Nyberg (MSc. (Econ.)) is appointed Director, Wealth Advisory. She joins CapMan from Handelsbanken, where she worked as Investment Director and Senior Private Banker responsible for Kamppi and Ruoholahti branch office private banking clients and client acquisition.

Aaron Paulakorpi (BA) is appointed Director, Wealth Advisory. He joins CapMan from LähiTapiola, where he was responsible for private banking and ultra HNWI clients and family offices in South-Western Finland.

Pauliina Puputti (MSc. (Econ.)) is appointed Marketing and Sales Concept Specialist. She joins the team from Mandatum, where she developed and created marketing material to enhance client experience and provide sales support.

Private investments are a growing market that attracts a broadening and growing client base. CapMan Wealth Services provides also smaller institutions, foundations, family offices and high net-worth individuals with access to private equity funds and similar products that are CapMan’s core know-how. Access to the best products, investment reporting and private market expertise is combined into a unique full-service concept to clients.

“We are very pleased with our new colleagues and the experience and networks that they contribute. Our strengthened team offers a broader client base global access to publicly listed and private products,” says Christian Borgström, Managing Partner of CapMan Wealth Services.

CapMan Wealth Services is a subsidiary of CapMan Group that employs 12 professionals. The company is an investment service provider authorised by FIN-FSA.

For additional information, please contact:
Christian Borgström, Managing Partner, CapMan Wealth Services, tel. +358 40 595 5393

About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation. We offer a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers, we have developed hundreds of companies and real estate assets and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the past 30 years. With over €3.5 billion in assets under management, our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover Private Equity, Real Estate and Infra. We also have a growing service business that includes procurement services, wealth management, and analysis, reporting and back office services. Altogether, CapMan employs around 150 people in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Luxembourg. We are a public company listed on Nasdaq Helsinki since 2001 and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2012. Read more at wealth.capman.com and www.capman.com.

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Categories: People

Nordic Surface Group acquires MPA Måleri

Litorina

Nordic Surface Group (NSG) continues its expansion through a partnership with MPA Måleri AB. With the acquisition, NSG strengthens its position in the surface service market around Västerås and Mälardalen. MPA Måleri AB was founded in 1986 and has about 35 employees.

MPA-1

“We welcome MPA Måleri AB and strengthen our position in Mälardalen with high competence. MPA has always been the preferred choice for us in the region. With this acquisition, we take further steps towards our goal of becoming the leading surface service provider in Sweden.” says Jonas Danielsson, CEO of Nordic Surface Group.

For further information, please contact:

Jonas Danielsson, +46 70 910 76 34, CEO, Nordic Surface Group

Nordic Surface Group, formed in 2020, is the second largest surface service provider in Sweden. The group has sales of SEK 1 billion and employs more than 800 people in southern Sweden, Stockholm and Mälardalen. Today’s group consists of Stoby Måleri (founded in 1969, based in Hässleholm), Ekbladhs Måleri (founded in 1967, based in Landskrona), Bruske Måleri (founded in 1936, based in Stockholm), Målerimetoder (founded in 1984, based in Stockholm, Vaksala Måleri (founded in 2006, based in Uppsala), B Krafft Måleri (more than 100 years of history, based in Örebro) and MPA Måleri (founded in 1986, based in Västerås).

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Standard Chartered and UOB provide a HK$5.29 billion green loan to Gaw Capital-led consortium for its acquisition of 1111 King’s Road

Gaw Capital

21 January 2021, Hong Kong – Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited (“SCBHK”) and UOB have teamed up to provide a HK$5.29 billion green loan to a Gaw Capital Partners-led consortium to support its acquisition of 1111 King’s Road (previously named as Cityplaza One) in Hong Kong.

 

1111 King’s Road currently holds a Platinum Green Building Certification under the BEAM Plus[1] assessment scheme which is recognised and accredited by the Hong Kong Green Building Council. The platinum certification is the highest possible rating based on a basket of criteria[2] including water efficiency and waste management. It recognises buildings with sustainability incorporated into their design and operation, and which contribute positively to Hong Kong’s emission intensity reduction goals.

 

SCBHK and UOB acted as joint mandated lead arrangers and joint bookrunners for the green loan facility to the Gaw Capital Partners-led consortium. The loan supports Gaw Capital’s continued efforts in implementing its sustainable strategy in line with the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals.

 

Ms Helen Hui, Co-Head, Client Coverage, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking, Hong Kong, Standard Chartered, said, “Standard Chartered is fully committed to promoting sustainable finance and embedding sustainability in our business operations. We are pleased to provide this green loan to the Gaw Capital Partners-led consortium for the purchase of 1111 King’s Road and installation of more green facilities in this Grade-A office tower. We are keen to do more and seek opportunities to work with our clients in developing Hong Kong into a hub for green finance.”

 

Mrs Christine Ip, CEO – Greater China, UOB, said, “At UOB, financing is one way we partner our clients to promote sustainable development. Our support to the consortium led by Gaw Capital Partners demonstrates our commitment to working with our clients to help drive their sustainability efforts as we continue to forge a sustainable future with our stakeholders.”

 

Ms Christina Gaw, Managing Principal & Head of Capital Markets of Gaw Capital Partners, said, “Gaw Capital Partners has continued to integrate ESG considerations into our business since 2014. With our latest purchase in Hong Kong, we are committed to maintaining 1111 King’s Road, Hong Kong under Platinum BEAM Plus accreditation, which means that the building will reduce the environmental impact in terms of different aspects, including operation management, materials and waste aspect, energy use, water use and indoor environment quality. This green loan reflects our commitment in finding ways to finance and operate a more sustainable business.”

[1] BEAM Plus is a leading initiative in Hong Kong offering independent assessments of buildings’ sustainability performance.
[2] For details, please visit HKGBC’s website: https://www.hkgbc.org.hk/eng/beam-plus/beam-plus-references/manuals-assessment/manuals-assessment.jsp

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Prescient Healthcare Group to partner with Bridgepoint Development Capital

Bridgepoint

LONDON, January 21, 2021: Prescient Healthcare Group (Prescient), a global product strategy advisory firm serving the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, announced today that Bridgepoint Development Capital, part of Bridgepoint, the international alternative asset management group, has agreed to invest in the business for an undisclosed sum, replacing current investor Baird Capital as the majority shareholder.

 

Founded in 2007, Prescient is headquartered in London and has offices in the US, India and China. The business provides product strategy services to help its clients make better clinical and commercial decisions, resulting in enhanced outcomes for patients. Prescient works with many of the leading multinational pharmaceutical companies, as well as a growing number of emerging biotech and specialty pharmaceutical organizations. Prescient has formed a partnership with Bridgepoint to support the continued scaling of its talent platform, client value proposition and global infrastructure.

 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Bridgepoint, which has an impressive track record supporting the scaling of people-based businesses. Bridgepoint buys into our mission of becoming the biopharma strategy partner most respected for its people, expertise and impact,” said Jamie Denison-Pender, Prescient CEO. “I’m excited by the collaborative approach and hunger for excellence that Bridgepoint will bring to the boardroom and much look forward to our partnership as we continue to invest in our passion for helping our amazing clients develop and commercialize innovative treatments that bring such hope and relief to patients globally.”

 

“We’re delighted to partner with Prescient to help it drive growth and consolidate its market leadership and share management’s ambitions for the expansion of the Prescient platform. This will be achieved through a combination of investment to enhance scale and expertise, organic growth and selective M&A, with the aim of becoming the leading technology- and data-enabled strategic product partner of choice for decision support and advisory services to the large pharma industry,” said Stephen Bonnard, partner at Bridgepoint Development Capital.

 

Dr. Nick Edwards will remain Prescient’s Chairman. Baird Capital will be reinvesting in the company as a minority shareholder alongside Bridgepoint.

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Partners Group acquires portfolio of UK industrial properties for GBP 253 million

Partners Group

Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has acquired a portfolio of 27 light industrial properties in the UK with a total lettable area of approximately 3.6 million square feet, on behalf of its clients. The portfolio was acquired from specialist real estate investor Paloma Capital for GBP 253 million. Partners Group intends to scale the portfolio with an additional GBP 200 million of equity to fund new acquisitions of UK light industrial assets over the next twenty-four months.

The portfolio is spread across the UK, with most properties in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the North West. The properties are well positioned to benefit from the structural tailwinds driving the growth of ecommerce, which has further accelerated following the outbreak of COVID-19. The portfolio has a diversified income stream with a tenant base of over 250 companies from a range of sectors, including logistics, engineering, distribution, trade and manufacturing. Paloma Capital participated in the acquisition as a co-investor and will remain the operating partner to the portfolio.

Partners Group plans various value creation initiatives for the current portfolio, including increasing occupancy, refurbishing units to upgrade and modernize facilities so they better suit tenant requirements, improving site accessibility and enhancing energy efficiency.

Rahul Ghai, Managing Director, Co-Head Private Real Estate Europe, Partners Group, states: “The UK light industrial sector is seeing high levels of demand due to the rise of ecommerce, a key transformative trend we have been following, yet shrinking supply, which is being caused by competition for land from other real estate segments such as residential. Although the Brexit transition has caused some uncertainties, we don’t expect them to have a significant and lasting impact on the structural tailwinds supporting the sector.”

Keeran Kang, Member of Management, Private Real Estate Europe, Partners Group, adds: “This portfolio of assets is diversified in terms of location, tenant base, asset size and offering, making it an attractive investment opportunity. The light industrial sector is one of Partners Group’s top relative value propositions within real estate and this portfolio provides a great opportunity to increase our exposure to it. We are looking forward to making add-on acquisitions to the portfolio over the next two years.”

Partners Group was advised by Clifford Chance and Deloitte.

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Partners Group makes its first direct real estate acquisition in Japan for five years with a 24,000 sqm Grade A office property

Partners Group

Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has acquired a Grade A office property 25 kilometers west of central Tokyo, Japan, in Tama New Town, on behalf of its clients. The property has a net leasable area of 24,000 square meters and is currently 100% occupied. The investment is Partners Group’s first direct real estate acquisition in Japan for five years.

The eight-story Tama Center, built in 2002 and designed by renowned architect Kengo Kuma, is stabilized and cash generating, and is currently occupied by blue-chip Japanese companies. The asset is located near main transportation links to central Tokyo via road and rail, with the city’s central business district (CBD) accessible within 50 minutes. The investment will benefit from the limited supply of new office space coming to market in the area for the next five years, and a minimum weighted average unexpired lease term of three years, providing downside protection in the short term against the potential impact of COVID-19.

Partners Group will work with its local operating partner, Cypress Investment Management Co. Ltd., to execute a transformative business plan for the asset which includes increasing the net leasable area of the property by taking advantage of the building’s underutilized floor area ratio. Other value creation initiatives involve renovating the property, executing the lease renewals of key tenants and reducing energy consumption.

Rahul Ghai, Managing Director, Private Real Estate Asia, Partners Group, states: “The Tama Center is in an attractive location with good public transport and has high-quality tenants operating in defensive sectors. The asset’s Grade A office specifications and affordability compared to office space in central Tokyo, where rents are up to three times higher, should keep attracting corporate tenants. We will continue to look for transformational investing opportunities as the Japanese market offers strong relative value across the office, logistics and residential sectors.”

Euan Kennedy, Member of Management, Private Real Estate Asia, Partners Group, adds: “The Tama Center has defensive cash-flows with minimum near-term leasing risk. We have also identified positive demographic trends in the wider Tama area as Greater Tokyo continues to experience population growth and low unemployment rates, underpinning demand for office space. Looking ahead, we think this asset is well-positioned to benefit from structural tailwinds as demand for more satellite offices in non-CBD areas rise globally due to the impact of COVID-19.”

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Wireless Logic completes acquisition of Com4

Montagu

Wireless Logic completes acquisition of Com4

Wireless Logic, a global leading IoT connectivity platform provider, has further expanded its presence in Europe with the acquisition of Com4, a Norwegian MVNO with a focus on IoT and M2M communication. The latest in a line of back-to-back acquisitions for the UK company, Com4 will bring added mobile capability and expertise, while also strengthening the Wireless Logic’s presence in the Nordic region.

Headquartered in Oslo, Com4 was founded in 2011 and today employs a team of 18 professionals with a wealth of experience across applications from smart metering to the industrial IoT. Co-founders Henning Solberg (COO) and Raymond Berntsen (Sales Manager) remain a critical part of the management team.

Com4 is one of the few operators in Norway with its own dedicated core network and M2M platform, making it fully equipped to deliver advanced mobile communication services to the professional market. Over the course of the past decade, the company has established itself as a pioneering business, utilising eSIM and NB-IoT/LTE-M cellular based “low-power” network technologies.

 

Stein André Larner, CEO of Com4, comments: “Our core focus is mobile data communication in every link of the chain, from design to delivery and support. This means that our customers’ communication needs and challenges are met with understanding and competence throughout our entire value chain. With the support of the Wireless Logic group, we are confident that we will be able to enhance our offering further.”

The acquisition was completed on 15th Jan 2021. Larner, as well as Solberg, Berntsen and the whole Com4 team, will continue to fulfil their roles at Com4 post-acquisition.

Oliver Tucker, CEO at Wireless Logic, says: “By welcoming such a talented team to our ever-expanding business, we are able to bolster expertise and boost capabilities, paving the way for sustained business expansion in 2021. We’ll be working closely with Com4 to ensure that they are able to continue their growth path, whilst leveraging the advantages of being part of the Wireless Logic group.”

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Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Portfolio Company Caring Brands International Acquires Interim Healthcare of San Diego, Third Add-On Acquisition in Last Six Months

Levine Leichtman

Caring Brands International (“CBI”), a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (“LLCP”), announced today that it has completed the acquisition of its Interim HealthCare home health and hospice franchises in San Diego (the “San Diego Franchise”). The addition of the San Diego Franchise expands CBI’s branch footprint and marks the first acquisition within the Interim HealthCare network domestically.The acquisition of the San Diego Franchise is the third completed by CBI in the last six months, continuing the Company’s strong momentum:

  • In June 2020, CBI acquired its Bluebird Care Master Franchise in the Republic of Ireland, adding direct franchising rights in the Republic of Ireland and 26 franchise locations operating under CBI’s UK brand, Bluebird Care.
  • In November 2020, CBI acquired the Northern Suburbs of Sydney franchise operation of Just Better Care, CBI’s Australian brand.

Founded in 1966, CBI is the largest franchisor of home healthcare services globally and produces approximately $1.1 billion of annual systemwide sales across over 550 global locations. CBI offers franchises under three brands: Interim HealthCare (United States), Bluebird Care (United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland) and Just Better Care (Australia). CBI’s branches and franchisees offer individuals a full continuum of care at home including skilled nursing, assistance with daily living activities and end-of-life hospice care.

Jennifer Sheets, CEO and President of CBI, commented on the most recent acquisition, “We are delighted to add the exceptional operations of the San Diego Franchises to our branch portfolio and look forward to driving the highest level of quality and satisfaction for our patients.”

Matthew Frankel, Managing Partner of LLCP, stated, “The three recent acquisitions demonstrate our continued support of the CBI investment and reflects the Company’s significant growth potential.  We remain focused on building value for the benefit of CBI’s franchise owners, patients, employees and investors.”

CBI is a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Fund V, L.P.

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Nexelis acquires the GSK vaccines clinical bioanalytical laboratory located in Marburg – Germany and enters into a 5-year strategic agreement with GSK

LAVAL, QC and MARBURG, Germany, Jan. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Nexelis, a portfolio company of Ampersand Capital Partners, and a leading provider of advanced assay development and laboratory testing services in the infectious, oncologic, and metabolic diseases fields, has signed an asset purchase agreement with GSK to acquire its GCLP-certified clinical bioanalytical laboratory located in Marburg, Germany.

The Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) team in Marburg, consisting of approximately 80 scientists and analysts, will be transferred to Nexelis. The CLS team in Marburg will continue to keep a strong relationship with GSK and support the development of future GSK vaccine candidates through a 5-year strategic collaborative agreement.

This is the fifth acquisition by Nexelis in the last three years after Pacific Biomarkers, Seattle, WA; PAIRimmune, Laval, QC; ImmunXperts, Gosselies, BE; and AIT Bioscience, Indianapolis, IN. The transaction with GSK enables Nexelis to expand its global footprint as well as its immunology-centric assay development and high-throughput clinical testing capacities.

Benoit Bouche, Nexelis CEO commented “We are thrilled to welcome on board new colleagues with a legacy of over 20 years under Novartis and GSK leadership in clinical laboratory activities supporting the development of vaccines against viral and bacterial diseases. We believe that this transaction is a determining step in the establishment of Nexelis as an unrivaled global vaccine player.”

Emmanuel Hanon, Head of GSK Vaccines R&D added “Strategic outsourcing will optimize GSK’s footprint and increase our agility so that we can continue to accelerate the development of the candidate vaccines in our pipeline. Based on the previous successful transfer of other laboratory activities to Nexelis, we are confident that this will be a great fit due to the quality and agility of the Nexelis organization.”

The transaction with GSK will be effective at the end of January 2021. Nexelis intends to quickly expand the Marburg site, initiating collaborations with other vaccine development companies as well as with the company’s other North American and European sites.

Nexelis expects to add new clinical testing platforms in Marburg that will be fully bridged with Laval platforms, develop synergies with its early development stage ImmunXperts branch in Belgium and leverage existing talents in fields such as biostatistics to form a broad-based, end-to-end service offering in bacteriology, virology, and oncology.

About Nexelis

With an unrivaled expertise in immunology, 5 operating sites in North America and Europe, and a translational offer of services covering the needs of the pharmaceutical industry from the lead selection stage to late clinical stage, Nexelis is a leading provider of assay development and advanced laboratory testing services in the infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, and oncology fields. Our versatile team of scientists, working with our state of the art technology platforms, were instrumental in the development, qualification, validation, and large-scale sample testing of assays that supported the FDA filing of almost 100 new molecular entities, including blockbuster vaccines and biologics, anti-viral drugs, immunotherapy, gene and cell therapy products. Additional information about Nexelis is available at www.nexelis.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, MA and Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ampersand leverages a 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.

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