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AddSecure acquires RTL Telematics through its Smart Transport UK company, Connexas

Castik Capital

RTL’s strong technical offering of solutions for hazardous goods andadvanced vehicle cameras, is of particular importance to AddSecure and will be rolled out across the wider Smart Transport customer base.

AddSecure, a leading European provider of premium IoT solutions, with a focus on secure critical communications and data, today announced that it has acquired RTL Telematics through its Smart Transport UK company, Connexas. The objective is to further  strengthen its market leading position within Transport and Logistics in the UK, and to realize its strategy of becoming the leading provider of Fleet and Transport Management solutions in Europe.

RTL provides telematics services to fleet operators and focuses on logistics companies transporting hazardous goods. The company works with some of the world’s largest and most respected organisations, many of whose requirements are extremely complex. Including the likes of BP, Shell, Esso, Texaco, Nestle, Wincanton, and Hoyer.

“The acquisition of RTL is an opportunity to accelerate AddSecure’s strategic roadmap. AddSecure Smart Transport will benefit from significant additional technologies and added R&D resources to consolidate its innovation leadership in Fleet and Transport Management,” says Stefan Albertsson, CEO of AddSecure.

The telematics equipment and technology platform offered by RTL captures and analyzes vehicle and driver data, to provide insights to customers, and inform financial and operational decisions. Three core analytical areas are offered as part of the solution: Cost savings, contributing to reductions in fuel consumption and operational efficiencies. Performance metrics, which gauge driver and overall fleet safety in real time, identifying poor drivers and providing rectification training. And finally, legal compliance, where video footage can be used for claim intervention by providing an impartial account of events.

“I have personally known RTL’s MD, Konstantin Rainkine, for many years and look forward to working with a fellow developer and entrepreneur of telematics with a passion for customer support and delivery. This addition to the UK business will strengthen our offering and broaden our expertise in camera technology and driver behaviour. This will then be rolled out across our other AddSecure business units and accelerate our best practice services to pan-European customers. We welcome RTL and the team onboard for the exciting journey ahead”, says Andrew Overton, Managing Director of Connexas and VP of AddSecure Smart Transport UK.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this agreement. By joining forces with AddSecure and Connexas, we become part of a strong player with significant scale and financial strength to create the leading European Fleet and Transport Management provider”, says Konstantin Rainkine, Managing Director of RTL Telematics. RTL Telematics will be part of AddSecure and integrated in the Connexas offering. RTL’s Managing Director will report to Andrew Overton, Managing Director of Connexas and VP of AddSecure Smart Transport UK.

Contacts

Kristina Grandin
Press Contact
Director Corporate & Marketing Communications
kristina.grandin@addsecure.com
+46 706 89 52 08

About RTL Telematics

RTL is a custom telematics specialist for the commercial vehicle marketplace, providing sophisticated management tools that capture and analyze vehicle and driver data to optimize fleet safety and efficiency. With 25 years’ experience in vehicle telemetry, as well as working with many of the leading engine and truck manufacturers, the company is well placed to deliver advanced tracking, monitoring, and reporting systems that overcome specific operational challenges and enhance business performance. Working from regional offices in the UK and Australia, the customer base covers over twenty countries spanning six continents.

AddSecure

Add Secure is a leading European provider of premium IoT solutions with a focus on secure critical communications and data. More than 100,000 customers within the security and safety industry, rescue services, building security and automation, digital care, transport and logistics, utilities, smart cities, and more, safeguard their life and business-critical applications with solutions from AddSecure. This helps save lives, protect property and vital societal functions, and drives business. The secure and reliable end-to-end solutions within the business units Smart Alarms, Smart Care, Smart Grids, Smart Rescue, and Smart Transport, help make the world a safer and smarter place. The company, founded in the early 1970s, today employs more than 750staff in 15 countries. AddSecure is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has regional offices as well as a network of distributors around Europe. AddSecure is majority-owned by Funds managed by Castik Capital, a European private equity fund with a long-term approach to value creation, founded in 2014.

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Castik supports further growth of Customs Support Group

Castik Capital

02.11.2020

Funds advised by Castik Capital S.à r.l. (“Castik”) have entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Customs Support Group (“CSG”) from Mentha Capital and CSG’s founder Oscar Driessen, who will remain a minority shareholder and advisor to the business. In addition, the management will stay on board and (re)invest in the business.

Rotterdam-based CSG is a leading independent customs services provider in Europe. With more than 450 customs experts, the company provides a comprehensive range of customs related services to over 7000 customers.

CSG is established in several European countries (Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland) in addition to its network of partners in further European countries. Through its multiple locations and partner network, CSG is in close proximity to customers, logistics hubs and customs offices ensuring long-standing relationships and local insights for its many international customers.

In the last years, CSG has proven to be a fast growing and dynamic company that next to strong organic growth has managed to successfully acquire and integrate 18 add-ons. Furthermore, the company is investing in digitizing customs related processes for its customers, in an industry that is expected to face a substantial increase in demand given the upcoming Brexit.

Castik aims to support CSG and its leadership team in continued organic and acquisitive growth as well as the ongoing digitisation of the industry in order to continuously create value for all stakeholders.

Castik was advised on the transaction by Skadden (legal), EY (financial), Kearney (commercial), Houlihan Lokey (debt financing), White & Case (debt), PWC (tax), Ommax (digital), and Netlight (technical).

About Castik

Castik Capital S.à r.l. (“Castik Capital”) manages investments in private equity. Castik Capital is a European Private Equity firm, acquiring significant ownership positions in European private and public companies, where long-term value can be generated through active partnerships with management teams.

Founded in 2014, Castik Capital is based in Luxembourg and focuses on identifying and developing investment opportunities across Europe. Investments are made by the Luxembourg-based fund, EPIC II SLP. The advisor to Castik Capital S.à r.l. is Castik Capital Partners GmbH, based in Munich.

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Latour acquires SLT Schanze Lufttechnik

Latour logo

2020-11-02 13:30

Investment AB Latour has, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Swegon Group AB, acquired SLT Schanze Lufttechnik (SLT), a supplier of diffusers in Germany with the engineering capability to provide complex and customized solutions for its customers. The company was founded in 1985 and has 70 employees with head office and manufacturing located in Lingen, Germany. Net sales in 2019 amounted to EUR 10 m.

The acquisition strengthens Swegon’s portfolio within Room Unit products and increases Swegon’s position as one of the leading companies for indoor environment solutions.

“We are very happy to welcome SLT into the Swegon Group. SLT has an ability to think outside the box and provides top quality customized solutions with a focus on high indoor environmental quality. This acquisition gives Swegon a renowned and highly competent room units supplier in the largest ventilation market in Europe”, says Andreas Örje Wellstam, CEO at Swegon Group.

“SLT started out as a distributor of diffusers in Germany 35 years ago. At that time, we sold Swegon products. Since then, we have grown and developed our own product portfolio and manufacturing. Becoming a part of Swegon is like going back to our roots and I am confident that our customers will experience a very attractive combined offering”, says Joachim Schanze, founder of SLT.

Göteborg, 2 November, 2020

INVESTMENT AB LATOUR (PUBL)
Johan Hjertonsson, CEO

For further information, please contact:
Andreas Örje Wellstam, CEO Swegon, +46 31 89 58 00
Matthew Goodrick, Corporate Development Swegon, +46 31 89 58 00

Swegon Group is a market leader in energy efficient ventilation and indoor climate products and systems. Swegon has subsidiaries in 16 markets, distributors all over the world and 16 production plants in Europe, North America and India. The company employs more than 2,600 people with an annual turnover exceeding SEK 6 billion.

Investment AB Latour is a mixed investment company consisting primarily of a wholly-owned industrial operations and an investment portfolio of listing holdings in which Latour is the principal owner or one of the principal owners. The investment portfolio consists of nine substantial holdings with a market value of about SEK 68 billion. The wholly-owned industrial operations has an annual turnover of SEK 15 billion.

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Eurazeo Capital invests in Questel alongside IK Investment Partners, RAISE Investissement and the management team

ik-investment-partners

As previously announced, Eurazeo Capital, alongside IK Investment Partners, RAISE Investissement and the management team, will invest in Questel to acquire 100% of its share capital. Eurazeo and the IK IX Fund will each invest an initial amount of nearly €200 million and together will hold a majority stake. Definitive financial information will be disclosed once the transaction has been completed.

Questel is a major intellectual property solutions provider that operates worldwide, developing SaaS products and an automated brand services and patent filing platform. The company works with close to 6,000 clients, including a number of large multinationals, offering end-to-end collaborative patent and brand management solutions across the innovation and intellectual property cycle, from invention, through to filing and renewal.

Employing approximately 900 people across 30 countries throughout the world, Questel is renowned for its technological expertise and has expanded considerably since 2018, when the IK VIII Fund first invested in the company.

Eurazeo Capital, IK Investment Partners and RAISE Investissement will support the Questel management team to pursue its growth strategy to gain a foothold in new markets, regions and services, while maintaining its strong technological focus. Questel will be able to take advantage of Eurazeo’s strong international network, in particular in the US and China. Supported by its shareholders, Questel will continue to pursue its ambitions, complete acquisitions and strengthen its range of SaaS solutions and services provided internationally.

The Eurazeo China Acceleration Fund, which was set up to support Eurazeo’s investments in French and European companies that are active in sectors with high growth potential in China in order to accompany them in pursuing this strategy, will also invest in Questel.

Charles Besson, CEO of Questel, said: “IK and Raise have supported and trusted us entirely to develop Questel. The goup has tripled its size in less than three years and continued to enrich its software and services offering. We are delighted to welcome Eurazeo as a new shareholder for this new chapter.”

Marc Frappier, Managing Partner of Eurazeo and Head of Eurazeo Capital, said: “We are delighted to start working with Questel throughout the next stage of its development. This investment is a perfect example of Eurazeo Capital’s strategy to support high-potential tech companies to grow and expand internationally. We strongly believe in Charles Besson and his team, their ability to innovate and the quality of their solutions. And when combined with the expertise Eurazeo Capital is able to provide, we are sure Questel will continue to develop in a very high growth market.”

Dan Soudry, Managing Partner at IK, and adviser to the IK VIII and IK IX Funds, said: “We are proud to support Charles Besson and his team to bolster Questel’s position as the leading provider of intellectual property solutions. Over the last two years, the group has tripled in size, driven by strong organic growth and a dynamic acquisition strategy that has helped Questel diversify its range of products and services and extend its geographic footprint. We firmly believe Questel demonstrates considerable growth potential and we are very pleased to continue the journey and support its management team for the next chapter.”

Mathieu Blanc, Managing Partner at RAISE Investissement, said: “We seek to support talented entrepreneurs over the long term and through every stage of their development. Charles Besson and his team have done remarkably well over recent years to make Questel one of the world’s leading provider of intellectual property solutions. Having worked with them since 2015, we are extremely proud today to renew our backing of their ambitious growth plan for a third time.”

For further questions, please contact:

Eurazeo
Pierre Bernardin
Head of Investor Relations
pbernardin@eurazeo.com
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 15 16 76

Virginie Christnacht
Head of Communications
vchristnacht@eurazeo.com
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 15 76 44

IK Investment Partners
France:
CTCom
Sibylle Descamps
sibylle.descamps@ct-com.com
Tel: +33 (0) 6 82 09 70 07

International:
Maitland/AMO
James McFarlane
jmcfarlane@maitland.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 7584 142 665

RAISE Investissement
Charlotte Doyen
charlotte.doyen@raise.com
Tel: +33 674791846

About Eurazeo
Eurazeo is a leading global investment company, with a diversified portfolio of €18.5 billion in assets under management, including nearly €12.9 billion from third parties, invested in over 430 companies. With its considerable private equity, venture capital, real estate, and private debt, Eurazeo accompanies companies of all sizes, supporting their development through the commitment of its nearly 300 professionals and by offering deep sector expertise, a gateway to global markets, and a responsible and stable foothold for transformational growth. Its solid institutional and family shareholder base, robust financial structure free of structural debt, and flexible investment horizon enable Eurazeo to support its companies over the long term. Eurazeo has offices in Paris, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, London, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Berlin and Madrid. Eurazeo is listed on Euronext Paris. ISIN: FR0000121121 – Bloomberg: RF FP – Reuters: EURA.PA

About IK Investment Partners
IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is a Pan-European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €13 billion of capital and invested in over 130 European companies. IK supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects. For more information, please visit www.ikinvest.com

About RAISE Investissement
RAISE Investissement is a capital investment company set up by the RAISE group, founded by Clara Gaymard and Gonzague de Blignières. With €410 million of committed capital, the fund supports high growth medium-sized French companies that generate revenue of between €30 million and €500 million, by investing stakes of between €10 million and €50 million to help them grow. The RAISE group is built around a financing model that combines profitability with generosity as the investment teams (RAISE Investissement, RAISE REIM, RAISE Ventures, RAISE Impact and RAISE LAB) donate 50% of their earnings through the group profit sharing scheme to an internal endowment fund, RAISESHERPAS, which supports startups and helps them grow. This initiative, pioneering in France, creates a virtuous circle involving major corporations, institutional investors, medium-sized businesses and startups. For more information, visit www.raise.co/en/

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Hg agrees the sale of STP to Bregal Unternehmerkapital

HG Capital

Together Hg and management have strengthened STP’s position as a leading legal tech provider, empowering the digitisation of insolvency and legal practitioners

Karlsruhe, Germany and London, United Kingdom – 2nd November 2020: Hg, Europe’s leading software investor, today announces that it has agreed the sale of STP, a leading DACH-based provider of legal tech solutions, to Bregal Unternehmerkapital, part of a multi-generational family-owned business that specialises in majority and minority holdings in the DACH region. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary anti-trust approvals and closing is expected later this year.

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, STP is a leading one-stop shop solution provider, empowering the digitisation of insolvency and legal practitioners. It provides a fully integrated legal tech platform comprising workflow automation, ERP software, specialist technical outsourcing and data businesses. STP’s solutions are deeply embedded in the insolvency ecosystem and commercial law segment, with a dedicated full-suite offering. The business employs around 200 people, serving over 1,800 customers with critical software and services for their daily workflow.

Hg first invested in STP in 2016, together with founder Gunther Thies, having done significant work across the legal technology sector. Hg recognised the business as a strong and unique platform, selling mission-critical software and services to a high number of loyal customers in the legal space. Since then Hg has worked with the STP team and helped strengthen the business’ position in legal tech in DACH.

“STP has significantly benefited from Hg’s support over the last four years, leveraging the knowledge they have in the software and legal tech space, whilst also benefitting from valuable best-practice sharing that is promoted across Hg’s network and over 30 tech portfolio businesses. We are very excited about our new partnership with Bregal Unternehmerkapital and together plan an acceleration of new product and service introductions to help our customers drive efficiency at the workplace.”

Uwe Richter, CEO at STP

“Today STP is in a great position, owed to the hard work of our team, our brilliant employees and strategic partners. Together with Hg we have significantly professionalised the business, overseen a number of accretive acquisitions and driven strategic growth across the business. I remain fully committed to the business and look forward to investing further into our product suite and unparalleled customer experience together with our chosen partner Bregal Unternehmerkapital.”

Gunther Thies, Founder of STP

“Bregal is excited about its partnership with STP which is another example of our strategy to provide entrepreneurial expertise as well as access to our network of industry experts to help management teams achieve their long term, sustainable growth goals. We are looking forward to working together with the whole team at STP, including the founder Gunther Thies, as well as our valuable customers including some of the most successful insolvency administrators and law firm professionals to bring new, exciting products to market.”

Florian Schick, Managing Partner at Bregal Unternehmerkapital

“We are happy to have been able to support STP on its growth journey and help strengthen its position as go-to legal tech provider, with decades of expertise and best-in-class software and solutions. It has been a real privilege to work with Gunther, Uwe, Frank, Harald and the team. We are delighted to leave the business in such capable hands for future growth.”

Stefan Margolis, Partner at Hg

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inRiver Closes $32 Million in Funding Led by Lugard Road Capital

Industriefonden

November 2, 2020

Focus on product excellence, global expansion, and partnerships continue into 2021for the leading product information management (PIM) solution offered as a SaaS.

CHICAGO and MALMÖ, Sweden—(November 2, 2020) inRiver, a leading provider of product information management (PIM) solution that helps businesses sell more products, today announced that they have closed $32 million in funding led by Lugard Road Capital, a global investment fund, and with participation from existing investors Verdane, Industrifonden, Zobito and RoosGruppen. Funding will support the rapid growth planned to meet accelerated customer demand, continued product development, and further global expansion of inRiver.

“The growth in digital commerce, complexity of data, and the increasing importance of the technology ecosystem has been unprecedented this year,” said Thomas Zanzinger, CEO, inRiver. “Buyers now expect consistent and engaging customer experiences across channels, this means product information has to be exceptional to drive revenue. Global teams cannot waste time or money on manual processes, inaccurate data, or the inability to scale. inRiver’s latest funding means we can help even more businesses to solve those challenges.”

As more organizations expand and enhance their digital commerce offerings, the need to scale quickly and easily increases. inRiver’s product information management solution integrates smoothly with other technologies in the ecosystem to offer the most extensive and scalable multitenant SaaS solution in the market today.

The funds raised will be used to drive accelerated product leadership and extend the offering. The funding will support accelerated expansions in North America, the highest growth market, and will help open new growth markets across Europe. It will also help inRiver continue to build key partnerships and alliances to meet evolving customer demands.

“We are excited to partner with inRiver on this funding round to drive growth,” stated Jonathan Green, Partner, Lugard Road Capital. “Digital commerce is a rapidly evolving market, and this will only strengthen inRiver’s leadership position.”

To learn more about inRiver and how we help organizations speed time to market and drive revenue, visit the site here. www.inriver.com.

*Pareto Securities acted as sole manager and bookrunner in connection with the funding round.

Contacts:
For US:Erika Goldwater
erika.goldwater@inriver.com
+1.617.407.3578

For EMEA:Katja Doemer
katja.doemer@inriver.com
+49 151 52846868

About inRiver
inRiver helps organizations sell more products online via better product information. Its product information management (PIM) solution enables better customer experiences for branded manufacturers, industrial manufacturers, and retailers to sell their products and solutions across any channel or marketplace quickly and easily. inRiver helps businesses increase revenues, customer satisfaction, and brand equity for over 1,500 brands and 500 customers globally. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, inRiver has offices in Chicago and Amsterdam. For more information, visit inRiver.com

About Lugard Road Capital
Lugard Road Capital is a global investment fund primarily focused on public and private companies in the Internet, software, consumer, and technology sectors.

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AddSecure acquires RTL Telematics through its Smart Transport UK company, Connexas

Castik Capital

RTL’s strong technical offering of solutions for hazardous goods andadvanced vehicle cameras, is of particular importance to AddSecure and will be rolled out across the wider Smart Transport customer base.

AddSecure, a leading European provider of premium IoT solutions, with a focus on secure critical communications and data, today announced that it has acquired RTL Telematics through its Smart Transport UK company, Connexas. The objective is to further  strengthen its market leading position within Transport and Logistics in the UK, and to realize its strategy of becoming the leading provider of Fleet and Transport Management solutions in Europe.

RTL provides telematics services to fleet operators and focuses on logistics companies transporting hazardous goods. The company works with some of the world’s largest and most respected organisations, many of whose requirements are extremely complex. Including the likes of BP, Shell, Esso, Texaco, Nestle, Wincanton, and Hoyer.

“The acquisition of RTL is an opportunity to accelerate AddSecure’s strategic roadmap. AddSecure Smart Transport will benefit from significant additional technologies and added R&D resources to consolidate its innovation leadership in Fleet and Transport Management,” says Stefan Albertsson, CEO of AddSecure.

The telematics equipment and technology platform offered by RTL captures and analyzes vehicle and driver data, to provide insights to customers, and inform financial and operational decisions. Three core analytical areas are offered as part of the solution: Cost savings, contributing to reductions in fuel consumption and operational efficiencies. Performance metrics, which gauge driver and overall fleet safety in real time, identifying poor drivers and providing rectification training. And finally, legal compliance, where video footage can be used for claim intervention by providing an impartial account of events.

“I have personally known RTL’s MD, Konstantin Rainkine, for many years and look forward to working with a fellow developer and entrepreneur of telematics with a passion for customer support and delivery. This addition to the UK business will strengthen our offering and broaden our expertise in camera technology and driver behaviour. This will then be rolled out across our other AddSecure business units and accelerate our best practice services to pan-European customers. We welcome RTL and the team onboard for the exciting journey ahead”, says Andrew Overton, Managing Director of Connexas and VP of AddSecure Smart Transport UK.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this agreement. By joining forces with AddSecure and Connexas, we become part of a strong player with significant scale and financial strength to create the leading European Fleet and Transport Management provider”, says Konstantin Rainkine, Managing Director of RTL Telematics. RTL Telematics will be part of AddSecure and integrated in the Connexas offering. RTL’s Managing Director will report to Andrew Overton, Managing Director of Connexas and VP of AddSecure Smart Transport UK.

Contacts

Kristina Grandin
Press Contact
Director Corporate & Marketing Communications
kristina.grandin@addsecure.com
+46 706 89 52 08

About RTL Telematics

RTL is a custom telematics specialist for the commercial vehicle marketplace, providing sophisticated management tools that capture and analyze vehicle and driver data to optimize fleet safety and efficiency. With 25 years’ experience in vehicle telemetry, as well as working with many of the leading engine and truck manufacturers, the company is well placed to deliver advanced tracking, monitoring, and reporting systems that overcome specific operational challenges and enhance business performance. Working from regional offices in the UK and Australia, the customer base covers over twenty countries spanning six continents.

AddSecure

Add Secure is a leading European provider of premium IoT solutions with a focus on secure critical communications and data. More than 100,000 customers within the security and safety industry, rescue services, building security and automation, digital care, transport and logistics, utilities, smart cities, and more, safeguard their life and business-critical applications with solutions from AddSecure. This helps save lives, protect property and vital societal functions, and drives business. The secure and reliable end-to-end solutions within the business units Smart Alarms, Smart Care, Smart Grids, Smart Rescue, and Smart Transport, help make the world a safer and smarter place. The company, founded in the early 1970s, today employs more than 750staff in 15 countries. AddSecure is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has regional offices as well as a network of distributors around Europe. AddSecure is majority-owned by Funds managed by Castik Capital, a European private equity fund with a long-term approach to value creation, founded in 2014.

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Ardian acquires Finland based utility Nevel, a leading district heating and industrial energy solutions company

Ardian

02 November 2020 Infrastructure Finland

• Vapo and Ardian reached an agreement for the acquisition of 100% of Nevel, a leading Nordic District Heating and Industrial Energy Solution Company
• Nevel complements Ardian’s global portfolio of diversified and essential infrastructure investments in energy, transportation and telecommunication
• Ardian will support Nevel’s energy transition towards CO2 free energy production in its networks by 2023, while providing customers with future-proof and cost-efficient heating in Finland, Sweden and Estonia.

Paris, November 2nd, 2020 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, announces the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Nevel Oy (“Nevel”), a leading district heating and industrial energy solutions company, from Vapo Group (“Vapo”). Nevel complements Ardian’s global portfolio in terms of geographic and sector diversification. Nevel represents Ardian Infrastructure’s fifth investment in the region bringing the Nordic asset base to a size of 1.8GW of installed heat and power capacity. The asset management of Nevel will be supported by Ardian’s local sustainable energy investment platform, eNordic.

Nevel owns and operates more than 150 heat and power plants and over 40 district heating networks across Finland, Sweden and Estonia together with one of the most sophisticated digital operating platforms on the market. Nevel is generating 1.6 TWh of energy annually and committed to the energy transition and further fossil fuel reduction. “We intend to grow the company by investing significant additional capital, thereby targeting to enhance the environmental friendliness and efficiency of Nevel’s heating plants and district heating networks. We are proud to be working with Nevel’s management team and supporting them in our future partnership”, says Eero Auranne, CEO of eNordic.

Through the investment, Ardian sees significant opportunity to develop and expand Nevel’s operations in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. “Nevel is a perfect fit with our strategy for sustainable energy and our asset portfolio in the Nordics. Nevel’s and our goals are aligned and we will aim to make it the go-to platform for municipalities and industrial companies seeking to outsource energy services through sustainable solutions”, explains Simo Santavirta, Senior Managing Director and Head of Asset Management of Ardian Infrastructure.

”Our investment in Nevel forms a significant milestone of Ardian’s overall strategy to significantly reduce CO2 emissions worldwide. Digital and artificial intelligence will play a key role in the energy transition of the asset”, says Amir Sharifi, Energy Transition lead for Ardian Infrastructure. Earlier this year, Ardian made its first investment in Finland – the acquisition of the Lakiakangas 1 wind farm. Ardian’s sustainable energy asset base in the Nordics is now at nearly 500 MW wind and 1350 MW heat capacity, operating across Finland, Norway, Sweden and Estonia.

“The Nordics are a core region for Ardian Infrastructure with attractive fundamentals and significant potential to invest in essential infrastructure in energy, transportation and telecommunication. We are proud to add Nevel to our portfolio in the region and are looking forward to supporting the company’s strategy”, according to Daniel von der Schulenburg, Ardian Infrastructure Head of Northern Europe, Germany and Benelux.

This transaction is yet to receive clearance from the local competition authorities. Ardian does not own any competing or overlapping businesses with Nevel in Finland or in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

 

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$100bn 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 700 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.

 

ABOUT ENORDIC

eNordic is the Nordic’s first sustainable energy platform, formed by a partnership between Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, and leading domestic industry executives.
Through a local, responsible and agile investment approach, eNordic enables the transformation of the energy sector through long-term partnerships with those that develop or operate sustainable energy projects in the Nordics.
eNordic focuses in opportunities in wind, biomass, hydro and district heating in addition to traditional energy assets that have the potential to be transformed or managed in a sustainable way.
eNordic is based in Sweden and Finland, with local teams operating throughout the Nordics region.

visit the website

Press contact

ARDIAN / ENORDIC – HEADLAND CONSULTANCY

CARL LEIJONHUFVUD

cleijonhufvud@headlandconsultancy.com +44(0)20 3805 4827

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Norva24 acquires platform in Southern Germany

Valedo

Norva24 has acquired Kanal-Türpe, a leading provider of Underground Infrastructure Maintenance (“UIM”) services in Southern Germany with operations in Gerolzhofen, Fulda and Blomberg. The acquisition significantly strengthens Norva24’s leading position in the highly fragmented UIM market in Northern Europe.

Kanal-Türpe has more than 50 years of experience in the industry, revenues of approximately EUR 20 million and a comprehensive service offering within UIM services. The company is headquartered in the central parts of Southern Germany and operates around 100 vehicles. In addition to the acquisition of Kanal-Türpe, Norva24 has also recently completed one acquisition in Stockholm and two smaller acquisitions in Germany, with operations in Lübeck and Lüneburg.

“We are very excited to welcome Kanal-Türpe to Norva24. Following our market entry into Germany in 2019 through the acquisition of Ex-Rohr, we now further strengthen our position as the emerging market leader in Germany. Furthermore, the acquisition implies that Norva24 now has revenues of close to NOK 2 billion, which is an important milestone in our vision to become the clear market leader within UIM services in Europe”, says Henrik Damgaard, CEO of Norva24.

The terms of the deal will not be disclosed.

For more information about Norva24, please contact:

Henrik Damgaard, CEO
henrik.damgaard@norva24.no

About Norva24:
Norva24 is the undisputed category leader in the highly fragmented UIM services market in Northern Europe, with leading position in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Germany. Service offering includes mission-critical and non-discretionary maintenance services for underground infrastructure (“UIM”), such as pressure washing, emptying service, pipe inspection and relining. Norva24’s vision is to become a lighthouse in the development of the UIM industry in Europe through green initiatives, ESG reporting and IoT solutions. Norva24 has revenues of close to NOK 2 billion and employs around 1 200 employees.

www.norva24.com

About Valedo:
Valedo is an independent Swedish investment company investing in high-quality small/mid cap companies in the Nordic region. Valedo is focusing on companies with clear growth and development potential where Valedo can actively contribute to and accelerate the companies’ development. Being an active owner and contributing both capital and industrial experience, Valedo ensures that a company can achieve its full potential.

www.valedopartners.com

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BGF-backed Gousto becomes UK’s latest tech unicorn

BGF

BGF has today announced the closure of its fifth funding round in Gousto – the UK’s leading recipe box provider. The latest investment, worth £25 million (US $33 million) of new equity, was made in partnership with existing investor Perwyn. It has led to a valuation in excess of US$1 billion for the business, which has now become only the fourth UK company in 2020 to achieve ‘Tech Unicorn’ status. It follows hot on the heels of Synk and fellow consumer-facing businesses Gymshark and Cazoo.

Just 8 years since launch, Gousto joins an elite group of 19 venture-backed UK businesses, including the likes of Deliveroo, that have achieved a valuation of at least US$1 billion.

The new equity funds will add additional growth capital to Gousto’s own positive cashflow and is in-line with the business’ strategy, of at least tripling capacity by 2022.  During this period, there are plans to open three new customer fulfilment centres and create over 1,000 new jobs. The company’s second fulfilment centre in Lincolnshire is scheduled to go live before the end of 2020 and the development of centres three and four are being brought forward to meet the strong ongoing customer demand.

Stephen Welton, Executive Chairman at BGF, said: “We’ve worked with Gousto since 2015, delivering multiple rounds of funding over the last five years. We’re thrilled to have supported a business that has grown from an early stage venture to a market-leading scale-up in the highly dynamic meal-kit industry. This latest investment round is reflective of our belief in the sheer size of the market opportunity as well as the management team’s exceptional ability to deliver on its plans and to navigate the complex challenges and opportunities of 2020.”

Gousto is the global leader in automation technology within the sector and all of the fulfilment centres will utilise the Company’s proprietary algorithms which maximise speed of pick, daily volumes and pick accuracy, whilst minimising cost and food waste. This enables Gousto to offer a winning customer proposition; providing the most recipe choice with over twice as many recipes as its nearest competitor, for the best value, delivered directly to customers’ doors in the quickest time.

This is what has led to Gousto’s rapid success. Revenues for the three years ending 31 December increased sixfold between 2016 and 2019 and growth has remained strong with revenues for the first half of 2020 surpassing the £83m (US$108m) reported for the whole of 2019. Topline growth, combined with operational gearing has enabled Gousto to reach profitability faster than many leading tech peers. Gousto has been profitable since Q4 2019 and expects to generate a significant profit in 2020.

Having founded the business at the age of 26, Timo Boldt, Founder & CEO of Gousto commented: “Achieving tech unicorn status and joining the ranks of those elite companies that have attained a billion dollar valuation is a proud moment for the entire Gousto team and all of our shareholders but we are still only just getting started. The market opportunity ahead of us is vast, as changes in consumer behaviour drive permanent change through the entire grocery market.

“Our obsession with technology enabled us to scale our operations at speed in the first half of the year to meet an unprecedented and rapid increase in demand, with monthly meal deliveries doubling from 2.5m in January to 5m in June. The latest £25m fund raise will enable Gousto to scale further and faster, triple capacity to serve more families during these difficult times, ensure the safety of our teams and create jobs across the entire business. Gousto’s success is rooted in its absolute focus on delivering for its growing number of new and loyal customers the widest choice, the best value at the greatest convenience.”

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