oktober 8, 2020
Bonnier Ventures, the venture capital arm of family owned holding company Bonnier Group, today announced that it has invested SEK 45 million in Winningtemp – a fast growing HR SaaS scaleup from Gothenburg, Sweden. The investment was part of a SEK 157 million (USD 17.6 million) Series B financing co-led by Bonnier Ventures and UK based investor Frog Capital. Existing investors also participated in the round.
The investment comes on the back of an exciting year for Bonnier Ventures in which the venture capital arm’s annual investment mandate was doubled to some SEK 200 million (USD 22.6 million). The expanded mandate was decided after several years of strong portfolio performance and new funds becoming available from the Bonnier Group’s divestment of Bonnier Broadcasting last year.
Bonnier Ventures will continue on its proven path of taking active minority shareholdings in fast growing technology companies across the early growth stages. With the expanded mandate, the investment arm will now also be able to target later stage companies as well as continue to support companies in the portfolio into later stages in their growth journeys.
Ulrika Saxon, CEO of Bonnier Ventures commented: “We’re very excited to partner with Winningtemp and to support them in growing their employee satisfaction and performance platform outside of the Nordics. This investment ticks a lot of boxes of what we look for: An innovative product within a growing macro area, strong founders, a sound business on a scalability path, and a clear
fit for us to help with growth capital and expertise to accelerate their international expansion from a solid Nordic base. ”
Bonnier Ventures is the venture capital arm of family owned Bonnier Group. Bonnier Ventures targets significant minority shareholdings in technology businesses in the early stages of scaling up, typically making initial investments around SEK 20-60 million (USD 2-6 million). Bonnier Ventures works closely with their portfolio companies and provides active support as they scale up.
The portfolio currently includes 16 companies such as Acast, Natural Cycles,Doktor.se and Resolution Games.
For further information, please contact:
Ulrika.saxon@bonnier.se or victor.bodin@bonnier.se
Or visit www.bonnierventures.com
Winningtemp’s AI-driven platform enables organisations to visualise employee development and gain insights that enhance engagement and mental well-being while minimising stress and staff turnover. The company currently holds 60 employees across four offices in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Oslo and London. More than 100 000 users in over 20 countries engage daily with the platform.
The customer list includes more than 550 companies.
For further information, please contact:
Pierre Lindmark, CEO and founder Winningtemp
E-mail: pierre@winningtemp.com
Or visit www.winningtemp.com
The transaction forms part of the development of Ratos into a group of companies with a focus on profitable growth.
Ratos AB (“Ratos”) has signed an agreement to sell its entire 70% holding in Bisnode AB (“Bisnode”), excluding the business operations in Belgium, to Bisnode’s partner Dun & Bradstreet for an approximate enterprise value of SEK 7,200m, corresponding to an EV/EBITA multiple of 13,8x and an approximate equity value of SEK 3,900m. In addition, Ratos will receive a dividend from Bisnode during the fourth quarter 2020 amounting to SEK 175m. 75% of the equity value comprises a cash consideration, and 25% of shares in Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc., corresponding to approximately 1% of shares outstanding. Bonnier is also selling its 30% stake in Bisnode to Dun & Bradstreet. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approval and is expected to close by early 2021.
“This is a good deal for Ratos, which also means that we release capital and can increase the pace of our business plan with the aim of investing in organic growth and margin growth in the existing portfolio as well as add-on and potential new acquisitions. The sale is an important step in the transformation of Ratos into a company group with a focus on profitable growth”, says Jonas Wiström, President and CEO of Ratos.
Bisnode has undergone a successful development process over the past four years with a focus on an improved customer offering, stability and profitability. During that time, the operating margin has doubled from 7% to 14% for a rolling 12-month period. Future growth aimed at reaching a leading position will require Bisnode’s participation in the ongoing consolidation of an increasingly global data and analytics market, benefitting from Dun & Bradstreet’s global scale, expertise and market leading solutions.
“Ratos’s transformation into a focused company group is based on the premise that we will own companies that are, or can become, market leaders. In Bisnode’s case, we do not have the possibility to invest in the creation of a market-leading position in the market for data and analysis on our own. We would prefer to participate in the consolidation together with a global leading partner that can realise major synergies with Bisnode, which we are enabling via this transaction. It also feels satisfying to have found a good solution considering the interdependence that Bisnode has had to Dun & Bradstreet since 2003 as a reseller”, says Jonas Wiström.
Dun & Bradstreet is a leader in the industry for data and analysis and their modern Finance and Risk Solutions and Sales and Marketing Solutions account for an increasing share of Bisnode’s sales and currently amounts to approximately 33%. The companies have had a close cooperation for two decades and complement each other well geographically. Bisnode holds a strong position in Northern and Central Europe, while Dun & Bradstreet is a market leader in the US and holds a leading position in several international markets including a strong position in the United Kingdom. The merger will make Bisnode a natural platform for Dun & Bradstreet in Northern and Central Europe, while creating opportunities for achieving economies of scale in such areas as sales, product development, data sources and analytics.
Other financial information
After the closing date, Ratos’s ownership in Dun & Bradstreet will be approximately 1%, corresponding to approximately SEK 1,000m based on Dun & Bradstreet’s volume weighted average closing price over the past 20 trading days until 6 October 2020.
The enterprise value of Bisnode’s Belgian operations is SEK 42m, but this has not been included in the transaction since the company differs sharply from Bisnode’s other operations and does not offer synergy opportunities for Dun & Bradstreet. Ratos intends to divest the business separately.
Ratos continued development towards a group of companies with a focus on profitable growth
Over the past two years, Ratos has been focused on stabilising the Group and increasing the profitability of its companies. At 30 June 2020, EBITA on a rolling 12-month basis was SEK 1,573m (SEK 829m). In the first half of 2020, 11 of 12 companies in the company group showed improved earnings.
Ratos’s management believes that there is scope for improving profitability and organic growth within the company group. Several companies have achieved stability and a level of profitability that also enables growth through acquisitions. The sale of Bisnode will create the financial conditions for implementing the add-on and potential new acquisitions that form part of the plan for the continued development of Ratos.
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Press and video/teleconference
At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 8 October, Jonas Wiström (President and CEO) will hold a press and video/teleconference. The press conference will be held at Ratos’s head office (Drottninggatan 2, Stockholm, Sweden). Only pre-registered participants may participate in person. Participation can be registered by sending an e-mail to anna.ringberg@ratos.com. Please note that the number of places are limited due to Covid-19.
To participate in the video/teleconference, call +443333009263 or +18338230589 or follow this link https://tv.streamfabriken.com/2020-10-08-press-conference. The presentation material is available on Ratos’s website: www.ratos.com.
In connection with the press and telephone conference, Stephen C. Daffron, President Dun & Bradstreet, will present his view on the transaction and be available for questions.
This is information that Ratos AB is required to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out below, on 8 October 2020 at 05.45 a.m. CEST.
For further information, please contact:
Jonas Wiström, CEO Ratos, +46 70 868 40 50
Helene Gustafsson, Head of IR and Press, +46 70 868 40 50, helene.gustafsson@ratos.com
About Ratos:
Ratos is a business group consisting of 12 companies divided into three business areas: Construction & Services, Consumer & Technology and Industry. In total, the companies have SEK 38 billion in sales and EBITA of SEK 1.8 billion. Our business concept is to develop mid-sized companies headquartered in the Nordics that are or can become market leaders. We enable independent mid-sized companies to excel by being part of something larger. People, leadership, culture and values are key focus areas for Ratos. Everything we do is based on Ratos’s core values: Simplicity, Speed in Execution and It’s All About People.
About Bisnode
Bisnode is a leading European data and analytic company. The company helps organisations to find and manage customers throughout the customer’s life cycle. With Bisnode’s Smart Data approach, companies can increase their revenue and minimise their losses. Bisnode is Dun & Bradstreet’s largest strategic alliance partner. The Group has its head office in Stockholm, and 2,100 employees in 19 countries. At 30 June 2020, sales on a rolling 12-month basis amounted to SEK 3,754m and EBITA was SEK 522m. 1/3 of revenue is derived from the company’s strategic partner Dun & Bradstreet.
About Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet’s Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk, and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity.
IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap II Fund has reached an agreement to acquire a majority stake in You Sure Investments B.V. (“You Sure” or “the Company”) from Synergia Capital Partners (“Synergia”). The transaction is subject to AFM clearance. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.
You Sure is a leading Dutch insurance distribution platform, providing insurance to small businesses and individuals. Operating mainly in the Property and Casualty (“P&C”) segment, You Sure acts both as an insurance broker and a Managing General Agent (“MGA”), and currently serves over 60,000 customers.
Headquartered in Ridderkerk, You Sure employs over 130 people across seven offices in the Netherlands. The Company was founded in 2011 by Ger Knikman and Joep van den Eijkel, who have been active in the insurance industry for over 30 and 40 years, respectively, and have worked together since 2005. You Sure partnered with Synergia in March 2019 and following the sale to IK, the co-founders will be reinvesting in the business to support further growth.
The Company has significantly expanded its footprint over the last nine years through strategic acquisitions, a strong customer focus and its effective IT platform. To date, 35 insurance portfolios have been acquired and integrated into You Sure’s proprietary platform, which the Company plans to continue with IK’s support.
The transaction represents the 11th investment from IK’s €550 million Small Cap II Fund.
Ger Knikman, CEO of You Sure commented: “We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Synergia, and with their support we have achieved our three-year plan in just 18 months. As we embark on the next stage of our growth, we are delighted to partner with IK. With their established presence in the Netherlands and track record of delivering long-term value, we look forward to proceeding with our strategic pipeline of acquisitions while delivering strong organic growth.”
Sander van Vreumingen, Partner at IK and advisor to the IK Small Cap II Fund, said: “You Sure is a strong insurance platform that has shown impressive growth under the leadership of Ger and Joep. We are attracted by the Company’s focus on quality and customers’ relationships driven by its proprietary digital platform. With the sector about to embark on a phase of consolidation, we are excited to partner with You Sure and help the business grow further and deliver even more for its customers.”
Leo Schenk, Managing Director at Synergia, commented: “We have had a fantastic journey with You Sure over the last 18 months and sincerely enjoyed working with Ger, Joep and the team. With a strong platform, ambitious growth strategy and their knowledge of the insurance business, they have a strong future ahead of them with IK.”
For further questions, please contact:
Maitland/AMO
James McFarlane
T: +44 (0) 20 7379 5151
jmcfarlane@maitland.co.uk
IK Investment Partners
Nastasja Vojvodic
T: +44 (0) 20 7304 4300
nastasja.vojvodic@ikinvest.com
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 135 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, visit www.ikinvest.com
About IK Small Cap II
The €550 million IK Small Cap II Fund (“IK Small Cap II” or “the Fund”) closed in 2018 and invests in growing businesses across IK’s four core sectors: Business Services, Consumer/Food, Engineered Products and Healthcare. Dedicated investment teams in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg, London, Paris and Stockholm look to support businesses with an Enterprise Value of between c. €30 million and c. €100 million across the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. For more information, visit www.ikinvest.com/IK-Funds/ik-small-cap-ii-fund
Founded in 2003 near Aix-en-Provence, Syclef is a leading French company specializing in the installation and maintenance of industrial and commercial refrigeration systems. Today, Syclef employs a workforce of nearly 800 people, following both significant organic and external growth in recent years. Since 2015, Syclef has accelerated its buy-and-build strategy with the acquisition of 15 companies. Together with Ardian, the group intends to continue this ambitious consolidation process in a market still very fragmented.
Syclef’s customer base, which is primarily composed of large and medium-size food retailers as well as companies in the food & beverage industry, relies on Syclef to manage its complex and critical refrigeration systems. The group has a direct sales approach which enables it to customize its offer and provide a bespoke service to its customers. Syclef operates a decentralized organization structure with a network of 30 independent companies throughout the country.
The group’s commercial strategy is supported by a focus on environmentally friendly innovation such as natural refrigeration fluids. This is part of its overall objective of reducing its customers’ energy consumption and environmental impact.
Marie Arnaud Battandier, Managing Director within the Ardian Expansion team, said: “Syclef’s management team has done a stellar job to put it in leadership position in the French market. In the coming years, we want to further catalyze the company’s growth by taking advantage of its expert positioning, its local strategy and its approach towards environmentally friendly innovation in this growing market.”
Hervé Lohéac, Chairman of Syclef, added: “We are very proud of the progress we have made with Latour Capital, which has allowed us to structure our external growth strategy over the last five years. Now, we are pleased to continue our journey with Ardian at our side, forming a partnership that will provide us with the right tools to further grow and develop both organically and externally. Our decentralized organization model and employee ownership are both key factors of our success, thanks to the involvement of our colleagues. This dynamism, combined with our ambitious training policy ensure our reactivity, our high maintenance standards and our ability to deliver high quality services to our clients.”
Philippe Leoni and Maxime Gutton, Partners at Latour Capital concluded: “We want to express our heartfelt thanks to the Syclef team. We are thrilled to have supported the strong development and transformation of the group with, among others, the introduction of a new senior management team and the structuration of support functions. This new organization allowed the group to triple its size in five years thanks to the acceleration of organic growth and the implementation of an active external growth strategy, with 15 acquisitions.”
Founded in 2003, Syclef is a French leader in the installation and maintenance of refrigeration systems. The group is specialized in medium and large refrigeration installations, in industrial refrigeration (logistics platforms, storage warehouses, food processing…), commercial refrigeration (supermarkets, convenience stores…) and air conditioning. The group benefits from a key player position in the energy transition through the use of innovative “eco-responsible” technologies such as natural refrigerant fluids.
Ardian is one of the world’s leading private equity firms with $100 billion under management and/or advisory in Europe, America and Asia. The company, which is majority owned by its employees, has always placed entrepreneurship at the heart of its approach and offers its international investors top-tier performance.
Through its commitment to sharing the value created with all stakeholders, Ardian participates in the growth of companies and economies around the world.
Based on its values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian benefits from an international network of 700 employees in 15 offices in Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), North America (New York, San Francisco), South America (Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). The company manages the funds of 1,000 clients through its five investment pillars: Funds of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.
Latour Capital is a French independent management company with a strong entrepreneurial and operational culture. With €1.5 billion under management and 20 investment professionals, the company is an active investor, involved alongside the management teams of its portfolio companies. The firm invests primarily in companies displaying a strong growth potential in France and abroad.
ARDIAN
LATOUR CAPITAL
PRESS CONTACTS
ARDIAN – Headland
Gregor Riemann
griemann@headlandconsultancy.com +44 (0)7920 802 627
Since 2016, Nevion has enjoyed a positive development with expanded gross margins, key new product launches, and success with several new strategic customers in both Europe, North America and Asia. The transaction is expected to close in early October 2020. Nevion was the last portfolio company remaining in Fund II and the process to liquidate the fund will commence in due course.
Read Sony’s full press release here.
ProductLife Group (PLG), a specialist provider of regulatory and compliance services for the life sciences industry, acquires Axpharma from Galiena Capital and refinances its debt alongside securing the means to achieve the next steps of its ambitious buy-and-build strategy.
Founded in 2001 by Florence Postel and accompanied by Galiena Capital as majority shareholder since 2015, Axpharma is a prominent pharmacovigilance service provider in Europe. Its team of experts enjoys a strong reputation for providing highly dependable services in the areas of case management, medical writing, medical literature monitoring, pharmacovigilance responsibility delegation, and around-the-clock medical information. Its clients include pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical device and cosmetics companies, primarily in Europe.
This acquisition falls perfectly in line with PLG’s growth acceleration and transformation plan. It will support the Group’s ambition to become the leading global provider of regulatory and compliance services in life sciences, covering regulatory affairs, clinical safety, pharmacovigilance, and quality. Pharmacovigilance services, in particular, are currently facing strong and growing international demand from life sciences companies, and PLG’s capabilities in the field will be strongly bolstered via the Axpharma deal.
ProductLife Group is ideally positioned to capitalise on this opportunity thanks to its global full-service contract model (on-shore and off-shore resourcing), its strategic use of smart technology and its best-in-class institutional team, recently reinforced with the appointment of Candice Bosson as group vice-president of human resources & talent management, and of Paolo Guerra, as new medical device lead.
Commenting on the Axpharma acquisition, PLG CEO Xavier Duburcq said, “Our strategic priority is to reinforce PLG’s ability to address the needs of today’s biopharma and medical product industry, drawing upon decades of experience in management of scientific and regulatory aspects of medicine. The merger of PLG and Axpharma offers tremendous potential to further invest in automation and artificial intelligence, as part of the aim to offer to our clients reliable, innovative, and cost-effective solutions that are always one step ahead of what the industry expects.
“I have known Axpharma for some years, and our positive work cultures make a great match. Working with the company’s well-respected and similarly-motivated team will bring exciting opportunities for us all. This acquisition also includes Audithem, an emerging company providing auditing services in pharmaceutical good practices, which will support PLG’s ambition to grow in the Quality and Compliance area,” he continued.
Speaking for both Axpharma and Audithem, Managing Director Sophie Brisset-Jaillet, said, “We are delighted at this meeting of minds and goals and we’re excited at the prospect of being part of PLG, a larger group with an excellent reputation and a broader reach. Together there is so much more we can do which can only benefit our clients and our employees. This is an exciting step for our companies. Our teams will now be able to work together in a fluid and efficient manner so that we can continue the good work we do making it even better and stronger.”
Fabrice Voituron, Managing Partner at 21 Invest, said, “The strengthening of ProductLife Group’s organization together with its good commercial momentum today result in the acceleration of the buy-and-build strategy, in spite of the context. Indeed, the Axpharma opportunity embodies the start of a new phase of growth, demonstrating PLG’s willingness to widen its expertise and expand its geographical reach notably in the United States and Europe. Supported by a new acquisition financing line, the Group has the means to support its ambitions and is expected to make further announcements in the next few months.”
Although ProductLife Group, in common with its peers around the world, must manage its plans within the constraints of the continuing pandemic, the organisation has identified strong growth markets and maintained strong performance, as demand for its services has remained buoyant. Indeed, the organisation has seen significant commercial successes in 2020, including some notable COVID-19 safety projects and a significant deal to manage the regulatory and quality activities of a large generic-drug organisation.
– 06/10/2020
Ghent, Belgium: 6 October 2020 – Sensolus, provider of IoT (Internet of Things)-based asset tracking solutions, has closed a financing round of € 3.5 million. The Belgian firm enables companies to track non-powered assets in supply chains and industrial manufacturing, operating in various industries in more than 15 countries. The financing round is led by btov Partners’ Industrial Technologies Fund in addition to existing investors Annie Vereecken, Capricorn ICT Arkiv and Quest for Growth. The funding will further accelerate the company’s international growth and help realizing its product roadmap.
Logistics and supply chain processes depend on transport carriers such as pallets, boxes, containers, returnable transport packaging and trailers. Currently, most of those non-powered assets are not connected to the internet, resulting in lost and unused assets, stock shortages or under- and overcapacity. Sensolus solves these problems and provides a cost-effective end-to-end IoT solution to track these transport carriers in real-time and optimize the underlying process flows.
The solution consists of wireless trackers that are installed as simply as a sticker, last up to 7 years without charging and communicate with the internet in real-time without requiring any other infrastructure. These wireless trackers collect crucial location, activity and sensor data, which Sensolus combines with existing process data to generate supply chain metrics, to alert on anomalies and to detect patterns which can lead to actionable insights for optimizing processes. Multiple industry leaders (e.g. Airbus, Volvo, AB InBev, SUEZ, T.C.R.) rely on Sensolus’ technology to get real-time visibility in their daily operations and save substantial costs.
The capital is raised to accelerate Sensolus’ growth in its existing market segment and to open up new segments in Europe and US. Moreover, the company will expand its solution to connect more types of assets which are omnipresent in the global supply chain.
Kristoff Van Rattinghe, CEO and co-founder of Sensolus is happy about the investment: “It is great to welcome the international investor btov Partners with their Industrial Tech Fund. We are entering a new era of the connected supply chain we will be connecting millions of non-powered assets in the years to come.”
Today, more than 100.000 non-powered assets are connected to the Sensolus SaaS (Software as a Service) platform. Van Rattinghe is confident that this is just the beginning: “IoT technology has become mature and sufficiently affordable to directly connect all new types of non-powered assets such as boxes and pallets, of which billions of units are rotating invisibly in our world. On the other hand, digitization of processes is a must for our customers to remain cost-effective and competitive in their market. We have exciting years ahead of us.”
The interplay between cloud as well as edge intelligence on the tracker makes the Sensolus solution unique. It allows capturing and analyzing the behavior of many different assets in a reliable, energyefficient way and in a wide variety of verticals Sensolus is active in. This cloud/edge combination makes the complex and broad nature of low-power asset tracking available as a plug-and-play solution. Thus, it scales to tracking large fleets of assets without losing control of the operational risk.
Benedikt Kronberger, partner at btov’s Industrial Technology Fund says: “Sensolus’ diverse team possesses significant domain expertise and great technological knowhow in the fields of both hardware as well as software development. Sensolus’ offering, with its low overall total cost of ownership, a long battery life as well as superior analytics capabilities convinced us to join the strong existing investor consortium. Moreover, through its patented technology, the company is ideally positioned to further consolidate its position as a market leader in the fast-growing industrial IoT market for asset tracking and process optimization applications.”
Marc Lambrechts, board member at Sensolus and investment manager at Capricorn Partners says: “From the start, we have been charmed by the capabilities of the Sensolus team to deliver scalable, reliable and mission critical end-to-end solutions to top tier industrial clients. With this additional investment Sensolus will be able to expand further in the journey from collecting quality data to actionable insights.”
This strategic acquisition, the first since 21 Invest took a majority stake in ProductLife Group in 2019 and appointed new CEO Xavier Duburcq, is part of the Group’s aim to widen its expertise and global reach.
ProductLife Group (PLG), a specialist provider of regulatory and compliance services for the life sciences industry, acquires Axpharma from Galiena Capital and refinances its debt alongside securing the means to achieve the next steps of its ambitious buy-and-build strategy.
Founded in 2001 by Florence Postel and accompanied by Galiena Capital as majority shareholder since 2015, Axpharma is a prominent pharmacovigilance service provider in Europe. Its team of experts enjoys a strong reputation for providing highly dependable services in the areas of case management, medical writing, medical literature monitoring, pharmacovigilance responsibility delegation, and around-the-clock medical information. Its clients include pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical device and cosmetics companies, primarily in Europe.
This acquisition falls perfectly in line with PLG’s growth acceleration and transformation plan. It will support the Group’s ambition to become the leading global provider of regulatory and compliance services in life sciences, covering regulatory affairs, clinical safety, pharmacovigilance, and quality. Pharmacovigilance services, in particular, are currently facing strong and growing international demand from life sciences companies, and PLG’s capabilities in the field will be strongly bolstered via the Axpharma deal.
ProductLife Group is ideally positioned to capitalise on this opportunity thanks to its global full-service contract model (on-shore and off-shore resourcing), its strategic use of smart technology and its best-in-class institutional team, recently reinforced with the appointment of Candice Bosson as group vice-president of human resources & talent management, and of Paolo Guerra, as new medical device lead.
Commenting on the Axpharma acquisition, PLG CEO Xavier Duburcq said, “Our strategic priority is to reinforce PLG’s ability to address the needs of today’s biopharma and medical product industry, drawing upon decades of experience in management of scientific and regulatory aspects of medicine. The merger of PLG and Axpharma offers tremendous potential to further invest in automation and artificial intelligence, as part of the aim to offer to our clients reliable, innovative, and cost-effective solutions that are always one step ahead of what the industry expects.
“I have known Axpharma for some years, and our positive work cultures make a great match. Working with the company’s well-respected and similarly-motivated team will bring exciting opportunities for us all. This acquisition also includes Audithem, an emerging company providing auditing services in pharmaceutical good practices, which will support PLG’s ambition to grow in the Quality and Compliance area,” he continued.
Speaking for both Axpharma and Audithem, Managing Director Sophie Brisset-Jaillet, said, “We are delighted at this meeting of minds and goals and we’re excited at the prospect of being part of PLG, a larger group with an excellent reputation and a broader reach. Together there is so much more we can do which can only benefit our clients and our employees. This is an exciting step for our companies. Our teams will now be able to work together in a fluid and efficient manner so that we can continue the good work we do making it even better and stronger.”
Fabrice Voituron, Managing Partner at 21 Invest, said, “The strengthening of ProductLife Group’s organization together with its good commercial momentum today result in the acceleration of the buy-and-build strategy, in spite of the context. Indeed, the Axpharma opportunity embodies the start of a new phase of growth, demonstrating PLG’s willingness to widen its expertise and expand its geographical reach notably in the United States and Europe. Supported by a new acquisition financing line, the Group has the means to support its ambitions and is expected to make further announcements in the next few months.”
Although ProductLife Group, in common with its peers around the world, must manage its plans within the constraints of the continuing pandemic, the organisation has identified strong growth markets and maintained strong performance, as demand for its services has remained buoyant. Indeed, the organisation has seen significant commercial successes in 2020, including some notable COVID-19 safety projects and a significant deal to manage the regulatory and quality activities of a large generic-drug organisation.
San Francisco, 6 October 2020
| GP Bullhound acted as the exclusive financial adviser to AllyO, a leading HR SaaS and AI company, on the sale of its business to HireVue, the global leader in virtual interviewing and assessments technology, majority owned by the Carlyle Group.
AllyO, based in Palo Alto, California, provides a SaaS AI solution to engage and qualify job seekers, automate recruiting processes, and deliver actionable insights to hiring managers. The company’s platform targets enterprises and was primarily backed by Sapphire and Bain Capital Ventures. “AllyO is a natural extension to HireVue’s solutions and we are thrilled to become a part of it,” said Sahil Sahni and Ankit Somani, Co-founders of AllyO. “Uniting AllyO’s continuous, personalized candidate engagement with HireVue’s video interviewing and assessments will increase hiring velocity and talent quality for companies, allowing candidates to connect on their own terms to more fully showcase their potential.” Jonathan Cantwell, Partner at GP Bullhound, stated: “We are proud to have helped AllyO find its ideal strategic partner in HireVue and complete a successful deal for the stakeholders. The combination creates an undisputed leader in the recruitment space. We look forward to seeing their growth and success for years to come.” This represents GP Bullhound’s 21st transaction in the last year, of which 12 SaaS transactions, and is a further testament to the firm’s expertise in the HCM software sector, having previously advised TextRecruit in its sale to iCIMS, Zugata in its sale to CultureAmp, and Multiposting in its sale to SAP, among others. About GP Bullhound GP Bullhound is a leading technology advisory and investment firm, providing transaction advice and capital to the world’s best entrepreneurs and founders. Founded in 1999, the firm today has offices in London, San Francisco, Stockholm, Berlin, Manchester, Paris, Hong Kong, Madrid and New York. For more information, please visit www.gpbullhound.com. For enquiries, please contact: Jonathan Cantwell, Partner and Head of Software jonathan.cantwell@gpbullhound.com Brandon Overmyer, Vice President |
MIAMI, FL – (October 6th, 2020) Boyne Capital Partners (“Boyne”) is pleased to announce that Alex Villanueva has been promoted to Vice President.
Alex joined Boyne in 2018 as part of the portfolio management team where he focuses on post-acquisition strategy, operational support and infrastructure building for the investment portfolio.
Adam Herman, Boyne’s Chief Operating Officer, said, “Alex is a great example of our strategy to find talented professionals with varying business backgrounds that can bring different perspectives to our portfolio companies and management teams. Equally important to us is providing the team the opportunity to grow their careers as our firm continues grow. Alex has done a great job and earned this promotion. Congrats!”
Prior to joining Boyne, Alex founded a transportation company which provided innovative eco-friendly transit solutions to local communities in the Washington D.C. metro area. Prior to his entrepreneurial venture, Alex was Senior M&A Analyst at Global Imaging Systems, a subsidiary of Xerox Corporation specializing in business technology solutions, where he supervised the execution of the acquisition process for platform investments. He began his career at Ernst & Young’s Audit & Assurance practice.
Alex received his BS in Finance and MS in Accounting from the College of William and Mary. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
About Boyne: Boyne Capital is a Florida-based private equity firm focused on investments in lower middle market companies. Founded in 2006, Boyne has successfully invested in a broad range of industries, including healthcare services, consumer products, niche manufacturing, and business & financial services among others. Beyond financial resources, Boyne provides industry and operational expertise to its portfolio companies and partners with management to drive both company performance and growth. Boyne specializes in providing the capital necessary to fund corporate growth and facilitate owners and shareholders’ partial or full exit. For additional information, please visit www.boynecapital.com.
