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reichweite² becomes part of Sovendus

Bregal unternehmerkapital

With the support of Bregal Unternehmerkapital, Karlsruhe-based online marketing firm Sovendus has acquired reichweite² beratung & medien GmbH, Ulm, thereby further strengthening its market position as the leader in check-out page marketing.

At the end of 2015 Bregal Unternehmerkapital acquired a minority stake in Sovendus. In the first half of 2016, Bregal supported the firm in its acquisition of the online marketing companies Tharuka and RMD Regional Marketing Deutschland.

Sovendus GmbH was founded in 2008. Its customers now include more than 850 online shops, numerous online portals, over 35 magazine publishers, 240 newspaper publishers and plenty of other product providers. Sovendus offers a whole range of marketing solutions for the check-out page of e-commerce shops and among others offers attractive deals and positive shopping experiences to generate additional sales, direct revenues and high-quality newsletter addresses for its shop partners. It also markets checkout pages and places regionally focused online offers on behalf of publishers. Together with the integrated services from Tharuka and RMD, this enables Sovendus to reach more than 20 million online customers a month in seven European countries.

reichweite² also addresses customers of online shops individually straight after an online purchase. It uses e-mails, call centres and offline campaigns to market subscriptions of newspapers and magazines, digital products such as audio books and non-print products. In addition to its Ulm location, the company, which was founded over 13 years ago, also has offices in Herisau, Switzerland. Its 400 customers include renowned publishing houses and well-known online shops as well as mail-order firms and agencies.

Together with reichweite², Sovendus will be able to further expand its customer base and product offering for check-out page marketing solutions. Furthermore, the proprietary technology developed by reichweite² will help Sovendus to strengthen its innovation leadership. The acquisition is also an important step for growing the partner network. We look forward to providing Sovendus with sustained support based on partnership as the company continues to grow.

Press contact:

IRA WÜLFING KOMMUNIKATION
Dr. Reinhard Saller
Phone: +49 89 2000 30-30
bregal@wuelfing-kommunikation.de

 

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Summa Equity acquires Lin Education

Summa Equity has acquired Linfre Education AB from the founder and a handful of private investors. The founder and CEO Josef Lind will reinvest the majority of his proceeds, and the management team will also invest alongside Summa Equity.

Tommi Unkuri, Partner at Summa Equity, said: “We are very excited about concluding Summa Equity’ third investment, and the first one within the investment theme Changing Demographics. This investment also fits within another of our four themes, Tech-enabled business, where Education is a core segment. Through Lin Education we will contribute to the digitalisation of the Swedish educational system. In a time when learning is more important than ever, this is a field offering important challenges, but also huge opportunities. Being part of innovative solutions to some of the pressing challenges of our time, is a fundament in Summa Equity’s investment philosophy”.

Josef Lind, Founder and CEO of Lin Education, said: “We are very pleased to have Summa Equity as our new majority owner and partner, as this will help Lin Education take the next steps in our development. We are looking forward to a collaboration whereby we will strengthen our offering, press ahead to lead the development in educational content, and further develop our organisation. In Summa Equity we find a fit not only for our business, but also for our people and stakeholders.”

Lin Education was founded in 2007 by Josef Lind, and today has several hundred thousand digital tools and IT hardware (i.e. computers, laptops, tablets, etc.) in schools and preschools all over Sweden. Lin Education also offers learning, development and digitalisation training for its customers. Many thousand people are using the Lin Education’s proprietary digital content tools for learning. The company has some 90 employees working out of offices in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Malmö, Karlstad and Umeå. Revenue was SEK 569m in 2016.

Summa Equity will support the continued development of Lin Education and assist the Company in further growth through investments to develop existing as well as new products. Lin Education is expected to benefit from the trend towards increasing digitalisation of learning, in schools and in other environments.

Ends

For more information, please contact:

Tommi Unkuri, Lead Partner, Summa Equity, +46 70 508 1196, tommi.unkuri@summaequity.com

Josef Lind, CEO, Lin Education, +46) 704 385 827, josef.lind@lineducation.se

About Lin Education

Lin Education is a Swedish Education Technology company founded in 2007 as distributor of IT hardware (i.e. computers, laptops, tablets) to Swedish schools. The Company has since also expanded into segments for digital content, training and supplementary services for a digital learning environment, and today has a position as a leader in the Swedish market for digitalisation of the educational system. Lin Education has demonstrated strong double digit revenue growth annually over the past three years.

About Summa Equity

Summa Equity was formed in 2016 by partners with a shared vision of building a leading specialised private equity firm in the Nordic lower mid-market, positioned to capture the investment opportunity provided by the thematic megatrends expected to drive growth over the long term. The Firm focuses on sectors related to four megatrend driven themes: resource scarcity, energy efficiency, changing demographics and tech-enabled businesses. Summa Equity closed its first fund in February 2017 with commitments of SEK 4.5 billion.

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New Portfolio Company: Xsens AS

Investinor

Investinor and lead investor Proventure invests MNOK 25 in oiltech startup Xsens.

Xsens is based in Bergen, Norway and offers patented technology for measuring flow rates in oil and gas pipelines.

Measurement of flow rates in the oil and gas industry represents a billion dollar market globally. The measuring instruments available on the market today, must either be inserted into the liquid and gas flow, or penetrate the pipe walls to work properly. They are easily disturbed by e.g. scaling (deposits inside the pipes), and their accuracy will deteriorate over time.

Xsens has developed a proprietary technology for measuring flow rates accurately from the outside of the pipes, enabling significant cost reduction, improved technical integrity and long term stability.

The Xsens technology can monitor flow rates in pipelines on the seabed, in process facilities onboard platforms and vessels (where oil, gas and sludge are separated), as well as in onshore processing plants.

─ This investment enables us to grow the company internationally, and to realize an ambitious product launch, says Chairman of Xsens Christopher Giertsen.

─ The main advantage of the Xsens technology is cost savings. Xsens offers solutions with the same accuracy as its competitors, but at a substantially lower price. They are set to grab a significant market share, says Investment Director of Investinor Jan Morten Ertsaas.

─ This is a very exciting company spun out from Christian Michelsen Research (CMR) in Bergen, which has a long tradition of developing world-leading measurement technology for the oil industry. They have once again managed to develop a product that could provide significant savings for the industry, says Managing Partner of Proventure Terje Eidesmo.

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Telia Company to acquire Fält Communications AB

Telia

Telia Company accelerates its activities within the Smart Cities space by acquiring Fält Communications AB (Fältcom), a leading and well established company in the growing Nordic connected public transportation market.

“Fältcom is a market leader in Scandinavia and has recently seen early success internationally. The combination of great products and services, and talented and passionate people, will position the combined companies to become the leading provider of Smart Public Transport services whilst laying a foundation for further expansion in the Smart Transport & Logistics and Smart City space,” says Brendan Ives, Head of Telia Company’s emerging businesses unit Division X, and continues: “This is also fully in line with our ambition to find digital solutions to societal challenges such as climate change while making cities more liveable”

Swedish company Fältcom was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Umeå. The company has roughly 40 employees. Fältcom’s systems make it possible for customers to monitor and control devices in one place on the globe from another. The company today has more than 160,000 installations, of which 40,000 are online, in buildings, vehicles, and customized IoT solutions. Fältcom is the market leader in Scandinavia for mobile platforms on buses, and every speed camera in Sweden is equipped with its technology. For 2016, Fältcom had preliminary revenues of SEK 83 million.

Fältcom’s main owners SEB Venture Capital and Nordic VC Industrifonden together own 93 percent of Fältcom and the employees own the remaining 7 percent. The acquisition is expected to close in February. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

“Fältcom and Telia Company share a common belief that open platforms and ecosystems are key to unleashing the endless possibilities of IoT. Having achieved a market leading position, we are really excited to be part of Telia Company. Together we’ll strengthen our market position, open up significant growth potential and accelerate the rate at which we can create value for our customers and partners,” says Mikael Långström, CEO of Fältcom.

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Bregal Unternehmerkapital partners with Embassy, a Swiss luxury watch retail company

Bregal unternehmerkapital

Lucerne – Embassy Jewel AG, headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland, has gained an additional shareholder, Bregal Unternehmerkapital, serving as a partner for growth. The agreement was signed by the owners – Petra and Patrik König. With the support of Bregal Unternehmerkapital, the luxury watch retail company plans to foster further growth. Both parties agreed to not publish further details about the transaction.

Since its foundation in 1970 by Kurt König, the father of Petra and Patrik König, Embassy has grown steadily. Today, Embassy is one of the five largest retail companies in the Swiss watch market and stands for the highest level of quality for more than 45 years. The highly respected and well-known retail company operates five attractively located stores in Lucerne, the Swiss watch capital, as well as one shop in St. Moritz. With watches and jewelry from distinguished brands as Breguet, Blancpain, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Breitling and numerous other manufacturers, Embassy appeals to an international clientele. Consequently, Embassy continues to thrive on Lucerne’s tourism strategy, which follows highest quality standards and class. Together, the shareholders plan further investments to strengthen the branch network and the in-store infrastructure to implement an even more personalized customer approach.

“We are delighted to join forces with the ideal partner Bregal Unternehmerkapital who will support our long-term growth plans” notes Embassy’s CEO Patrik König. “Bregal itself is part of a family-owned retail business, which has grown over generations and shares our values.” Florian Schick, Managing Partner of Bregal Unternehmerkapital GmbH, adds: “Our philosophy is to collaboratively support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises with capital, know-how and an international network of experts to create lasting values in a long-term relationship. Embassy has exceptional growth potential in an attractive market. We are glad to support Embassy’s next growth phase together with Petra and Patrik König and the current management team around Patrick Frischknecht.”

Embassy store

The stake in Embassy represents the sixth investment by the current fund, and is the second transaction in Switzerland. At the end of 2016, Bregal had acquired a majority stake in Kunststoff Schwanden AG, a supplier of complex plastic parts and components in the Swiss canton of Glarus as part of a succession arrangement.

About Bregal Unternehmerkapital

Bregal is part of a family-owned business that has been built up over generations. Its investment activity is free of institutional constraints, based on long-term commitment and independent of developments in the financial markets. Bregal identifies companies, with strong management teams, that are regarded as market leaders or “hidden champions” in their particular segment. Flexible financing and transaction structures enable Bregal to acquire both minority and majority stakes. In doing so, Bregal is also able to handle complex industry spin-offs, management buy-outs and succession situations in a sensitive, non-dogmatic manner. Bregal aims to help companies to achieve a sustained improvement in sales and profitability, and provides them with capital, proven financial expertise and access to a broad network of entrepreneurs and industry experts.

Media contact

IRA WÜLFING KOMMUNIKATION GmbH
Florian Bergmann Ohmstr. 1, D-80802 Munich
Tel. +49 89 2000 30-30
E-Mail bregal@wuelfing-kommunikation.de
www.wuelfing-kommunikation.de/en

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Gimv leads EUR 10.3 million follow-on round to accelerate Itineris’ international growth

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GIMV

Gimv leads EUR 10.3 million follow-on round to accelerate Itineris’ international growth

Gimv and Gimv managed Gimv Arkiv Tech Fund II jointly invest EUR 7.8 million in Itineris (www.itineris.net), a Belgian software solutions company that has developed UMAX, a Microsoft-based software solution managing the meter-to-cash processes at utility companies. Next to Gimv, other existing investors PMV and CEO-founder Edgard Vermeersch jointly put EUR 2.5 million on top, lifting the total financing round to EUR 10.3 million.

With four clients in the US under contract, a strengthened leadership for the UMAX North American business, a geographical extension of its focus in Europe with several new customer wins and revenues topping EUR 43 million, 2016 was a key year for Itineris.

The funds will be used to further support the growth of the company. Next to investing in the improvement of its UMAX-solution for its existing customers, and extending its reach with new customers in both Europe and North-America, the company is also considering some acquisition opportunities.

After earlier financings in November 2013 and May 2015, this is the third investment round of Itineris in which Gimv acts as lead investor. It clearly shows Gimv’s willingness to provide larger financing tickets to ambitious entrepreneurs willing to scale up and accelerate the growth of their company in order to become  leading in their sector.

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Partners Group and PSP Investments to acquire Cerba HealthCare, from PAI Partners

Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, acting on behalf of its clients, and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (“PSP Investments”), one of Canada’s largest pension investment managers, have agreed to acquire European medical laboratory services operator, Cerba HealthCare (“Cerba”, “the Company”). The company is being acquired from PAI Partners, a leading European private equity firm, and the company’s clinical pathologists and managers.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Paris, France, Cerba is a leading operator of clinical pathology laboratories, with a number one position in France and strong market positions in Belgium and Luxembourg. The majority of Cerba’s revenues are generated via routine lab tests. The company also focuses on specialty lab testing for more complex medical diagnoses and testing services for clinical trials. Cerba’s clients include private patients, physicians, labs, private and public hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The company employs almost 4,300 people, including 350 biologists, and generated revenues of approximately EUR 630 million in 2016.

Following the completion of the acquisition, which is subject to the legislative information process involving the Company’s works council and regulatory approvals, Partners Group and PSP Investments will work with Cerba’s management team, led by CEO Catherine Courboillet, to support the numerous growth opportunities of the business. These include the continuation of the Company’s highly successful M&A strategy within the French market and internationally, as well as the acceleration of organic growth and development in other segments.

Catherine Courboillet, CEO, Cerba HealthCare, states: “Cerba has enjoyed tremendous growth in the past decade. When we approached the transition to new ownership, we focused on finding partners who would not only support a continuation of this pace of growth, but could also bring valuable support in international development. We believe we have found the right partners in Partners Group and PSP Investments and look forward to working together with them to further build on Cerba’s market-leading position.”

Kim Nguyen, Managing Director, Private Equity Europe, Partners Group, comments: “Cerba is a resilient market leader in a highly attractive and fragmented sub-sector of the healthcare industry. The unique fully integrated business model means that Cerba is ideally positioned to further consolidate the French market and accelerate organic growth. We have been impressed by Catherine Courboillet’s strategy of entering new business areas and optimizing Cerba’s retail portfolio. We look forward to working together with Catherine and her team and our investment partner PSP Investments to continue strengthening Cerba’s market leadership position.”

Simon Marc, Managing Director, Private Equity (Europe), PSP Investments, adds: “Over the last couple of decades, Catherine Courboillet and her team have grown Cerba HealthCare into the leading private medical biology laboratory business in France. Cerba has developed a unique positioning in its markets on the back of its widely recognized medical and industry expertise and we are excited about the growth prospects of the company. As a provider of long-term strategic capital, we look forward to working with Partners Group, Catherine and the management team to support Cerba’s growth in France and internationally.”

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Sunrise Capital II’s Asamiya Co., Ltd. merges with Meiwa Co., Ltd. to form LIFEDRINK COMPANY Inc.

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Tokyo, Monday 16 January, 2017

– CLSA Capital Partners, the alternative asset management arm of CLSA, is pleased to announce Sunrise Capital II ’s (“Sunrise II”) Asamiya Co., Ltd. (“Asamiya”), a low-cost beverage manufacturer headquartered in Osaka, and Meiwa Co., Ltd. (“Meiwa”), a beverage wholesaler headquartered in Tokyo, have reached an agreement to merge and form a new company, which will primarily focus on the sales and promotion of beverages and other food -related products.

Asamiya and Meiwa are expected to merge on March 1, 2017 and establish a new company named LIFEDRINK COMPANY Inc .(“LDC”) Sunrise II is a CLSA Capital Partners’ fund that invests in established, mid-cap companies with strong growth potential in Japan. Asamiya manufactures various food-related products with a key focus on beverages such as pet-bottled mineral water and tea. The company has nation-wide production facilities operating through its group’s subsidiaries and is renowned for its low-cost operations achieved through in-house integration of the value chain from procurement, manufacturing, logistics and distribution. To date, Asamiya has supplied safe and secure products to consumers at affordable prices mainly in West Japan.

On the other hand, Meiwa has been successful in identifying customer needs and has built a strong reputation as a reliable company for promoting and stably distributing safe and secure products sought -afterby customers, mainly in East Japan.Sunrise II believes that through the merger of the two companies, the newly established food/beverage-related promotion and distribution company, LDC, will be able to benefit from the strengths and synergies between Asamiya and Meiwa and will be capable of tapping an even wider client base through its affordable and sought-after products. In addition, Sunrise II believes that the merger will further optimise operations and contribute to building a stronger management platform, which will assist the company in further expanding the business. Sunrise II will continue to support further acceleration of growth in the newly established company, LDC.

About Sunrise Capital

Sunrise Capital is a Japan-dedicated private equity strategy, capitalising on opportunities in the mid-cap buyout sector. Sunrise Capital’s unique features include a hands-on approach and support with overseas expansion through CLSA’s global network. Sunrise Capital has completed investments in 10 companies to date and is assisting in realising their growth potential since its establishment in 2006.

About CLSA Capital Partners

CLSA Capital Partners is the alternative asset management arm of CLSA, Asia’s leading and longest-running brokerage and investment group. CLSA Capital Partners has more than US$3 billion under management and offices across the region, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo. CLSA Capital Partners offers a diversified and increasing range of investment strategies managed by a diverse team of industry professionals with expertise in private equity, banking and finance, law and accountancy and various industry specialisations.

For more information visit www.clsacapital.com

MEDIACONTACTS

Simone Wheeler

Global Head, Group Communications

CLSA

T: +852 2600 8196

E: simone.wheeler@clsa.com

Mandy Ho

Senior Communications Manager

CLSA

T: +852 2600 8193

E: mandy.ho@clsa.com

 

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IK Investment Partners to sell Colosseum Smile to Jacobs Holding AG

ik-investment-partners

IK Investment Partners to sell Colosseum Smile to Jacobs Holding AG

IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK 2007 Fund has reached an agreement to sell Colosseum Smile Group, leading provider of private dental care in Scandinavia, to Jacobs Holding AG (“JAG”). Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Colosseum Smile Group was acquired by IK in 2010 and has since then accelerated its growth and consolidation of the Scandinavian dentistry market. Today Colosseum Smile is the leading provider of private dental care in Scandinavia with 52 clinics in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, offering a range of services from basic dental care to specialist surgery.

“Together with our employees and supported by IK, we have successfully developed Colosseum Smile from two smaller dentist chains to a high quality private dental care provider. We believe we have now reached a phase when we, together with JAG, will be able to take the next step in our development to reach our mission to be the best and most recognised Scandinavian provider of modern dental care for both customers and producers,” said David Halldén, CEO of Colosseum Smile.

Headquartered in Oslo, Colosseum Smile offers a full range of dental care services through its state of the art clinics across Scandinavia. The group has more than tripled in size since IK acquired Colosseum in Norway 2010 and merged Colosseum and Smile in Sweden in 2014.

Colosseum Smile has taken an active role in consolidating the fragmented dental care markets in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Today the group’s sales amount to over 1.2 billion NOK.

”With numerous acquisitions and a merger, and together with Colosseum Smile’s management team, we have successfully transformed the company from an entrepreneurial endeavor to a leading chain in Scandinavia. The company is a first mover to integrate and consolidate the Scandinavian market, and is now ready to further leverage its platform,” said Thomas Klitbo, Partner at IK Investment Partners and advisor to the IK 2007 Fund.

“We are looking forward to acquire Colosseum Smile Group with its strong track record of delivering high quality care and offering excellent value to its patients and producers alike. We are excited to partner with the management team, and support them in their continuous efforts of building the leading dentistry chain in the Nordics,” said Tomas Aubell, Head of Investments at JAG.

The transaction is expected to close in the beginning of 2017.

For further questions, please contact:

Colosseum Smile
David Halldén, CEO
Phone: +46 708 441998

IK Investment Partners
Thomas Klitbo, Partner
Phone: +44 207 304 4300

Mikaela Hedborg
Communications & ESG Manager
Phone: +44 77 87 573 566
mikaela.hedborg@ikinvest.com

About Colosseum Smile
Colosseum Smile is Scandinavia’s largest private dental chain with 52 clinics in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The group has more than 1,200 employees. W e are a dental chain with general dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and 90 leading specialists in all dental areas – all with the ambition to offer the best Nordic dentistry. Involvement, Innovative thinking and a holistic perspective form the cornerstones of Colosseum Smile’s values and guides us in how we conduct dental treatment and our aspiration to be the industry’s best workplace. For more information, please visit www.smile.se and www.colosseumklinikken.no

About IK Investment Partners
IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is a Pan-European private equity firm focused on investments in the Nordics, DACH region, France, and Benelux. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €9 billion of capital and invested in over 100 European companies. IK funds support 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 Jacobs Holding AG
JAG is a global professional investment firm based in Zurich and founded in 1994 by entrepreneur Klaus J. Jacobs. Its sole economic beneficiary is the Jacobs Foundation, one of the world’s leading charitable foundations dedicated to child and youth development. JAG has an established track record of holding its investment for long periods with the aim to successfully compete and become global market leaders in their respective fields. Previous and current investments include Jacobs Suchard AG, Adecco Group AG and Barry Callebaut AG. For more information, visit www.jacobsag.ch

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Sale of Clean Surface Technology Co., Ltd.

Polaris

Polaris Private Equity Fund III (“Polaris Fund III”), managed by Polaris Capital Group Co., Ltd. (“Polaris”), has agreed with Mitsui Matsushima Co., Ltd. on the sale of all of the shares of Clean Surface Technology Co., Ltd. (“CST”) (with 100% of the voting rights) owned by Polaris Fund III and other shareholder to Mitsui Matsushima Co., Ltd. and signed Share Purchase Agreement today.

Since its inception as Japan’s first specialist mask blank maker in 1977, CST has been manufacturing and distributing mask blank components to major photo mask manufacturers in Japan and abroad which in turn will be used to manufacture various end products such as LCDs, semiconductors and OLED and enjoys a high market share as one of the leading supplier in its field.

CST has accumulated globally top-notch technologies and know-hows through operating for many years within-house production of manufacturing machines/devices and secured a very high market shares in mask blanks for super-large LCDs and OLEDs. We expect a steady growth of the demand for mask blanks to be used in both LCDs and semi-conductors as well as a rowth of new market for super-large LCDs and OLEDs.

Polaris has decided to proceed with the sale since CST will be able to continue to grow by keeping its leading position in the mask blanks market through developing more advanced technologies and new products and accelerate its growth strategies as a core member of Mitsui Matsushima Group for creating a higher corporate value in the future.

The share transfer is expected to be completed on February 1, 2017.

For inquires:

Naohiko Ohno

Senior Vice President

Polaris Capital Group Co., Ltd.

 

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