BDC and bd-capital agree to merge Private Sport Shop and SportPursuit

Bridgepoint

The merger of Private Sport Shop and SportPursuit combines the leading positions in France and the UK and fast-growing presence in Germany. It brings together highly complementary category and product coverage to create Europe’s most compelling destination for millions of current and prospective members looking for great sports and outdoor products at exceptional value

PARIS, LONDON – 21 June 2022 – bd-capital, the pan-European, operationally-led private equity firm, and Bridgepoint Development Capital, the mid-market growth-focused team of Bridgepoint, today announce the merger of their respective portfolio companies, SportPursuit and Private Sport Shop to form Sportscape Group.

The combination creates a business with more than €200m sales across France, UK, Germany and 10 other countries, and accelerates the group’s shared vision to create Europe’s leading sports and outdoor hub: delivering daily inspiration, unbeatable deals, amazing brands and engaging content for sports and outdoor enthusiasts across Europe and beyond.

Sportscape Group will be led by Sébastien Rohart, the current CEO of Private Sport Shop. He will be supported by the current executives from both companies, with Adam Pikett, current CEO and co-founder of SportPursuit, taking up the role of Chief Vision Officer overseeing the strategy of the group. Both Luke Pikett, Managing Director and co-founder of SportPursuit and Yannick Leouffre, Managing Director of Private Sport Shop, will continue to lead both businesses.

The newly combined group creates a powerful distribution channel for more than 2,500 existing brand partners with access to an audience of over 24 million sports and outdoor enthusiasts – 90-95% of the Group’s daily traffic originating organically from its own audience. The merger also combines two unique and highly engaged digital and social communities with over 3 million followers.

Millions of existing active customers will enjoy larger product ranges with an even greater selection of leading sport and outdoor brands available across more sports, more of the time. Private Sport Shop and SportPursuit will continue to operate as consumer-facing brands in their home markets, building on their strong consumer recognition and high repeat rates which have been built over many years.

Technology will play an ever-increasing role in consumer-facing industries and Sportscape Group’s shared expertise in data analytics, custom algorithms and machine learning will further improve user experience, helping to create unique communications at a customer level, leading to higher engagement and lifetime value.

As European consumers come under increasing spending pressure, as a result of increases in the cost of living, Sportscape Group’s proposition becomes even more compelling; to offer consumers access to the best products at the very best prices, helping them afford to stay active and healthy.

Commenting on the combination, Sébastien Rohart said: “I am excited to become the CEO of Sportscape Group. The combination creates a European leader with a unique proposition to our customers and brand partners alike. In particular, the combination of Private Sport Shop’s huge sport coverage and social media presence with SportPursuit’s technology and data expertise creates significant additional growth opportunities, over and above what we could have created individually. We are very pleased to open this exciting chapter with the full backing of our shareholder Bridgepoint Development Capital who have been our highly supportive partner from the very beginning.”

Adam Pikett added: “At SportPursuit, we have known and admired the Private Sport Shop team for many years. As a co-founder of SportPursuit it is super exciting to have this opportunity to bring the two businesses together to create something special: a true European leader across multiple markets, multiple categories, with substantial headroom for further growth.”

Jean-Baptiste Salvin, Director at Bridgepoint Development Capital, also commented: “We are excited to be working with bd-capital to support the combination of our two investments. We have created fantastic alignment between our organisations and look forward to supporting the combined group as we move forward together.”

Andrey Russinov, Director at bd-capital added: “We are focused on partnership at bd-capital, and this merger creates both a partnership between two operational companies and two investors. The combination of SportPursuit and Private Sport Shop substantially increases the growth potential of both, and we are excited to support that growth alongside Bridgepoint and management.”

In addition to driving significant growth through organic expansion, the combination will create a strong foundation to support further M&A activity across Europe and beyond.

Private Sport Shop and SportPursuit executed the transaction in close partnership with advisory teams from PwC (financial and tax), Stephenson Harwood (legal), Mayer Brown (legal), and Goodwin Procter (legal). The financing of the transaction is provided by Permira. Financial terms of the transaction remain confidential.

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EURAZEO ENTERS INTO EXCLUSIVE DISCUSSIONS TO INVEST IN SEVETYS, A FASTGROWING FRENCH VETERINARY CLINICS PLATFORM

Eurazeo has entered into exclusive discussions to invest in Sevetys, a French group of veterinary
clinics.

Founded in 2017, Sevetys is one of the largest groups of veterinary clinics in France with more than
200 clinics throughout the country.

The investment in Sevetys would be made by the funds managed by the teams of Eurazeo Mid Cap
S.A.
The transaction remains subject to the consultation process of the employees’ representative
bodies and to the approval of the transaction by the French competition authority.
Financial details would be disclosed following these discussions.

ABOUT EURAZEO
 Eurazeo is a leading global investment company, with a diversified portfolio of €32 billion in
assets under management, including nearly €23.2 billion from third parties, invested in
530 companies. With its considerable private equity, venture capital, private debt as well as
real estate and infrastructure asset expertise, Eurazeo accompanies companies of all sizes,
supporting their development through the commitment of its nearly 360 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, London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Milan, Madrid, Luxembourg,
Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and Sao Paulo.
 Eurazeo is listed on Euronext Paris.
 ISIN: FR0000121121 – Bloomberg: RF FP – Reuters: EURA.PA

EURAZEO CONTACT
Virginie Christnacht
HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS
vchristnacht@eurazeo.com
+33 (0)1 44 15 76 44

Pierre Bernardin

HEAD OF INVESTOR RELATIONS
pbernardin@eurazeo.com
+33 (0)1 44 15 16 76

PRESS CONTACT
David Sturken
MAITLAND/AMO
dsturken@maitland.co.uk
+44 (0) 7990 595 913

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Flowdesk, the french digital asset financial technology provider, raises $30 million

Isai

Flowdesk announced that it has raised $30 million from leading investors such as Eurazeo, Aglaé Ventures, ISAI, Speedinvest, Fabric.vc, Ledger, and Coinbase, and 20 well-known business angels, including Alexandre Prot (Qonto), Nicolas Julia (Sorare), Pascal Gauthier (Ledger) and Sébastien Borget (The Sandbox).


A trading infrastructure made in France

Active in the cryptocurrency sector for several years, the four co-founders of Flowdesk, Guilhem Chaumont, Paul Bugnot, François Cluzeau and Balthazar Giraux have been working in this sector since 2017 after careers in banking, algorithmic trading, engineering and entrepreneurship. During their respective experiences, they were marked by the siloing and fracturing of marketplaces and the technological barrier to properly handle the liquidity of crypto-asset projects. In 2020 they chose to develop an infrastructure that would allow them to interconnect and trade on these exchanges, while guaranteeing the redundancy and scalability needed to support the growing number of crypto projects.

An innovative product: Market-Making-as-a-Service (MMaaS)

Flowdesk is thus the originator of a trading infrastructure that allows interconnection with more than 60 cryptocurrency exchange platforms. A technology that its teams use on behalf of Flowdesk as well as for their clients and which allows them to offer four types of services:

  • Asset management

  • Brokerage

  • Custody

  • Market-making

Market-making is Flowdesk’s flagship service and its most differentiating product. It addresses the needs of the majority of the 10,000 cryptocurrency issuers with significant liquidity issues. By making its technology and traders available to these players, Flowdesk allows them to manage their cryptocurrency token liquidity themselves with their own funds. The service is called Market-Making-as-a-Service in reference to digital models based on simply providing technology to customers who commit their own resources.

A decisive fund-raising to change scale

Although Flowdesk’s team consisted only of its four co-founders at the beginning of 2021, the company now employs 35 people and plans to recruit to reach 100 employees before the end of 2022. A change of scale for which fundraising was necessary. Flowdesk is indeed facing an extremely strong demand in market-making and after having opened offices in Singapore in March 2022, is now targeting the United States to deploy sales and trading teams as well as legal compliance specialists, a particularly strategic topic for the company and its constantly changing regulatory market.

For Guilhem Chaumont, co-founder and CEO of Flowdesk: “This fundraising is a key step that will allow us to accelerate at all levels to meet the growing demand in Europe, Asia and North America. It will also give us the means to develop our technological infrastructure to meet the new needs that will emerge in market making. Our vision is that within 10 years a large proportion of assets will be tokenized using blockchain technology, which will require a rethinking of financial services with a more scalable and counterparty agnostic approach. We will have to scale up quickly to integrate this new financial situation. ”

For Thomas Turelier, Vice President at Eurazeo: “An increasing number of companies are issuing tokens and are thus confronted with the complexity of managing a liquid asset in different markets. Most of these companies do not, however, see themselves as financial market professionals: they are technology providers, game developers… A financial infrastructure such as the one proposed by Flowdesk is therefore crucial to allow all these web3 players to develop with the least possible friction while trusting a regulated player aligned with its customers in terms of financial interests. ”

For Cyril Guenoun, Partner at Aglaé Ventures: “We were convinced by Flowdesk’s positioning as a technology provider for cryptocurrency issuers. This emerging and fast-growing market needs scalable tools to ensure secure and sustainable development. The team has proven the robustness of its solution as well as a business model adapted to its customers. With an already international presence and strong speed of execution, Flowdesk has the means to drive the growth of financial services for cryptocurrencies. ”

Innovating to empower customers

Another ambition of this fundraising is to continue to invest in innovation with the aim of developing a complete platform for Flowdesk’s clients, allowing them to carry out the simplest to the most complex trading operations themselves. A model that will contribute to Flowdesk’s position as a leader in Market-Making-as-a-Service.


About Flowdesk

Founded in 2020 by Guilhem Chaumont, Paul Bugnot, François Cluzeau and Balthazar Giraux, Flowdesk is a digital asset service provider registered in France with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF). Flowdesk is the originator of a trading infrastructure that allows interconnection with more than 60 cryptocurrency exchange platforms. The company offers four types of services: asset management, brokerage, custody and market-making. The company has offices in Paris and Singapore.

PR Contacts
flowdesk@wachsman.com

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TechInsights acquires Strategy Analytics

CVC Capital Partners

TechInsights, an Oakley Capital (“Oakley”) and CVC Growth Partners portfolio company, is pleased to announce that it has acquired Strategy Analytics, a leading supplier of syndicated research across the global consumer technology sector.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with a significant presence in Europe, Strategy Analytics supplies syndicated research across the global consumer technology sector, providing the deepest wireless and automotive coverage in the market.

TechInsights is widely recognised as the world’s authoritative information services platform for the global microelectronics sector, built from a core competency of heavily differentiated reverse engineering creating advanced technology and market analysis. TechInsights sells syndicated content to the world’s largest companies, underpinning investment in microchip development and innovation. Oakley Fund IV invested in TechInsights in 2021 alongside CVC Funds to support the company’s growth strategy through client and content acquisition, supplemented by strategic M&A.

TechInsights and Strategy Analytics enjoy highly complementary content and customers as well as high proportions of recurring revenues. Integrating Strategy Analytics’ content into TechInsights’ platform will strengthen the business’s market position as the go-to information provider for the semiconductor sector, while also providing cross selling opportunities. Adding Strategy Analytics will also enable TechInsights to further access strategically important industries including the auto sector, where carmakers are increasingly designing their own chips in the face of continuing supply chain disruption and as they strive to achieve a competitive advantage versus peers.

Strategy Analytics President Harvey Cohen said: “The team at Strategy Analytics is excited to be joining forces with TechInsights. The content we will create together and deliver through a single platform will further expand our ability to meet client needs, while our highly complementary customer base provides the opportunity to cross and upsell.”

TechInsights CEO Gavin Carter said: “We are rapidly increasing the content available on the TechInsights Platform, further strengthening our position as the most authoritative information provider to participants in the semiconductor sector. The more analysis, data and information we can provide the more informed our content becomes. I am delighted that Strategy Analytics content will now expand our Platform further, creating even more value for our customers under one single offering while extending access for TechInsights to important new sectors such as auto.”

Oakley Capital Founder and Managing Partner Peter Dubens said: “We see considerable opportunity for TechInsights to expand into new verticals as more companies seek actionable insights on the fast-growing semiconductor industry. Adding Strategy Analytics also demonstrates Oakley’s ability to help entrepreneurial businesses grow through M&A and to date we have helped our portfolio companies complete over 100 bolt-on acquisitions.”

Categories: News

Gladstone Investment Corporation Exits Its Investment in Bassett Creek Services

Gladstone

MCLEAN, VA / ACCESSWIRE / June 27, 2022 / Gladstone Investment Corporation (Nasdaq:GAIN) (“Gladstone Investment”) announced today the sale of its portfolio company Bassett Creek Services, Inc. (“Bassett Creek”) to Watterson, a portfolio company of Highview Capital. As a result of this transaction, Gladstone Investment received repayment of its debt investment at par and realized a meaningful capital gain on its equity investment. Gladstone Investment formed Bassett Creek in partnership with Bassett Creek Capital, Inc. (“BCC”) in 2018.

Bassett Creek, headquartered in Chicago, IL, is a provider of restoration and renovation services across the country.

“Gladstone Investment has enjoyed a strong partnership with BCC and Bassett Creek’s management team over the last several years. We are proud to have supported the business through a period of rapid growth, both organically and through acquisition,” said Peter Roushdy, Managing Director of Gladstone Investment. “The entire Bassett Creek management team has achieved outstanding results in growing the business and we wish them continued success.”

“With the sale of Bassett Creek and from inception in 2005, Gladstone Investment has exited over 20 of its management supported buy-outs, generating significant net realized gains on these investments,” said David Dullum, President of Gladstone Investment. “Our strategy as a buyout fund, realizing gains on equity, while also generating strong current income during the investment period from debt investments alongside our equity investments, provides meaningful value to shareholders through stock appreciation and dividend growth.”

Gladstone Investment Corporation is a publicly traded business development company that seeks to make secured debt and equity investments in lower middle market private businesses in the United States in connection with acquisitions, changes in control and recapitalizations. Additional information can be found at www.gladstoneinvestment.com.

For Investor Relations inquiries related to any of the monthly distribution-paying Gladstone family of funds, please visit www.gladstonecompanies.com.

Forward-looking Statements:

The statements in this press release regarding the longer-term prospects of Gladstone Investment and Bassett Creek and its management team, and the ability of Gladstone Investment and Bassett Creek to be successful in the future are “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements inherently involve certain risks and uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Although these statements are based on Gladstone Investment’s current beliefs that are believed to be reasonable as of the date of this press release, a number of factors could cause actual results and conditions to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, including those factors described from time to time in Gladstone Investment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Gladstone Investment undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

For further information: Gladstone Investment Corporation, 703-287-5810

SOURCE: Gladstone Investment Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/706543/Gladstone-Investment-Corporation-Exits-Its-Investment-in-Bassett-Creek-Services

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CLEARLAKE CAPITAL TO SELL BRIGHTLY SOFTWARE TO SIEMENS

Clearlake

Under Clearlake’s ownership, Brightly transformed into a leading cloud-based asset management software platform with a broad suite of products solving operational and planning needs

 

Santa Monica, CA and Cary, NC – June 27, 2022 – Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (together with certain of its affiliates, “Clearlake”) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Brightly Software, Inc. (“Brightly Software”, “Brightly” or the “Company”) to Siemens AG (“Siemens”) (FRA:SIE) for $1.575 billion of upfront cash consideration, along with $300 million in cash earn-out payments, for a total of $1.875 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022 and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

 

Brightly is a leading software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) provider of cloud-based enterprise asset management and facility operations management. Clearlake acquired Brightly, formerly known as “Dude Solutions,” in June 2019 and subsequently executed on its O.P.S.® strategy by partnering with management to support the Company through multiple organic and inorganic strategic initiatives.

 

“We are thrilled by the progress made by Kevin and the Brightly team as the Company has expanded to become a leading provider of enterprise asset management SaaS solutions across a broad range of applications, end-markets, and geographies,” said Behdad Eghbali, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and Prashant Mehrotra, Partner and Managing Director, at Clearlake. “Over the past three years, we have transformed the operating expense structure of the business to enable efficient growth and significant profitability, while improving the quality of the Company’s revenue streams. We are particularly pleased with Brightly’s progress leveraging the best practices from the Clearlake software portfolio to become a high performing SaaS platform, and we believe the foundation Kevin and the management team have established positions the Company for continued growth under Siemens’ ownership.”

 

Kevin Kemmerer, Chief Executive Officer at Brightly Software, said, “This is a very exciting day for Brightly as it represents an important milestone in the Company’s history after going through a strategic transformation over the past few years under Clearlake’s guidance. Siemens’ acquisition of Brightly represents confidence in our ongoing plans to scale across end-markets and geographies, our ability to accelerate our market leadership position in enterprise asset management, and our goal to help our clients create more sustainable communities. We are proud and grateful to Clearlake of the work we have done together.”

 

Over the course of Clearlake’s investment, Brightly expanded into new end-markets and additional geographies, while enhancing its product suite in existing markets by developing and investing in new product offerings, including solutions with a focus on ESG and sustainability management. Leveraging Clearlake’s best practices from its software investment portfolio, Brightly reconfigured its go-to-market motion and transitioned many customers to a longer-term partnership model, all while maintaining the platform innovation that has differentiated Brightly in the past. These efforts were supplemented by executing on four strategic acquisitions, including Assetic, Confirm, Energy Profiles, and Facility Health.

 

These initiatives under Clearlake’s three-year ownership resulted in an approximately 100% increase in annual recurring revenue and a significant expansion in the Company’s EBITDA margins. Today, Brightly has a global customer base with over 12,000 clients across Education, Public Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Commercial Real Estate, and other end-markets, and was recently recognized as a “Leader in Enterprise Asset Management Software” from Verdantix, an award-winning independent research firm.

 

“Brightly will enable us to leapfrog to the next level of performance for buildings. With seamless data exchange between our offerings, our customers can expect enhanced efficiency, lower downtimes and maintenance costs, shorter lifecycles, better data-driven decisions and more satisfied tenants,” added Matthias Rebellius, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens and CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “The acquisition will speed up our target of becoming a leading software company also in infrastructure and support our vision of creating fully autonomous buildings that continuously learn from and adapt to the needs of their tenants.”

 

William Blair & Company LLC and SVB Securities LLC acted as financial advisors to Brightly. Sidley Austin LLP provided legal counsel to Brightly and Clearlake.

 

About Clearlake

 

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake’s operational improvement approach, O.P.S.® The firm’s core target sectors are technology, industrials and consumer. Clearlake currently has over $72 billion of assets under management and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 400 investments. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA with affiliates in Dallas, TX, London, UK and Dublin, Ireland. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @Clearlake.

 

About Brightly Software

 

Brightly, the global leader in intelligent asset management solutions, enables organizations to transform the performance of their assets. Brightly’s sophisticated cloud-based platform leverages more than 20 years of data to deliver predictive insights that help users through the key phases of the entire asset lifecycle. More than 12,000 clients of every size worldwide depend on Brightly’s complete suite of intuitive software – including CMMS, EAM, Strategic Asset Management, IoT Remote Monitoring, Sustainability and Community Engagement. Paired with award-winning training, support and consulting services, Brightly helps light the way to a bright future with smarter assets and sustainable communities. For more information, visit www.brightlysoftware.com.

 

About Siemens

 

Siemens is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power. In fiscal 2021, which ended on September 30, 2021, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €62.3 billion and net income of €6.7 billion. As of September 30, 2021, the company had around 303,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

 

 

Media Contacts

 

For Brightly Software:

Adam Novak

PAN Communications

brightly@pancomm.com

 

For Clearlake:

Jennifer Hurson

Lambert & Co.

jhurson@lambert.com

(845) 507-0571

 

For Siemens:

Florian Martens

florian.martens@siemens.com

+49 162 2306627

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Pegasus Merger Co. Announces Commencement of Tender Offers and Consent Solicitations and Change of Control Offers for Secured Notes of Tenneco Inc.

Apollo

NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pegasus Merger Co. (the “Company”), an affiliate of certain investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Apollo”), announced today that it has commenced cash tender offers (collectively, the “Tender Offer”) to purchase any and all of Tenneco Inc.’s (“Tenneco”) outstanding 5.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2029 (the “5.125% Notes”) and 7.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2029 (the “7.875% Notes” and together with the 5.125% Notes, the “Notes”). In connection with the Tender Offer, the Company is soliciting the consents of holders of the 5.125% Notes and the 7.875% Notes to certain proposed amendments to the respective indentures governing the Notes (collectively, the “Consent Solicitation”). Concurrently with, but separate from the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation, the Company has commenced offers to purchase for cash any and all of Tenneco’s outstanding 5.125% Notes and 7.875% Notes at a purchase price equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount (the “Change of Control Purchase Price”) of the Notes repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of purchase (collectively, the “Change of Control Offer”). The Company is commencing the Tender Offer, the Consent Solicitation and the Change of Control Offer in connection with, and each is expressly conditioned upon, the acquisition of Tenneco pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated February 22, 2022, by and among Tenneco, the Company and Pegasus Holdings III, LLC, the Company’s parent (the “Merger”).

Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation

The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 26, 2022, unless extended or earlier terminated (such date and time, as may be extended, the “Expiration Date”). Under the terms of the Tender Offer, holders of the Notes who validly tender their Notes and provide their consents to the proposed amendments and do not validly withdraw their Notes and consents at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 12, 2022 (such date and time, as may be extended, the “Early Tender Date”) will receive an amount equal to $1,012.50 per $1,000.00 in principal amount of Notes, which amount includes an early participation premium equal to $30.00 per $1,000.00 in principal amount (the “Total Consideration”). Holders who validly tender their Notes and provide their consents to the proposed amendments after the Early Tender Date but at or prior to the Expiration Date will receive an amount equal to $982.50 per $1,000.00 in principal amount (the “Tender Consideration”).


Notes

USIPs
Tender
Consideration(1)
Early Participation
Premium(1)(2)
Total
Consideration(1)(2)(3)
$800,000,000 5.125% Senior
Secured Notes due 2029
CUSIP: 880349 AT2 / U88037 AG8 $982.50 $30.00 $1,012.50
$500,000,000 7.875% Senior
Secured Notes due 2029
CUSIP: 880349 AS4 / U88037 AF0 $982.50 $30.00 $1,012.50

(1) For each $1,000 principal amount of Notes, excluding accrued but unpaid interest, which interest will be paid in addition to the Tender Consideration or Total Consideration, as applicable.

(2) Payable only to holders who validly tender (and do not validly withdraw) Notes prior to the Early Tender Date.

(3) The Early Participation Premium is included in the Total Consideration.

Holders whose Notes are accepted in the Tender Offer will also be paid accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the Notes to, but not including, the settlement date. Holders should note that theTotal Consideration is higher than, and the Tender Consideration is lower than, the Change of ControlPurchasePriceundertheChangeofControlOffer. The procedures for tendering Notes in the Tender Offer and in the Change of Control Offer are separate. Notes tendered in the Tender Offer may not be validly tendered in the Change of Control Offer for the related series of Notes, and Notes tendered in the Change of Control Offer may not be validly tendered in the Tender Offer for the related series of Notes.

The purpose of the Consent Solicitation and proposed amendments is to eliminate the requirement to make a “Change of Control Offer” for the Notes in connection with the Merger and make certain other customary changes for a privately-held company to the “Change of Control” provisions in the indentures governing the Notes. Holders may not tender their Notes in the Tender Offer without delivering their consents under the related Consent Solicitation, and holders may not deliver their consents under the Consent Solicitation without tendering their Notes pursuant to the related Tender Offer. If the requisite consents to approve the proposed amendments with respect to a series of Notes are received (and a supplemental indenture to the related indenture giving effect to the proposed amendments is executed), the Company expects to terminate the Change of Control Offer for such series of Notes.

Consummation of the Tender Offer and payment for the Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer are subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of requisite consents for both series of Notes, the consummation of the Merger andafinancingcondition. The Company reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to waive any and all conditions to the Tender Offer. Complete details of the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation are included in the Company’s offer to purchase and consent solicitation, dated June 27, 2022. The Merger is expected to close in the second half of 2022, and the Company expects the consummation of the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation to coincide with the closing of the Merger. The consummation of the Merger, or any related financing, is not conditioned upon, either directly or indirectly, the consummation of the Tender Offer or the receipt of the requisite consents in the Consent Solicitation.

Requests for documents relating to the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the Information and Tender Agent, at (866) 654-2015 or (212) 430-3774 (Banks and Brokers). BofA Securities and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. will act as Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation. Questions regarding the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation may be directed to BofA Securities at (980) 388-0539 (collect) or (888) 292-0070 (toll free) and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at (212) 723-6106 (collect) or (800) 558-3745 or by email to ny.liabilitymanagement@citi.com.

Change of Control Offer

The Change of Control Offer is being made in connection with, and is expressly conditioned upon, the consummation of the Merger. The consummation of the Merger will constitute a “Change of Control” under each of the respective indentures governing the Notes. Following such a Change of Control, Section 415 of the respective indentures governing the Notes requires Tenneco to make an offer to purchase at a purchase price in cash equal to the Change of Control Purchase Price, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the date of purchase. The Company, however, is permitted to make a Change of Control Offer in advance of the Change of Control if a definitive agreement for such Change of Control is in place at the time the offer is made.

The Change of Control Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 26, 2022, unless extended or earlier terminated. The Merger is expected to close in the second half of 2022, and the Company intends to extend the expiration time to have the purchase date in the Change of Control Offer coincide with the closing of the Merger. If the requisite consents to approve the proposed amendments with respect to a series of Notes are received (and a supplemental indenture to the related indenture giving effect to the proposed amendments is executed), the Company expects to terminate the Change of Control Offer for such series of Notes.

The consummation of the Merger is not conditioned upon, either directly or indirectly, the consummation of the Change of Control Offer.

Holders who do not tender their Notes in the Change of Control Offer, or who tender their Notes in the Change of Control Offer but validly withdraw such Notes, may tender their Notes in the Tender Offer. HoldersshouldnotethattheTotalConsiderationishigherthan,andtheTender Consideration is lower than, the Change of Control Purchase Price under the Change of ControlOffer.

This press release neither constitutes a notice of Change of Control Offer as required by the respective indentures governing the Notes, nor does it constitute an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or a solicitation of consents with respect to, any security. No offer, solicitation or purchase will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or purchase would be unlawful.

Requests for information or additional copies of the change of control offer to purchase, dated June 27, 2022, may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the Information and Tender Agent, at (866) 654-2015 or (212) 430-3774 (Banks and Brokers).

Forward Looking Statements

The above information includes “forward looking” statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the proposed Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation, the proposed Change of Control Offer and the intended completion of the Merger. Such statements only reflect the Company’s best assessment at this time and are indicated by words or phrases such as “plans,” “intends,” “will” or similar words or phrases. These statements are based on the Company’s current expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to many risks, uncertainties and unknown future events that could cause actual results to differ materially. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent to transactions of this nature, including, without limitation, whether or not the Company completes the proposed Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation or Change of Control Offer on terms currently contemplated or otherwise and whether or not the Merger is consummated. The Company is under no obligation to (and specifically disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

About Apollo

Apollo is a global, high-growth alternative asset manager. In the asset management business, Apollo seeks to provide its clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity with a focus on three business strategies: yield, hybrid, and equity. For more than three decades, Apollo’s investing expertise across its fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of its clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, Apollo’s retirement services business, it specializes in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Apollo’s patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns its clients, businesses it invests in, its team members, and the communities it impacts, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of March 31, 2022, Apollo had approximately $513 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

Apollo Contacts

For investor inquiries regarding Apollo, please contact:

Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0540
IR@apollo.com

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0491
Communications@apollo.com


Source: Apollo Global Management, Inc.

Categories: News

Ardian acquires stake in SERMA Group alongside management

Ardian

Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire a stake in SERMA Group, the leading independent European provider of consulting and services specializing in electronic technologies, embedded systems and information systems.

Ardian’s Expansion team initially invested in SERMA Group’s capital in 2015 and has participated in the company’s growth, notably through new acquisitions and the creation of the “SERMA Safety & Security” branch.

This new transaction by Ardian’s Expansion team with SERMA Group’s management and employees, who remain the majority shareholders, signifies another crucial investment in the company. Chequers Capital and Bpifrance also remain minority shareholders, alongside Ardian, the reference financial shareholder.

SERMA Group is well-positioned in niche applications, such as high value-added electronic components and systems, in various high-growth sectors and has end-to-end control of the value chain, including design, testing, production, maintenance and training. The Group currently benefits from unique technological expertise in the fields of electronics, energy, cybersecurity and telecoms for sectors such as aeronautics, transport, space, energy, medical and telecommunications.

Ardian’s objective is to support SERMA Group in a new stage of its growth. In recent years, SERMA Group has successfully developed beyond its historical offering to penetrate new markets, such as the energy market and nuclear industry.  For example, the creation of SERMA Energy, a platform of expertise and testing dedicated to electric batteries, power electronics and electric drive trains with multiple applications, continues to support the company’s growth in the energy sector.

Over the past decade, the Group, which now has more than 1300 employees, has almost tripled in size to reach a turnover of nearly 150 million euros.

The completion of the transaction remains subject to the approval of the competition authority.

“After several years investing in SERMA Group, we have built a relationship of great trust with the company and its management team, who we have known for 12 years. It is with real enthusiasm that we are re-engaging with this experienced team to accelerate the group’s growth strategy. The company is particularly well positioned to benefit from key megatrends, notably linked to the digitalization of the economy. Our objective is to continue to support SERMA’s external growth and to increase its market share internationally through its significant innovation capabilities.” Arnaud Dufer, Managing Director and Head of France for the Ardian Expansion team

“We are very pleased to have Ardian reinvest in SERMA Group . Over the last few years, thanks to the support of Chequers Capital, and despite the impact of the pandemic, we have continued to develop and have become one of the leaders  in our sector in Europe. Having now reached a critical size, we will be able to move on to a new stage of our development and take full advantage of the opportunities in our sector, in particular by accompanying the growing importance of the challenges of decarbonization of the economy and cybersecurity. We are also proud to have nearly 500 employees investing in the Group alongside the management team, proof of the belief they have in the company.” Philippe Berlié, President of SERMA Group

“Chequers Capital has been supporting SERMA’s development alongside its management team for the past twelve years. The company’s success is based on the quality of its teams, the constant search for excellence and operational efficiency, and a real technical expertise that sets it apart in all its businesses.
We are proud of the progress made by the Group and the developments achieved in the fields of electronics, electrical traction and security, which meet the growing, essential and long-term needs of our environment.
Chequers is pleased to continue to support the Serma Group in this new phase, a project of accelerated organic growth and international development, in full support of Philippe Berlié and his teams. Chequers, Ardian and BPI will contribute their resources to ensure the successful continuation of this project.” Aurélien Klein, Managing Director at Chequers Capital

 

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Ardian Expansion
Arnaud Dufer, Maxime Séquier, Romain Gautron, Pierre Peslerbe
Legal Advisors: McDermott Will & Emery (Grégoire Andrieux, Fabrice Piollet, Côme de Saint-Vincent, Boris Wolkoff)

Chequers Capital
Aurélien Klein, Emeric Boo d’Arc, Jérôme Kinas
Legal Advisors: Hogan Lovells (Stéphane Huten, Arnaud Deparday)

Advisors of Ardian Expansion and Chequers Capital 
Legal, tax and social Due Diligence: McDermott Will & Emery (Grégoire Andrieux, Fabrice Piollet, Côme de Saint-Vincent, Boris Wolkoff)
Commercial Due Diligence: The Boston Consulting Group (Benjamin Sarfati, Julien Vialade)
Financial Due Diligence: Ernst & Young (Emmanuel Picard, Elsa Abou Mrad, Alban Molle)
ESG Due Diligence: PwC (Sylvain Lambert, Chloé Szpirglas)
Insurance Due Diligence: Finaxy (Déborah Hauchemaille)
IT Due Diligence: Netsystem (Olivier Cazzulo, Lionel Gros)

SERMA Group
Philippe Berlié, Xavier Morin, Mirentxu Boutet, Olivier Duchmann, Bernard Ollivier
Legal Advisors: Apollo (Florence Savouré, Laura Smyrliadis, Iyad El Borini, Delphine Dilleman), Chepeau Lumeau & Associés (Frédérique Lumeau)

ABOUT SERMA GROUP

SERMA Group is an ETI (150 M€, 1300 employees), a historical and independent French expert in electronics, energy, cybersecurity and telecoms.
The Group has developed over the last few years by making numerous investments, both in terms of resources and external growth, in the fields of design, testing, expertise and understanding of technologies.
The different entities of the group intervene by accompanying their customers throughout their life cycle, in the control of their products, their reliability, safety and performance.
The Group relies on its electronics expertise laboratories, its materials laboratory, its various test platforms (components, boards, equipment, power electronics, electric motors, batteries, safety), its design offices, and its experts, and acts as a single point of contact for the electronic issues and problems of its customers.
SERMA Group is organized around 5 strategic axes:
– Electronic technologies and materials
– System safety and cyber security
– Embedded systems engineering
– Microelectronic design and assembly
– Expertise and energy testing (batteries, traction chains)
It has 20 sites in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Tunisia, close to its multi-sector customers.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world leading private investment house, managing or advising $130bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,300 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. We also provide a specialist service for private clients through Ardian Private Wealth Solutions. Ardian is majority-owned by its employees and places great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 900+ employees, spread across 15 offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia, are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.
At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.

ABOUT CHEQUERS CAPITAL

Chequers is one of the oldest private equity investment firms in continental Europe, founded nearly 50 years ago in Paris.
Chequers is now investing in its 17th investment vehicle specializing in majority or minority investments in growth companies in France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Benelux and the Iberian Peninsula.
The team of 23 experienced investors of 6 nationalities brings its experience and its support to the development of about 20 participations today.

Press contact

SERMA GROUP

Florie Bousquié

f.bousquie@serma.com  

CHEQUERS CAPITAL

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UniSea partners with Adelis to accelerate growth and global expansion

Adelis Equity
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UniSea has delivered maritime software since 1997 and is today the leading provider of HSEQ SaaS, supporting maritime customers worldwide. To accelerate international growth and support the company’s continued development, Unisea is now partnering with Adelis as new majority owner.

With over 25 years of experience as a global maritime software provider, UniSea supports its customers with regulatory compliance and optimising internal work processes through a modern and user friendly HSEQ SaaS. Moreover, UniSea is also an IT services partner for key customers. The company has a world leading position in its niche. Today, UniSea serves over 90 customers with 1 500 vessels across the Nordics, Europe, and North America, including some of the largest shipping companies in the world.

”We have made a thorough assessment of the broader maritime software market, where we see multiple secular trends driving future growth. UniSea stands out as a clear market leader within its niche, and is a strong platform for further global expansion within the fast-growing maritime software market. We are impressed by UniSea’s experienced management team and approach to customer-driven product development, and we look forward to partnering with the management team to support the continued growth journey,” says Jørgen Møinichen and Lene Stern from Adelis.

”UniSea is seeking a partner to help accelerate our international growth and support the company’s continued development. We know that Adelis has extensive experience in developing software companies globally and are excited to partner with them to further improve our value proposition towards our customers and create a leading global maritime software company,” says UniSea’s CEO Kurt Roar Vilhelmsen.

For further information:

Kurt Roar Vilhelmsen, UniSea AS, krv@unisea.no, +47 915 75 915

Len Lene Sandvoll Stern, Adelis Equity Partners, lene.stern@adelisequity.com. +46 702 81 34 24

Jørgen Møinichen, Adelis Equity Partners, jorgen.moinichen@adelisequity.com, +46 790 77 0221

About Unisea

UniSea is a software and consultancy house with a dedicated shipping and offshore focus. Since 1997, UniSea has delivered market leading HSEQ and operations support software to a large number of vessels and companies worldwide. The strategy is to specialize in optimizing customers’ internal work processes through user-friendly and industry-specific solutions. Today, UniSea has around 90 customers, including some of the world’s largest shipping companies, who use UniSea software modules on almost 1 500 vessels worldwide. For more information, please visit www.unisea.no

About Adelis Equity Partners

Adelis is a growth partner for well-positioned, Nordic companies. Adelis partners with management and/or owners to build businesses in growth segments and with strong market positions. Since raising its first fund in 2013, Adelis has been one of the most active investors in the Nordic middle-market, making 34 platform investments and more than 150 add-on acquisitions. Adelis today manages approximately €2 billion in capital. For more information, please visitwww.adelisequity.com.

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TechInsights acquires Strategy Analytics

Oakley

TechInsights, an Oakley Capital (‘Oakley’) and CVC Growth Partners portfolio company, is pleased to announce that it has acquired Strategy Analytics, a leading supplier of syndicated research across the global consumer technology sector.

TechInsights image

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with a significant presence in Europe, Strategy Analytics supplies syndicated research across the global consumer technology sector, providing the deepest wireless and automotive coverage in the market.

Icons8 Globe

Business provides syndicated research across global consumer tech sector

Icons8 Air Shaft

Acquisition strengthens content offering to strategically important sectors including auto

Icons8 Rearrange

Highly complementary content and customer base with opportunity to cross sell

The team at Strategy Analytics is excited to be joining forces with TechInsights. The content we will create together and deliver through a single platform will further expand our ability to meet client needs, while our highly complementary customer base provides the opportunity to cross and upsell.

Harvey Cohen

President — Strategy Analytics

Advanced technology and market analysis

TechInsights is widely recognised as the world’s authoritative information services platform for the global microelectronics sector, built from a core competency of heavily differentiated reverse engineering creating advanced technology and market analysis. TechInsights sells syndicated content to the world’s largest companies, underpinning investment in microchip development and innovation. Oakley Fund IV invested in TechInsights in 2021 alongside CVC Funds to support the company’s growth strategy through client and content acquisition, supplemented by strategic M&A.

Highly complementary content and customers

TechInsights and Strategy Analytics enjoy highly complementary content and customers as well as high proportions of recurring revenues. Integrating Strategy Analytics’ content into TechInsights’ platform will strengthen the business’s market position as the go-to information provider for the semiconductor sector, while also providing cross selling opportunities.

Adding Strategy Analytics will also enable TechInsights to further access strategically important industries including the auto sector, where carmakers are increasingly designing their own chips in the face of continuing supply chain disruption and as they strive to achieve a competitive advantage versus peers.

Quote Gavin Carter

We are rapidly increasing the content available on the TechInsights Platform, further strengthening our position as the most authoritative information provider to participants in the semiconductor sector. The more analysis, data and information we can provide the more informed our content becomes. I am delighted that Strategy Analytics content will now expand our Platform further, creating even more value for our customers under one single offering while extending access for TechInsights to important new sectors such as auto.

Gavin Carter

CEO — TechInsights

Quote Peter Dubens

We see considerable opportunity for TechInsights to expand into new verticals as more companies seek actionable insights on the fast-growing semiconductor industry. Adding Strategy Analytics also demonstrates Oakley’s ability to help entrepreneurial businesses grow through M&A and to date we have helped our portfolio companies complete over 100 bolt-on acquisitions.

Peter Dubens

Managing Partner & Co-Founder — Oakley Capital

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