Category Archives: News

BPP acquires Buttercups Training

Tdr Capital

BPP, a leading provider of professional and vocational higher education, has completed the acquisition of Buttercups Training, a market-leading training provider delivering high-quality programmes to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and support staff working in hospitals, community pharmacy and primary care.

Buttercups’ deep understanding of the sector, combined with their experienced team of professionals, has resulted in them becoming the number one training provider for the UK’s largest pharmacy groups, creating a significant positive impact on the UK healthcare workforce. This acquisition adds an exciting new discipline to BPP’s portfolio by creating a presence in the pharmacy sector.

Graham Gaddes, CEO of BPP, added: “The acquisition of Buttercups Training introduces a new discipline into our healthcare portfolio. There is an unprecedented demand for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians in the UK, and this shortfall is set to continue to increase. The acquisition of Buttercups will allow us to support their growth plans and through exceptional training programmes, focus on bridging the skills gap in the healthcare sector. This in turn builds on our vision of ‘Building Careers Through Education’. The highly experienced team at Buttercups Training are a great cultural fit for BPP, and we look forward to welcoming them into the BPP Education Group.”

Learn more about our investment in BPP.

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Ardian welcomes the successful IPO of Planisware, the leading project management software provider

Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, welcomes the successful IPO of Planisware, a leading B2B SaaS software provider in the fast-growing Project Economy space. As part of this transaction, Ardian has partially exited its investment in the company, with Planisware’s co-founders retaining a majority stake.

Since 1996, Planisware has enabled companies to improve their Project Portfolio Management (PPM) processes, from strategy definition to detailed tracking of deliverables. With its 12 offices and c. 700 employees, the company currently supports more than 545 customers, from SMEs to large corporates, in 38 countries.

The Growth team at Ardian acquired a stake in Planisware in 2003, with the co-founders remaining majority shareholders. Throughout this period, the Ardian team has shared its expertise to support Planisware’s growth through four pillars of acceleration:

  • Strategically supporting the company’s transition to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, while preserving its DNA of profitable growth;
  • Accelerating the group’s international expansion, particularly in the United States;
  • Helping M&A strategy, with the acquisition of NQI in 2018 and the integration of Japanese subsidiary IFT in 2023;
  • Supporting the liquidity process, throughout the structuring and monitoring of the IPO project.

In just a few years, the business has become a market leader, recognised by leading independent technology research organisations such as Gartner and Forrester. In 2023, the company, which employs c. 700 people, achieved sales of c. 156 million euros, with annual growth of 20% and an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 33%.

Planisware’s IPO will enable the company to increase its visibility and brand awareness, further accelerating its development. The company’s shares will list on Euronext Paris (ticker: PLNW) with a market capitalization above 1 billion euros. Ardian will continue to support Planisware after the IPO and remains aligned with the future value creation of the company through its c. 5% remaining stake.

“Planisware’s successful IPO is a recognition of the quality of our team and our solutions. I want to take this opportunity to thank Ardian which, since joining our capital and my first discussions with Dominique Senequier 20 years ago, has constantly demonstrated a true entrepreneurial spirit in supporting Planisware through its various growth phases. Their support has fully met our expectations.” Pierre Demonsant, Co-Founder & Chairman, Planisware

“I would like to thank the founders of Planisware for the trust they have shown in Ardian and congratulate them and their teams for this exceptional journey. This transaction perfectly illustrates Ardian Growth’s positioning and our commitment to back management teams in their development projects. Our purpose is to support the profitable growth of European category champions, enabling them to fully unlock their potential and establish themselves as global leaders.” Alexis Saada, Head of Growth & Senior Managing Director, Ardian

“As a close partner with a strong entrepreneurial mindset, understanding Planisware’s management DNA has been the foundation of our collaboration. We are pleased and proud to have been able to accompany the company until this listing milestone.” Geoffroy de La Grandière, Managing Director Growth, Ardian

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

  • ARDIAN

    • INVESTMENT TEAM GROWTH: ALEXIS SAADA, GEOFFROY DE LA GRANDIÈRE, ALEXANDRA DA SILVA
    • LEGAL ADVISOR: HOGAN LOVELLS (MATTHIEU GROLLEMUND, JEAN-MARC FRANCESCHI, CHARLÈNE JOUËT)

  • PLANISWARE

    • FOUNDERS: PIERRE DEMONSANT, YVES HUMBLOT, MATTHIEU DELILLE
    • INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISOR: ROTHSCHILD & CO (STÉPHANIE ARNAUD, PIERRE-HENRI CHAPPAZ, FRANÇOIS WAT, SÉBASTIEN TRAVERS, MARGAUX CHEVILLARD, GUILLAUME DUVERGER, ELENA STANISLAV)
    • EIGHT ADVISORY (MYRIAM MONTILLOT, JULIE RUSSEIL)
    • CLEARY GOTTLIEB STEEN & HAMILTON CORPORATE (MARIE-LAURENCE TIBI, JOHN BRINITZER, ALICE CHAVAILLARD, OMEED FIROOZGAN, CLÉMENT PIELA)
    • CLEARY GOTTLIEB STEEN & HAMILTON TAX (ANNE-SOPHIE COUSTEL)
    • FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR: BRUNSWICK (HUGUES BOËTON, TRISTAN ROQUET MONTÉGON)

  • JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS: BNP PARIBAS

    • BNP ECM: ALEXIS LE TOUZÉ, ISABELLE STOECKLI, STEFANO MARIORENZI, BAPTISTE CHAROY, NICOLAS VINEL
    • BNP INVESTMENT BANKING: ALEX BIHUN, SIMON EDERY, ALEJANDRO FERNANDEZ BATLLE, LOUIS BAROIN, LISA BOVEDA
    • BNP EQUITY SYNDICATE: ANTOINE BOVYN, TRISTAN TASSI
    • BNP SENIOR BANKER: SYLVINA MAYER

  • JOINT GLOBAL COORDINATORS: CITIGROUP

    • CITIGROUP ECM: VALÉRY BARRIER, CHARAF BAQOUAH, NICHOLAS GILL
    • CITIGROUP INVESTMENT BANKING: DAVID IBANEZ, PIERRE DREVILLON, JEAN-MELCHIOR DE ROQUEFEUIL, NICHOLAS KAPLAN, ISMAËL SENHAJI
    • CITIGROUP EQUITY SYNDICATE: NAVEEN MITTEL, CHRISTINA MICHELSON
    • CITIGROUP SENIOR LEADERSHIP: LAURENCE PARISOT, GRÉGOIRE HAEMMERLÉ, BRIAN TRUESDALE

  • JOINT BOOKRUNNERS: BERENBERG

    • BERENBERG ECM: ANDREAS FRANZEN, EDOUARD SENLIER, PIERRE SERTOUR, LORENZO VANNUCCI
    • BERENBERG INVESTMENT BANKING: RUBEN MOSES, CHARLES-ALFRED GASQUET
    • BERENBERG EQUITY SYNDICATE: NORBERTO GOMEZ DEL MORAL, BASTIAN SCHIEDAT
    • BERENBERG COVERAGE: DAVID MORTLOCK

  • JOINT BOOKRUNNERS: BANK OF AMERICA

    • BANK OF AMERICA ECM: JÉRÔME RENARD, MAXIME SERVAN
    • BANK OF AMERICA INVESTMENT BANKING: THOMAS KOEHRER, ADELINE DEJAEGHERE, GEORGE KACHARAVA
    • BANK OF AMERICA EQUITY SYNDICATE: ANDREW BRISCOE, VICTOR DUMAS VORZET
    • BANK OF AMERICA SENIOR LEADERSHIP: LAURENT DHOME

  • JOINT BOOKRUNNERS: LEGAL ADVISOR

    • WHITE & CASE: THOMAS LE VERT, BORIS KREISS, SÉVERIN ROBILLARD, QUENTIN PIPIERI, MAX TURNER

ABOUT PLANISWARE

Planisware is a leading B2B SaaS software provider in the fast-growing Project Economy sector. Planisware’s mission is to provide solutions to help organizations transform the way they design, plan and deliver their projects, project portfolios, programs and products.
With nearly 700 employees in 12 offices, Planisware operates on a large scale, serving around 545 customers in a wide range of verticals and functions in more than 38 countries, spanning Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Planisware’s customers include leading international corporations, mid-sized companies and public sector entities.

planisware.com

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house, managing or advising $164bn of assets on behalf of 1,600 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. Private Wealth Solutions offers dedicated services and access solutions for private banks, family offices and private institutional investors worldwide. Ardian’s main shareholding group is its employees and we place great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 1,050+ employees, spread across 19 offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East 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.

ardian.com

PRESS CONTACT

ARDIAN

HEADLAND

ardian@headlandconsultancy.com

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Flatpay rings up $47M to target smaller merchants with simple payment solutions

Dawn

As the world waits for $65 billion payments tech giant Stripe to go public, a wave of smaller startups continues to roll into the market to pick up more payments business. In one of the latest developments, Danish company Flatpay, which builds payment solutions for small and medium physical merchants like shops, restaurants and salons, has raised €45 million ($47 million), led by Dawn Capital.

Flatpay had raised just under $21 million before this latest Series B, and with this new funding, it’s now valued at well over $100 million. The company plans to use the money to expand into new markets in Europe and to build out more products alongside the point-of-sale and card terminals that it sells today. Some of these products might involve AI but only as an enabler of certain features, rather than a core service, said Flatpay’s CEO Sander Janca-Jensen.

“We have been able to raise money without mentioning the AI buzz word,” he said. “It seems to be rare these days.”

That €45 million is a strong Series B in the current market in Europe, especially when you consider the size of the startup. Founded in 2022, Flatpay currently has just 7,000 customers across Denmark, Finland and Germany.

Even with its revenues and customer base both growing at a monthly rate of 15%, Flatpay’s business is just a drop in the merchant ocean.

There are more than 24 million SMBs in Europe; point-of-sale terminals in the region number more than 17 million; and there are hundreds of other payments services — including Stripe, Adyen, SumUp and PayPal, as well as smaller players like SilkPay — all targeting the same customers as Flatpay.

But investors think there is a lot of potential in the startup, enough to bet early and strong, even in the current economic climate.

Janca-Jensen, who co-founded the company with Rasmus Busk, Rasmus Hellmund Carlsen and Peter Lüth, said the gap Flatpay spotted in the market was a lack of really simple solutions for merchants who want the convenience that technology can bring, without the harder aspects that come along with it, such as troubleshooting, understanding the intricacies of charges, and integrating products into their business flow.

The startup’s approach to addressing that gap comes in three ways, he said. On the customer side, Flatpay works with a defined size of customer: only merchants that process over €100,000 annually, and the customers cannot be multiple-location chains or franchises. Janca-Jensen said that it regularly rejects customers if they don’t meet those parameters.

On the technology side, it has matched its target customer size with the unit economics of its payment solutions to come up with very basic, flat fees (hence the startup’s name) of 0.99% for terminal transactions and 1.49% for POS purchases. Flatpay then doesn’t set a minimum charge for single transactions, and it doesn’t charge fees if customers are paying with international cards. Janca-Jensen admitted that its model means that Flatpay sometimes loses money on transactions, but it overall lowers the bar for usage and encourages more spend and overall revenue for the company.

Perhaps most interestingly, on the sales side, despite its focus on streamlined technology, Flatpay only sells via live sales visits. No online sales (although there are specialists who will help arrange those in-person sales visits and handle support), no virtual visits, and no plans to introduce either.

Janca-Jensen said he and his co-founders developed a fondness for direct field sales when they were selling home alarm systems in a previous life.

As with payments hardware and software, security can be a hard sell to customers. Flatpay found that the only way it could reliably seal deals was by selling in person. And the only way that salespeople can sell in person is by understanding the products really well.  “You have to get salespeople to understand the product enough to explain it well to buyers. It sets high standards for how simple your product must be,” said Janca-Jensen. “We like that challenge.”

Around half of Flatpay’s 200 employees are on the sales side, he said, split between those who help arrange sales visits and handle support and those who visit customers in person. Typically, they are recruited from other retail roles rather than software sales.

“We steer clear of SaaS account executives and fintech people,” he said. In his opinion, SaaS sales are so easy that people who work in that area are “too lazy and complacent” to make the grade for field sales.

So far, in the three markets where Flatpay operates, the aim has been to recruit very local salespeople who understand the nuances of their respective markets. That seems to raise a lot of questions about how well this can scale longer term, but Janca-Jensen brushes that concern aside, and investors are equally bullish.

“The field sales model, when done well, works. You can localize and roll out teams in a cost-efficient way to explain on a local basis why a product makes sense,” said Josh Bell, a general partner at Dawn Capital who focuses on fintech.

He pointed out that iZettle — another company Dawn backed — was also an early mover in using field sales to sell its fancy new tech to non-technical customers. “They were a winner, but even they never did it as well as Flatpay does this. Payments is huge, and Flatplay has touched just at a fraction of the opportunity.”

Denmark’s Seed Capital also participated in this round, along with other unnamed investors.

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Veesual raises a $7.5 million Seed round

AXA

AI-Powered Virtual Try-On Technology Platform For The Fashion Industry Veesual Raises $7.5 Million, Announces US Expansion With New EILEEN FISHER Partnership

Investment for market leader of image generation technology for fashion brands and retailers in Europe will now support US customers looking to overcome inclusivity challenges

New York, NY—April 17, 2024—Veesual, a Paris-based virtual try-on platform for the fashion industry that revolutionizes the way online shoppers experience digital retail, today announced the closing of a $7.5 million dollar Seed round led by AVP (AXA Venture Partners) and Techstars. The investment will accelerate delivery of the company’s plans to expand into the US market by opening its first US-based office, recruiting senior US talent, enhancing its current product offering for US apparel companies and more. A cornerstone of Veesual’s US expansion is a new partnership with leading women’s fashion brand EILEEN FISHER. Under the terms of the collaboration, Veesual’s augmented shopping experiences powered by next-generation virtual try-on technology have been integrated into the EILEEN FISHER online shopping experience.

Founded in 2020, Veesual is on a mission to transform the online shopping experience for all customers, independent of style, fit and fashion preferences. Through its Augmented Shopping solutions Mix&Match, Switch Model and Look Inspiration, Veesual’s proprietary 2D-based Image Generation Engine (IGT) was designed specifically for fashion brands to deliver high-quality imagery at scale, and to be able to adapt several pieces of clothing on any model, with natural renderings and precise fitting. Veesual works with leading brands and retailers in Europe including premium (Claudie Pierlot), kids fashion (Sergent Major and DPAM), and popular fashion (La Redoute and Gemo).

While brands are working to reflect diversity for e-commerce shoppers by featuring models of different ethnicities, ages and body types, it can be extremely costly to shoot individual products on various models. Veesual’s Switch Model experience allows customers to choose a model they identify with while simultaneously accelerating online sales and reducing returns for brands.

“We are thrilled to be the first US brand to partner with Veesual on this innovative new virtual try-on tool,” notes Blair Silverman, Vice President of E-commerce at EILEEN FISHER. “EILEEN FISHER is committed to inclusivity, designing clothes that cater to every body shape. Navigating online shopping poses challenges, particularly in predicting how garments fit diverse body types. Our collaboration with Veesual addresses these challenges head-on and we are proud to be launching a tool that is sure to be a new standard for e-commerce.”

While 3D-based try-on technology can be expensive and time-consuming, 2D image solutions offer a scalable and cost-effective solution for brands that engage shoppers. According to recent data published by Insider Intelligence, by 2026 e-commerce is expected to total over $8.1 trillion and 24% of retail purchases are expected to take place online. Veesual enables brands to create a more seamless and inclusive shopping experience for customers and in turn, yield higher sales and a lower return rate, allowing them to capture a larger percentage of online sales.

“We are proud to invest in Veesual, in order to accelerate its commercial roll-out and pursue its technological developments, as well as its international expansion,” said François Robinet, Managing Partner of AVP. “We believe in Maxime and his team’s vision. They have demonstrated a strong ability to execute and understand market challenges by offering fashion brands solutions to optimize their customer experience. With a presence on both sides of the Atlantic, AVP’s teams will be able to support Veesual in the next stages of its development.”

To support aggressive growth in the US, Veesual is working to recruit more senior talent and will open its first US office in New York in 2025. In addition to e-commerce, Veesual aims to create value for brands by displaying generated images on their acquisition and retargeting channels.

“The global fashion ecosystem is undergoing a seismic shift right now. The industry is increasingly focused on sustainable production, a better, more relevant buying experience and upcycling as a new standard. At Veesual, we’re meeting those changes by drastically improving how shoppers buy online which creates a more inclusive retail experience while also improving fit and reducing waste,” said Veesual Co-Founder and CEO, Maxime Patte. “This fundraise is critical for our plans as we scale in the United States with brands who are pioneering the augmented shopping experience. We anticipate significant growth in 2024 and beyond.”

About AVP

AVP is a global venture capital firm specializing in high-growth, technology-enabled companies, managing more than $2 billion in assets across four investment strategies: Venture, Growth, Late Growth, and Fund of Funds. Since its establishment in 2016, AVP has invested in more than 60 technology companies in Venture and Growth stages in the US and Europe. With offices in New York, London, and Paris, AVP supports companies in expanding internationally and provides portfolio companies with tailored business development opportunities to further accelerate their growth. AVP operates under AXA IM- Alts, the alternative investment business unit of AXA IM.

For more information, visit axavp.com
Contact: Sébastien Loubry, Partner Business development (sebastien@axavp.com)

About Veesual

Founded in 2020, Veesual was developed when co-founders Maxime Patte and Damien Meurisse recognized the limited means of fashion brands to visually engage diverse customers online. The platform offers solutions that leverage the power of images to create inclusive experiences that engage all customers. Globally, brands including Claudie Pierlot, Sergeant Major and La Redoute use Veesual. To date, these partnerships have outperformed expectations, with a 75% average increase in conversation rate and a more than 20% increase in average order value for shoppers who engaged with one of Veesual’s solutions. Veesual, a Techstars portfolio company, was part of Station F’s Founders program and has raised $7.5M to date. For more information, please visit https://www.veesual.ai/.

About EILEEN FISHER, Inc.

EILEEN FISHER has been making a system of simple, timeless clothes for nearly 40 years. A socially conscious company, EILEEN FISHER designs its clothing to be part of a responsible lifecycle, starting with sustainable materials, then taking back its clothes to be resold (Renew) or remade into something entirely new (Waste No More). The company became a B Corp in 2016, which means it voluntarily meets high criteria for social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. The company’s clothes are sold online at eileenfisher.com, in more than 50 EILEEN FISHER stores in North America and over 500 department and specialty stores globally. Good-as-new pieces are resold at eileenfisherrenew.com, in two EILEEN FISHER Renew stores, and select EILEEN FISHER retail stores nationwide.

Media Contact

Courtney Page
Rally Point PR courtney.page@rallypoint.pr

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Altura raises 3 million euros in funding. AI-driven bid management software changes way of working.

Fortino Capital

Increasingly, government agencies, as well as private and public organisations, are using formal procurement processes such as a Request for X (RFX) to find a supplier for their contract. These processes are known for their complexity and the enormous amount of documentation required of participants. Altura has developed software to simplify the entire process around creating and managing proposals with the help of AI.  In the coming years, this development promises to dramatically change interactions between governmental organisations and companies, as well as business-to-business collaborations. With an investment of three million euros, Netherlands based Altura is poised to change the playing field in the world of proposal procedures.

Matthijs Huiskamp, founder and CEO Altura: “I see inefficiency in how companies and governments do business with other parties. This is because there is so much manual work and unnecessary steps. With the knowledge and automation in our software, those factors are removed and with that there is more room for vision, creativity, strategy and focus. AI plays the leading role in this.”

Matthijs Huiskamp, founder and CEO Altura

Future of doing business

Increasingly, business purchases are being completed through an RFX. In fact, in recent years, we are seeing smaller organisations purchasing through this route as well. RFX deals include a Request for Bid (RFB), Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ) and a Request for Tender (RFT).

An RFX is an orderly step for an organisation to fairly compare all parties. The government is already required to follow this process in the form of tendering. For participating organisations, an RFX is often an expensive and time-consuming process with stacks of documents involving days of manual work.

From a database with insights into previous proposals, Altura can easily form the right strategy, price and text to increase the likelihood of success.

 

3 million euros funding

Altura launched the first version of its software two years ago. When founders Matthijs Huiskamp and Jordi van der Hek started exploratory talks with investors for a new round of growth, Curiosity VC was immediately enthusiastic and interested. Because of their focus on Artificial Intelligence, Curiosity turned out to be the perfect partner. Subsequently, they found a suitable co-investor in Fortino Capital with the necessary international knowledge and experience.

Wouter Goossens, Investment Director at Fortino Capital: “We see that companies are increasingly buying through RFXs. Matthijs and Jordi have the ambition to become category leaders with software to make bid management more efficient and effective. This objective and the speed at which the company is currently growing really appeal to us.”

Wouter Goossens, Fortino Capital

With the growth money, Altura will further improve their software. There will be a significant investment in tech talent to expand the platform.

The plan is to implement more products and provide even more quality support
to create a perfectly streamlined process.

Herman Kienhuis, managing partner at Curiosity VC: “We have researched the whole market in the field of AI in bid software and see that Altura is the best party. They use new AI technologies for finding and analysing tenders and RFXs, for automating time-consuming manual tasks and also as an assistant for proposal writing. This growth capital will allow them to accelerate their product development and commercial rollout.”

 

AI is storming the proposal management market

Bid management is now subject to AI disruption. That means the manner in which big companies do business and how the government spends is going to be changed. In five years, the field of RFX and procurement will look completely different. Altura is using AI to embrace and accelerate that change. All manual tasks will be solved with artificial intelligence and contextual data from companies. That leaves more time for the work that really matters.

The bid management software uses Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and Custom Prompting. Vector database technology and Graph database technology is deployed.

Thus, Altura’s software can support every step, providing a complete proposal process, from identifying new opportunities to project management and data analysis. The software can scrape product data from platforms, very accurately scan information from documents, estimate financial risks, summarize and organise content in a knowledge library. Based on the information found in the documentation, automated actions are created such as a schedule, task list, text for the proposal and other content. This significantly reduces manual tasks.

 

About Altura

Altura is the market leader in bid management software. The software combines data with technology for a winning proposal process. With Altura, teams can make better proposals by getting the right data insights and administrative tasks are automated by AI. Learn more: https://altura.io

 

About Curiosity VC

Curiosity is a Dutch venture capital fund focused on early-stage investments in AI software startups in the Benelux, Nordic and Baltic countries. Curiosity is led by two experienced operator investors, Herman Kienhuis and Maurice Beckand Verwee, supported by a community of expert advisors and portfolio entrepreneurs who are all co-owners of the fund. Learn more: https://www.curiosityvc.com

 

About Fortino Capital

Fortino Capital is a European investment company focused on high growth B2B software companies. From its offices in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, Fortino supports ambitious entrepreneurs and founders.

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Bridgepoint agrees sale of investment in Dorna Sports to Liberty Media

Bridgepoint

Bridgepoint today announced the sale of its investment in Dorna Sports S.L. to Liberty Media in a transaction which values the company at €4.2 billion.

Dorna is the international sports management, media and marketing company which holds the global rights to organise the MotoGP and WSBK Championships, which together represent the two pre-eminent motorcycle racing series in the world. Bridgepoint has been an investor in the business since 2006.

The transaction represents a full realisation of Bridgepoint’s existing stake along with that of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (‘CPP Investments’) and management, to Liberty Media, which holds the exclusive commercial rights for the FIA Formula One World Championship.

William Jackson, chairman of Bridgepoint Group plc and of Dorna Sports S.L. said: “We’re proud to have partnered with Dorna and its management team for the past 18 years during which time Moto GP has become one of the true global sports brands and enjoys huge success. The partnership has seen MotoGP grow its fan base across five continents and become the world’s most exciting sport.”

The transaction is subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to complete later in 2024.

Advisers for Bridgepoint included: Financial – Moelis (company, Bridgepoint, CPP); Morgan Stanley (CPP); Legal – Latham & Watkins; Garrigues (management); Uria (company); Accounting – Deloitte; Tax – EY.

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Resideo to Acquire Snap One to Expand Presence in Smart Living Products and Distribution

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Hellman & Friedman

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. and CHARLOTTE, N.C.

  • Creates strong position in security, audio visual, and smart living technology distribution for residential and commercial markets
  • Highly complementary capabilities offer professional integrators an expanded selection of proprietary products, extensive third-party supplier relationships, and proven omni-channel reach
  • Enhances Resideo’s growth and margin profile and accretive to non-GAAP EPS in first full year of ownership
  • Identified expected annual run-rate business and financial synergies of $75 million by year three
  • $500 million perpetual convertible preferred equity investment from CD&R

Resideo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: REZI), a leading manufacturer and distributor of technology-driven products and solutions, and Snap One Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: SNPO), a leading provider of smart-living products, services, and software to professional integrators, today announced a definitive agreement pursuant to which Resideo has agreed to acquire Snap One for $10.75 per share in cash, for a transaction value of approximately $1.4 billion, inclusive of net debt. Upon closing, Snap One will integrate into Resideo’s ADI Global Distribution business.

The transaction will combine ADI’s strong position in security products distribution and Snap One’s complementary capabilities in the smart living market and innovative Control4 technology platforms, which is expected to drive increased value for integrators and financial returns. Together, ADI and Snap One will provide integrators an increased selection of both third-party products and proprietary offerings through an extensive physical branch footprint augmented by industry leading digital capabilities.

“The acquisition of Snap One is an exciting step in Resideo’s continued transformation through portfolio optimization, operational enhancements and structural cost savings actions,” commented Jay Geldmacher, Resideo’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “ADI and Snap One are highly complementary businesses and together will meaningfully enhance our strategic and operational capabilities as a significant player in attractive growth categories. We are excited about the enhanced value proposition through increased product breadth, local availability, support services and broad market expertise, as well as the future opportunities this creates for integrators serving residential and commercial markets. In addition, the investment by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a testament to the strategic and financial merits of this transaction and provides financial flexibility as we continue to transform and optimize our portfolio. We look forward to the ADI and Snap One teams working together to drive value for all stakeholders through executing on the substantial business and financial synergies we see in combining the two businesses.”

“Snap One has grown from a startup built by entrepreneurial integrators to an industry leader in smart technology, delivering seamless experiences to consumers and high-quality services and support to our integrators,” said John Heyman, Chief Executive Officer of Snap One. “This is the right next step to capture new opportunities to bring our solutions to market. The future of smart living is here. Demand for connected technology products continues to grow, and Resideo is the right owner to drive our expansion. We believe this transaction will deliver compelling value to our stakeholders and will create opportunities for our people and integrator partners.”

“We are excited to support Resideo on this highly strategic acquisition and in their ongoing transformation,” commented Nathan Sleeper, CD&R’s Chief Executive Officer. “I look forward to joining Resideo’s Board of Directors and supporting the business as it executes on this transaction and the significant opportunity we see available over the coming years.”

Benefits of the Transaction

A Strong Position Across Multiple Attractive Categories: The acquisition will combine Snap One’s capabilities for smart living integrators with ADI’s complementary position in adjacent security products distribution. This cross-category expansion will allow the combined organization to materially deepen relationships with integrators to better serve their customers and expand their businesses.

Expansion of Proprietary Offering: The combination is expected to meaningfully accelerate ADI’s existing exclusive brands strategy, leveraging Snap One’s award-winning proprietary product portfolio and product development expertise while providing broader availability through ADI’s network of commercial and residential integrators and omni-channel capabilities. The combined company intends to leverage increased opportunities around innovation to drive value for integrators through a pipeline for proprietary products. Snap One generated 66% of sales from proprietary products in 2023 and these offerings typically carry significantly higher gross margin than third-party products.

Enhanced Integrator Value Proposition: ADI’s and Snap One’s professional integrators will benefit from significant synergy on go-to-market with Snap One’s e-commerce expertise and integrator support platforms and ADI’s 195 stocking locations and extensive digital capabilities. The combination is expected to create a true omni-channel experience for integrators, simplifying the buying experience and enhancing product availability. Additional opportunity exists to enhance value within the Control4 integrator base through increasing service levels, rapid product fulfilment and expanding exclusive offerings.

Attractive Financial Profile: The transaction is expected to be accretive to Resideo non-GAAP EPS in the first full year of ownership, with favorable revenue growth and margin profile to ADI and Resideo as a whole. Transaction financing has been structured to allow Resideo to preserve financial flexibility for future strategic initiatives.

Transaction Details

The transaction is valued at approximately $1.4 billion, including forecasted net debt of Snap One at the closing of approximately $460 million. This represents a 7.4x multiple on Snap One’s Adjusted EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 29, 2023, as further adjusted by including Resideo’s projected annual run-rate synergies of $75 million.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable antitrust and other regulatory approvals. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Resideo and Snap One. Private investment funds managed by Hellman & Friedman LLC, holding approximately 72% of the outstanding common shares of Snap One, have executed a written consent to approve the merger, thereby providing the required stockholder approval for the transaction.

Resideo intends to use proceeds from committed debt financing, cash on hand, and a $500 million perpetual convertible preferred equity investment from Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC (“CD&R”) to fund the transaction. Terms of the CD&R investment include a 7% coupon, payable in cash or payment-in-kind at Resideo’s option, and a conversion price of $26.92. CD&R brings a long track record of value creation through its investments and significant experience in the specialty distribution market. Effective upon the closing, CD&R will have the right to designate two members to the Board of Directors of Resideo.

Transaction Conference Call Information

Resideo will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 15, 2024, to discuss the transaction. Interested parties may join the call via https://investor.resideo.com/, where related materials will be posted before the call, or by phone at 646-968-2525 or 888-596-4144 with the conference ID: 7959274. A replay of the webcast will be available at https://investor.resideo.com/.

Resideo Preliminary First Quarter 2024 Financial Results

For the first quarter ended March 30, 2024, Resideo’s preliminary expectations are for revenue of approximately $1,485 million, compared with outlook of $1,460 million to $1,510 million and Adjusted EBITDA above the midpoint of outlook of $120 million to $140 million provided in the fourth quarter and full-year 2023 results press release dated February 13, 2024. Resideo intends to release first quarter 2024 financial results after the close of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, May 2, 2024, and host a webcasted conference call at 5 p.m. ET.

Advisors
Evercore and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. are acting as financial advisors and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is acting as legal counsel to Resideo. Bank of America and Morgan Stanley have provided committed financing for the transaction and are also acting as advisors to Resideo. Moelis & Company LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are serving as financial advisors to Snap One and have each provided a fairness opinion to Snap One’s board of directors. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as Snap One’s legal counsel.

About Resideo
Resideo is a leading global manufacturer and developer of technology-driven products and components that provide critical comfort, energy management, and safety and security solutions to over 150 million homes globally. Through our ADI Global Distribution business, we are also a leading wholesale distributor of professionally installed electronic security and life safety products for commercial and residential markets and serve a variety of adjacent product categories including audio visual, data communications, and smart home solutions. For more information about Resideo, please visit www.resideo.com.

About Snap One
As a leading distributor of smart-living technology, Snap One empowers its vast network of professional integrators to deliver entertainment, connectivity, automation, and security solutions to residential and commercial end users worldwide. Snap One distributes an expansive portfolio of proprietary and third-party products through its intuitive online portal and local branch network, blending the benefits of e-commerce with the convenience of same-day pickup. The Company provides software, award-winning support, and digital workflow tools to help its integrator partners build thriving and profitable businesses. Additional information about Snap One can be found at www.snapone.com.

About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Founded in 1978, CD&R is a leading private investment firm with a strategy of generating strong investment returns by building more robust and sustainable businesses through the combination of skilled investment experience and deep operating capabilities. In partnership with the management teams of its portfolio companies, CD&R takes a long-term view of value creation and emphasizes positive stewardship and impact. The firm invests in businesses that span a broad range of industries, including industrial, healthcare, consumer, technology and financial services end markets. CD&R is privately owned by its partners and has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit www.cdr-inc.com and follow the firm’s activities through LinkedIn and @CDRBuilds on X/Twitter.

Residio Investors:
Jason Willey
Residio Vice President, Investor Relations
investorrelations@resideo.com

Adrienne Zimoulis
Residio Sr. Director of Communications
adrienne.zimoulis@resideo.com

Snap One:
Ashley Swenson
Senior Vice President, Marketing
ashley.swenson@snapone.com

Dana Gorman / Dan Scorpio
H/Advisors Abernathy
dana.gorman@h-advisors.global / dan.scorpio@h-advisors.global

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Media:
Jon Selib
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Media
jselib@cdr-inc.com

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes certain “non-GAAP financial measures” as defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Resideo management believes the use of such non-GAAP financial measure, specifically Adjusted EBITDA, assists investors in understanding the ongoing operating performance of Resideo by presenting the financial results between periods on a more comparable basis. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to results determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Resideo defines non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA as Net Income as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, adjusted for the following items: provision for income taxes; depreciation and amortization expenses; interest expense, net; stock-based compensation expense; Honeywell reimbursement agreement non-cash expense; restructuring and impairment expenses; loss on the sale of assets, net, and foreign exchange transaction loss (income).

Resideo is unable to provide preliminary results for the comparable U.S. GAAP measure of Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter 2024 without unreasonable efforts because the closing procedures for the first quarter of 2024 are not yet complete. Accordingly, Resideo is unable to provide a reconciliation from U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA without unreasonable effort. It is important to note that the amounts adjusted to the comparable U.S. GAAP measure may be material to Resideo’s first quarter 2024 reported results determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

This press release also includes a reference to Snap One’s Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Snap One’s management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful information about the proposed transaction; however, it should not be considered as an alternative to U.S. GAAP net income (loss). A reconciliation between Snap One’s Adjusted EBITDA and U.S. GAAP net income (loss) for the annual period ended December 29, 2023, is provided in Snap One’s Annual Report filed with the SEC on Form 10-K on March 9, 2024.

Forward Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Although we believe forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may cause the actual results or performance of each company to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, (1) the ability of the conditions to the closing of the Snap One transaction being timely satisfied and the consummation of the transaction, (2) the ability of Snap One and/or Resideo to drive increased customer value and financial returns and enhance strategic and operational capabilities, (3) the ability of Snap One and/or Resideo to achieve the targeted amount of synergies and the related valuation implications described in this press release, (4) the accretive nature of the transaction to Resideo’s non-GAAP EPS in the first full year of ownership and the growth and margin profile of the combined businesses, (5) the ability to accelerate brand strategy as a result of the transaction, (6) the ability to integrate the Snap One business into Resideo and realize the anticipated strategic benefits of the transaction, including the anticipated operational and strategic benefits of the transaction, (7) actual Resideo results for the first quarter ended March 30, 2024 differing from the estimated financial results included in this press release, including due to the completion of our financial closing procedures, final adjustments and other developments that may arise between the date of this press release and the time that financial results for the first quarter of 2024 are finalized, (8) our expectation that the financing for the transaction will allow Resideo to maintain our existing credit ratings and preserve financial flexibility for future strategic initiatives, (9) the ability to recognize the expected savings from, and the timing and impact of, existing and anticipated cost reduction actions (10) the likelihood of continued success of our transformation programs and initiatives, and (11) the other risks described under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” in Resideo’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the other risks described under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” in Snap One’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2023 and such other periodic filings as each of Resideo and Snap One make from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments, and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date of this press release, and we caution investors not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements

View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/resideo-to-acquire-snap-one-to-expand-presence-in-smart-living-products-and-distribution-302116276.html

SOURCE Resideo Technologies, Inc.

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BlackPeak Capital Invests €6.8M in the Software Development Company Bianor

BlackPeak Capital

BlackPeak Capital Invests €6.8M in the Software Development Company Bianor
15 april 2024
The investment aims to support Bianor’s current rapid organic growth and accelerate the company’s development through mergers and acquisitions in the region. This strategy aims to build on Bianor’s portfolio of services and competencies, as well as expand its geographic presence by reaching more customers in the US, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics and MENA.

Private equity firm BlackPeak Capital invested €6.8M in Bianor Holding JSC (BSE:BNR), a software development company with more than 25-year experience implementing custom high-tech solutions for leading companies in the technology, media, telecommunications, and other industries. The investment is part of the company’s successful capital increase, which attracted 199 investors, including several institutional investors. The total number of subscribed shares, with an issue value of BGN 3.70 (€1.89), is 5 414 619 resulting in a capital raise of over €10M. This is the second successful capital raising by Bianor in less than 12 months.

    • The investment aims to support Bianor’s current rapid organic growth and accelerate the company’s development through mergers and acquisitions in the region. This strategy plans to build on Bianor’s portfolio of services and competencies, as well as expand its geographic presence by reaching more customers in the US, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, and elsewhere.

BlackPeak Capital’s investment ranks the fund among the top shareholders in Bianor. Bianor becomes the fifth company in the BlackPeak Southeast Europe Growth Equity Fund’s portfolio, managing funds of €126M.
 

Bianor was co-founded by Kosta Jordanov, an accomplished Bulgarian entrepreneur. One of his most successful projects was the launch of the premium digital streaming platform FITE (a Bianor spin-off), which in 2021 was sold to the US media company Triller in one of Bulgaria’s largest IT exits to date.

‘BlackPeak Capital is among the most successful regional investment funds. Having access to their significant experience with large acquisitions will be extremely valuable for Bianor’s strategy to complement the organic growth with expansion through acquisitions,’ said Kosta Jordanov, CEO of Bianor Holding JSC. ‘On behalf of the Bianor Group team, I would like to thank BlackPeak Capital and the rest of our shareholders for their trust and support on the road to making Bianor one of the largest and most successful software development companies in the region,’ added Jordanov.

‘We are very pleased to have the opportunity to support Kosta and the entire Bianor team in their ambitious expansion plans. Bianor is a company with a proven track record of growth through acquisitions, and we believe that recent trends in the IT industry will give advantages to larger companies that have the resources to compete on a global level based on higher added value,’ said Rosen Ivanov, Managing Partner at BlackPeak Capital. ‘This is the first time we are investing in a listed company, and we hope that our investment will contribute not only to the development of the business but also to the Bulgarian capital market as a whole,’ Ivanov added.

After the increase, Bianor Holding’s capitalization exceeds €25M at the current stock price. This places Bianor among the largest IT companies listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange.

 

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Litorina sells KungSängen to a consortium

Litorina
  • Litorina has signed an agreement to divest KungSängen, a leading direct-to-consumer bed specialist in Sweden, to a consortium with main financier being KAMJO Design & Hantverk.
  • KungSängen’s position in the market has been strengthened during Litorinas ownership by many improvements, such as modernizing the physical showrooms and improving e-commerce, integrated to enable true OMNI-channel experience.
  • KungSängen has been affected by several aspects related to the general economic development and downturn during last two years. The company has adapted to these changes and made the operations more resilient going forward, while continuing to deliver high-quality products and services to its customers.
  • The sale of KungSängen marks the 9th exit for the Litorina IV fund.
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Our investment in Mimo: Simplifying global payments and financial management for SMBs

Northzone

We are thrilled to announce our investment in Mimo, the platform simplifying global payments, cash flow, and financial management for SMBs and accountants. We’ve led this €18m round with participation from Cocoa Ventures, Seedcamp, Upfin VC, Fost Capital, and various angel investors including founders and early operators from Stripe, GoCardless, Wayflyer, and Anyfin.

Despite the fintech innovation of the past decades, when it comes to SMBs, payments and cashflow management continue to be a pain point. The processes are usually handled by a director on top of other duties or by a fractional CFO and involve a lot of manual work. Cashflow management is a timing problem and payments management a workflow problem. Beyond that, companies often fly blind, lacking real insights on their actual cash positions and future cashflows, which hampers their ability to properly plan ahead.

Over the years, we have spoken to multiple founders and fractional CFOs and repeatedly come across the time-consuming and fragmented processes SMBs face when managing money. The payer wants to pay as late as possible, while the payee wants to receive money as fast as possible. Without much negotiating power, small businesses are generally tight on cash; their options are to either take out expensive SME loans or pay their suppliers late to preserve and collect cash.

Today, SMBs often rely on a disjointed network of applications, including house banks, SaaS tools, and FX brokers, to manage their finances. Workflows are clunky and companies often keep track of their invoices in their email inbox, spreadsheets, or tools such as Xero. Furthermore, approvals between individuals go through a variety of touchpoints that are not purpose-built, creating unnecessary back-and-forths.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen a wave of neobanks and banks catered to SMB needs (including FINOM, also a Northzone portfolio company). While these banks replace old and unadapted incumbents, the administrative and cashflow challenges remain. In the UK, the average SME is owed a staggering estimated £22,000 in late payments every year.

Enter: Mimo. Founded by Henrik, Alexander, and Andreas, Mimo is solving this problem with their holistic platform that simplifies global payments, cash flow management, and financial management for SMBs and accountants.

By providing a suite of financial tools that bundles the features needed for SMBs to better understand and control their cash flow, Mimo enables businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers to manage finances through a single platform. The platform allows SMBs to pay suppliers with a click, access working capital, and get paid faster by customers, in any currency. Mimo’s credit offering minimises risk and optimises working capital, empowering businesses to send and receive payments on their own terms.

Our Partner, Jessica Schultz, adds, “Having known Henrik for years, we are very excited to partner up with him and his co-founders Alexander and Andreas, who previously worked together at iZettle and know well what it takes to build and win in the financial SMB market. Companies today face a real pain when it comes to coherently managing payments, cash flow, and financing. We believe Mimo’s vision for a true financial management platform aligns well with our thesis. The commercial success Mimo is already seeing today is a testament to the team’s drive and market edge.”

With this new funding, Mimo will accelerate product development, expand its platform, and continue its commercial success. If you’re an SMB or finance professional looking to streamline your financial processes, join the Mimo movement at mimohq.com.

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