Category Archives: News

General Atlantic Closes Sixth Flagship Growth Equity Fund at $7.8 Billion, Bringing Total Committed Capital to $23.8 Billion

General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, announced today the final close of its sixth flagship fund, GA 2021, at $7.8 billion, above its initial target of $5 billion. The fund received commitments from new and existing capital partners, including family offices, endowments, foundations and institutional investors around the world.

The firm, which pioneered the growth equity asset class more than four decades ago, now has $23.8 billion in committed capital and over $78 billion in assets under management.[1] General Atlantic partners with high-growth, tech-enabled companies globally across its five core sectors: Consumer, Financial Services, Healthcare, Life Sciences and Technology. Since its founding, General Atlantic has invested $49 billion in more than 445 global growth companies.

“Our global growth equity strategy positions us to capitalize on the profound acceleration of digital innovation and global entrepreneurship as we seek to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns to our capital partners,” said Bill Ford, Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic. “Our ability to partner with management teams, help build rapidly growing, technology-enabled companies on a global scale, and generate strong and consistent investment performance distinguishes General Atlantic with both entrepreneurs and investors.”

“We believe that growth equity plays a critical role in driving innovation and delivering both strong performance and positive impact,” said Graves Tompkins, Managing Director and Global Head of Capital Partnering for General Atlantic. “The enthusiasm for our global investment strategy and partnership approach enables us to scale our capital base to meet our expanding opportunity set while creating strategic and long-term relationships with family and institutional investors.”

General Atlantic operates outside of the traditional fundraising cycle, with a unique capital structure that enables the firm to scale its capital base on an ongoing basis.

The firm’s capital structure includes:

  • Closed-end funds;
  • Five-year managed accounts and evergreen accounts; and
  • A GP commitment, representing the largest single investor in GA’s core investing program.

This access to a stable, global pool of capital allows General Atlantic to maintain its focus on making the most attractive long-term decisions for both its portfolio companies and capital partners.

Amran Hussein and Conrad van Loggerenberg of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP acted as legal counsel to General Atlantic.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 445 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic currently has over $78 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of June 30, 2021, and more than 190 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Stamford. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com.

[1] AUM is inclusive of all products as of June 30, 2021.

Media Contacts

Mary Armstrong & Emily Japlon
General Atlantic media@generalatlantic.com

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Kubermatic Raises $6M Seed Funding to Accelerate Growth of Their Open Source Kubernetes Automation Platform

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Nauta Capital

  • The investment round was led by Nauta Capital with Celonis co-founders Bastian Nominacher and Martin Klenk joining the round as angel investors
  • Use of containers in production has risen by 300% since 2016 and 91% of organizations running containers use Kubernetes for orchestration
  • Enterprises leverage Kubermatic Kubernetes Platform to automate operations of hundreds of Kubernetes clusters across any infrastructure

Hamburg, November 10, 2021 – Kubermatic, creator of the widely adopted Kubermatic Kubernetes Platform (KKP), has raised $6M in seed funding, led by Nauta Capital. With Bastian Nominacher and Martin Klenk, co-founders of Celonis, renowned angel investors joined the round. Kubermatic Kubernetes Platform fully automates all aspects of operating Kubernetes clusters in hybrid- and multi-cloud as well as on the edge. The company will use the seed funding to increase open source adoption, broaden the international customer base and accelerate product innovation.

According to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), use of containers in production has risen by 300% between 2016 and 2020 and 91% of organizations running containers use Kubernetes for orchestration. The leading technology research and consulting house Gartner predicts that by 2022, more than 75% of organizations will be running containerized applications in production. At the same time, only an estimated 5% of all enterprise applications have been containerized so far. As a result, Gartner expects container management software and services to rapidly grow and reach $944M in 2024.

With several global enterprise companies using Kubermatic Kubernetes Platform to automate and drive their transformation towards cloud adoption, some of Kubermatic’s existing customers include T-Systems MMS, Allianz, and Siemens.

Sebastian Scheele, CEO and co-founder of Kubermatic said: “Our vision is to help customers achieve power through automation. We build the world’s most adaptable and autonomous software delivery platform because we want IT teams to focus their time on writing innovative applications that rival the likes of Amazon and Google.”

Guillem Sague, Partner at Nauta Capital, commented: “Over the last five years, we have seen Kubernetes become the leading technology for container orchestration. Kubermatic has been an early adopter and is one of the main contributors to the Kubernetes project. Therefore we are excited to partner with a European OSS company that is a front runner in their industry.”

Martin Klenk, co-founder and CTO at Celonis added: “At Celonis, we pioneered process mining to run business operations entirely on data and intelligence. Containers and Kubernetes are essential to achieve the flexibility, speed, and resilience companies need for scalable business models like ours. Among our enterprise customers, I can observe that container technologies and Kubernetes are becoming the standard for multi-cloud, hybrid-cloud and edge strategies to modernize existing IT infrastructures. I strongly expect Kubernetes to prevail for all mission-critical enterprise applications in the medium term. For this reason, I am truly excited to join Kubermatic’s seed financing round.”

Media Relations:

kristin@kubermatic.com |  sam.ahmed@nautacapital.com

Logos and images related to this press release here.

About Kubermatic

Kubermatic empowers organizations worldwide to automate all aspects of their Kubernetes and cloud native operations across multi-cloud, edge and on-prem data centers. As a Top 6 corporate committer to the Kubernetes Project for over three years, Kubermatic develops enterprise-grade software solutions and provides professional services to safely navigate and accelerate the cloud native transformation. Leading enterprises including Allianz and Siemens trust Kubermatic on their cloud native journey. The company was founded in 2016 by Sebastian Scheele and Julian Hansert and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany https://www.kubermatic.com/

About Nauta Capital

Nauta Capital is a Pan-European Venture Capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies, with offices in London, Barcelona and Berlin. With over half a billion assets under management and a team of 24 people, Nauta Capital is one of Europe’s largest B2B focused VCs. As a sector-agnostic investor, Nauta’s main areas of interest include B2B SaaS solutions with strong network effects, vertically focused enterprise tech transforming large industries as well as those leveraging deep-tech applications to solve challenges faced by large enterprises. Nauta has led investments in more than 50 companies including Brandwatch, HappySignals, Marfeel, Nextail, Emjoy, zenloop, Mercaux, Holded, Onna, MishiPay, and Smart Protection. Find out more at www.nautacapital.com

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21 Invest Italy signs a binding agreement to acquire Zanzar, a leading Italian group in insect screens

21 Invest Italy is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire a majority stake in Zanzar, European leader in the development and production of insect screens based in the South of Italy.

Founded in 1985 by Angelo L’Angellotti, Zanzar was at first focused on the production of insect screens and then enlarged its product offer to other window accessories like shutters, blinds, awnings and pergolas thanks to recent acquisitions.

Zanzar is still managed by the founder and has experienced a strong growth over the years, reaching a total turnover of about €M 80, about 35% of which is generated on international markets with a total workforce of about 400 employees.

Across its 11 production sites, Zanzar has developed an extremely efficient operating model, that ensures customers can experience a high level of service and quality, with extremely fast delivery times. The continuous investments made over the years and still underway will provide the company with significant room to grow, both increasing penetration in already served markets and expanding its international footprint.

21 Invest will support the company’s development on an organic basis, including the integration of the companies acquired in the past years, as well as, through a build-up strategy, with a number of potential targets already identified in order to expand product range and market coverage.

The current management team will continue running the company, headed by the Chairman Angelo L’Angellotti. The project also envisages the managerialization of the company, through the involvement of professionals, either already with the company or to be recruited, with the ultimate aim of strengthening Zanzar’s organizational structure.

Alessandro Benetton, Founding Managing Partner of 21 Invest states: “We are delighted to support Zanzar in pursuing further development. Partnering with an entrepreneur and a company that over the years have shown enormous potential is at the basis of our investment strategy. I firmly believe that the synergy between Zanzar’s DNA and 21 Invest’s industrial approach will allow the group to further strengthen its leadership position in the sector, further accelerating the growth path developed over time.”

Angelo Angellotti, Chairman of Zanzar, affirms: “The partnership with 21 Invest is a milestone in a journey that began more than 35 years ago. With 21 Invest we will be stronger and ready to take on future growth opportunities in Italy and abroad, both organically and through add-on acquisitions.”

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EQT Ventures and EQT Growth to exit its holdings in Wolt, a leading food delivery platform operating across 23 countries

eqt

DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) is acquiring Wolt in an all-stock deal worth approximately EUR 7 billion; EQT Ventures and EQT Growth will exit their holdings in Wolt and receive DoorDash stock as part of the transaction

EQT Ventures led the early Series-A financing round for Wolt in 2016 and has since been a close partner and advisor to Wolt, participating in all subsequent financing rounds. EQT Growth invested in Wolt’s latest USD 530 million round of financing in January 2021

Since its founding in Finland in 2014, the Helsinki-based company has expanded to 23 countries and today employs over 4,000 people

Today it was announced that DoorDash (NYSE: DASH) has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Wolt (the “Company”) for approximately EUR 7 billion in an all-stock transaction, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions for transactions of this type. As part of the transaction, the EQT Ventures I fund (“EQT Ventures”) and EQT Growth are exiting their holdings in Wolt and receiving shares in DoorDash. DoorDash is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 7,000 cities across the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. With the acquisition of Wolt, DoorDash will add a significant international presence.

Wolt was established in 2014 in Helsinki, Finland, by CEO Miki Kuusi and co-founders, who had a vision of creating a truly tech-oriented company that would make it easy and fun to discover great food delivered directly to home or office. Wolt’s platform and data-driven delivery infrastructure provide customer convenience and new revenue opportunities for both restaurants and retailers. It has grown rapidly and today operates across 23 countries and employs over 4,000 people.

EQT Ventures was one of Wolt’s earliest investors and has participated in all subsequent financing rounds, during which it has played a pivotal role in supporting the Company to become one of the largest private technology companies in Europe. EQT Growth joined the journey in January 2021 as part of Wolt’s latest growth financing round, showcasing EQT’s ability to “back its winners” over time and across the EQT platform. Today, EQT Ventures and EQT Growth combined are Wolt’s largest shareholders.

Johan Svanström, Partner within EQT Growth’s Advisory Team and Wolt board member since 2018, and Lars Jörnow, Partner within EQT Ventures’ Advisory Team and part of the initial investment team for Wolt when the fund lead the Series A, commented, “We are thrilled to see Wolt and DoorDash join forces. EQT Ventures originally invested in a small, tech-obsessed and gritty Finnish team that was looking for a hands-on and involved investment partner. Through our close working relationship and supported by capital investments from EQT Ventures, and subsequently EQT Growth, today Wolt is one of Europe’s most successful private technology companies. It has been a pleasure supporting CEO Miki Kuusi and the team in building and scaling the company and we look forward to following them for years to come.”

Miki Kuusi, CEO of Wolt, said, “The entire EQT platform has been critical in our growth and success over recent years. EQT Ventures were one of our earliest backers and have remained with us ever since. In 2021, we were delighted to welcome EQT Growth to the fold as part of our latest funding round. Today, I’m incredibly excited to announce that Wolt is joining forces with the DoorDash team to start our next chapter.”

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions for transactions of this type. The DoorDash equity issued as part of the transaction will be valued at $206.45 per share, based on DoorDash’s 30 day VWAP as of November 3, 2021.

EQT Ventures and EQT Growth were advised by law firm DLA Piper.

EQT Press Office
press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

DoorDash Investor Relations Contact
ir@doordash.com

DoorDash Press Contact
press@doordash.com

Wolt Contact
press@wolt.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events, including the timing of the proposed transaction and other information related to the proposed transaction. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern the proposed transaction and our expectations, strategy, plans or intentions regarding it. Forward-looking statements in this communication include, but are not limited to, (i) expectations regarding the timing, completion and expected benefits of the proposed transaction, (ii) plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, stakeholders and the markets in which Doordash and Wolt and the combined company will operate, and (iii) the expected impact of the proposed transaction on the business of the parties. Expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks, uncertainties and other factors relate to, among others: risks and uncertainties related to our pending acquisition of Wolt, including the failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, the failure to satisfy any of the closing conditions to the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all and costs and expenses associated with failure to close; costs, expenses or difficulties related to the acquisition of Wolt, including the integration of the Wolt’’s business; failure to realize the expected benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction in the expected timeframes or at all; the potential impact of the announcement, pendency or consummation of the proposed transaction on relationships with our and/or Wolt’s employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners; the risk of litigation or regulatory actions to us and/or Wolt; inability to retain key personnel; changes in legislation or government regulations affecting us or Wolt; developments in the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business and operational impacts on us and/or Wolt; and economic, financial, social or political conditions that could adversely affect us, Wolt or the proposed transaction. For additional information on other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted, please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and subsequent Form 10-Qs or Form 8-Ks filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). All information provided in this communication is as of the date of this communication and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, and information available to us, as of such date. We undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.

No Offer or Solicitation
This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Important Additional Information Will be Filed with the SEC
DoorDash will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4, which will include a prospectus of DoorDash. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO CAREFULLY READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DOORDASH, WOLT, THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement and other documents filed with the SEC through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov and on DoorDash’s website at http://ir.doordash.com.

About

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with more than EUR 70 billion in assets under management across 27 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 175,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

About DoorDash
DoorDash is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 7,000 cities across the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan. Founded in 2013, DoorDash enables local businesses to address consumers’ expectations of ease and immediacy and thrive in today’s convenience economy. By building the last-mile logistics infrastructure for local commerce, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time.

About Wolt
Wolt is a technology company that makes it incredibly easy to discover and get the best of local restaurants, grocery stores and other local shops delivered to your home or office. Wolt is in 23 countries. The Helsinki-based company was founded in 2014, employs over 4,000 people, and is led by its Co-Founder and CEO Miki Kuusi.

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Sambla Group acquires Rahalaitos from Speqta and strengthens its position in the Nordic region

Nordic Capital
Sambla Group acquires Rahalaitos from Speqta and strengthens its position in the Nordic region Image

 

Sambla Group AB (“Sambla Group”) has entered into an agreement with Speqta AB (publ) (“Speqta”) to acquire the leading Finnish comparison site Eone Oy (“Rahalaitos”). Together with Rahalaitos, Sambla Group will gain an even stronger position in the Nordic region and continue to drive the development of the industry.

Sambla Group consists of Sambla and Advisa and is one of the Nordic region’s largest players in comparison sites for personal finance. By helping customers compare loan terms and consolidate their loans and insurance, Sambla Group can improve terms and reduce costs for borrowers.

Rahalaitos is a Finnish fintech company that since 2011 has been offering a marketplace that connects consumers with banks, lenders and insurance companies through technology and services. Rahalaitos has been a pioneer in Finland in developing better opportunities for its customers to apply for loans.

Per Österström, CEO, Sambla Group comments:

“Both Sambla Group and our owner Nordic Capital have during a longer period followed Rahalaitos and we are impressed of how the company has developed. Rahalaitos management has successfully navigated through the Covid-19 related challenges and delivered profitable return. We are looking forward to working with Rahalaitos management and employees, and together grow and achieve new opportunities to product development that improves the economy of consumers and drives a positive development of our industry.”

Tuomas Riski, incoming CEO, Rahalaitos comments:

“I have always been impressed with Rahalaito’s ability to build its product offering for its customers. It is a basis for succeeding in helping Finnish consumers get the right conditions. Therefore, it feels incredibly exciting to become a part of Rahalaitos and Sambla Group, and I believe my experience of product development together with Rahalaito’s strong brand will create an even stronger success story.”

Fredrik Lindros, CEO, Speqta comments:

“Rahalaitos have delivered good and stable profitability and have been a successful and value creating acquisition for us even despite the challenges during the pandemic. Now we chose to be a part of the consolidation on the loan brokerage market, and we see that Rahalaitos will get better opportunities to continue to develop within the Sambla group and with their strong owners Nordic Capital.”

 Christopher Ekdahl, Principal, Nordic Capital Advisors comments:

“Nordic Capital is impressed by the added value that both Rahalaitos and Sambla Group create by improving its customers’ personal finances. With their combined digital profile, we are convinced that this merger will continue to drive the development of the industry. Nordic Capital looks forward to continuing to support the joint team.”

 

Media contacts:

Sabla Group

Per Österström, CEO
per.osterstrom@samblagroup.com
tel: +46 707 80 55 63

Speqta AB (publ)

Fredrik Lindros, CEO
e-mail: fredrik.lindros@speqta.com
tel: +46 723 10 66 66


About Sambla Group

Sambla Group consists of Sambla and Advisa and is one of the Nordic region’s largest players in comparison sites for personal finance. By helping customers compare loan terms and consolidate their loans and insurance, Sambla and Advisa can improve terms and reduce costs. Both companies have a very high level of customer satisfaction thanks to modern user interfaces and strong common corporate values. Sambla Group focuses on increased product development, an even higher level of service and access to additional competitive offers that benefit more customers. The company has partnerships with over 40 banks and lenders in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. To date, Sambla Group has helped over 500,000 customers to improve their personal finances. For more information, please see www.samblagroup.com

 

About Rahalaitos

Rahalaitos is a Finnish fintech company that since 2011 has been offering a marketplace that connects consumers with banks, lenders and insurance companies through technology and services. Rahalaitos offers a wide range of financial services that improve consumers’ daily lives while providing cost savings. The main focus is comparisons of loans and insurance through proprietary technology. Rahalaitos has been a pioneer in Finland in developing better opportunities for its customers to apply for competitive loans.

 

About Speqta
Speqta offers the best performance-based lead generation-platforms using data and AI, and shall grow organically and though acquisition in new and current markets. The company has two business areas, Speqta AdTech and Speqta Content & Comparison. The company is listed on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market in Stockholm under the ticker “SPEQT.

 

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and selectively, Industrial & Business Services. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested more than EUR 19 billion in over 120 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital X with EUR 6.1 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution with EUR 1.2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Norway. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com

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DIF Capital Partners to invest in US fiber platform Joink

DIF

DIF Capital Partners to invest in US fiber platform Joink

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”), via DIF CIF II (the “Fund”), is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Joink, LLC (“Joink” or the “Company”) to be its growth capital partner, opening the door to significantly more investment and growth. Joink is a telecommunications infrastructure company that currently provides enterprise fiber, residential fiber, and fixed wireless services in Western Indiana and Eastern Illinois. Subject to regulatory approval, the partnership with DIF will allow Joink to expand its fiber optic network to residential and enterprise customers at a much faster pace.

Joink started providing internet service to residents and businesses in Eastern Illinois and Western Indiana in 2001 using fixed wireless. Since 2014, the Company has expanded to serve thousands of end users in West Central Indiana with fiber, including priority infrastructure for education, healthcare, enterprise, and other telecommunications carriers. It has always been Joink’s intention to further extend its fiber to the single-family home and multi-dwelling unit offerings. Joink currently has 88 employees and growing.

“DIF believes the future fiber-to-the-home roll out is critical to ensure that residents in Indiana and Illinois have reliable high-speed internet access through Joink’s fiber network. DIF is excited to partner with a well-established fiber and fixed wireless company such as Joink and its experienced management team. Joink’s approach to investing in residential fiber infrastructure fits DIF’s ambition to invest in the US fiber industry. In addition to creating local jobs, this investment helps bridge the digital divide in online education, remote employment opportunities, telemedicine and other prospects afforded by broadband access” said Willem Jansonius, Partner and Head of Investments for the DIF CIF strategy.

“We are grateful for the support in growing our business from our team members and their families, our customers, vendors, long-term investors and financing partners, permitting authorities, state and local government, and the communities in which we live and work,” says Josh Zuerner, Joink President and CEO. “That support has enabled us to attract the investment from DIF – a world-class infrastructure investment fund. We don’t take the trust we’ve gained over the last twenty years for granted and will continue to build upon it by showcasing our unwavering commitment to high-quality Internet access.”

While DIF is investing in Joink, all existing investors will continue to remain invested in the Company. Hank Stephens, one of the earliest investors in Joink, notes, “When Brian Wick and I decided over 20 years ago to invest in a startup company in Terre Haute called Joink, we were excited about the potential Joink had to provide Internet service to people with limited or no options. As we look back today, I don’t think either of us could have envisioned the tremendous impact that Joink would ultimately have on the residents and businesses of West Central Indiana. We are grateful to the Joink employees as well as our fellow investors who have helped get Joink to where it is today and are excited about this new partnership and opportunity to expand further.”

Cowen and Company served as financial advisor to Joink. Agentis Capital served as financial advisor to DIF.

About Joink

Joink is Midwest’s leading providers of wireless Internet service in rural markets in Indiana and Illinois. Joink has installed over 540 miles of fiber in the five-county area and offers service to enterprise, commercial, carrier, and residential customers. Joink’s main fiber network ring connects Vigo, Vermillion, Parke, and Clay County. It also has fiber-optic assets throughout Sullivan County. Joink operates over 100 fixed-wireless transmit points. Building and maintaining a large network requires tremendous knowledge and expertise, and customers grew to recognize and count on that expertise. As a result, they increasingly leaned on Joink to assist them when faced with technology challenges. Joink addresses these challenges through its Hosting, Technology Services, and Managed Services divisions. Last year, the State of Indiana awarded seven Indiana Next Level Connects Projects to Joink.  Additionally, Vigo County Government and the City of Terre Haute supported the Vigo County School Corporation in extending Joink’s network to 84 community access locations. More info: http://www.joink.com

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with more than €9.0 billion in assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure Fund VI is the latest vintage, target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
  • DIF CIF funds, of which DIF CIF II is the latest vintage, target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy, and transportation sectors.

DIF supports the goal of Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in-line with global efforts as a result of the Paris Agreement to have net zero emissions by 2050, or sooner.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 170 professionals, based in ten offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact:
Allard Ruijs, IR & BD
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

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Cooper Consumer Health announces the appointment of Bart Meermans as CEO and the acquisition of Lashilé Beauty

CVC Capital Partners

The acquisition of Cooper Consumer Health by CVC Capital Partners Fund VII is completed

Cooper Consumer Health (“Cooper”) a leading European independent over-the-counter drug manufacturer and distributor, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bart Meermans as its new Chief Executive Officer and the agreement to acquire French consumer health food supplement business, Lashilé Beauty.

Bart Meermans has a wealth of industry experience having spent the last ten years at Reckitt Benckiser in a number of roles, most recently as Senior Vice President responsible for leading the company’s health businesses in Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan. Under his leadership the regions completed a significant digital transformation, which tripled online sales. Prior to this, Bart spent fifteen years in managerial roles at Omega Pharma and Procter & Gamble. Bart will succeed Bauke Rouwers, who will step down from his current CEO role, effective immediately.

Cooper has also agreed to acquire French nutraceutical company Lashilé Beauty, the market-leader in the fast-growing gummy dietary supplement category in France. The business fits well the bolt-on strategy of Cooper, with a complementary product portfolio with attractive underlying growth, a scalable business model that can be rolled-out internationally, and strong online and digital marketing know-how.

Yvan Vindevogel, Chairman of Cooper, added: “We are thrilled to be bringing Bart on board. His wealth of experience in the sector will be central to helping us accelerate Cooper’s ambitious growth plans. I also want to thank Bauke for his dedication in building the company during an extraordinary period over the last two years. We are tremendously excited about the future and in particular about our new partnership with Lashilé Beauty, a partnership which will be highly complementary to both businesses, helping us provide our customers with more ways to look after their health and wellbeing.”

Bart Meermans, incoming CEO of Cooper, said: “I am delighted to join the Cooper team and I look forward to working with my new colleagues as we embark on the journey of becoming a leading European Healthcare company. I believe that providing self-care, by empowering people to take better care of their health, is meaningful and inspirational, and equally unlocking a significant runway for growth.”

On the acquisition of Cooper, CVC partnered with Vemedia founder Yvan Vindevogel, specialised healthcare fund Avista Capital Partners, the management team, and Charterhouse which made a significant reinvestment in the company. The Lashilé Beauty founders will also become shareholders in Cooper. The entry into exclusive negotiations was initially announced earlier this year and the new shareholders are excited to support the company’s organic and acquisitive growth plans.

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Ardian and Prelios SGR sign a lease agreement for the property in Via di Villa Emiliani 10, Rome

Ardian

09 NOVEMBER 2021 REAL ESTATE  ITALY, MILAN

The 3,200 sqm building in the exclusive Parioli district will host the new offices of a leading company operating in the telecommunications sector, from March 2022

Milan, 9 November 2021 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, and Prelios SGR, announced that they have signed a lease agreement with a leading multinational company operating in the telecommunications sector for its new Italian headquarters in Rome.

The property in Via di Villa Emiliani 10 in Rome, owned by AREEF Sunshine, a real estate investment fund wholly owned by Ardian and managed by Prelios SGR, will host the new Italian headquarters of the telecom company from March 2022.

An independent building surrounded by an exclusive courtyard and located in the Parioli district, the property is one of the most prestigious and elegant in Rome. It also has excellent accessibility with the provision of multiple car and motorbike parking spaces..

It is currently undergoing renovation work by designers Scandurra Studio Architettura, and will embody the distinctive features of the area – characterized by modern, flexible and versatile office spaces that guarantee the well-being of the occupants.

The building is 3,200 square metres across seven floors. In addition to office space, the building has panoramic terraces with excellent views of the ancient city and an exclusive garden with direct access from the basement. The building has been refurbished with sustainability and efficiency in mind and is LEED certified.

Rodolfo Petrosino, Senior Managing Director for Southern Europe of Ardian Real Estate commented: “This project confirms Ardian Real Estate’s commitment to the highest international standards in terms of efficiency and environmental sustainability. A building designed for the future, it will guarantee maximum comfort for the occupants and their well-being. The signing of the lease agreement shows how rewarding this approach is.”

Patrick Del Bigio, CEO of Prelios SGR, said: “The enhancement activity carried out on the property in Via di Villa Emiliani once again highlights Prelios SGR’s strong track record in the real estate market in Rome. It also confirms how a strategy based on the repositioning of a building according to international best practices in terms of architecture and environmental sustainability can attract top-level international tenants in Rome. We believe that the real estate market in Rome will continue to grow in line with the wider real estate cycle, offering further important opportunities.”

AREEF Sunshine was advised by GVA Redilco.

 

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$120bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 800 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,200 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

www.ardian.com

 

ABOUT PRELIOS SGR

Prelios SGR is a company in the Prelios Group and one of Italy’s largest asset managers. It is active in the promotion, creation and management of alternative real estate investment and credit funds, advisory and separate account management, for leading Italian and international institutional investors. Prelios SGR is a pioneer in the innovation of investment products, in terms of asset classes and typologies, in part through the management of one of the first externally managed SICAFs, and of the largest UTP fund in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. Prelios SGR has developed advanced standards and control systems in terms of governance, risk management and transparency, while maintaining operating flexibility. The company is also committed to promoting sustainability, as reflected in its adherence, since 2019, to the UN PRI – Principles for Responsible Investment and, since 2020, to the GRESB.

www.prelios.com

PRESS CONTACTS

ARDIAN

HEADLAND

ardian@headlandconsultancy.com+44 207 3435 7469

PRELIOS

pressoffice@prelios.com+39 02 6281.4176/4826

IMAGE BUILDING

prelios@imagebuilding.it+390289011300

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BSK IMMOBILIER opnes its capital to ACTIVA CAPITAL

Activa Capital

Activa Capital announces an investment in the digital network of real estate agents BSK Immobilier. On the occasion of this transaction, Activa Capital takes a minority stake alongside Lionel Pelletier, majority shareholder and President of BSK Immobilier.

Founded in 2010 in Toulouse (Southern France) with the ambition to offer an alternative model of real estate intermediation, BSK Immobilier is a digital platform offering a complete range of services and tools with high added value for real estate agents. Since its creation, the company has recorded remarkable organic growth to become one of the key players in the digital real estate networks in France, with over 1,400 active agents and a volume of 4,000 transactions per year. BSK Immobilier generated approximately €30 million in revenues for the fiscal year ending September 2021.

Driven by a fast-growing market segment and a differentiating value proposition, BSK Immobilier intends to continue its double-digit organic growth and reach more than €100m in revenues in the medium term.
While preserving the family DNA of the company, this operation will allow BSK Immobilier to continue its ambitious development, notably through the structuring of the head office teams, the reinforcement of the training program for agents, the development of network animation actions, the continuation of digital investments and the deployment of differentiating technological tools. The group thus wishes to consolidate its leadership on the French market and gradually roll out its offer internationally.

Activa Capital, which specializes in supporting SMEs in primary transactions, will bring to BSK Immobilier its know-how in structuring fast-growing digital companies. With this investment, Activa Capital announces the 3rd investment of its latest vehicle, Activa Capital Fund IV.
Lionel Pelletier, President of BSK Immobilier, said: “We are delighted to welcome Activa Capital, which fully shares our strategic vision. This partnership will enable us to continue our investments, particularly in digital technology and the development of differentiating technological tools for our agents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our real estate agents who have placed their trust in us and who contribute to the success of BSK Immobilier through their professionalism and commitment.”

Alexandre Masson and Christophe Parier, Managing Partners at Activa Capital, added: “BSK Immobilier is a leading player in its market and has a very significant development potential. This is a unique investment opportunity that lies at the heart of our expertise: supporting primary operations alongside talented entrepreneurs. We are very proud to have the opportunity to participate in this new phase of BSK Immobilier’s growth alongside Lionel Pelletier, its founder, with whom we share the same entrepreneurial DNA.”
The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

* * *
Deal participants
BSK Immobilier: Lionel Pelletier
Activa Capital: Alexandre Masson, Christophe Parier, David Quatrepoint, Elliot Thiéblin, Julie Perouzel

Vendors
M&A Advisor – Natixis Partners (Thomas Laroque, Alexandre Amirault, Elvire Sidos)
Financial Advisor – Natixis Partners (Virginie Gasnier)
Financial Due Diligence Advisor – Next! Financial Advisors (Hervé Krissi, Laura Guérin, Baptiste Doche)
Corporate Lawyer – Volt Associés (Emmanuel Vergnaud, Clément Carol)
Legal & Tax Advisor – Volt Associés (Stéphane Letranchant, Gontran Souweine)

Buyers
Financial Due Diligence: Oderis (Thomas Claverie, Norian Lebrot, Andoni Balaguer)
Strategic Due Diligence: CMI Stratégies (Nicolas Kandel, Simon Bolboc, Nicola Virgata)
Social, Fiscal & Legal Due Diligence: EY Société d’Avocats (Jean-Philippe Barbé, Jean-Christophe Sabourin, Anne-Elisabeth Combes)
Corporate Lawyer: Hogan Lovells (Stéphane Huten, Ali Chegra, Florian Tranchecoste)

About BSK Immobilier
BSK Immobilier is one of the leading real estate agent networks in France. Created in 2011 by Lionel Pelletier, this digital platform offers its agents a complete range of services and tools with high added value. In strong growth, the network counts in 2021 more than 1,400 active agents and a turnover of about €30m.
> More information https://bskimmobilier.com/

About Activa Capital
Activa Capital is a French independent private equity firm, owned by its partners, characterized by a proactive build-up strategy. It currently manages more than €300 million on behalf of institutional investors by investing in French SMEs and ETIs with high growth potential and an enterprise value of between €20 and €100 million. Activa Capital assists them to accelerate their development and international presence.
> To find out more about Activa Capital, visit activacapital.com

Press contacts
Alexandre Masson Christophe Parier Christelle Piatto
Managing Partner Managing Partner Communications Manager
+33 1 43 12 50 12 +33 1 43 12 50 12 +33 1 43 12 50 12
alexandre.masson@activacapital.com christophe.parier@activacapital.com christelle.piatto@activacapital.com

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Finnforel to invest EUR 45 million in new production facilities and build first selective breeding centre for rainbow trout in Finland

Tesi

Finnish technology company Finnforel has become one of the world’s leading ecological fish farms since it was founded in 2017. With the EUR 45 million investment programme today announced, the company channels funds to the expansion of the existing plant in Varkaus, Finland, building of a new breeding centre in Hollola and planning of new international operations.

Finnforel finances these investments totalling EUR 45 million through a EUR 34 million share issue, EUR 4.5 million from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and EUR 6 million in loans from banks. The share issue will make significant Finnish and international institutional investors shareholders in Finnforel. These include Ahlström Invest, Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd), the European Investment Bank (European Fund for Strategic Investment), The Good Investors (Ireland/France) and other European family enterprises.

“In addition to being one of the largest greenhouse emission sources globally, food production is also the single largest producer of nutrient discharges in Finland. At Tesi, we want to invest in companies that solve these kinds of sustainability issues. When fish are farmed with water recirculation technology, the production of one type of animal protein becomes more ecological, with lesser carbon footprint. Finland is one of the forerunner countries in water recirculation technology, and Finnforel is a prime example of a sector-specific, deep knowhow. We are happy to invest in what could be a next significant export industry in Finland,” explains Miiikka Salminen, Investment Manager at Tesi.

The company’s products are currently sold in more than a thousand grocery stores in Finland under the Saimaan Tuore brand. Finnforel achieved a significant breakthrough in November 2020, when its million-kilo production plant in Varkaus achieved maximum capacity level for premium fish farming. Tesi made the invesment from its circular economy investment programme.

Read more:

Press release by Finnforel (pdf) 9.11.2021

Additional information:

Miikka Salminen, Investment Manager, Growth and Industrial Investments, Tesi
+358 40 535 4758
miikka.salminen@tesi.fi

 

Finnforel Ltd is a family business which utilises water recirculation in fish faming  and specialises in related genetics and technology. At the moment in Finland, the company has plants in Varkaus, Hollola and Joroinen. www.finnforel.com

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned investment company that wants to raise Finland to the front ranks of transformative economic growth by investing in funds and directly in companies. We invest profitably and responsibly, hand-in-hand with co-investors, to create the world’s new success stories. Our investments under management total 2.1 billion euros. www.tesi.fi | @TesiFII

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