Category Archives: News

Universal-Investment acquires B2B online investment platform CAPinside

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Montagu

  • CAPinside offers a digital, artificial intelligence-based B2B portfolio for networking intermediaries such as IFAs with asset managers and fund initiators
  • The takeover is an important building block for Universal-Investment for offering fund initiators a wider range of distribution options for all customer groups and asset classes

Montagu portfolio company The Universal-Investment Group (“Universal-Investment”) has acquired CAPinside GmbH. CAPinside was formed in October 2018 and employs around 40 staff at its head office in Hamburg.

CAPinside is key to the success of Universal-Investment’s digitalisation and innovation plans and we are delighted to be jointly setting new standards for our customers.

Michael Reinhard, CEO, Universal-Investment

CAPinside is a B2B online investment platform for the investment market, focussing on fund marketing and sales initiation. It brings together intermediaries, in particular IFAs, with asset managers and fund initiators through algorithms generated using artificial intelligence, via high quality content and investment analyses as well as data-driven bespoke matching.

With around 90,000 users per month and almost 20,000 members, CAPinside is the fastest growing professional online investment platform in the German-speaking region and market leader in Germany. CAPinside is further diversifying its spectrum with future-orientated investment managers offering Blockchain-based investments.

Fund initiators benefit from the advancement to a comprehensive sales platform

“With CAPinside, Universal-Investment is further diversifying its distribution portfolio for fund initiators and managers. Over the coming months, we will also be investing heavily to offer our fund initiators distribution and cooperation possibilities; in this way, promising fund concepts will be able reach a wide range of investor groups,” says Katja Müller, Chief Customer Officer at Universal-Investment.

The acquisition is a key digital building block in creating a comprehensive, analogue and technological “single stop distribution platform” across all channels for every target group. It follows Universal-Investment’s takeover of labs, the IT data specialist and vendor of front office solutions for asset managers, in early 2019, which continues the company’s goal of becoming the leading European fund service platform and management company for all asset classes by 2023.

Michael Reinhard, CEO of Universal-Investment, explains: “Being able to reach investors online with digital formats and offerings, and with pinpoint accuracy, is becoming increasingly important in the fund industry. Asset managers and fund initiators are shifting unambiguously to distribution channels based on online platform offerings – with irrefutable benefits: precise segmentation of target groups and needs, measurability, 24/7 accessibility and lower costs. CAPinside is key to the success of our digitalisation and innovation plans and we are delighted to be jointly setting new standards for our customers.“

Philipp Schröder, founder and CEO of CAPinside says: “CAPinside is an example of how, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, intelligent, digital business models can grow significantly in less than two years, thereby generating added value for clients, users and fintech investors. Universal-Investment’s takeover allows us to make further investments to drive our expansive growth and benefit from the international fund service platform’s experience. CAPinside will continue to be an open platform for all asset managers.“

Besides the founders Philipp Schröder and Achim Denkel, a third managing director, Micha Grüber, will also remain at the helm and CAPinside will continue to operate as an independent brand. Dr. Jürgen Sehnert, Head of Strategy and Product Governance at Universal-Investment, will be appointed as an additional managing director to support the joint growth plans.

Montagu invested in Universal-Investment in 2017 and continues to support the company’s ambitious growth plans. In the past year, Universal-Investment has increased its assets under administration by €90bn to over €500bn.

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CVC’s Strategic Opportunities platform acquires majority stake in Genetic

CVC’s Strategic Opportunities platform acquires majority stake in Genetic

17 Jul 2020

CVC funds will be investing in partnership with the family of the founder

CVC Strategic Opportunities II today signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the Genetic Group (“Genetic”), a leading pharma CDMO business which focuses on the development and supply of products into the respiratory, ophthalmic and oncology therapeutic areas. CVC funds will be investing in partnership with the family of the founder of Genetic, Rocco Pavese, who will remain as CEO of the business and will lead the R&D initiatives.

Headquartered in Fisciano, Italy, Genetic is an integrated pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development, manufacturing, licensing and promotion of pharmaceutical specialties and medical devices. Its primarily expertise is in the development of respiratory and ophthalmology products which are delivered via unit-dose Blow-Fill-Seal technology, pressurised Metered Dose Inhalers, nasal sprays, and eye drop/collyrium technologies. Genetic’s products are commercialised by a network of blue chip pharma partners internationally as well as by its own distribution arm (Max Farma) in Italy, often under well-recognised local brand names. The company has sales in Italy and more than 20 countries globally, with over 50 marketed products.

Rocco Pavese, CEO and Founder of Genetic, and Francesca Pavese, Head of Business Development, said: “We are excited and proud to be partnering with CVC and look forward to working with them on a new chapter of organic and inorganic growth for our business, which will project the Genetic group into a new international dimension of technological innovation and value creation for the benefit of patients around the globe, safeguarding and developing, at the same time, employment in our country. We believe that CVC’s international network, experience and track record in Italy and in Healthcare, as well as the alignment of the Strategic Opportunities fund as a partner to families like ours, will help us deliver on these growth aspirations.”

Michael Lavrysen, Senior Managing Director of CVC Strategic Opportunities added: “The Strategic Opportunities platform invests in high-quality businesses with longer growth horizons, and the investment in Genetic fits perfectly within this strategy, especially with the partnership with the Pavese family. We look forward to supporting collaboration between Genetic and our existing portfolio company DFE Pharma, and leveraging CVC’s broader global network.”

Giorgio De Palma, Senior Managing Director of CVC Italy said: “We believe that Genetic has an excellent position in the respiratory and ophthalmology pharmaceutical markets and has strong growth opportunities in Italy and abroad. We look forward to working with the Pavese family to achieve our common vision of the future.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Genetic was advised by UBS, EY, LED Taxand and NCTM whilst CVC Strategic Opportunities was advised by Rothschild & Co, EY Parthenon, EY, BCG, Gattai Minoli Agostinelli & Partners and Facchini Rossi Michelutti.

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EQT VII to sell global enterprise software provider IFS to successor funds and TA Associates

eqt

  • EQT VII to sell IFS, the leading global enterprise software provider that enables businesses to digitalize their core operations, to successor funds and TA Associates for a transaction value in excess of EUR 3 billion
  • During EQT VII’s ownership, IFS has grown into the global leader within Field Service Management software by focused investments into the product and the organization as well as targeted add-on acquisitions
  • Under EQT VII’s tenure, IFS’ revenues have doubled to SEK 7.3 billion, EBITDA has quadrupled, and the employee base has increased by 50 percent

The EQT VII fund (“EQT VII”) today announced that it has agreed to sell IFS AB (“IFS” or “the Company”) to the successor funds EQT VIII and EQT IX, and global growth private equity firm, TA Associates, which becomes a minority partner at a transaction value in excess of EUR 3 billion.

Founded in 1983, IFS is the leading provider of Field Service Management (FSM) software and is recognized for its vertically-aligned Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software solutions. IFS is a key enabler for digitalizing core operations while contributing to more efficient use of resources and assets across its customers’ value chain. The Company serves more than 10,000 customers globally, reaching more than one million users.

Together with the management team and the board of directors, EQT VII has supported IFS on an accelerated growth journey, resulting in a doubling of revenues to SEK 7.3 billion, a quadrupling of EBITDA and a 50 percent increase of the employee base over the holding period. With EQT VII’s support, IFS has also made multiple add-on acquisitions (including WorkWave and Astea) which, combined with the organic growth and investment in the Company’s product offering, has strengthened IFS’ leading position within FSM.

Robert Maclean, Partner at EQT Partners, said: “When EQT VII acquired IFS in 2015, it was a well-performing business supported by strong macro trends with significant opportunities to further accelerate growth. Today, IFS is trailblazing the enterprise software space and we have been incredibly impressed by IFS’ ability to consistently outperform their fast-growing market.”

Per Franzén, Partner at EQT Partners and Co-Head of Private Equity, added: “We are impressed by how well IFS has developed over the past few years. Today, IFS is a true leader in its verticals, and IFS’ solutions are globally recognized for helping businesses stay ahead of the curve when it comes to digitalization. IFS is another great example of EQT future proofing businesses and the management team, led by CEO Darren Roos, has done an excellent job strengthening IFS’ position across its core verticals transforming the organization into a global enterprise software company.”

Darren Roos, CEO of IFS, said: “The IFS and EQT VII partnership has been excellent. EQT’s expertise within software and digitalization has played a critical role in supporting IFS on our growth journey. We look forward to continuing our development journey together with EQT and TA Associates.”

Over the years, IFS has made significant investments into its development hubs in Sri Lanka where it is now the country’s second largest technology employer. In 2019, IFS also established the IFS Foundation with the aim of supporting local communities and breaking the poverty cycle in Sri Lanka.

IFS’ sister-company Acumatica will not be sold as part of the transaction and will remain an EQT VII investment.

Goldman Sachs and Jefferies acted as financial advisors to EQT VII, and Arma Partners acted as financial advisor to TA Associates.

Contact
Robert Maclean, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT VII, +44 7384 25 9995
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT
EQT is a differentiated global investment organization with more than EUR 62 billion in raised capital and around EUR 40 billion in assets under management across 19 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America with total sales of more than EUR 27 billion and approximately 159,000 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 IFS
IFS develops and delivers enterprise software for customers around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations. The industry expertise of IFS’ people and solutions, has made IFS a recognized leader and the most recommended supplier in IFS’ core verticals. The IFS team of 4,000 employees and a growing ecosystem of partners support more than 10,000 customers around the world challenge the status quo and realize their competitive advantage.

More info: www.ifs.com

About TA Associates
TA Associates is a leading global growth private equity firm. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries – technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services – TA invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth, and has invested in more than 500 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high quality growth companies. TA has raised $33.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968 and is committing to new investments at the pace of over $2 billion per year. The firm’s more than 85 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong.

More info: www.ta.com

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Pricefx raises $65 million for global expansion and product innovation in Series C financing round led by the Apax Digital Fund

Apax Digital

14 July 2020

Increasing adoption of pricing software has fueled Pricefx’s growth as companies look for ways to increase revenue and profit during the global economic slowdown and beyond

CHICAGO, MUNICH and PRAGUE – July 14, 2020: Pricefx, the global leader in cloud-native pricing software, today announced it has received $65 million in Series C funding, bringing the company’s total raised to date to $130 million. The round was led by funds advised by Apax Digital, the growth equity team of Apax Partners, with participation from existing investor Digital+ Partners. Pricefx will use the new funding to expand and solidify its global market leadership position as the only true SaaS platform in the pricing industry, accelerate product innovation, extend its partner ecosystem, and evaluate strategic acquisitions.

SaaS solutions have faced increased demand since pandemic measures forced companies to rapidly and radically address digital transformation initiatives. Pricing software, in particular, has seen a tremendous surge in interest owing to the strong return on investment, even in downturns. As a result, Pricefx has signed more than a dozen new customer deals since March of this year.

“Pricing is being recognized as a critical competency for global enterprises and Pricefx is leading the way for a SaaS-based approach,” said Marcin Cichon, CEO and co-founder of Pricefx. “This investment from Apax confirms Pricefx’s resilience, ability to grow its customer base, and innovate – even during challenging times. This investment will further power our global commercial strategy and aggressive product innovation, by attracting critical talent, expanding our growing ecosystem of partners, and enabling further potential strategic acquisitions – all in pursuit of our mission to bring pricing solutions to as many companies as we can, as simply and effectively as possible.”

Pricefx provides a suite of cloud-based pricing software tools – from Price Optimization, Management (PO&M) to Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) – for B2B and B2C enterprises of all sizes. Additionally, the company launched the first “6 weeks to live” activation accelerator with Lightning, delivering industry-leading time-to-value. The company has supported its clients through the COVID-19 crisis with initiatives such as providing access to its Sales Insights solution free of charge. In May, Pricefx acquired French market leader Brennus Analytics, which brought industry-leading AI capabilities in pricing optimization and Pricefx’s Optimized Dynamic Pricing solution was recently named an SAP endorsed app.

“Pricing is one of the most important value creation levers for businesses, and we share Pricefx’s passion for making pricing software easier, faster and more accessible,” said Mark Beith, Partner of Apax Digital. “Companies are abandoning inefficient manual processes, disparate spreadsheets, and sub-optimal prices, and embracing Pricefx’s next-gen software, which dynamically manages, optimizes and updates prices across all channels.”

“We are thrilled to join Marcin and the whole Pricefx family on their mission to democratize pricing software and deliver best-in-class time to value and exceptional return on investment to their customers,” said Daniel O’Keefe, Managing Partner of Apax Digital.

Concurrent with this investment, Beith and O’Keefe will join Pricefx’s supervisory board.

“We are excited and proud to continue supporting the Pricefx team on their global growth journey. Pricefx demonstrates a relentless drive towards product innovation and customer success and we believe that they are well on-track to build the undisputed global category leader in pricing software,” said Axel Krieger, Founding Partner at Digital+ Partners.

Pricefx was recently named a finalist in Ventana’s 13th Annual Digital Innovation Awards. These awards identify the top technologies that have the most striking impact in their respective markets, recognizing pioneering vendors that contribute advancements in technology, drive change and increase value for organizations worldwide. The company has several disruptive innovations coming this year, including a self-service version of its analytics software, industry-specific Accelerator packages, enhanced CPQ functionality, and an AI-enhanced upgraded version of its PriceOptimizer product.

About Apax Digital

The Apax Digital Fund specializes in growth equity and buyout investments in high-growth enterprise software, consumer internet, and technology-enabled services companies worldwide. The Apax Digital team leverages Apax Partners’ deep tech investing expertise, global platform, and specialized operating experts, to enable technology companies and their management teams to accelerate the achievement of their full potential. For further information, please visit: www.apax.com/digital.

Over its more than 40-year history, Apax Partners has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of c.$50 billion. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For more information see: www.apax.com.

About Digital+ Partners

Digital+ Partners is a leading technology growth equity investor focused on European and US technology companies with €350 million assets under management. Digital+ aims to support ambitious entrepreneurs build global technology leaders, providing them with strategic advice and long-term financial support to help them define and execute their growth plans. The fund focuses exclusively on B2B technology investments and leverages a deep corporate network to help portfolio companies access new markets and build new partnerships. For more information please visit: www.dplus.partners.

About Pricefx

Established in 2011 in Germany, Pricefx is the global leader in SaaS pricing software, offering a comprehensive suite of solutions that are fast to implement, flexible to configure and customize, and friendly to learn and use. Pricefx delivers a complete price optimization and management platform based on native cloud architecture, providing industry leading time to value and total cost of ownership advantages to customers. Its innovative solution works for both B2B and B2C enterprises of any size, in any industry, in any part of the world. Pricefx’s business model is entirely based on the satisfaction and loyalty of its customers. Pricefx delivers Passion for Pricing. For more information, please visit www.pricefx.com.

###

Media Contacts

For Pricefx

Cathy Summers, Summers PR | +1 (415) 483-0480 |cathy@summers-pr.com

For Apax Digital / Apax Partners

Global Media: Matthew Goodman / James Madsen, Greenbrook | +44 20 7952 2000 | apax@greenbrookpr.com

USA Media: Todd Fogarty, Kekst CNC | +1 212‐521 4854 | todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com

Notes to Editors:

London-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.com) and Paris-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.fr) had a shared history but are separate, independent private equity firms.

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CVC Credit Partners refinances Ardena’s credit facilities

CVC Credit Partners refinances Ardena’s credit facilities

13 Jul 2020

CVC Credit Partners teams up with GHO Capital to support Ardena’s international growth strategy

CVC Credit Partners is pleased to announce that it has provided financing to Ardena, a specialist pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO). The funding is in the form of a first lien loan to refinance existing debt as well as an acquisition facility to support the business’ ongoing expansion of its international footprint. MDW Capital served as the debt advisor for the transaction.

Founded in 2013, Ardena is a multi-service CDMO, assisting small-to-mid sized biopharma with services spanning the full development life cycle. The business offers a comprehensive ‘Make, Analyse, File’ model from drug substance and drug product manufacturing and bioanalytical services to regulatory dossier development. With a strong reputation for quality and a flexible service delivery model, Ardena’s differentiated high science approach caters to a diversified base of over 300 customers throughout Europe, the US, Japan and Korea. Headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, it also operates sites in the Netherlands, Sweden and Latvia.

Harry Christiaens, CEO of Ardena, commented: “We are pleased to have completed the refinancing of our credit facility and to have finalised access to a committed acquisition facility. We are now well positioned to continue our strong organic growth profile and drive the next stage of international expansion to better serve our global customer base.”

The partners at GHO Capital added: “Operating within a highly fragmented market, Ardena is the market leading platform from which to build a fully integrated early stage CDMO, serving Biopharma clients globally. CVC Credit Partners are engaged with our vision for the future of the business and their experience of the healthcare sector as well as supporting numerous international growth strategies will be highly beneficial to realising Ardena’s full potential.”

Neale Broadhead, Head of European Private Debt in CVC Credit Partners’ European Private Debt business, said: “Ardena is a quality business which is well positioned to benefit from positive underlying growth trends in its markets. It has a respected and highly qualified team, and an experienced partner in GHO Capital. We are pleased to be able to support Ardena and GHO and look forward to working closely with them both in the years ahead.”

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Nordic Capital selects Capgemini to help drive AI and Machine Learning for its portfolio companies

Nordic Capital

July 13 2020

Capgemini and Nordic Capital join forces to provide a platform to accelerate the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning as value drivers within Nordic Capital’s portfolio companies.

Nordic Capital sees AI and Machine Learning as important technologies to accelerate automation and data insights across all industries. By working with Capgemini, Nordic Capital is implementing global access to a program which provides its portfolio companies with experts and knowledge to support and accelerate their AI journeys and maturity.

Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation, addressing the entire breadth of companies’ opportunities in an evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. It has a broad offering of services to industrialize AI and machine learning, helping organizations scale for maximum impact and accelerate AI-infused transformation to realize sustainable and trusted business performance. By leveraging the power of AI and machine learning, Capgemini has helped its clients to grow and improve.

“The partnership with Capgemini is an investment in Nordic Capital’s portfolio company Digitalization Toolbox and demonstrates Nordic Capital’s commitment to drive digital and AI-infused transformation, embracing the technological developments within its portfolio companies. This is another great example of Nordic Capital’s focus on Ownership Excellence, as we, together with Capgemini, can provide a unique combination of the best AI knowledge and business implementation services to Nordic Capital’s portfolio companies”, says Olof Faxander, Operating Partner, Nordic Capital Advisors.

“Nordic Capital is a landmark new client for Capgemini. We look forward to an active relationship and close collaboration where our deep domain expertise, wide range of accelerators in our Perform AI portfolio and strong team of data science professionals will contribute to the value creation of Nordic Capital’s portfolio companies,” says Kevin Jiang, Head of Insight Driven Enterprise practice at Capgemini Invent Sweden-Finland.

To kickstart this relationship, Capgemini has supported one of Nordic Capital’s portfolio companies in the Technology & Payments sector to utilize advanced machine learning algorithms that is anticipated to generate significant additional revenue. Discussions on how AI could support in value creation are being carried out with portfolio companies across all sectors.

 

Media contacts:

Nordic Capital

Katarina Janerud, Communications Manager
Nordic Capital Advisors
Tel: +46 8 440 50 50
e-mail: katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com

 

Capgemini

Gunilla Resare
Tel.:+ 47 450 02 542
e-mail: gunilla.resare@capgemini.com

 

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. Core sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services and Industrials & Business Services. Key regions are Northern Europe and globally for Healthcare. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested more than EUR 14.5 billion in over 110 investments. The Nordic Capital vehicles are based in Jersey. They are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities based in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, the UK and the US, any or all of which are referred to as Nordic Capital Advisors. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com

 

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology and engineering services. The Group is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients’ opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year+ heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organisations to realise their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. Today, it is a multicultural company of 270,000 team members in almost 50 countries. With Altran, the Group reported 2019 combined revenues of EUR 17 billion. Visit us at www.capgemini.com.

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Ardian infrastructure signs 20-year financing for Åndberg wind farm

Ardian

Financing secured with KfW IPEX-Bank based on quality and long-term resilience of Åndberg project
• Highlights Ardian’s commitment to supporting the transition towards sustainable energy despite prevailing market conditions

Stockholm, 9th July 2020 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, has signed a 20-year financing for its 286 MW “Åndberg” wind farm in Sweden. The financing is provided by KfW IPEX-Bank, which is the part of KfW Group responsible for project and export finance.

The long-term financing was secured on the back of a 10-year green power purchase agreement (PPA) with Skellefteå Kraft, one of Sweden’s largest energy producers, agreed in October 2019. The financing allows Ardian and eNordic to further optimize and secure more revenue streams for the wind farm.

Ardian Infrastructure acquired the Åndberg wind farm from OX2 in February 2019 as part of its Nordic sustainable energy investment platform, eNordic. The windfarm is relying on the latest technology, having upgraded its Nordex turbines to the 5MW class earlier this year. Following its completion in 2021, Åndberg will each year provide clean electricity in excess of 800 GWh, making it one of the largest wind farms in Sweden.

The Åndberg wind farm is one of four current wind power investments managed by Ardian’s new sustainable energy investment platform, eNordic. Earlier this year, Ardian made its first investment in Finland, being the acquisition of the Lakiakangas 1 wind farm from German-based wind power company, CPC Finland Oy.

Thomas Linnard, Managing Director, eNordic, says: “This agreement is the latest step in our strategy to build a leading independent sustainable energy group in the Nordic region. The long-term financing was secured at very attractive terms despite current market conditions and high level of complexity involved, highlighting the strength of the project and our approach.”

Simo Santavirta, Head of asset management, Ardian Infrastructure, says: “This project is a great example of our asset management capabilities and ability to improve our investments’ performance including financing, hedging, build-ups and technical optimization.”

Amir Sharifi, Managing Director, Ardian Infrastructure, adds: “This operation highlights our continued commitment to sustainability and relentless activity as we continue to look for investment opportunities to support the sustainable energy transition in the Nordic region.”

Markus Scheer, Member of the Management Board of KfW IPEX-Bank, says: ”KfW IPEX-Bank is firmly committed to finance innovative energy and environmental projects, and we’re pleased to support Ardian and eNordic’s Åndberg wind farm as they continue to support the sustainable energy transition in the Nordics. It has been a real pleasure to work with their highly competent teams and we look forward to a long-term partnership.”

 

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$100bn 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 680 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 around 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

ABOUT eNORDIC

eNordic is the Nordic’s first sustainable energy platform, formed by a partnership between Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, and leading domestic industry executives.
Through a local, responsible and agile investment approach, eNordic enables the transformation of the energy sector through long-term partnerships with those that develop or operate sustainable energy projects in the Nordics.
It invests in opportunities in wind, biomass, hydro and district heating, in addition to traditional energy assets that have the potential to be transformed or managed in a particularly sustainable way.
eNordic is based in Sweden and Finland, with local teams operating throughout the Nordics region.

visit the website

ABOUT KfW IPEX-Bank

Within KfW Group, KfW IPEX-Bank is responsible for project and export finance. It supports German and European companies operating in key industrial sectors in global markets by structuring medium and long-term financing for their exports, funding infrastructure investments, securing a raw materials supply and by financing environmental and climate protection projects worldwide. As a specialist bank, KfW IPEX-Bank has extensive industry, structuring and country expertise, it takes on leading roles in financing consortia and actively involves other banks, institutional investors and insurance firms. KfW IPEX-Bank operates as a legally independent group subsidiary and is represented in the most important economic and financial centres across the globe.

visit the website

LIST OF ADVISORS

  • Financial

    • Newsec

  • Legal

    • Vinge/MSA

Press contact

Ardian/eNordic – Headland Consultancy

VIKTOR TSVETANOV

+44 20 3805 4827

KfW IPEX-Bank

PHILIPP KIELBASSA

+49 69 7431 6431

Press contact

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Amsterdam based THEYDO receives €400.000 seed round

Arches Capital

TheyDo.io the platform for digital design thinking announced today that it has raised €400.000 in seed funding, led by Arches Capital.

TheyDo accelerates innovation with an online platform to support proven methods like customer journey mapping and Design Thinking. By managing innovation online, insights become available to everyone in the organization and allow teams to collaborate online and remotely. TheyDo shortens go-to-market time significantly and ties customer needs to business goals. With their mission to make every business process customer-centric, TheyDo is on the road to becoming the go-to platform for innovation.

Most organizations already know customer-centricity leads to better results and cuts cost in the long run, but at the same time they struggle to implement working processes outside the creative workshop. With TheyDo it becomes possible to share knowledge from qualitative research, creative workshops, and customer journeys, by managing everything in one place.

Jochem van der Veer, Co-Founder of TheyDo

 

The capital raise is used to rollout the customer-centric transformation program, the company developed for larger organizations. The program is designed to train multidisciplinary teams, help them to produce real results, and then scale up the process, transforming the whole organization towards working customer-centric.

This summer, the team will also release live collaboration features, designed to create an environment where multiple teams can work together in the same customer journey, live and cloud-based. Something today is only possible in (digital) whiteboard sessions. It will enable designers, marketers, managers, and executives to collaborate on improving the end-to-end customer experience while delivering on business KPI’s.

Ruben Meiland, founder of Ticketscript and ex VP of Product at Eventbrite will join the board of directors on behalf of Arches Capital. Amongst investors, Pieter Omvlee, Founder of Sketch is actively involved in the development of the platform.

Earlier this month TheyDo launched its Enterprise transformation program. For smaller organizations, a digital version will be rolled out over the coming months so every company can start working customer-centric.

About TheyDo
TheyDo is a CX platform to bring customer-centricity into the heart of every business process. What started with the insight to scale Design Thinking outside the creative workshop, is now a platform to integrate customer-centricity as an end-to-end business process. TheyDo offers a complete solution by combining her software with a transformation program, led by its certfified Design Thinking coaches.

For more information see www.theydo.io

About Arches Capital
Arches Capital, a fast-growing group of business angels, invests in startup and scale-up companies with a large growth potential. Through its investments, Arches Capital bridges the gap between formal investors (VCs) and informal investors (business angels), by joining the best of both worlds:

“ We source, select and invest like a VC;
We engage, care and inspire as the angel we are. ”

By bundling smart capital (combining funding with real business knowledge and experience) with true engagement (actively working together to achieve growth), we are able to ignite early stage companies achieve above-average growth. Arches Capital distinguishes itself from other angel networks by its active support to angels building a broad and professional investment portfolio, co-investment from Arches Capital in each deal and the unique distribution of proceeds amongst its members.

For more information, visit www.arches.capital

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Tosca to acquire Contraload NV

Apax

29 June 2020

Acquisition expands Tosca’s capabilities to service entire supply chain – first mile through last mile delivery
Addition of Contraload will enhance Tosca’s geographic and product diversification

Atlanta, Georgia, June 29, 2020 – Tosca, an innovator in reusable packaging and supply chain solutions, announced today that it has agreed to acquire Contraload NV, a leader in plastic pallet pooling in the United Kingdom and European Union.

The acquisition of Contraload will expand Tosca’s geographic reach and increase its product portfolio. The combined company will offer customers a stronger value proposition through increased network density and an expanded product offering.

In conjunction with the transaction, funds advised by Apax Partners (the “Apax Funds”), which acquired Tosca in 2017, will commit additional capital to Tosca to fund the acquisition of Contraload. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Tosca has a 60-year history of innovation that has driven its growth into a leading North American provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions across a wide array of markets. Today, the company is the largest RPC pooler in North America, offering an enhanced product portfolio and the most extensive service center network for grocery retailers and suppliers. It employs more than 1,236 people and operates 29 service centers worldwide.

Headquartered in Aartselaar, Belgium, Contraload is a leading provider of upstream reusable plastic pallets and containers for the FMCG industry and other commercial markets in Europe. The company, which runs a unique Pan-European pooling service and employs more than 150 people, also offers outsourced pallet and layerpad conditioning and management services for customer-owned asset pools. Contraload was founded in 2004 and has approximately 3 million units in use, serving close to 3,000 companies.

Eric Frank, CEO of Tosca, stated: “Tosca’s acquisition of Contraload, a leader in plastic pallet pooling in the United Kingdom and European Union, establishes our combined company as an even stronger partner for our customers globally and allows us to continue to propel the reusable revolution.”

Jesse Sels, Contraload’s Founder and Managing Director, said, “Having built Contraload into the leader in pooling plastic pallets, layerpads and IBCs in the B2B environment across Europe, we are excited to join with the Tosca team through this transaction. Our companies have a shared commitment to service excellence, innovation and reducing waste throughout the supply chain.”

Ashish Karandikar, Partner at Apax Partners, said: “Three years ago, we partnered with Tosca’s management team to build a world-class pooling business that brings sustainability, innovation and value to customers’ supply chains. The acquisition of Polymer in 2019 established Tosca’s ‘last mile’ capabilities in Europe. The combination with Contraload represents another important advance as it brings together Tosca’s last mile capabilities with Contraload’s offerings in the ‘first mile’ of a product journey – thereby creating unique visibility and value for customers. The combined organization offers a strong global network, an expanding reusables portfolio, improved research and development, and custom capability for all customers from CPGs to grocery chains.”

About Tosca 

Tosca is a leading provider of reusable packaging and supply chain solutions across a diverse range of markets including eggs, case-ready meat, poultry, produce, seafood, and cheese. Our proven RPC system is a smarter way to move fresh product safely from source to shelf, substantially reducing shrink and labor cost, maintaining product quality, and optimizing overall supply chain efficiency for retailers, growers, and suppliers. Tosca recently acquired Polymer Logistics, expanding our geographic reach, product portfolio and R&D capabilities. For more information visit: www.toscaltd.com.

About Contraload

Contraload has grown to become the expert and market leader in pooling load carriers in a B2B environment, across Europe with service centers to support customers in over 15 countries.  Markets include food ingredients, food packaging, hygiene products, infant nutrition, beverage can and non-hazardous liquids.  Re-use is the key word as Contraload facilitates moving away from single use packaging towards a circular model of returning re-usable packaging.  For more information visit: www.contraload.com.

About Apax Partners 

Apax Partners is a leading global private equity advisory firm. Over its more than 40-year history, Apax Partners has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of approximately $50 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across four global sectors of Tech & Telco, Services, Healthcare and Consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For more information see: www.apax.com.

Media Contacts

For Tosca
Susan Heil, Tosca I +1 920 569 5335 I sheil@toscaltd.com

For Contraload
Kevin Boone, +32 3 304 92 90, Kevin.Boone@contraload.com

For Apax Partners
USA Media: Todd Fogarty, Kekst CNC | +1 212 521 4854 | todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com
UK and Global Media: Matthew Goodman / James Madsen, Greenbrook | +44 20 7952 2000 | apax@greenbrookpr.com

Notes to Editors

London-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.com), and Paris-headquartered Apax Partners (www.apax.fr) had a shared history but are separate, independent private equity firms.

Categories: News

TIM and Ardian reach agreement over investment in INWIT S.p.A

Ardian

TIM S.p.A. (“TIM”) and Ardian, a leading global private investment company, have today reached an agreement for a consortium of institutional investors led by Ardian (“Consortium”) to invest in a newly formed holding company (the “Holding Company”) in which will be transferred a 30.2% share of the cocontrolling stake in Infrastructure Wireless Italiane SpA (“INWIT”), currently held by TIM.

TIM has also reached an agreement with a vehicle managed and advised by Canson Capital Partners (Guernsey) Limited (“Canson”) whereby Canson will acquire a direct stake in INWIT of up to 3% of its share capital, based on the same INWIT share price used in the sale to the Consortium.

On completion of the transaction, the Consortium will hold a 49% stake in the capital of the Holding Company. The transactions are based on an INWIT share price of €9.47 (ex dividend) with implied proceeds for TIM of €1.6 billion.

On completion of the transactions, TIM will have full and exclusive control of the Holding Company and, through it, will continue to exercise joint control over INWIT together with Vodafone Europe B.V. Consortium will have minority governance rights over the Holding Company and INWIT, with a view to protecting its investment and as per standard procedure in transactions of this nature.

The Holding Company will replace TIM, for the portion of INWIT shares held, in the existing shareholders’ agreement between TIM and Vodafone Europe B.V., under which TIM and Vodafone Europe B.V. jointly control INWIT.

Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions being met by September 30, 2020, including authorisation under the Golden Power regulations and confirmation from Consob, Italy’s stock market regulator, of there being no requirement to make a mandatory offer.

 

About TIM

TIM is one of the top Information & Communication Technology companies in Europe and the market leader in Italy. It offers
its customers fixed and mobile telecommunications, internet, premium digital entertainment content – through TIMvision,
TIMmusic and TIMgames – and advanced cloud-based platforms. All with flexible and customisable offers to meet the
needs of families and businesses, on platforms accessible from a range of devices.
TIM is included in the major international sustainability indexes and is committed to becoming the leading telco in the
Eurozone in terms of sustainability and social responsibility.
The Group includes TIM Brasil, one of the leading players on the Brazilian market; Sparkle, an international carrier and one
of the top ten telecommunication service providers in the world, with a 530,000 km network extending across Europe, Africa
and Asia; Olivetti, which operates in key sectors such as the Internet of Things and offering cutting-edge hardwares and
softwares.

 

About ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$100bn 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 670 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 around 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds,
Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

ardian.com

 

About Canson Capital Partners

Canson Capital Partners is a leading alternative capital-focused Advisory and Merchant Banking firm. Providing senior advice
and principal-to-principal engagement, the team seeks to connect sources of alternative capital with specific opportunities,
enabling clients to achieve their long-term strategic objectives. Since 2017, Canson Capital Partners has advised on private
equity-related transactions with an aggregate transaction value of over $54 billion. Canson Capital Partners is the trading
name of Canson Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

cansoncp.com

Press contact

TIM Press Office

https://www.telecomitalia.com/media

+39 06 3688 2610

Press contact

Ardian – IMAGE BUILDING

Cristina Fossati, Luisella Murtas

ardian@imagebuilding.it Tel: +39 02 8901 1300

Press contact

Canson Capital Partners – Greenbrook Communications

Gina Bell / Matthew Goodman

canson@greenbrookpr.com

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