Category Archives: News

Biofourmis Receives Significant Growth Investment from General Atlantic to Propel Company to Unicorn Status

$300M Series D to fund continued growth of Biofourmis’ innovative virtual care solutions

Dr. Omar Ishrak Appointed Biofourmis Chairman

April 26, 2022

Biofourmis, a global leader in virtual care and digital medicine, today announced it has surpassed unicorn status with a $300 million Series D investment led by leading global growth equity firm General Atlantic. CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) and existing investors also participated in the round, which will help fuel the company’s next phase of growth. Biofourmis also announced that former Medtronic CEO and Chairperson at Intel, Dr. Omar Ishrak, will join the company’s Board of Directors as Chairman.

With this investment, Biofourmis plans to scale up its virtual care offerings. This includes delivering personalized and predictive in-home care to a growing number of acutely ill patients and expanding its recently announced virtual specialty care services, Biofourmis Care, to those patients with complex chronic conditions. In parallel, Biofourmis plans to fund clinical trials to advance the development of digital therapies that work in conjunction with high-value drugs to improve efficacy, while forming strategic partnerships with companies in the digital health and virtual-first care ecosystems. Through these relationships, Biofourmis plans to accelerate the growth of its virtual care platform, Care@Home, which enables providers and payors to remotely manage patients across the entire care continuum.

Biofourmis also aims to use the funding to continue strengthening its position in the value-based care market. Value-based care ties payments to quality of care and patient outcomes, rewarding providers for efficiency and effectiveness. According to McKinsey, $265 billion worth of care services for Medicare FFS and MA beneficiaries could shift from traditional facilities to the home by 2025, creating value for multiple parties, including care at home providers and technology companies.

Long touted as a technology that’s “going to break through tomorrow,” traditional remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions have fallen drastically short of patient needs, often focusing on ‘monitoring’ as opposed to the proactive ‘management’ of patient populations. As a result, while clinical care teams glean information, they are typically left with few insights and almost no actionable clinical interventions. Because traditional RPM solutions tend to fail to view patients as unique subjects, alarm burden and fatigue are commonplace, as they focus on comparing a patient’s vitals to norms of the population at large and subsequently informing clinicians of warning signs. Furthermore, traditional solutions do not include licensed health professionals who can provide high-quality clinical care to improve patient outcomes and reduce the total cost of care.

Biofourmis solutions instead use a blend of passive inputs via continuous monitoring devices, active inputs from episodic monitoring devices, and patient feedback on activity driven through the Biofourmis app to get a complete picture of the patient’s status. Designed to be used at home, in acute, post-acute, and chronic care, Biofourmis’ game-changing solution compares the patient as they are today to their normal state. Leveraging its core expertise in data science and novel biomarkers, Biofourmis can detect clinical deterioration early on and offer dynamic care pathways that guide therapeutic interventions. The device- and sensor-agnostic solutions use artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced FDA-approved analytics to dynamically monitor patients, establish personalized baselines, and reduce false positives. Through its 24/7 virtual clinical care team, Biofourmis’ licensed health professionals can promptly confirm and respond to these alerts while communicating medication changes and updated care plans with primary care teams to ensure patient care is well coordinated.

“In recent years, we have seen a significant trend towards virtual at-home care, which has become a critical alternative to in-person care, particularly as digital adoption continues to accelerate,” said Sandeep Naik, Managing Director and Head of India & Southeast Asia at General Atlantic. “Biofourmis is tapping into this global trend with a new approach to remote care management.”

Robbert Vorhoff, Managing Director and Global Head of Healthcare at General Atlantic, added, “We believe Biofourmis is differentiated by technology solutions underpinned by its deep clinical research. Beyond providing key patient health insights to health systems, Biofourmis is also driving personalized treatment and better outcomes.”

Biofourmis app drives high patient engagement and compliance resulting in hospitals experiencing a 70% reduction in 30-day hospital readmissions and reduced the cost of care by 38%, all without impacting the quality of care.

“We are excited to partner with General Atlantic, which shares our vision for the future of virtual care and the urgency to bring the Biofourmis solution to customers and patients across the globe,” said Kuldeep Singh Rajput, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Biofourmis. “We are also thrilled to have Dr. Ishrak join our board. His vast experience, which includes leading one of the world’s most successful medical technology companies, will be an incredible asset as we look to take our business to the next growth phase.”

“I’m thrilled to join Biofourmis as Chairman of the Board at this exciting time in the company’s rapid rise as a leading innovator in virtual care and digital medicine,” Dr. Ishrak said. “Biofourmis continues to push the boundaries as it evolves virtual care from reactive to predictive models that deliver continuous care and better health outcomes to patients while improving efficiencies and lowering costs for healthcare organizations. It’s a win-win that is a true differentiator in the market.”

To date, Biofourmis has raised a total of $445 million in funding. Existing investors include SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Openspace Ventures, MassMutual Ventures, Sequoia Capital and EDBI.

About Biofourmis

Biofourmis, based in Boston, is a global leader in providing advanced technology and clinical support for Care@Home and digital therapies. We are driven by a passion to personalize care and predict clinical worsening before it happens. Our clinically validated platform, powered by machine learning and advanced analytics, enables better healthcare, maximizes the effectiveness of high-value drugs, and lowers costs across the entire care continuum. For more information, visit www.biofourmis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

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 $84 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of December 31, 2021, and more than 215 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stamford and Tel Aviv. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com.

Media Contacts

Emily Japlon & Kate Huneke
General Atlantic media@generalatlantic.com

Tara Stultz
Amendola Communications for Biofourmis tstultz@acmarketingpr.com

Serena Tesler
The Harris Agency for Biofourmis serena@theharris.agency

Categories: News

Coexya, a company supported by Argos Wityu, is to acquire Aquilab.

argos wityu

The acquisition will enable Coexya to strengthen its leadership position in healthcare and more specifically in oncology.

Lyon (France), 25 April 2022 – Coexya, an independent digital leader in consulting, integration and software development, is to acquire Aquilab, a software company specialised in healthcare. The transaction will be a strategic merger of the two companies, enabling them to pursue their development.

Based in northern France, Aquilab has been a recognised software provider in the field of oncology for more than 20 years. Aquilab’s range of software and services improves the quality of treatment:
• Artiscan ensures the quality of imaging and radiotherapy equipment.
• Artiview improves the preparation and evaluation of radiotherapy treatment.
• Onco Place, evaluates and identifies new therapeutic strategies for its 3,300 users through the analysis of its clinical study database.

Both companies are strong in healthcare and oncology data. The merger will take advantage of their complementary nature and enable them to create multi-centric clinical studies. Coexya will use its Consore solution to create cohorts of patients, while Aquilab will use Onco Place to manage clinical studies.

Coexya will be able to share its expertise with Aquilab’s 350 European customers, and Aquilab will be able to accelerate its product development thanks to Coexya’s recognised expertise in data processing and artificial intelligence.

Formerly the French arm of the Sword group, Coexya was acquired by Argos Wityu in 2021, and has since then implemented an acquisition strategy to develop its product division and its international presence.

Healthcare accounts for 15% of Coexya’s activities. The company provides the sector with its OdyCare software and its integration services. Coexya understands the challenges its customers face and supports them in their digital transition. Their appropriate, ergonomic solutions make it easier to offer coordinated care, to guide patients and get more value from its patient data.

Philippe le Calvé, CEO of Coexya, said, “I am particularly pleased that Coexya is acquiring Aquilab, a company active in the healthcare sector. Our customers will be able to take advantage of an expanded range of services in France and abroad. We are delighted to welcome Aquilab’s employees into our group through a transaction that will also enable us to develop in the region of Lille.

David Gibon, Aquilab’s chief executive, said, “For more than 20 years, we have been providing innovative products devoted to improving the quality of cancer treatment. The merger with Coexya will enable us to strengthen our expertise in data and AI so as to step up our development in predictive medicine. Aquilab and Coexya have customers in common and share the same values. By leveraging these synergies, we will be able to propose new solutions and provide better treatment to people suffering from cancer.”

Karel Kroupa, Argos Wityu Managing Partner, added, “The merger between Aquilab and Coexya is right in line with the group’s business development strategy, as employed by Philippe Le Calvé and his team. Coexya will now be able to use the expertise of the two companies to offer complementary services to its customers.”

Argos Wityu team: Karel Kroupa, Simon Guichard, Afif Chebaro

Argos Wityu

Coralie Cornet
Head of Communications
ccc@argos.fund
+33 6 14 38 33 37

Coexya

Carine Groz
Director of Communications
carine.groz@coexya.eu
+33 6 14 01 15 58

About Argos Wityu / www.argos.wityu.fund Argos Wityu is an independent European investment fund that supports companies in the transfer of business ownership. It has assisted more than 80 entrepreneurs, focusing its investment strategy on complex transactions with emphasis on transformation, growth, and close collaboration with management teams. Argos Wityu seeks to acquire majority interests and invest between €10m and €100m with each transaction. With more than €1bn under management and 30 years of experience, Argos Wityu operates from offices in Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Luxembourg, Milan and Paris.

About Coexya / www.coexya.eu
Coexya has more than 20 years of experience in consulting, integration and software development and is specialised in digital transformation. In 2020, Coexya changed shareholders and with the support of its executives, operational managers and the European investment fund Argos Wityu, became independent of the Sword Group. Coexya’s mission is to support organisations by developing solutions that address the new ways employees and customers use data. Coexya is active in six areas of expertise: customer experience, digital content, health, legal, location intelligence and smart data.
The group serves more than 370 clients and generated turnover of nearly €70m in 2021. Coexya has more than 700 employees based in Brest, Lyon, Paris and Rennes.

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KKR Closes $19 Billion North America Private Equity Fund

KKR

Fund to Implement Shared Ownership Program in Majority-Owned Investments

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the final closing of KKR North America Fund XIII (“NAX3” or the “Fund”), an over-subscribed $19 billion fund focused on pursuing opportunistic private equity investments in North America. KKR will be investing $2.0 billion of capital in the Fund alongside investors through the Firm’s balance sheet, affiliates, and employee commitments.

“We are thrilled to have had such strong receptivity to our fundraising effort, and we are extremely proud of the results we’ve been able to deliver for our investors,” said Pete Stavros and Nate Taylor, Co-Heads of the Americas Private Equity platform at KKR. “Particularly at a time of continued volatility, we believe we are entering a macroeconomic environment that is tailor-made for private equity and for KKR specifically, and are grateful to have the support of our investors and their confidence in our team. We look forward to continue executing on our investment approach, which is centered on leveraging our deep industry expertise and driving holistic operational transformations utilizing the full suite of resources KKR has to offer. We are excited about the early momentum for NAX3 and remain laser focused on delivering outstanding results.”

KKR has a more than 45 year track record investing in North America. Over the past decade and across NAX3’s two predecessor funds, KKR North America Fund XI and KKR Americas XII Fund, KKR has delivered an average gross IRR of 30.1% (25.1% net) and a gross multiple on invested capital of 2.6x (2.2x net). In comparison to the S&P 500, this has resulted in net outperformance of more than 850bps, against the backdrop of near-unprecedented performance of the index over that decade. KKR Americas XII Fund, which began investing in 2017, is now fully deployed. It has generated a gross IRR of 50.1% (41.9% net), with a gross multiple of 2.6x (net 2.2x), as of December 31, 2021. With the closing of NAX3, KKR’s Americas Private Equity platform has more than $90 billion in assets under management across flagship, growth and core investment vehicles.

“Thanks to the strength of our Americas Private Equity investment team and extensive collaboration across our Firm, we are pleased to have been able to deliver consistent and attractive risk adjusted returns to our investors, even in the face of a global pandemic,” said Alisa Amarosa Wood, Global Head of Private Markets and Real Assets Product Strategies at KKR. “With this closing of KKR’s largest fund in our history, we are excited by our investors’ shared enthusiasm for the investment opportunities we continue to see ahead.”

NAX3 received strong support from a diverse group of both new and existing investors globally, including public and private pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, endowments and foundations, private wealth platforms, family offices, high-net-worth individual investors and other institutional investors.

The Fund intends to implement KKR’s broad-based employee ownership program at majority-owned companies in which it invests. Since 2011, KKR has focused on employee ownership and engagement as a key driver in building stronger companies and driving greater financial inclusion. The firm is committed to deploying the model in all control investments across its entire Americas Private Equity platform. To date, KKR has awarded billions of total equity value to over 45,000 non-senior employees across over 25 companies.

Earlier this month, KKR joined more than 60 organizations in becoming a founding partner of Ownership Works, a nonprofit created to support public and private companies transitioning to shared ownership models.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP represented KKR as primary fund counsel for this fundraise.

About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Media:
Cara Major
212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

Source: KKR

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DIF Capital Partners to divest its stakes in three Irish roads

DIF

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to announce that DIF Infrastructure III (“DIF III”) has signed an agreement to sell its stakes in three Irish roads to Semperian PPP Investment Partners (“Semperian”).

The Irish roads portfolio consists of shareholdings in three projects that DIF invested into between 2013 and 2016: M3 Motorway, M4 Motorway and M50 Motorway. The M3 and M4 Motorway projects are demand-based toll roads and the M50 Motorway is an availability-based public private partnership. DIF has optimised these projects throughout its ownership and worked closely with the local management teams to successfully steer the roads through the Covid-19 pandemic. Traffic on the M3 and M4 Motorway projects has materially recovered in the last few months as lockdown restrictions have been lifted in Ireland. The sale of these assets means DIF III is almost fully divested as the end of the fund life approaches.

Andrew Freeman, Head of Exits at DIF: “We are very pleased with the sale of this high quality roads portfolio which delivers a strong exit outcome for our DIF III investors. We are confident that Semperian will be an excellent counterparty to the projects going forward given their extensive experience in managing these type of assets.”

DIF was advised on the transaction by Cantor Fitzgerald (financial), HSF (legal), Arthur Cox (Irish counsel), Jacobs (technical) and KPMG (tax & accounting).

Closing of the transaction is expected to take place in Q3 2022 subject to the receipt of customary approvals and consents.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent investment manager, with ca. EUR 10 billion in assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in infrastructure companies and assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australia through two complementary strategies:

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

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 190 professionals, based in eleven offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact: Thijs Verburg, t.verburg@dif.eu.

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CVC Credit supports Altano Group’s buy and build plans

CVC Credit to provide debt facilities supporting acquisitive growth strategy of leading European equine veterinary clinic network

CVC Credit is pleased to announce that it has provided debt facilities to support the acquisitive growth strategy of Altano Gruppe (“Altano”), a leading network of equine veterinary clinics and practices across Europe. CVC Credit will support the continuing growth strategy of the business through its European Direct Lending Strategy, which focuses on lending to established European medium and large companies with proven business models.

Headquartered in Germany, Altano is the leading consolidator and operator of equine veterinary clinics services with over 350 vets based across 40 locations in six European countries, including Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and Denmark. The company provides a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic services to more than 100,000 customers per year, including routine services, internal medicines and orthopaedics.

David Deregowski, Director in the Private Credit team at CVC Credit, added: “Over the past five years this business has developed into one of the leading providers of equine veterinary services in Europe, with an expansive network and fantastic team. We are impressed by their track record of organic and acquisition-led growth and are pleased to support its experienced management team as they look to scale the company further.”

Andrew Davies, Partner and Co-Head of Private Credit at CVC Credit, said: “Our ability to draw on the local presence and sector specialisms of CVC’s European office network and sector teams is a true differentiator. In this case the experience of CVC Germany and CVC’s Healthcare team were invaluable in swiftly conducting diligence, pricing and winning this opportunity.”

Dr. Victor Baltus, Managing Director of Altano Gruppe, said: “We are happy to have completed the refinancing of the business and secured financing to continue to execute our acquisition growth strategy. This strong foundation and the support of Ufenau Capital Partners and CVC Credit will allow us to progress with our next phase of development.”

Kevin Elsaesser, Investment Manager at Ufenau Capital Partners commented: “We are pleased and excited to bring CVC Credit onboard. Their understanding of the market dynamics and Altano’s operating model was impressive. Together with their experience in supporting growth strategies of similar business, we are convinced that they will have a key role in the business’s international expansion.”

Categories: News

EQT AB establishes Sustainability Committee, marking the first Board-level commitment to sustainability in the private markets industry

eqt
Sustainability is a core part of EQT’s strategic agenda. To further elevate EQT’s strategic direction and its ability to make a positive impact at scale, the Board of EQT AB has established a Sustainability Committee.
The Sustainability Committee marks the first of its kind in the private capital space dedicated to sustainability at the Board level. This follows EQT becoming the first private markets firm to set Science Based Targets in 2021, further reinforcing the firm’s leadership position in sustainability. The Committee will provide a platform for debate on EQT’s sustainability agenda between the Board and Management, uniquely positioning the firm to deliver long-term performance for its clients.

Through quarterly meetings, the Committee will formalize ongoing discourse between Management and the Board to challenge the firm’s sustainability strategy in the context of an ever-evolving environment. The Committee will also welcome external thought leaders across different areas to enrich EQT’s approach towards accelerating specific sustainability themes, ultimately ensuring that EQT continues to stay ahead of the curve. Collectively, these mechanisms will enable EQT to strengthen the sustainability mandate of the Board, and to future-proof the firm in line with forthcoming sustainability trends.

Nicola Kimm, Board member of EQT AB since 2020, will be the Chairperson of the Committee. Nicola is the Chief Sustainability Officer and Management Board member at Heidelberg Cement, previously having been Global Head of Sustainability, Environment, Health and Safety at Signify.

Other Committee members include EQT AB’s Chairperson Conni Jonsson and Board member Margo Cook, who was elected last year. Margo is a former President of US based Nuveen Advisory Services, one of the world’s largest asset managers with USD 1 trillion in assets under management and USD 46.3 billion in assets under management with specific responsible investing objectives.

Nicola Kimm, Board member of EQT AB, said, “The role of the Sustainability Committee will be to ensure that EQT remains ahead of the curve and lead the transformation of private markets. By continuously raising the bar for EQT’s sustainability agenda, we also challenge and raise the inherent impact potential of the industry.”

Bahare Haghshenas, Global Head of Sustainable Transformation at EQT, said, “As a purpose-driven and active owner, sustainable transformation is at the core of our strategy. Having a dedicated Committee supporting this journey will further strengthen alignment between the Board and Management and will encourage us to think long-term, ultimately accelerating our efforts to drive superior returns for our clients in the most responsible way.”

Contact
Bahare Haghshenas, Head of Sustainable Transformation, +45 31 31 04 31
Rickard Buch, Managing Director, Communications, +46 72 989 09 11
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

Categories: News

CapMan to publish its 1–3 2022 Interim Report on Thursday 28 April 2022

Capman

CapMan Plc press release
22 April 2022 at 9.00 a.m. EEST

CapMan to publish its 1–3 2022 Interim Report on Thursday 28 April 2022

CapMan will publish its Interim Report for the period 1 January–31 March 2022 on Thursday 28 April 2022 around 8.00 a.m. EEST. The company will present the results for the review period over a webcast press conference starting at 9.30 a.m. EEST accessible at https://capman.videosync.fi/2022-q1-results. The conference will be held in English. The report and presentation material will be available at CapMan’s website after the publication (https://www.capman.com/shareholders/financial-reports/).

For further information, please contact:
Linda Tierala, Director, Communications and IR, tel. +358 40 571 7895, linda.tierala@capman.com

Webcast:
28 April 2022 at 9.30 a.m. EEST
https://capman.videosync.fi/2022-q1-results
About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation. As one of the private equity pioneers in the Nordics we have built value in unlisted businesses, real estate, and infrastructure for over three decades. With over to €4.5 billion in assets under management, our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. We are dedicated to set science-based targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover minority and majority investments in portfolio companies and real estate, and infrastructure assets. We also provide wealth management solutions. Our service business includes procurement and analysis, reporting and back office services. Altogether, CapMan employs approximately 160 professionals in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, London and Luxembourg. We are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki since 2001. Read more at www.capman.com. 

Categories: News

Gimv invests in BioConnection, a contract development and manufacturing organisation for injectable (bio)pharmaceutical products

GIMV

Topic: Investment

Gimv invests in BioConnection alongside current shareholders Pharming Group, Mibiton and management with the aim to accelerate the next stage of growth, and to facilitate further innovation in order to continue offering the best quality services to clients. The BOM has supported BioConnection since inception and has sold its shares.

BioConnection is a niche contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) focused on fill and finish and freeze-drying of injectable (bio)pharmaceutical products The company operates from its FDA & GMP approved manufacturing site in Oss (NL) and is one of the few niche players with both clinical and commercial manufacturing capabilities.

BioConnection operates in the fast-growing aseptic fill & finish market, which is a specialised type of manufacturing for (liquid) final dosage form of drugs requiring an aseptic environment, high quality equipment, and freeze-drying expertise. Especially freeze drying requires specialised expertise, as it is a highly complex technology that stabilises drugs and improves shelf-life (reducing waste and improving access to medicine). Accordingly, (bio)pharmaceutical companies increasingly rely on BioConnection for these services, due to BioConnection’s expertise, infrastructure and flexible set-up (providing tailored offering).

Due to the fast growing (bio)pharmaceutical industry, the growing capacity shortage in the whole sector, and the shift towards outsourced production for pharmaceutical companies, the position of CDMOs has become even more important. In order for BioConnection to keep providing the highest quality service to its customers, significant investments are foreseen for the coming period. Investments will be made to improve the overall production capacity, to further increase the flexibility of production, to remain fully compliant with the constantly increasing regulatory demands and to insource additional services such as formulation, analytical testing and packaging.

Together with the co-shareholders Pharming Group, Mibiton and management, Gimv looks forward to supporting BioConnection in its next growth phase by further investing in the organisation and infrastructure to increase the production capacity and to further extend services to customers. Furthermore, Gimv will leverage its life sciences network to further support BioConnection.

Elderd Land, Partner at Gimv, states: “We are very impressed by what Alexander and his team have built over the last decade. The quality of the facilities, the ability to serve and grow at small and medium sized companies and the contribution to the overall development in the pharma space (i.e. personalised medicine) is unparalleled in this size bracket. We are very much looking forward to supporting BioConnection through its next growth phase and to continuing to build this already leading company.”

Alexander Willemse, CEO of BioConnection, says: “We are happy to have found a partner for the next stage of BioConnection. With the new shareholding structure BioConnection is able to fund and further develop our people, infrastructure and service offering. This enables us to fulfil the needs of innovative (bio)pharmaceutical companies by offering the highest quality CDMO services on the market.”

 

Read the full document

English – French – Dutch
 

Gimv

Karel Oomsstraat 37, 2018 Antwerpen, Belgium

www.gimv.com

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EQT- Earth Day Message from the CEO

eqt
In honor of Earth Day, I would like to update you on EQT’s commitment to tackling climate change. In March, I participated in a forum with a group of global business leaders, discussing how we can best address the issues surrounding climate change. With every conversation, one prevailing theme was evident to everyone: the need for urgent environmental action is increasing by the hour, and we all have our part to play.
The most recent International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has made painfully clear the level of action necessary to begin to change that incoming tide that is climate change, with the report stating that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires us to reach peak greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2025 at the latest. Failure to do so will lead to severe human exposure to extreme weather events, acute food and water insecurity, mass mortalities of natural habitats and biodiversity loss.

The private capital industry is uniquely positioned, due to its governance model and the capital at disposal, to address some of the challenges we are facing today and to help build a better future. At EQT, this is at the heart of our approach as we focus on having a positive impact through our active ownership model. This approach enables our team to invest behind thematic mega-trends, future-proof companies and accelerate the sustainable transformation that is required across all industries and sectors.

The private capital industry also has a critical role in increasing capital flows to businesses providing innovative solutions to environmental challenges. Society needs to contribute approximately USD 90 trillion of investments in the coming 15 years (IPCC) to close the net zero funding gap.

On our side, EQT has invested more than EUR10bn over the last 12 months in climate and environmentally-oriented companies. Our recent investments in firms like Covanta, Cypress Creek Renewables, Oterra, Instavolt and Vinted, among many others, have created industry leaders in e.g. waste management, renewable energy supply and circularity. This is a good starting point, but there is a journey that every firm must participate in if we are to limit the effects of climate change.

We have recently committed all our portfolio companies to achieving net zero by 2040, ten years faster than required by climate science. This ambition covers Scope 1-3 GHG emissions for both EQT AB and our investments, and aims to follow the required 45 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. Already more than 40 of EQT’s portfolio companies have started their explicit journeys towards net zero. To successfully achieve this, we are collaborating with leading institutions – including the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and our peers – on defining net zero standards for financial institutions, drawing on the expertise of leading third-party specialists.

To ensure we hold ourselves accountable, we have undertaken measures to tie environmental performance to financial incentives through EQT AB’s EUR 2 billion of sustainability-linked bond issuances, and intend to further drive behavioral change through sustainability-linked mechanisms and personnel bonuses. Whilst decarbonisation needs to be the first priority, we are also proponents of carbon removal investments to support critical carbon capture & storage innovation. EQT AB’s 2021 GHG footprint was balanced with best-in-class carbon removal and storage projects, priced at >EUR100 per metric tonne of CO2.

Looking ahead, it is clear that environmental inaction is likely to drive severe social and economic instability on a global scale. We need to act now – together with customers, peers, suppliers, shareholders and regulators. We need to continue to transform the way we do business, support climate innovation and accelerate our partnerships in a joint and collaborative effort. We believe that investing in a positive future will also secure the best financial returns for our clients.

Through EQT’s active ownership model and our strong sense of community, I am confident we can help solve some of society’s most pressing problems.

Christian Sinding
CEO, EQT
Contact
Bahare Haghshenas, Head of Sustainable Transformation, +45 31 31 04 31
Rickard Buch, Managing Director, Communications, +46 72 989 09 11
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

Categories: News

Ardian raises record $5.25bn infrastructure secondaries fund

Ardian

The world’s largest infrastructure secondaries fund to-date demonstrates the strength of Ardian’s platform and the growth of infrastructure secondaries as an asset class.

Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces it has raised $5.25bn for its latest infrastructure secondaries fund – Ardian Secondary Fund VIII Infrastructure (ASF VIII Infrastructure). The fund, which was significantly oversubscribed and reached its hard cap within nine months, is the largest infrastructure secondaries platform in the world. It represents a more than 3x increase from the previous generation raised in 2017.

The successful fundraise is the latest of a number of innovations developed by Ardian’s secondary platform in its 23 year history. The team, led by Mark Benedetti, Vladimir Colas, Marie-Victoire Rozé and Jan Philipp Schmitz, now comprises over 110 investment professionals who continuously engage with General Partners, sellers, and clients to develop innovative solutions to investors‘ liquidity needs. Ardian’s secondary AUM has increased by $8 billion to $63 billion in the last 12 months.

The ASF VIII Infrastructure platform attracted over 145 investors from 28 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, comprising major pension funds, insurance companies, HNWIs and financial institutions.

The fundraise demonstrates strong investor appetite in a secondary market that is poised to grow significantly in the coming years on the back of increasing investor demand for private market investments. Secondary buyers provide an important source of liquidity for investors around the world whose allocations to private markets are becoming more significant in their portfolios. Ardian continues to lead the market in infrastructure secondaries having recently completed the two largest infrastructure secondary transactions in the world.

Continuing its successful investment strategy, ASF VIII Infrastructure will focus on high quality infrastructure funds and assets, managed by blue chip general partners in North America and Europe. The fund is targeting a diverse range of underlying assets, from renewable energy and telecoms to transport and utilities. Sustainability is embedded at every step of Ardian’s investment and portfolio monitoring approach.

The fund is already 30% committed in two infrastructure secondary transactions, including one of the largest secondary infrastructure transactions ever completed, a diversified portfolio of over 30 infrastructure funds and co-investments purchased from a financial institution.

Ardian Secondaries

Ardian Secondaries is the world’s largest Fund of Funds platform.

The successful fundraise follows a record year for Ardian’s Secondaries team in 2021, closing 27 transactions which represent $17 billion in deal volume. The average deal size for the top 10 transactions was $1 billion.
Over the past 12 months, Ardian’s Secondaries business increased its AUM by $8 billion to $63 billion. The team’s headcount also grew by 22% in 2021, now comprising more than 110 investment professionals.

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$125 billion 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: Secondaries, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

www.ardian.com

Media Contacts

ARDIAN

HEADLAND CONSULTANCY

ardian@headlandconsultancy.com  

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