Category Archives: News

Speechmatics wins the Scale-up Award at Barclays’ High Growth and Entrepreneurs National Awards

IQ Capital

Speecmatics, based at Cambridge Science Park, has won the Scale-up Award at the Barclays’ annual High Growth and Entrepreneur National Awards ceremony.

The awards were announced by actor, television presenter and radio DJ, Reggie Yates, during a live stream virtual event last week.

A key note speech was given by businesswoman, entrepreneur and TV Dragon, Deborah Meaden.

Speechmatics powers applications that require mission-critical, accurate speech recognition through its any-context speech recognition engine. Speechmatics’ speech recognition technology is used by enterprises in scenarios such as contact centers, legal, compliance, eDiscovery, security, media & entertainment and software. Speechmatics processes millions of hours of transcription worldwide every month in 30+ languages.

Having pioneered machine learning voice engineering, Speechmatics is enabling companies to build applications that detect and transcribe voice in any context and in real-time. Its neural networks consider acoustics, languages, dialects, multiple speakers, punctuation, capitalization, context and implicit meanings.

Katy Wigdahl, CEO, Speechmatics (pictured) said: “It has been a phenomenally challenging year for businesses across the world. Winning the scale-up of the year award for consistent and rapid growth means even more to our business in testing times. We have focused on building an innovative, automated technology that is vital to the growth and scale of many use cases and markets which has become even more critical during the pandemic.”

Juliet Rogan, National Head of High Growth at Barclays, said: “The awards are a celebration of the exceptional innovation and leadership entrepreneurs show, disproportionately driving job growth, attracting investment, and creating innovative products and services. In what has been a difficult time for businesses due to the coronavirus outbreak it is even more important than ever we celebrate and recognise their achievements. Entrepreneurs are fundamental to the UK’s economic competitive advantage, that shape our todays as well as tomorrows.”

A national judging panel made up of key industry leaders and influencers selected the overall national winners.

The awards bring the full entrepreneurial community together. This year, for the first time, Barclaycard joined the event alongside Barclays Rise and Eagle Labs as partners of the Awards. This group wide initiative started five years ago and forms an integral part of its support for entrepreneurship across the bank.

Originally published here.

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Gryphon’s Smile Brands Completes Acquisition Of Midwest Dental

Gryphon Investors

Irvine, CA – December 2, 2020 —

 

Smile Brands Inc. announced today that it completed the acquisition of Midwest Dental, a Dental Services Organization (“DSO”) with over 230 offices located primarily in the upper Midwest and New England regions. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors (“Gryphon”), a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The combined company is one of the largest DSOs in the country, representing 650 offices and over 8,000 employees, including 2,200 dentists and hygienists operating in 30 states.

Steve Bilt, CEO of Smile Brands, said, “Our combination with Midwest Dental is a game changer for Smile Brands, and highly impactful to our industry, increasing Smile Brands’ scale and footprint by over 50% while furthering our mission of delivering ‘Smiles for Everyone.’ Midwest Dental is a top-10 DSO nationwide and a long-standing market leader. We believe the combined company will continue to deliver best-in-class support to dental practices, and thereby patient care to individuals and families nationwide, and be ideally positioned for future growth.”

Midwest Dental, founded in 1968 and based in Mondovi, WI, provides general dentistry, hygiene, and specialty dental services through a network of over 230 offices. With a staff of 2,300, Midwest Dental operates in 17 states through four brands: Midwest Dental, Mondovi Dental, Merit Dental, and Mountain Dental. Smile Brands will retain Midwest Dental’s brand identity and strong company culture, and Smile Brands’ management is very excited to work with the talented leadership team at Midwest Dental to deliver best in class support to the Midwest Dental and Smile Brands clinical teams. The combined company will continue to provide full-service administrative support to the company’s affiliated dental practices, including recruiting, purchasing, payroll, accounting, IT, billing, facilities management, and marketing.

Dr. Robert Crim, Smile Brands’ Chief Dental Officer, added, “It has certainly been a challenging year globally. The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted dental practices nationwide, including both Smile Brands and Midwest Dental. Both companies have instituted exceptional safety measures, which allowed Smile Brands and Midwest Dental to re-open rapidly following the initial stages of the pandemic and provide needed care to patients with acute dental needs. Dentistry is now correctly viewed as an essential service and vital component of the healthcare services landscape for American families, and we expect the industry to experience continued strong fundamentals and steady volumes.”

Luke Schroeder, Gryphon Deal Partner and Co-Head of Gryphon’s Healthcare Group, said, “The transaction is highly strategic for Smile Brands, which has a successful 20-year track record of growth through M&A. We believe that the pace of consolidation in the dental industry will quicken as a result of the pandemic, and Smile Brands is ideally positioned to support an increasing number of high-quality dental providers based on its unique history of successfully completing large corporate combinations.”

Kirkland & Ellis provided legal advice to Gryphon and Smile Brands. Harris Williams provided financial advice and Willkie Farr & Gallagher provided legal advice to Midwest Dental.

About Midwest Dental
Founded in 1968 and based in Mondovi, WI, Midwest Dental (www.midwest-dental.com) is a top-10 nationwide DSO with over 230 dental practices under 4 regional brands across 17 states. The company is focused on providing general dentistry, hygiene, and specialty dental services through four brands: Midwest Dental, Mondovi Dental, Merit Dental, and Mountain Dental.

About Smile Brands
Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. Smile Brands provides comprehensive business support services through exclusive long-term agreements with affiliate dental groups, so dentists can spend more time caring for their patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. The organization was founded in 1998 by a management team that included co-founder and CEO Steve Bilt and CFO Brad Schmidt and supports approximately 420 affiliated practices, with more than 700 dentists across 18 states. For more information, visit www.smilebrands.com.

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors is a leading private equity firm focused on growing and enhancing mid-market companies in partnership with management. The firm has managed over $5 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with sales ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise. For more information, visit www.gryphoninvestors.com.

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Bizzabo Raises $138 Million to Power the Hybrid Future of Professional Events

Insight Partners

Investment led by Insight Partners will help the company meet global demand amid COVID-19 & beyond

NEW YORK, Dec. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Bizzabo, the world’s leading Event Success Platform, today announced it has raised $138 million in Series E funding. The investment is led by Insight Partners, with participation from previous investors, Viola Growth, Next47, and OurCrowd. Bizzabo will use the investment to meet surging demand for its platform globally and expand its category-leading capabilities as COVID-19 reshapes the future of the professional events industry. With the round, Bizzabo sets a new precedent for the largest private investment in an event technology platform.Without in-person events, organizations have turned to virtual conferences and trade shows to connect with customers and grow their business. With that, virtual events have enabled organizers to safely reach a wide audience, ensure event ROI, and deliver valuable data points to shape future strategies. Given the benefits, even with a COVID-19 vaccine imminent, virtual events aren’t going away anytime soon. Looking forward, events that combine in-person experiences with digital components will become the new normal.“The future of professional events isn’t virtual-only,” said Eran Ben-Shushan, CEO & Co-Founder of Bizzabo. “Our data shows very clearly that while virtual events have major benefits, attendees and businesses want to get back to live events. To stay relevant, marketers and event organizers will need to implement a hybrid strategy that blends together the best parts of virtual and in-person experiences.”Bizzabo’s event success platform empowers organizations to manage, measure, and grow professional events across the globe and in any format — virtual, in-person, or hybrid.“COVID-19 has permanently transformed the professional events category,” said Matt Gatto, a Managing Director at Insight Partners, who will join the Bizzabo board of directors. “Bizzabo’s impressive growth and momentum began pre-pandemic and accelerated during it as they launched the industry’s first end-to-end event technology solution. Their pedigree in both in-person and virtual events and their impressive execution capabilities have them well-positioned to lead this rapidly evolving space. We are excited to partner with their leadership team and to support them in this new phase of growth.”

In the past year, Bizzabo has seen revenue explode over 100 percent. This is powered by a substantial shift upmarket in 2020, with a significant portion of its customer base coming from the enterprise segment. Bizzabo has powered events for the world’s leading Fortune 100 in eCommerce, technology, education and media. Bizzabo’s Event Success Platform is used to support hybrid, virtual, and in-person professional events for enterprise and mid-market organizations across industries and verticals.

“Our platform has seen unprecedented demand this year,” said Ben-Shushan. “Compared to the year prior, the number of events organized through us has grown 65 percent. Additionally, the number of attendees registering for events with Bizzabo has grown 500 percent, while overall usage is up 150x. With a vaccine likely and more hybrid events in the future, we anticipate even greater growth. Bizzabo has been the category leader, experiencing hyper-growth both pre-pandemic and during the virtual transition, we are excited to continue to lead the market forward by doubling down on product, technology, and user experience, to help organizations unlock the power of hybrid experiences.”

To meet global demand for its platform, Bizzabo will use its investment to build a comprehensive technology that successfully integrates the experiences of virtual and in-person — for both organizers and attendees. The company will also expand its go-to-market operations and triple its engineering, product, and experience teams with the opening of two new offices in Europe in the first half of 2021. In addition, Bizzabo is looking to hire over a hundred new employees, globally, in 2021.

“This investment, led by ScaleUp software investor Insight Partners, is a testament to how Bizzabo is leading the charge in the future of event technology,” added Ben-Shushan. “Events have changed overnight and event technology needs to move as quickly.”

About Bizzabo

Bizzabo is the only Event Success Platform. Bizzabo’s all-in-one event software enables in-person, virtual, and hybrid events to deliver unique attendee experiences through intelligent and intent-based personalized engagement. We help companies measure, manage and scale events towards key business outcomes, empowering every organizer, marketer, exhibitor, and attendee to unleash the power of professional events. The company was founded by Boaz Katz, Alon Alroy, and Eran Ben-Shushan, and has more than 175 employees in its New York, Tel-Aviv and Kyiv offices. For more information on Bizzabo, visit www.bizzabo.com or follow us on Twitter @bizzabo

About Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight Partners has invested in more than 400 companies worldwide and has raised through a series of funds more than $30 billion in capital commitments. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Across its people and its portfolio, Insight encourages a culture around a belief that ScaleUp companies and growth create opportunity for all. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners.

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Shop-Ware Announces $15 Million in Series A Funding Led by Insight Partners

Insight Partners

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Shop-Ware, the automotive aftermarket’s premier cloud-based shop management software for independent repair shops, announced today that it has secured $15M in series A funding, led by Insight Partners, a leading global venture capital and private equity firm. The investment will support Shop-Ware’s continued growth, accelerate its innovation, and allow for a more aggressive go-to-market.

Carolyn Coquillette founded Shop-Ware out of her own repair shop in San Francisco to provide the transparency and sophistication that customers needed and that other systems lacked.

Shop-Ware handles everything for the next generation of auto repair, from digital customer communication to paperless shop operations, with an expansive product offering designed to reduce or remove the human effort needed to run the business. Repair shops experience 20% efficiency gains, higher gross profit, and a 12% increase in sales than over the phone. Their customers consistently boast increased satisfaction, mentioning the software in online reviews.

“Repair shops have to adapt quickly to the increased complexity of the cars they service. Shop-Ware brings automated, customized solutions to allow shops to thrive in business and inspire their customers,” said Shop-Ware founder and CEO Carolyn Coquillette. “Our team is proud to serve the community of hard-working, intelligent professionals that make auto repair possible, and Insight Partners shares our passion for delivering best-in-class products and services that this industry needs to transform.”

“With Shop-Ware, repair shop owners and technicians can maximize operational efficiencies and customer interaction using the company’s cloud-based management solution,” said Nikhil Sachdev, Managing Director at Insight Partners, who is joining Shop-Ware’s Board of Directors. “We are excited to partner with Shop-Ware to further scale their best-in-class product and capitalize on this growing market opportunity.”

The investment will be used to expand Shop-Ware’s engineering, support, and sales teams, to ramp the number of repair shops adopting the platform and speeding their onboarding period.

About Shop-Ware

Founded in 2013, Shop-Ware delivers professional-grade innovation to independent automotive service providers. As the industry’s premier enterprise-grade SaaS platform for shop management, Shop-Ware is committed to developing sophisticated tools to help the automotive aftermarket thrive and grow. Industry-first features include fully digital, cloud-based repair orders with native vehicle inspections, rich media, and customer live chat; real-time shop workflow and “expeditor” dispatch; native parts allocation and tracking for each job in progress; parts gross-profit “optimizer” that automatically seeks and attains a parts GP target; advanced analytics across unlimited repair facilities, and much more. For more information on Shop-Ware, visit www.shop-ware.com.

About Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight Partners has invested in more than 400 companies worldwide and has raised through a series of funds more than $30 billion in capital commitments. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on software expertise to foster long-term success. Across its people and its portfolio, Insight encourages a culture around a belief that ScaleUp companies and growth create opportunity for all. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit www.insightpartners.com or follow us on Twitter @insightpartners.

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AURELIUS Equity Opportunities completely repays its 2015/20 convertible bond

Aurelius Capital

Munich, December 2, 2020 – AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE000A0JK2A8) completely repaid its 2015/20 convertible bond (ISIN: DE000A168544) maturing on December 1, 2020 to the bond creditors. The repayment amounted to 100 percent of the aggregate principal amount plus interest for the past 12 months.

The aggregate principal amount of the AURELIUS convertible bond was originally EUR 166.3 million; this amount was reduced to EUR 103.1 million in July 2018 as a result of conversions.

“We are seeing a lot of interesting acquisition candidates right now. After the repayment of the convertible bond we are and remain very well equipped and funded to pursue opportunities we currently see in the market,” said Matthias Täubl, CEO of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities. “As a general rule we keep all financing options under consideration.”

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Gimv sells Itho Daalderop-Climate for Life – Dutch market leader in integrated sustainable solutions for energy-neutral living in the Benelux – to Parcom

GIMV

Press Release – Antwerp, 02 December 2020
Gimv sells Itho Daalderop-Climate for Life – Dutch market leader in integrated sustainable solutions for energy-neutral living in the Benelux – to Parcom

Topic: Divestment

Producer Itho Daalderop and service provider Klimaatgarant today announce an important step in their development. Gimv will sell its majority stake in Climate for Life Holding, the merger partner above the above-mentioned parties, to Parcom.
Itho Daalderop/Klimaatgarant enters a new phase after a strong growth path, including a doubling of turnover since Gimv’s entry. Bas Korte remains on board as group CEO.

In the construction sector, growing climate awareness is reflected in stricter energy performance standards (EPC) for new buildings and sustainable renovations, while comfortable, healthy and carefree living is an increasingly important theme. Itho Daalderop-Climate for Life responds to the growth potential of this market with integrated solutions for energy-neutral living, both for the renovation and new-build markets.

Itho Daalderop-Climate for Life (cflholding.com) is the result of a merger between Itho Daalderop (www.ithodaalderop.nl) and Klimaatgarant (www.klimaatgarant.nl ), facilitated by Gimv. In 2016 Gimv acquired a majority stake in the new merger group, alongside the management. With sustainable and innovative heating, mains water, ventilation and control technology, Itho Daalderop has everything for providing comfortable, healthy and energy-efficient indoor climates for everyone. Klimaatgarant develops and implements energy-neutral housing projects for municipalities, project developers and housing corporations. With this tandem, production and services, both with a strong focus on sustainability, go hand in hand.

In recent years, Itho Daalderop-CFL has grown into a major player in the Benelux in the field of HVAC products for the residential market. Today, the group enjoys a leading position in the Dutch new-build market and is an unrivalled pioneer in ground source heat pumps. All this has been made possible by substantial investments in resources, innovation and personnel in persistent pursuit of solutions for energy-neutral living.

Itho Daalderop-CFL has achieved impressive growth. Since Gimv’s entry, it has doubled its turnover and sharply increased its profitability. Today it employs around 450 people in the Netherlands (Tiel & Schiedam) and Belgium (Brussels).

Bas Korte, CEO of Itho Daalderop-Climate for Life, explains: “In 2015, after years of intensive cooperation between Klimaatgarant and Itho Daalderop, we saw opportunities to accelerate the transition towards sustainability. To this end, we drew up a Top 10 priority plan that included a solid investment agenda. We foresaw that growth would largely come from offering integrated systems and concepts with far-reaching direction and taking responsibility. Very different from traditional product manufacturers. At Gimv we immediately found understanding, faith and enthusiasm for this plan. The growth and change we have experienced in recent years is difficult to imagine without Gimv’s constant presence as an enthusiastic supporter, reliable sponsor and source of management expertise. This has certainly helped the management in realising the plans.”

Rombout Poos, Partner in the Gimv Sustainable Cities platform, on this growth story: “Gimv is proud to have been able to help power CFL’s rapid expansion in recent years through investments in people, assets, innovation and the development of integrated, sustainable HVAC solutions for residential properties. CFL’s management team has delivered a fantastic performance and the company will continue to grow on the basis of the ongoing home sustainability trend.”

The transaction is subject to the usual terms and conditions, including approval by the competition authorities. This transaction, which represents the exit of the largest shareholding on Gimv’s balance sheet, has a positive impact of about 20 million euro on Gimv’s net asset value as per 30 September 2020. No further financial details will be disclosed.

Read the full press release:

English – French – Dutch

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KKR Awards Grants to 80 Small Businesses and Nonprofits as part of COVID-19 Relief Effort

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KKR

December 1, 2020

 

NEW YORK – December 1, 2020 – KKR today announced it has awarded the first round of grants in two of the cornerstone programs of the KKR Relief Fund (the “Fund”) focused on supporting small business owners and nonprofits. The $50 million Fund was created by KKR and its employees earlier this year to support those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic dislocation.

 

In the first round of the KKR Small Business Builders (SBB) program, KKR has awarded $10,000 each to 55 small business owners from a diverse range of backgrounds across gender, race, ethnicity, business industry, size and geography. The grants will provide financial assistance, hands-on support from KKR employees and resources from KKR’s partner organizations to help the small businesses to maintain day-to-day operations and jobs while also supporting their future growth.

 

The first round of SBB recipients are located in the U.S. and Asia, with 24 states across the U.S. represented. Over 50% of the recipients are minority-owned businesses, over 61% are owned by women and 22% are owned by veterans or their immediate family members. All of the businesses have between 5 and 50 employees and 75% reported less than $1 million in annual revenue.

 

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and across the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands of businesses have been forced to close temporarily, and the data show that of those businesses, 60% are closed forever,”[1] said Henry Kravis and George Roberts, Co-Chief Executive Officers and Co-Founders of KKR. “At a time when the challenges facing communities are tremendous, these grants aim to support small business owners and high-impact nonprofits to enable them, and ultimately the greater community, to meet this moment of immense disruption.”

 

“All businesses start small and desire to grow. KKR’s Small Business Builders initiative is partnering with Hello Alice to provide small business owners grants, online resources and a thriving online community of peers,” said Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice. “Small businesses are the heart of our country, and we are proud to work with KKR to ensure their growth during these trying times.”

 

In this first round of the KKR Grants initiative, which is focused on identifying and supporting nonprofits whose work supports priorities related to Opportunities, Communities, and Heroes, KKR awarded over $3 million to 25 nonprofit organizations around the world that are playing critical roles in addressing the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. Grant recipients included both international nonprofits and locally focused organizations in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, and Germany.

 

“COVID-19 has created unfathomable physical, economic and social disruption for people and communities around the world and the non-profit sector will continue to play a vital role in the recovery. We look forward to supporting our partners in the days and months ahead,” said Ali Hartman, KKR’s Global Head of Citizenship.

 

SBB and KKR Grants are available to organizations around the world with recipients selected in rounds on an ongoing basis.

 

  • Small businesses around the world can learn more and apply for SBB grants at helloalice.com.
  • The application for nonprofits is available at kkr.com/grants. The next round opens January 4, 2021.

 

KKR’s Relief Fund is helping address challenges facing our shared communities through four key pillars: supporting portfolio company employees; engaging our employees as leaders and change-makers; assisting small businesses; and providing strategic grants and partnerships. Read a personal story about notifying grant recipients here.

 

About KKR Small Business Builders

 

KKR Small Business Builders is a grants-based program created to support small business owners who are struggling to navigate the challenges of the pandemic. KKR has joined forces with small business experts at Hello Alice and GEN Global to identify diverse and dynamic small business owners in need of assistance. Through SBB, KKR is awarding $10,000 grants to small business owners who will also receive support from KKR employees and the Hello Alice platform to help them better sustain their operations, maintain or create jobs and manage or pivot their business model.

 

About KKR Grants

 

KKR Grants is a global effort focused on identifying and supporting the most innovative and effective nonprofits whose missions are aligned with priority areas, including delivering immediate aid to vulnerable populations impacted by the pandemic, providing innovative pathways of workforce recovery and development, and supporting our heroes including teachers, first responders, essential workers and front-line medical professionals. KKR is supporting these organizations with financial grants and strategic support.

 

KKR Small Business Builders Round 1 Recipients

 

Nick Anderer

Anton’s | New York, NY

 

Gary Carter

Sitpinyo Muay Thai & Fitness | Hong Kong

 

Justin Gurland and Zac Clark

Release Recovery | Yorktown Heights, NY

 

Lisle Richards

The Village Den | New York, NY

 

Trishala Bhansali

Lekha | New Orleans, LA

 

Daymara Baker

Rockin’ Baker Incorporated | Fayetteville, AR

 

Hossein Akbari

The Discovery Years | San Jose, CA

 

Beth Plante

Charleston Power Yoga | Charleston, SC

 

Warren Norgaard

Milkweed Arts | Phoenix, AZ

 

Teri Van Goethem

DC Born & Bread | Washington, D.C.

 

Francine Zodda

A Child’s Place | McHenry, IL

 

Thomas C. Trotman

TNT Construction Training | Denver, CO

 

Michael A. Robinson

Dallas Costume Shoppe | Dallas, TX

 

Monica Wong

Little Green Cyclo | South San Francisco, CA

 

Athanasios Hatzinas

Yetter’s Diner | Augusta, NJ

 

Kareem Badr

The Hideout Theatre | Austin, TX

 

Tyrone Foster

Precision Landscape Services | Portland, OR

 

Janie Deegan

Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods | New York, NY

 

Lexi Beach

The Astoria Bookshop | New York, NY

 

Anna Peters

Art Coop | Urbana, IL

 

Sherille D. Barber

Barber Therapy & Associates | Rock Hill, SC

 

Brenda Bueno

Little Daydreamers Learning Center 2 | New York, NY

 

Alina Ackenbom

Camp Friendship | Palmyra, VA

 

Bridget Manzanares

Flagship Real Estate Group | Encinitas, CA

 

Melissa Anelli

Mischief Management | New York, NY

 

Lane Velayo

Synergos Association Management | Indianapolis, IN

 

Cate Phillips

Capstone Calling | West Bend, WI

 

Jimmie Richard

Richards Family Group | Willowick, OH

 Jessie Lipkowitz

Polarity | Ann Arbor, MI

 

Charlotte Guyton

Bard & Baker | Troy, NY

 

Dennis Williams

W.Heir’s | Winter Springs, FL

 

Eric Cruz

Progressive Health & Performance | Murrieta, CA

 

Jaime Adams

Poshy Paws | Peoria, AZ

 

Zoe Schuler

ZMD | Madison, WI

 

Jonathan Byun

Playcenter | Lakewood, CA

 

Debbie Hall

Century Travel | Austin, TX

 

Jim O’Connor

Homestead Inn | Wolf Point, MT

 

Laura Oldaker

Academy for Caregiving Excellence | Tucson, AZ

 

Nicole Phillips

Inner Me | Houston, TX

 

Mona Ghattas

Duran Central Pharmacy | Albuquerque, NM

 

Mary Williams

Urgent & Primary Care Of Clarksdale | Clarksdale, MS

 

Kyle Black

RollerCade | Detroit, MI

 

Patrick Lai

Game Theory Restaurant + Bar | Fort Worth, TX

 

Sandra Stroehmann

Elixir Mind Body Massage | Denver, CO

 

Deborah Carlin

Debbie’s Dance Studio | Williamson, WV

 

Christian Davis

Supply Locale | Chicago, IL

 

Tom Rummel

MrCleanSD | San Diego, CA

 

Sheila Rhodes

Small Batch Kitchen Cafe and Market | Lansdale, PA

 

Cristina Atencio

Isabel Blackwell | Portland, OR

 

Sarah Ribner

PiperWai | New York, NY

 

Evonya Easley

Love E | Atlanta, GA

 

Kristi K May

Legend Acres | Surprise, AZ

 

Moiz Bohra

Nova Home Care | Farmington Hills, MI

 

Alda Escobar

Madre Luna | Corona, CA

 

Sian DeLuca

SensationAll Kids Gym | Concord, CA

 

 

 

 

KKR Grants Round 1 Recipients

 

COMMUNITIES

Support for food security, safe housing, public health, and crisis relief

 
CareMessage

USA

 

Children’s Rights

USA

 

Deutsche Franziskanerprovinz KdöR

Germany

 

Headstrong Counselling

United Kingdom

 

Hour Children

USA

 

La Casa de las Madres

USA

 

Little Essentials

USA

 

 Martha’s Table

USA

 

Meals on Wheels of San Francisco

USA

 

New Alternatives for Children

USA

 

North Texas Food Bank

USA

 

Single Homeless Project (SHP)

United Kingdom

 

The Bowery Mission

USA

 

Women’s Aid Ireland

Ireland

 
 

OPPORTUNITIES

Support for innovative pathways of workforce recovery and development

 
Defy Ventures

USA

 

Eight Million Stories, Inc.

USA

 

Clubhouse International

USA

 

 The HOPE Program

USA

 

Year Up, Inc.

USA

 
 

HEROES

Support for teachers, first responders, essential workers and front line medical professionals

 
826 Valencia

USA

 

N.Y. Police and Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund, Inc.

USA

 

Save the Children

USA

 Small Steps Nurturing Center

USA

 

Southern Area Hospice Services

United Kingdom

 

TalkingPoints

USA

 

# # #

 

 

About KKR

 

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, credit and real assets, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

 

About Hello Alice

 

Hello Alice is a free, multichannel platform that helps businesses launch and grow. With a community of more than 250,000 business owners in all 50 states and across the globe, Hello Alice is building the largest network of owners in the country while tracking data and trends to increase the success rate for entrepreneurs. Our partners include enterprise business services, government agencies, and institutions looking to serve small- and medium business owners to ensure increased revenues and promote scale. Founded by Carolyn Rodz and Elizabeth Gore, we believe in business for all by providing access to all owners, including women, people of color, veterans, and everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. To learn more, visit www.helloalice.com, as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

 [1] Bialik, C., & Gole, D. (2020, September). Yelp: Local Economic Impact Report (Rep.). Retrieved https://www.yelpeconomicaverage.com/business-closures-update-sep-2020.html

 

Media Contact:

Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner

212-750-8300

media@kkr.com

 

 

KKR Small Business Builders

KKR Grants

 

Categories: News

CVC Capital Partners Fund VII agrees to acquire Vivartia

CVC Capital Partners Fund VII agrees to acquire Vivartia

01 Dec 2020

CVC Capital Partners today announced that CVC Fund VII has agreed to acquire Vivartia Holdings SA (“Vivartia”).

Vivartia is a diversified food company in Greece, with leading market positions in each of its core business lines: Dairy & Drinks (Delta, UMC), Frozen Foods (Barba Stathis, Chrysi Zymi), Food Services & Entertainment (Goody’s, Flocafe, Everest and La Pasteria).

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. The terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

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Vector Capital to Acquire Mood Media

Vector Capital

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vector Capital, a leading private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mood Media, the world’s leading in-store media solutions company dedicated to elevating the Customer Experience. Under the terms of the agreement, Vector Capital will make a meaningful equity investment in Mood Media’s business, and the company’s existing lenders, including investment funds and accounts managed by HPS Investment Partners, LLC, will continue to support Mood Media with a new credit facility at closing.

Austin-based Mood Media offers global retail, fashion, restaurant, healthcare, hospitality, and consumer brands audio, visual, messaging, scent, social, and mobile services designed to create greater emotional connections between brands and consumers. The company reaches more than 150 million consumers each day through more than 500,000 subscriber locations in 100+ countries around the globe.

“Vector Capital has a long track record of building and growing global technology businesses,” said David Hoodis, CEO of Mood Media. “We are eager to leverage their industry expertise and deep operating capabilities as we continue to enhance our product offerings to assist leading brands in connecting with customers. I believe, with the great Mood team and Vector’s support, our best days are ahead.”

“We are excited to partner with Mood Media, which has developed a global, market-leading presence and proven ability to enhance the customer experience for the most demanding customers across the retail, fashion, restaurant, hospitality, and healthcare sectors,” said David Fishman, a Managing Director at Vector Capital. “We are confident that our long-term capital support will enable Mood Media to invest in the technology initiatives and acquisitions that will further differentiate Mood and accelerate our product vision.”

“Mood Media has an impressive management team and a motivated employee base to support its global platform, broad blue-chip client base, and strong business model,” added Sandy Gill, a Principal at Vector Capital. “We look forward to partnering with Mood Media during its next stage of growth and helping the company’s leadership team accelerate its development through both organic initiatives and strategic acquisitions.”

The transaction is subject to standard and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Paul Hastings LLP served as legal counsel to Vector Capital on the transaction. PJ SOLOMON acted as financial advisor, and Milbank LLP served as legal counsel to Mood Media.

About Vector Capital
Vector Capital is a leading global private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses. With more than $3 billion of capital under management, Vector actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of businesses and enhance value for employees, customers, and all stakeholders. For more information, visit http://www.vectorcapital.com.

About Mood Media
Mood Media is the world’s leading in-store media solutions company dedicated to elevating the Customer Experience. We create greater emotional connections between brands and consumers through the right combination of sight, sound, scent, social and systems solutions. We reach more than 150 million consumers each day through more than 500,000 subscriber locations in 100+ countries around the globe. Mood’s clients include businesses of all sizes and market sectors, from the world’s most recognized retailers and hotels to quick-service restaurants, local banks and thousands of small businesses. For more details: www.moodmedia.com.

Contacts

For Vector Capital:
Nathaniel Garnick / Grace Cartwright
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170

For Mood Media:
Caroline Traylor / PR & Communications Director
caroline.traylor@moodmedia.com
(210) 365-8761

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Market Access Transformation (MAT) Secures First Institutional Funding Led by Silversmith Capital Partners

Market Access Transformation (MAT), a global healthcare company that uses cutting edge technology to automate and modernize how life sciences companies capture mission-critical insights that drive decision-making across the product lifecycle, today announced a $30 million minority investment from Silversmith Capital Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm. The investment marks the first time MAT has raised outside capital and will be used to expand the company’s team and accelerate innovation of its product offerings.

Founded in 2016, MAT has revolutionized the way Global Payer Market Research is conducted by developing Rapid Payer Response (RPR), the industry’s only on-demand global platform for gathering critical payer insights. In five years, the company has built a client base of more than 45 biopharma and device manufacturers – including all of the Top 10 pharma companies. MAT’s partnership with Silversmith solidifies its market leadership position in providing technology-driven solutions to the healthcare community.

“Providing our clients with new and improved offerings that address unmet needs within healthcare research and analytics has been our primary focus since we started MAT,” said Baiju Aurora, MAT’s CEO and Co-Founder, who along with Co-Founder Paul Howard will continue to lead the company. “We are incredibly proud of what our team has achieved in such a short period of time and are excited to partner with Silversmith as we look to accelerate our product development initiatives.”

RPR is built on the company’s proprietary SaaS platform that enables manufacturers to obtain more robust insights, in 1/3 the time and 1/2 the cost of more traditional, manual-based approaches. RPR is powered by an expansive global payer network – which spans over 40 countries – and leverages a unique payer selection and vetting process. “While RPR has enabled us to deliver technology solutions to a wide variety of pharma companies across the globe, our expert team of pricing and market access specialists drive client engagement and satisfaction,” added Paul Howard.

“One of the biggest challenges life sciences organizations face is gathering payer insights in an agile manner to drive optimal clinical and commercial product strategies as regulatory and market dynamics evolve,” said Brian Peterson, Principal of Silversmith. “What impressed us most about MAT was their platform’s ability to deliver insights in days instead of months, while maintaining industry-leading quality on a global scale. We are thrilled to partner with Baiju, Paul and the entire MAT team, and look forward to working with them as they continue to bring innovative offerings to the market.”

As part of the investment, Brian Peterson and Jim Quagliaroli, Managing Partner of Silversmith, have joined MAT’s Board of Directors, along with Baiju Aurora and Paul Howard.

Choate, Hall & Stewart served as legal counsel to Silversmith Capital Partners and Day Pitney served as legal counsel to MAT.

About Market Access Transformation

With offices in the US, UK, and India, Market Access Transformation specializes in developing cutting edge technologies that enable the healthcare community to gather and exchange insights that assess the real-world potential of their products. MAT’s first product, Rapid Payer Response™ (RPR), is an online platform-based information exchange that allows healthcare manufacturers to secure On-Demand expert insight from the largest and most diverse global payer network in as little as 5 days. For more information about MAT, please visit www.marketaccesstransformation.com.

About Silversmith Capital Partners

Founded in 2015, Silversmith Capital Partners is a Boston-based growth equity firm with $2.0 billion of capital under management. Silversmith’s mission is to partner with and support the best entrepreneurs in growing, profitable technology and healthcare companies. Representative investments include ActiveCampaign, Appfire, Centauri Health Solutions, DistroKid, Impact, LifeStance Health, MediQuant, Panalgo, Unily, Validity, and Webflow. The partners have over 75 years of collective investing experience and have served on the boards of numerous successful growth companies including ABILITY Network, Archer Technologies, Dealer.com, Liazon, Liberty Dialysis, MedHOK, Net Health, Passport Health, SurveyMonkey, and Wrike. For more information about Silversmith, please visit www.silversmith.com.

For media Inquiries, please contact:

Kate Castle

Silversmith Capital Partners

P: 617.670.4345

kate@silversmithcapital.com

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