Category Archives: News

Icario Partners with CVC to fuel next phase of growth

CVC Capital Partners

Global private equity firm brings world-class resources and support to Icario’s current and future customers

Icario, the healthcare industry’s leading health action company, is pleased to announce that CVC Capital Partners (“CVC”), a leading global private equity firm, has acquired a majority interest in the company through the CVC Growth Partners II fund. The investment will be used to fuel Icario’s next phase of growth; financial terms were not disclosed.

The news comes at an exciting time for Icario, which rebranded earlier this year following the merger of market leaders Revel and NovuHealth. CVC will help Icario accelerate its business roadmap as it continues to build innovative solutions for its customers, which include many of the most trusted health plans in the United States.

“With CVC’s support, Icario is ideally positioned to bring our mission to more people through our shared vision for the business,” said Steve Wigginton, CEO of Icario. “We have been fortunate to benefit from the insight and leadership of our founders and early investors, and we look forward to our next chapter led by a team and a firm with a strong reputation for taking organizations to the next level.”

“Icario’s proprietary technology, data science, and behavioral insights drive highly valuable actions,” said Aaron Dupuis, partner at CVC Growth Partners. “We have followed the Icario story for some time as part of our long-standing efforts in member engagement, and we look forward to working with the Icario team to accelerate initiatives to bring even more member engagement innovation to Icario’s impressive customer base of more than 50 leading healthcare payers.”

“Engaging consumers in their health has never been more important than it is today,” said Fazle Husain, Partner and Head of U.S. Healthcare at CVC. “We see significant tailwinds for Icario as plans increasingly focus on coordinating member communications to drive member satisfaction, better health outcomes and lower cost of care.”

Icario is a health action company whose solutions seek to deeply understand people by leveraging behavioral and data sciences in order to move them to take action for better health. The early founders of the company recognized the gap between consumer engagement in other industries — travel, retail, and financial services — and identified an opportunity to do the same for healthcare through personalized, multi-channel communications that connect all people to health.

“We are thrilled to welcome the CVC team as Icario’s capital partner,” said Tom Wicka, co-founder of NovuHealth and chairman of Icario. “We have a shared vision for using technology and data to drive consumer behaviors that empower health plans’ quality, assessment, and health action strategies to drive better health outcomes.”

Icario was recently featured on the 2021 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the Midwest. For more information on Icario and its health action capabilities, visit https://icariohealth.com.

TripleTree, LLC served as the exclusive financial advisor to Icario for this transaction. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

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Acronis, the global leader in cyber protection, receives more than $250M investment at a $2.5B valuation

CVC Capital Partners

Funding to accelerate growth, expand its portfolio of cyber protection products, and enable service providers to serve their clients better

Acronis, the global leader in cyber protection, is pleased to announce that it has received more than $250 million funding round from CVC Capital Partners VII and other investors. Acronis will use the funds to further accelerate growth by expanding its unique portfolio of natively integrated cyber protection products. A significant portion of the investment will also be used to further enhance Acronis’ go-to-market initiatives by expanding its broad partner network – most notably managed service providers (MSPs) – to help them better serve the cyber protection needs of their clients. The investment values the company at more than $2.5 billion.

“Acronis’ talented management and R&D teams have invested significant resources developing an innovative cloud-native ‘MSP in a box’ solution, with integrated backup, disaster recovery, cybersecurity, remote management, and workflow tools,” said Leif Lindbäck, Senior Managing Director of CVC Capital Partners. “Acronis provides mission-critical solutions to more than 10,000 MSPs and half a million small and medium businesses. CVC has a strong track record in cybersecurity and partnering up with successful entrepreneurs, and we are looking forward to teaming up with Serguei Beloussov and the Acronis team to accelerate the company’s growth.”

Acronis Cyber Protect is the first unified cybersecurity and data protection solution that is natively integrated, so service providers can operate these critical functions through a single pane of glass, delivering comprehensive cyber protection at a lower cost.

“With this additional funding, we will accelerate the development of our product portfolio and invest more in our partners’ success,” said Serguei “SB” Beloussov, founder and CEO of Acronis. “Our goal is to develop market-leading technology and help our partners grow their profits, while providing the best protection for their clients.”

Acronis will continue to invest in staff resources, expanding its global sales, partner account management and partner success teams, and hiring new technical talent for its research and development centers in Bulgaria, Israel, and Singapore, as well as Switzerland and the United States.

Focus on partners

Focusing on its growing partner network is critical to the company’s strategy for rapid growth. In February, the company launched the #CyberFit Partner Program to support the development of cloud-focused resellers and service providers. In March, Acronis made available a new version of Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud – enabling partners to deliver comprehensive cyber protection for all workloads for little to no upfront cost. In April, Acronis introduced a new partner portal, providing easy access to content, tools, and training for partners. With the new funding, Acronis will expand the support for cloud partners – providing them with additional sales and marketing resources, faster and localized technical support, dedicated partner success managers, and local data centers in 111 locations worldwide.

Phil Goodwin, Research Director, Cloud Data Management for Protection for IDC, notes that the investment from CVC will add to the momentum behind cyber protection. “Acronis has been at the forefront of the cyber protection movement, establishing itself as a pioneer in solutions that unify advanced cybersecurity with innovative data protection. By continuing to expand their technical capabilities and partner network, the value they bring to the market will only increase.”

Service providers who are interested in learning more about how they can benefit from Acronis’ partner-focused approach are encouraged to visit https://www.acronis.com/en-us/partners/

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CVC Capital Partners and CDPQ jointly agree the acquisition of a majority stake in BlueFocus International agencies

The deal will provide investment in human, relationship and financial capital to advance the growth strategy of We Are Social, fuseproject and Vision7 International

CVC Capital Partners (“CVC”), a leading global private equity and investment advisory firm, and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”), a global investment group, have reached an agreement with BlueFocus Intelligent Communication Group for CVC Capital Partners Asia V and CDPQ to acquire a majority stake in its international group of agencies, managed under its subsidiary, BlueFocus International. This comprises its three main agency groups: We Are Social, fuseproject, Vision7 International which includes Cossette, Cossette Media, Eleven and Citizen Relations, among others.

This agreement will create a digital-first, technology-enabled global advertising and marketing services group of companies. This partnership will provide the new group with the capital to invest in its growth strategy, focused on market expansion, building its next generation of tech and data capabilities and expanding its talent base. The new entity has more than 2,500 employees, across 12 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

CVC’s and CDPQ’s global network and partnerships will provide the group with access to key strategic human and relationship capital, which will be important for its expansion plans.

“Our partnership with CVC and CDPQ, will allow us to advance our expansion and transformation strategy,” said Brett Marchand, Vision7 International’s President and CEO, who will lead the new combined entity as its new CEO. “This investment in geographic and capabilities expansion and next generation technology and data offering will provide leading-edge services for our clients and unparalleled development opportunities to our talented people all around the world.”

CVC is well positioned to support this strategy, given its experience gained through the successful expansion of international business services providers such as Alix Partners, Teneo and TMF Group. “CVC is impressed by the opportunity for accelerated growth,” said Scott Chen, Managing Director at CVC Capital Partners. “We couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity to invest in this group of leading, tech-enabled agencies and we look forward to working with their talented management teams to take each of the businesses to the next level.”

“CDPQ is very proud to take part in this transaction that will enable the creation of a new global communications and marketing group,” said Kim Thomassin, Executive Vice-President and Head of Investments in Québec and Stewardship Investing. “This investment aligns with our goal to support companies in their growth and globalization and will allow the company to carry out its ambitious development plan focusing on expanding in certain international markets.”

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions, is expected to be finalized in Q3 2021. No further terms are being disclosed. PJT Partners acted as the exclusive financial advisor to BlueFocus Intelligent Communications Group and RBC Capital Markets acted as the financial advisor to BlueFocus International subsidiaries. White & Case and McCarthy Tetrault LLP acted as legal advisors to CVC, Fasken acted as legal advisor for CDPQ and Norton Rose Fulbright acted as legal advisor to BlueFocus International subsidiaries.

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Ardian begins exclusive negotiations to sell Solina to Astorg

Ardian

Paris, May 4, 2021 – Ardian, a world leading private equity house, has started exclusive negotiations with Astorg, to sell its stake in Solina, the leading European manufacturer of ingredient and seasoning blends for the food industry. Solina’s management will reinvest a significant part of their proceeds alongside Astorg.

Founded in 1988 and headquartered near Rennes, in France, Solina’s 2,250 employees serve more than 18,000 clients across 27 sites in Europe and Canada. The company conducts business in the resilient food solutions market and benefits from ongoing secular growth trends. These trends have been fueled by the recent shifts in global food consumption, which have led to a preference towards more premium and natural ingredients. Solina now boasts market leading positions across the countries it operates in, having built customer trust and loyalty  through superior customer service and R&D capabilities. Following nine completed add-ons during the partnership, the company has grown to become a European leader in its sector.

Since Ardian’s investment in Solina in 2015, the company has doubled in size. In the past years, the company has put sustainability at the core of its strategy and crafted a sustainability roadmap. This strategy includes extending the procurement policy to give more weight to health & safety concerns, securing the supply chain, ensuring quality, and addressing fair-trade concerns.

Bruno Ladrière, Managing Director at Ardian, commented: “We are proud to have been part of the development of this European champion. I would like to thank the management team for their forward thinking and ambitious external growth strategy which has led us to this great success. We wish them all the best for the years to come.”

Daniel Setton, Managing Director at Ardian, commented: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the management team and employees of Solina, the Group has transformed into a global leading sustainable and responsible player focused on the development of healthy innovative food-solutions. We are grateful for having been able to accompany Solina these past years and wish them many further successes.”

Anthony Francheterre, CEO of Solina, said: “We are delighted that Astorg has agreed to support our next stage of growth. We have a strong cultural fit with Astorg and we will continue this outstanding entrepreneurial adventure with them. Solina’s success is the result of a team effort that has allowed us to offer innovative solutions to our clients that have placed their trust in us for many years. We would like to thank Ardian for their support over the past five years.”

Eric Terré, Chairman of Solina, said: “We are enthusiastic about this opportunity to further grow our business and expand it worldwide. The teams have worked hard these last years to change the group and prepare it for the future, and we can see their passion and will to offer the best to our customers.”

François de Mitry, Managing Partner at Astorg, said: “We are very impressed by Solina’s management team, who has an outstanding track record, and has shown its ability to shape the industry by being at the forefront of innovation. especially regarding sustainability and healthy food ingredients. We have been following their journey for many years and witnessed their talent to acquire and welcome companies into the Solina group. We believe that this is the right strategy to bring more value to clients.”

Nicolas Marien, Partner at Astorg, added: “Solina is a fantastic success story and we are thrilled to become part of it. We are fully supportive of the management’s strategy to expand its activity in the US by leveraging its European know-how and expertise. This coincides with Astorg’s development in the US and Solina can count on Astorg’s global resources for their next chapter of growth.”

The terms of this transaction, which require workers’ council consultation and are subject to the approval of regulatory authorities, are not disclosed.

ABOUT ASTORG

Astorg is a global private equity firm with over €10 billion of assets under management. Astorg works with entrepreneurs and management teams to acquire market leading global companies headquartered in Europe or the US, providing them with the strategic guidance, governance and capital they need to achieve their growth goals. Astorg enjoys a distinct entrepreneurial culture, a long-term shareholder perspective, and a lean decision-making body enhancing its reactivity. Astorg has valuable industry expertise in healthcare, software, business-to-business professional services and technology-based industrial companies. Astorg has offices in London, Paris, New York, Frankfurt, Milan, and Luxembourg.

www.astorg.com

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$110bn 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 700 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 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

List of participants

  • Ardian

    • Bruno Ladrière, Daniel Setton, Alexis Manet, Anaïs Robin
    • M&A advisor: BNP Paribas (Alban Bouley, Marc Walbaum)
    • Legal advisor: Willkie Farr & Gallagher (Eduardo Fernandez, Hugo Nocerino)
    • Financial advisor: EY (Stéphane Seguin, Maxime Guth)

  • Astorg

    • François de Mitry, Nicolas Marien, Marco Aliprandi, Adrien Celdran
    • Legal advisor: Latham & Watkins (Thomas Forschbach, Alexander Crosthwaite)
    • Commercial and strategic advisor: Bain & Company (Andrea Gondekova)
    • Financial advisor: EY (Laurent Majubert, Marion Lassus Pigat)

  • Management

    • Legal advisors: Jeausserand Audouard

Press contact

ARDIAN – Headland

GREGOR RIEMANN

griemann@headlandconsultancy.co.uk Tel: +44 7920 802627

ASTORG – Publicis Consultants

STEPHANIE TABOUIS

stephanie.tabouis@publicisconsultants.com Tel :+33 6 03 84 05 03

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KKR and Altavair Close Sale and Leaseback of Four Airbus A350-900 Aircraft with Singapore Airlines

KKR

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, and Altavair L.P., a leader in commercial aviation finance, announced today the closing of a sale and leaseback with Singapore Airlines (SIA) of four Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The acquisition was funded by funds and accounts managed by KKR, with Altavair acting as servicer on the assets.

“We were honored to be selected by Singapore Airlines to participate in these transactions,” said Steve Rimmer, CEO of Altavair. “Singapore Airlines is continually recognized as one of the top international carriers and we are extremely pleased to be continuing our relationship with them with this new agreement.”

“This transaction with Singapore Airlines is another exciting milestone as we continue to deepen our trusted relationships with leading carriers around the world,” said Dan Pietrzak and Brandon Freiman, Partners at KKR. “These four modern aircraft operated by a world-class airline are a great addition to Altavair’s portfolio.”

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and 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 The 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.

About Altavair L.P.

Altavair L.P. is an asset manager focusing on the acquisition of new and used commercial aircraft for leasing to domestic and international passenger airlines and cargo operators. Since its inception in 2003, Altavair has completed over $9 billion in commercial aircraft lease transactions with over 60 airline customers in 28 countries representing over 200 individual Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Altavair maintains offices in Seattle, London, Dublin and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.altavair.com.

Timothy O’Hara
+1 425-369-8062
timothy.ohara@altavair.com

Source: KKR and Altavair

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KKR Expands Industrial Real Estate Footprint in Tampa with New Acquisition

KKR

May 3, 2021

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the acquisition of a 178,400 square foot industrial property in Tampa, Florida.

The asset is located in a highly infill location in East Tampa, approximately fifteen minutes from Tampa’s vibrant downtown, and was newly built in 2020 with state-of-the-art physical features including 32’ clear height. The property was 100% leased at acquisition to three tenants.

The acquisition expands KKR’s industrial real estate footprint in the greater Tampa market to 1.4 million square feet.

“We are long term believers in Florida’s continued growth story,” said Roger Morales, KKR Partner and Head of Commercial Real Estate Acquisitions in the Americas. “The demographic growth in Tampa in particular has been impressive and we are delighted to add this well located, high quality asset to our portfolio.”

KKR is making the investment through its Americas opportunistic equity real estate strategy. Across its funds, KKR owns nearly 34 million square feet of industrial property in strategic locations across major metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Since launching a dedicated real estate platform in 2011, KKR has grown its real estate assets under management to approximately $28 billion across the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific as of December 31, 2020 (pro forma to include Global Atlantic’s assets following KKR’s acquisition of Global Atlantic on February 1, 2021). KKR’s global real estate team consists of approximately 100 dedicated investment professionals, spanning both the equity and credit business, across 11 offices and eight countries.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and 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 The 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 or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

Source: KKR

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KKR Acquires Natural Pet Food Group

May 2, 2021

Investment to support Company’s growth in New Zealand and worldwide

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Natural Pet Food Group (the “Company”), a New Zealand-based premium pet food company, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the completion of KKR’s acquisition of Natural Pet Food Group. The investment will be used to support the Company’s international growth and advance its mission to supply safe, sustainably sourced high-meat pet food from New Zealand to more customers and their pets worldwide.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210502005040/en/

Neil Hinton, CEO of Natural Pet Food Group said, “My team is excited about the opportunities and connections that KKR can provide. Our business is about providing pet owners with the very best in natural, high-meat nutrition for the four-legged members of their families. KKR has an impeccable pedigree in our sector which will help us grow, develop new products and take our brands to new customers and new markets, all over the world.”

“It’s a great result not only for our company but also our supply partners, farmers and seafood suppliers from all over New Zealand and our manufacturing partners in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne. We also recognize our outgoing shareholders, in particular Pioneer Capital, for their contribution over the years, which laid the foundation for this next exciting phase. This is another fantastic ‘paddock to plate’ New Zealand story that builds on our quality nutrition, safety and ethical credentials and the strong partnerships that underpin our business. KKR’s investment marks the next phase of our evolution and their support is a strong endorsement of the outlook for our business,” added Mr Hinton.

Pet owners around the world are increasingly seeking the highest-quality, low carbohydrate diets for their pets to improve their long-term health and wellness. Natural Pet Food Group brands provide pet owners with a variety of nutritious, 100% New Zealand made pet food produced from high-quality, locally sourced wholefood ingredients.

Michael Robson, Managing Director of KKR Capstone and joining member of Natural Pet Food Group’s Board of Directors, said, “Natural Pet Food Group is a pioneer in New Zealand’s sustainable pet food industry, with a strongly defined mission and set of values. We could not be more excited to work with Neil and his talented team to support the Company’s operations by leveraging KKR’s experience, network, and expertise to strengthen Natural Pet Food Group’s leadership in key markets and create opportunities in new ones. This investment also reflects KKR’s commitment to supporting fast-growing companies in New Zealand that are seeking opportunities to expand into new sectors, verticals, and markets.”

KKR will fund its investment from KKR Asian Fund IV. Additional details of the transaction are not disclosed.

About Natural Pet Food Group

Natural Pet Food is committed to providing premium, nutritious high-meat pet food through its market-leading dog and cat food brands: K9 Natural, Feline Natural, and Meat Mates. Developed by an in-house nutritional team, the Company’s pet food is produced from ethically sourced ingredients such as grass-fed and free-range meat, cage-free chicken, and sustainable seafood. Natural Pet Food Group was launched in 2006 and today serves customers globally in markets including New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, US and Canada.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and 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 The 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:
Natural Pet Food Group
Louisa Doig
+64 21 912 384
ldoig@naturalpetfoodgroup.com

KKR Asia Pacific
Anita Davis
+852 3602 7335
Anita.Davis@kkr.com

KKR Americas
Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+1 212-750-8300
Media@kkr.com

Citadel Magnus (for KKR in Australia & New Zealand)
James Strong
+61 2 8234 0100
jstrong@citadelmagnus.com

Source: KKR

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KKR to Sell The Bountiful Company to Nestlé for $5.75 Billion

KKR

April 30, 2021

Transaction completes transformation of The Bountiful Company into a Leading Global Nutrition Platform 

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that Nestlé has agreed to acquire The Bountiful Company, a pure play branded leader in global nutrition, for $5.75 billion.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nestlé will acquire The Bountiful Company’s vitamin and supplement brands, Nature’s Bounty®, Puritan’s Pride®, Solgar® and Osteo Bi-Flex®, which will be integrated into Nestlé Health Science (NHSc) to create a global leader in vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements.

“Today’s announcement recognizes the transformation of The Bountiful Company over the past 3+ years, as well as the collective value and capabilities of the organization. I am incredibly grateful to the 4,500 colleagues around the globe who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point,” said Paul Sturman, President and CEO, The Bountiful Company. “As a leader in global nutrition, we take seriously our responsibility and role in consumers’ health and wellness. We’re incredibly proud of the trusted brands we’ve built with the support of KKR and our other stakeholders.”

“Paul and the entire The Bountiful Company team have built a global portfolio of brands that are positioned for sustained growth, with a great culture of innovation, accountability and pace of change,” said Nate Taylor, Partner and Co-Head of Americas Private Equity at KKR. “We know that The Bountiful Company will add value to Nestlé and continue to enhance the health of the millions of consumers who use their products each and every day.”

“Since KKR’s investment, The Bountiful Company has transformed into a leading, fast growth, pure-play nutrition platform through significant investments in talent, brand building, R&D, eCommerce, and manufacturing capabilities,” added Felix Gernburd, Managing Director at KKR. “We’re immensely appreciative of everything Paul and the management team have done to build a unique company that is dedicated to bringing wellness to its communities and creating value for all of its stakeholders.”

KKR, primarily through its Americas XII Fund, acquired a majority interest in The Bountiful Company from The Carlyle Group in 2017. Carlyle Partners V and Carlyle Europe Partners III funds retained a minority stake in the company and are participating in the sale alongside KKR.

“We’re pleased to have partnered with the management team and KKR in this chapter of The Bountiful Company’s growth and are excited to see the business continue its journey with Nestlé,” said Jay Sammons, Head of Carlyle’s Global Consumer, Media and Retail team.

The Bountiful Company’s sports and active nutrition brands, Pure Protein®, Body Fortress® and MET-Rx®, as well as UK-based personal care brand, Dr.Organic®, and the Canadian over-the-counter (OTC) business, VitaHealth OTC, are not included in the sale.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2021, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Evercore is acting as lead financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as legal advisor to KKR. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and JP Morgan Securities LLC also served as financial advisors to KKR.

About The Bountiful Company
The Bountiful Company is a pure play branded leader in global nutrition, living at the intersection of science and nature. As a manufacturer, marketer and seller of vitamins, minerals, herbal and other specialty supplements, and active nutrition products, we are focused on enhancing the health and wellness of people’s lives. The Bountiful Company’s portfolio of trusted brands includes Nature’s Bounty®, Solgar®, Pure Protein®, Osteo Bi-Flex®, Puritan’s Pride®, Sundown®, Body Fortress®, MET-Rx®, Ester-C® and Dr.Organic®. For more information, visit Bountifulcompany.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and 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 The 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.

About The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Investment Solutions. With $260 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2021, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,800 people in 29 offices across five continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow The Carlyle Group on Twitter @OneCarlyle.

The Bountiful Company
Nicole Hayes
+1 631-200-2650
nhayes@bountifulcompany.com

KKR
Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+1 212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

The Carlyle Group
Brittany Berliner
+1 212-813-4839
brittany.berliner@carlyle.com

Source: KKR

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Alpine Acquires Outdoor Recreation Software Leader Aspira

Alpine

SAN FRANCISCO & DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alpine Investors (“Alpine”), a people-driven private equity firm committed to building enduring software and services companies, announced today it has acquired Aspira (the “Company”), a market-leading software provider for the outdoor recreation industry, from Vista Equity Partners. Alpine’s partnership will accelerate organic growth across Aspira’s business lines and provide capital for strategic acquisitions.

Headquartered in Dallas with eight offices worldwide, Aspira’s mission is to cultivate a connected world through shared outdoor experiences. It employs over one thousand team members and provides a comprehensive suite of software used to manage all aspects of outdoor recreation access, including reservation, registration, licensing, and day use entry for public agencies and private entities. Aspira’s enterprise solutions enable its clients to manage multiple mission-critical activities using one centralized platform. Through ReserveAmerica.com—a leading booking site for public and privately-owned campground reservations—Aspira directly connects consumers with outdoor recreation experiences.

Fraser Cameron will join Aspira as CEO, leveraging his deep experience leading passion community companies through rapid growth. Most recently serving as CEO of SmartPak Equine, Cameron brings a substantial history of operational, financial, and consumer subscription experience, including eight years leading the team at Velcro Companies in the roles of CEO and CFO. Further expanding the Aspira management team, Marlena Slowik and Graham Ballbach will assist in leading the Company during its next phase. Former CEO Mark Trivette and former President Seth Rosenberg will maintain leadership roles within the Company.

Cameron, Ballbach, and Slowik all join Aspira through Alpine’s CEO program which brings supplemental leadership to its portfolio companies.

“We are thrilled to welcome such a culturally-aligned and experienced leader in Fraser Cameron to the Aspira team,” said Trivette. “The Alpine team brings a wealth of knowledge and resources that will serve Aspira’s customers and team members exceptionally well throughout this next chapter of growth,” added Rosenberg.

“I am excited to work alongside the talented Aspira team to build upon the great work Mark and Seth have done in leading the business. Our first objective is to listen to our team and customers as we implement growth initiatives throughout all lines of business—including significant investments in technology, marketing, and customer support,” said Cameron.

“We’ve seen a surge of Americans seeking to explore the outdoors, especially over the past 12–18 months, and believe such growth will continue. Aspira has certainly benefitted from these market tailwinds, and we are delighted to partner with this dynamic Company—a true leader in an industry that brings so much joy to people by leveraging technology to connect them with nature,” said Billy Maguy, partner at Alpine. “We are committed to investing not just in the growth of the business, but also in the hardworking people who make it thrive.”

LionTree Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to Vista in the transaction, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as its legal counsel. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati served as legal counsel to Alpine.

About Aspira

Aspira provides connected experiences for the outdoor recreation industry. Its comprehensive suite of reservation and licensing technology and service solutions support federal, state, provincial, privately-owned, and local government parks, campgrounds, and conservation agencies, conveniently connecting them with outdoor adventure seekers from around the world. Aspira is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with eight offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.AspiraConnect.com.

About Alpine Investors

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Projective Group, specialising in delivering (digital) change trajectories, partners up with Gimv for its further European expansion

GIMV

29/04/2021 – 07:30 | Portfolio

Gimv acquires a minority stake in Projective Group, consisting of Projective, a consulting firm specialising in operational, regulatory and digital change trajectories in financial services; and Exellys, a technology talent incubator that recruits, trains and matches young talent with its customers’ technology needs. The current partners and shareholders of the Projective Group will remain on board and retain the majority of the shares. Projective Group wants to accelerate its European expansion, with a particular focus on buy-and-build. With Gimv, Projective Group brings in a long-term partner with a strong investment capacity.

Financial institutions are constantly changing in response to continuously evolving regulation and technological innovation. To pro-actively respond to these evolutions, they need external partners with the requisite expertise to assist them with the necessary change. One of the top priorities in responding to this change is securing an inflow of scarce young digital talent, with the skills to meet the needs of end customers and to compete with new fintech companies.

With Projective and Exellys (Mechelen, Belgium – www.exellys.com), Projective Group (Brussels, Belgium – projectivegroup.com) is perfectly placed to advise on these challenges. Over the past 15 years, Projective has established its place in the financial services sector for implementing transformation journeys on the interface of business and technology. Projective has more than 150 experienced specialists with strong industry and domain expertise, and a customer-centric approach. With this successful model, Projective has grown steadily in recent years, in its Belgian home market and from offices in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and France. Exellys in turn helps companies attract and retain highly trained talent in IT and engineering functions across all sectors. With its innovative talent incubator model, Exellys has grown strongly in Belgium since its inception in 2014. In 2020, it opened its first international office in the Netherlands.

The Covid crisis has increased request for support in major (digital) change processes, coupled with an intensive focus on finding and training increasingly scarce new talent needed to maintain growth. Projective Group cannot grow fast enough internally to meet customer demand, so the team is looking for acquisitions to increase its European footprint. It is currently examining takeover candidates in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and France, with a focus on payment traffic, data, agile and life insurance.

Projective Group has high ambitions. Together with Gimv, it wants to accelerate its international growth and broaden its fields of expertise through a combination of internal growth and buy-and-build. Projective Group has a clear goal: a turnover of 100 million euros by end of 2023 with a Europe-wide team of 800 employees (c.45 million euros and 350 employees today).

Stefan Dierckx, founder and CEO of Projective Group: “Projective Group has reached a level where further international expansion through acquisitions can turbo-charge our group’s growth. With its 40 years of experience, Gimv is the perfect partner to embark on this new adventure. Gimv specializes in supporting companies that demonstrate innovative strength, entrepreneurship and ambitious growth plans. They help build those plans in order to accelerate expansion. And that is exactly what we at Projective Group want to achieve.”

Ruben Monballieu, Partner Sustainable Cities team Gimv adds: “Projective Group is a reference in the realisation of (digital) transformation processes, in a strongly-growing B2B service market. We look forward to working with Stefan Dierckx and his team to accelerate the company’s growth trajectory and actively engage in buy-and-build.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. No further financial details on this transaction are being published.

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