Category Archives: News

OAKLEY CAPITAL to invest in CPANEL

oakleycapital

Oakley Capital Private Equity III (“Fund III”) is pleased to announce an agreement to invest in cPanel.  WebPros BV, the holding company that owns Plesk and Solus VM, is acquiring a majority stake in cPanel from its founder J. Nick Koston. Fund III first invested in WebPros in April 2017 in order to acquire Plesk, which has performed very strongly since. The transaction is partly funded by an extension of the unitranche debt facility from WebPros’ existing lender TPG.  Fund III will make a further investment of $50 million into WebPros as part of this transaction. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

Established in 1997 by CEO J. Nick Koston, cPanel provides one of the internet infrastructure industry’s most reliable and intuitive control panel software platforms.  With its rich feature set and customer first support, the fully-automated hosting platform empowers infrastructure providers and gives customers the ability to administer every facet of their website using simple, point-and-click software.  Based in Houston, Texas, cPanel employs over 220 colleagues and has customers in more than 70 countries.

This transaction is a continuation of Oakley’s strategy to acquire leading internet infrastructure software businesses.  It will keep its companies’ products active, supported and developed.  Oakley is committed to making significant investments into, and growing headcount in, cPanel’s Houston headquarters.

Peter Dubens, Managing Partner of Oakley Capital Private Equity, commented:

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to acquire one of the most well-respected businesses in internet infrastructure software.  Oakley has significant experience of investing in this sector, and we look forward to working with Nick and the team to continue cPanel’s growth.”

Nick Koston, CEO of cPanel, Inc. commented:

“This investment reflects a great step forward for cPanel.  Our team has developed software that contributes to the success of millions of websites operating globally and looks forward to continuing to do so with the same passion that our loyal  customers have come to love.  This investment will give internet infrastructure providers access to a wider range of software, features and support.  I am excited about what the future holds for the company and the great team at cPanel.”

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Volpi Capital completes its fourth deal with management buyout of CycloMedia

Volpi Capital

London, 20 August 2018: Volpi Capital (“Volpi”), a specialist European lower mid-market private equity firm, today announces the fourth deal from its first fund – Volpi Capital Fund I – with the management buyout of CycloMedia, a leading global B2B geospatial data and information business headquartered in the Netherlands.

CycloMedia provides intelligent geospatial data and information services by virtualising large cities for B2B governmental and commercial use cases, such as tax assessment, remote infrastructure monitoring, asset inspection for insurance underwriters and visual support for control rooms. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, CycloMedia operates across Europe and the US with the majority of customers buying a repeat service.

CycloMedia is a highly innovative business that through its Research & Development team has developed proprietary technology providing advanced camera and processing techniques. Its technology is currently used in government, public safety and security markets, as well as in construction, infrastructure management and insurance.

The company, which has over 140 employees, has a track record of strong growth with high margins and had revenues of c.€30m in 2017.

The deal will see Volpi acquiring a majority stake. Working closely with CycloMedia’s management, Volpi plans to add value to the business through continued international expansion, particularly in the US. In addition, Volpi will support management with a buy and build strategy, whilst also enhancing the business’ governance and operations.

Volpi’s average ticket size across its four deals to date has been c.€60m, with the investment in CycloMedia consistent with this.

Commenting on the transaction, Crevan O’Grady from Volpi Capital, said: “CycloMedia matches perfectly with our investment thesis of backing businesses harnessing technologies to improve productivity and efficiency within B2B value chains. I am confident that we can support management in driving transformative growth for CycloMedia through further internationalisation, with a particular focus on the US.”

Frank Pauli, CEO of CycloMedia added: “We have been very impressed by Volpi’s deep industrial knowledge and their ability to truly understand our business and the market opportunity. Having developed a relationship with Volpi over the last year, we are confident that they are the right partner to help us take the business to next level.”

This is Volpi’s first deal since closing its maiden fund – Volpi Capital Fund I – at its €185m hard cap in April 2018.

Volpi was advised by Allen & Overy and PwC.

About Volpi Capital

Volpi Capital is a specialist European lower mid-market private equity firm. Volpi has a thesis-driven approach targeting ambitious businesses using enabling technologies to disrupt traditional B2B value chains. Volpi typically invests €25-75 million of equity in businesses with enterprise values between €50 million and €200 million and seeks to drive transformative growth through international expansion and consolidation. The firm, which was founded in 2016 by Crevan O’Grady and Marco Sodi, closed its first fund (Volpi Capital Fund I) in April 2018 with commitments of €185 million.

http://www.volpicapital.com

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Instinctif Partners

Nick Woods/Ambrose Fullalove

+44 20 7457 2020

volpi@instinctif.com

About CycloMedia

Founded in 1980 CycloMedia is a leading international provider of data and software solutions virtualising the outside world accurately on-screen. CycloMedia’s customers derive actionable insights from the geo-data platform to power day-to-day decisions remotely and with more accuracy, delivering exceptional ROI. CycloMedia focuses its solutions on tax assessment, asset management, public safety, construction & engineering, utility & transportation and insurance & real estate. CycloMedia employs 140 people and is based in Zaltbommel, the Netherlands, with operations in the US, Germany, and Scandinavia.

http://www.cyclomedia.com

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IrisVR Brings VR to Construction Industry with First Ever Navisworks Integration to Support BIM

Azure Capital

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — IrisVR, the leading immersive design review and collaboration software for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries, is thrilled to announce a new native Beta integration between Prospect and Autodesk Navisworks as part of their latest release.

As the first Navisworks plugin built for VR, this integration will deliver a premium immersive experience that puts comfort and performance first. You can expect:

Launch Navisworks files in VR with one click in IrisVR Prospect 2.3.
Launch Navisworks files in VR with one click in IrisVR Prospect 2.3.
  • Real time performance
  • Low latency
  • Locomotion best practices
  • Access to BIM metadata
  • Experiences running at 90FPS

This new Navisworks beta integration will let construction and engineering teams quickly launch 3D models in VR, meaning faster, more efficient model reviews. The ability to capture issues in the model before construction begins will save thousands of dollars and avoid delays.

While Prospect users have been exporting FBX files from Navisworks and importing them into Prospect for months, the workflow required extra steps that the IrisVR team wanted to eliminate. Now, engineering and construction firms can bring their 3D models into VR with just one click, so they can easily:

  • Perform visual clash detection and evaluate complex systems
  • Review models with accurate spatial relationships and true-to-scale layouts
  • Coordinate trades in 1:1 scale across the project
  • Collect feedback from construction and operations staff
  • Improve collaboration and communication among teams

“While the architecture community and some construction firms have been early adopters of VR, the Navisworks plugin now enables construction teams to perform design review, QA/QC, and coordination in 1:1 scale, taking out the ambiguity of 2D coordination and driving much clearer communication,” says IrisVR Co-founder and CEO, Shane Scranton.

The first beta release supports a basic geometry and file structure export that will allow you to select individual elements in VR. IrisVR is already working to expand these capabilities to provide support for full BIM data, advanced clash detection, project timeline tools, and more. For a look at how the Navisworks plugin works watch this quick video.

IrisVR Co-founder and CTO, Nate Beatty, says of the Navisworks integration launch, “Over the next few months the IrisVR team will continue investing in the development of this integration, focusing on improving the efficiency and expanding the capabilities. We strive to make VR model reviews and project planning as intuitive, efficient, and productive as possible – and we will do our best to deliver on that promise.”

The new Prospect release also includes other features beyond the Navisworks integration that enhance design review workflows for AEC professionals. A new feature will allow users to hide or unhide any selected element which provides greater visibility into the inner workings of a building. Improved teleportation with a door fade feature, section capping, and Multiuser Meeting host controls are also included in this launch.

Prospect is available on a monthly or annual subscription basis, with three pricing tiers starting at $50/month. The Navisworks plugin is available to customers on any tier.

AEC firms across 105 countries have been using Prospect to improve design communication internally and with clients, speed up design approvals, collaborate with teams all over the world, and coordinate across disciplines. For more information and to start a free 45-day trial of Prospect, visit irisvr.com.

About IrisVR

IrisVR creates the leading software tools for immersive design review and collaboration. Prospect by IrisVR is a desktop product used by design firms, BIM and VDC teams, and engineers to instantly communicate design intent and regularly collaborate with stakeholders around the world. Because IrisVR integrates with Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, Navisworks, and other 3D tools out of the box, you can generate immersive walkthroughs in less than 10 seconds. Try Prospect free for 45 days.

SOURCE IrisVR

Related Links

http://irisvr.com

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Artemis Capital Partners announces acquisition of StanChem Polymers

Artemis Capital Partners

New Era of Innovation & Investment at Leading Manufacturer of Emulsion Polymers, Adhesives, & Coatings

Boston, MA (August 17, 2017) – Artemis Capital Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm focused on leading industrial technology companies, announced today that is has led the acquisition of StanChem Polymers, a specialty chemicals manufacturer based in East Berlin, Connecticut.

Founded in 1968, StanChem specializes in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of emulsion polymers, adhesives, and specialty coatings for a variety of applications including paints, paper and packaging, building products, textiles, and non-wovens. In addition to its specialty polymers business, StanChem produces and markets the well-known Albi line of flame retardant products. Consistent with Artemis’ investment strategy, StanChem possesses a compelling combination of differentiated process and product solutions, a blue-chip customer base, and significant growth potential. According to StanChem’s management team, that growth will be fueled by a new era of innovation and investment.

“Using the ‘Voice of our Customer’ as our guide, we are excited to systematically expand our R&D capabilities to deliver new emulsion polymers and Albi coatings to our new and existing customers, applications, and markets,” stated Paul Stenson, PhD, StanChem’s Vice President of Technology, Sales, & Marketing.

Stephen McGuff, StanChem’s Vice President of Operations, concurred: “StanChem’s existing process technology is both formidable and flexible and we plan to further invest in our people, technology, and equipment to realize StanChem’s full potential as a world-class manufacturer in the specialty polymers industry. After we have implemented our investment plans, we will have significantly increased the Company’s capacity and capabilities.”

In addition to Dr. Stenson and Mr. McGuff, Michael Foley, PhD., Peter Hunter, and James Ward will join StanChem’s Board of Directors on behalf of Artemis, with Dr. Foley serving as the Company’s new Chairman.

 

StanChem Polymers

Leveraging more than forty years of industry heritage and applications expertise, StanChem, Inc. develops and manufactures emulsion polymers, specialty adhesives, and intumescent coatings for a wide variety of markets. With state-of-the-art laboratories and over 125,000 square feet of flexible production space, StanChem offers its OEM and end-user clients with end-to-end solutions including custom formula development, applications testing, quality control, and production-scale manufacturing. For more information on StanChem, please visit: www.stanchem-inc.com.

 

Artemis Capital Partners

Founded in 2010, Artemis Capital Partners is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on acquiring and growing manufacturers of differentiated industrial technologies, including specialty chemicals and materials. Artemis seeks to partner with companies that have strong established management teams, outstanding engineering capabilities, unique products, and expanding niche markets. For more information on Artemis, please visit: www.artemislp.com.

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EQT invests in China Shine, a fast-growing facility management service provider

eqt

  • EQT Mid Market Asia acquires a 40% stake in China Shine, a fast-growing facility management service provider with a focus on the Chinese market
  • The strategy is to support Shine’s continued growth and development of a broader service scope, as well as further geographical expansion, to become a national integrated facility management service platform
  • EQT is partnering with the current management of Shine, which remains as majority shareholders and will continue to drive the growth strategy

The EQT Mid Market Asia III fund (or “EQT Mid Market Asia”) has acquired a 40% stake in China Shine (Cayman) Co. Ltd. (“Shine” or the “Company”) from the current management shareholders. Shine’s management team will, under the joint leadership of Jack Zhou, CEO and Chairman, Sally Wu, COO and Alan Pang, General Manager, continue to lead and drive growth and development of the Company.

Founded in 2016 in Shanghai, Shine offers general cleaning, support, building maintenance, security and integrated facility management services across China. The two-year-old company is on track to achieve annual sales of RMB 200 million (USD 30 million) in 2018. Under the leadership of the current management team, which possesses more than 20 years of industry experience, Shine has demonstrated remarkable growth since inception and is today a fast-growing facility management service provider with a stable customer base.

With a strong management team and support from EQT’s industrial network and previous experience within facility management, Shine is well-positioned to capture the attractive growth opportunities in the under-penetrated and highly fragmented facility management market in China. The strategy includes continued growth, both organically and through add-on acquisitions, and development of a broader service scope as well as further geographical expansion, with the ambition to become a fully-integrated national facility management service platform.

Shine has also announced the strategic alliance with Shanghai East Asia Hong’An Cleaning Service Co. Ltd., a company focusing on Shanghai’s prime commercial and office building vertical.

Jack Zhou, CEO and Chairman of Shine, says: “We are excited to work together with EQT and further develop Shine into an integrated facility management service platform. With its industrial and operational growth-focused approach, EQT is the ideal partner for Shine”.

Martin Mok, Partner, Head of EQT Mid Market Asia and Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market Asia III, concludes: “We are impressed by the management’s vision, vast industry experience and entrepreneurial spirit. EQT looks forward to the new partnership and the focus going forward will be on geographical and service scope expansion, while maintaining high service quality and customer satisfaction”.

The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value.

Contacts
Martin Mok, Partner, Head of EQT Mid Market Asia and Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market Asia III. + 852 2971 5877
EQT Press Office +46 8 506 553 34

About EQT
EQT is a leading investment firm with approximately EUR 50 billion in raised capital across 27 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Shine
Shine is a fast-growing facility management service provider with a strong cleaning business in Eastern China and across China. The Company also offers support, building maintenance, security and integrated facility management services. Founded recently in 2016, Shine is on track to achieve annual sales of RMB 200 million (USD 30 million) in 2018.

More info: www.zxchinashine.com

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Main Capital acquires healthcare communication SaaS specialist Enovation

Main Capital

Main Capital acquires Enovation, a Dutch market leading player in delivering mission-critical software solutions for secure communication in the healthcare and logistics markets. Selling shareholder, VANAD Group, provider of technology solutions and services related to customer experience will remain involved with Enovation post-acquisition via a minority stake. Enovation is based in Capelle aan den IJssel and delivers leading and innovative SaaS solutions for the Dutch healthcare and logistics markets. Well-known products include the ZorgMail, xdsConnect and myhealthConnect platforms and the healthcare interoperability solution Cloverleaf. Enovation’s products and related services support clients with the secure exchange of patient data within and between healthcare institutions as well as between healthcare professionals and patients. This enables healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality care, leveraging accurate and real-time information.

Enovation was founded in 1983 and has been part of the VANAD Group since 2013. Following its foundation, the company positioned itself as the most specialized software vendor and innovator in the secure healthcare communication domain. Enovation employs approximately 135 employees and generates tens of million euro’s in revenues. Over the years, the company strengthened its product portfolio with new innovative products, acquisitions of strategically interesting products and  complementary partner products. These developments allow Enovation to deliver a one-stop-shop solution enabling clients to securely exchange patient data by leveraging efficient IT integrations. The company is active in practically all healthcare segments and serves almost all Dutch hospitals, ambulance services, general practitioners, pharmacies, dentists, paramedical care providers and municipalities.

The healthcare market is characterized by complex IT systems in which individual participants use different communication standards. This hinders secure and efficient patient data exchange between IT systems of different healthcare institutions and between healthcare practitioners. The recently implemented European privacy regulation accelerates the need for healthcare institutions to implement secure communication solutions. Moreover, cost pressure on healthcare spending have led to an increased focus on efficient cooperation between parties in the healthcare value chain. The products of Enovation enable healthcare institutions and other stakeholders in the healthcare sector to exchange information in a safe and efficient manner, irrespective of the existing IT systems and with maximum protection against data leaks.

Going forward, Enovation will further capitalize on the trend towards Connected Healthcare. The company developed the myhealthConnect product, a hardware-agnostic software platform enabling care providers to monitor patients on distance. One of the benefits associated with myhealthConnect is that healthcare institutions have maximal flexibility in selecting monitoring devices and IT applications from various vendors. This prevents a lock-in while the software allows to securely connect these devices and applications with an organization’s own IT infrastructure. This secure efficiency gain enables high-quality remote care, reducing general practitioner visits and helping patients to live at home longer.

Enovation’s ambition is to grow towards a leading SaaS player in the northwest European healthcare market. The company will focus on realizing further organic growth and on the further development of innovative products. In addition to organic growth, Enovation will strengthen its product proposition and international market position by following a selective buy-and-build strategy.

The VANAD Group was advised by ING Corporate Finance and NautaDutilh.

 

Cooperation Enovation – Main Capital

Arthur Nederlof (CEO VANAD Group): “Over the past 35 years, Enovation has grown to a company associated with a high level of quality, an excellent culture, an exceptional client base, an outstanding (cloud) product portfolio, an increased level of own IP developed innovative software products, ample international growth potential and above all, a passionate team. We believe that Main Capital is the right partner to support Enovation to grow towards the next level. Going forward, the VANAD Group will focus on its Customer Experience propositions, the core activity that the VANAD Group is well-known for. The future looks promising for both Enovation and the VANAD Group”.

Charly Zwemstra (Managing Partner Main Capital): “Enovation offers innovative, mission-critical healthcare solutions facilitating internal- and external information exchange for healthcare institutions. With these solutions, the company facilitates the rising demand for healthcare cooperation. We see ample potential to organically grow within the current focus markets, in which the myhealthConnect and xdsConnect products particularly will play an important role. Additionally, we see ample opportunities for a buy-and-build strategy enabling Enovation to further grow in adjacent product- and market segments in the Netherlands and abroad. We would like to thank the VANAD Group for their trust in Main Capital and look forward to the cooperation with Enovation’s management team, led by Jeroen van Rijswijk and Marcel van der Velden.”

 Enovation

About Enovation

For over 35 years, Enovation is the specialist for secure healthcare communication solutions. The company focuses on facilitating information exchange between- and within healthcare institutions and between healthcare institutions and patients. The company’s product proposition comprises own developed IP solutions complemented with solutions of partners. The solutions are based on (international) standards and can be seamlessly integrated with existing processes and IT systems of healthcare institutions.

About Main Capital

Main Capital is a strategic investor with an exclusive focus on the software sector in the Benelux, Germany and Scandinavia. Within this sector, we are the most specialized party in management buy-outs and later-stage growth capital. Main Capital has approximately € 400 million under management for investments in mature but growing software companies in the Netherlands and Germany. An experienced team of professionals manages these Private Equity funds from offices in The Hague and Düsseldorf. Main Capital has a strong footprint in the healthcare SaaS market and acquired companies like SDB Ayton, Verklizan, RVC Medical IT and The Patient Safety Company before.

The current investment portfolio of Main Capital consists of growing (SaaS) software companies such as GOconnectIT, JobRouter (Germany), Inergy, MUIS Software, artegic (Germany), OBI4wan, Axxerion, b+m Informatik (Germany), Ymor, Roxit, Onguard, Sharewire, SecondFloor, Sofon and ChainPoint. Main Capital also has an interest in managed hosting provider Denit. Main Capital has a long-term perspective with the intention to build larger strong software groups. Main Capital has realized many successful exits such as recently Regas, Connexys (to Bullhorn) and ABIT / EuroSystems. Main Mezzanine Capital is another business line of Main Capital Partners and has provided mezzanine loans to, among others, The Valley, TravelBird, Talkwalker, Worldmeetings and BTC.

About VANAD Group

The VANAD Group is an internationally innovative family business. Over 1500 employees from all over the world work daily on innovative services and solutions for our customers. Over the years since 2005, VANAD Group has developed into a specialist in the field of digitization. Our assets are state-of-the-art technical knowledge, creative intelligence and most of all Happy People! We digitize activities where we cannot make a genuine, personal difference. In our approach and solutions we simply focus on being human. Because that is where we have the opportunity for real impact, human impact!

 

Note for the editor:
For more information, please contact:

Charly Zwemstra (Managing Partner)
Main Capital Partners BV, Paleisstraat 6, 2514 JA, Den Haag
Tel: +31 (0) 70 324 3433 / +31 (0) 6 512 77 805
charly@main.nl
www.main.nl

Arthur Nederlof (CEO)
VANAD Group, Rivium Westlaan 1, 2909 LD Capelle aan den IJssel
Tel: +31 (0) 10 288 1600 / +31 (0) 6 204 14 199
arthur@vanadgroup.com
www.vanadgroup.com

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EU funding for growth of Finnish companies

Tesi

A new financing model of the EIB and Tesi will invest EUR 100 million to growth-oriented SMEs and innovative mid-cap companies over the next eight years.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the investment company Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment) have agreed on a financing programme to channel funding in support of the growth of Finnish companies. The operation is guaranteed under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), central pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe of the Juncker Commission. The financing to be managed by Tesi targets a total of EUR 100 million to promising companies, equally split between the EIB and Tesi. Furthermore, the funding is structured to be complemented by private sector co-investments with another EUR 100 m, totalling EUR 200 m of new investments to the benefit of SMEs and mid-caps.

This financial mechanism supplements EIB funding in the form of equity type loans and equity financing by Tesi. The financing of EUR 15–30 million per company is targeted to growth-oriented SMEs and innovative mid-cap companies. In addition, each financing round must involve at least the same amount in private capital. This may be used e.g. to boost growth, internationalisation and product development.

“Finland has succeeded very well in making use of the financial instruments offered by the EU, which is also our Government’s objective. This applies, in particular, to funding from EFSI. The financing programme of Tesi and EIB published today is the first of its kind adopted in the Nordics. It will add to the available sources of risk finance and remove financial bottlenecks faced by growth companies. The programme will significantly boost the growth of innovative growth companies and mid-cap companies that are vital for our national economy and employment,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.

“The new financial model enables larger financing rounds than before and diversifies the financing structures of growth-oriented companies. It boosts the growth and internationalisation of companies and improves their ability to make significant investments. We are very happy to partner with EIB and channel equity financing of the EFSI to Finnish companies,” says CEO of Tesi Jan Sasse.

Competitiveness to European companies

Traditionally, the EIB has to large extent offered financing to companies in the form of loans and guarantees, which means that for EIB this is a rather new type of financing. Tesi is EIB’s first partner in the Nordics that channels EFSI-guaranteed financing to companies as direct capital investments.

”I think this operation is one to be proud of.” added EIB vice-president Alexander Stubb. “The platform is designed to fill-in market gaps in the Finnish equity investment landscape, which hinders companies’ development and internationalisation. Two of the priorities under the investment schemes supported by the EU are to support SMEs and to work together with National Promotional Institutions, so I believe we hit the bull’s-eye here.”

The European Fund for Strategic Investment EFSI is part of the Investment Plan for Europe, the Juncker plan. The aim is to secure the access to funding, investments and economic growth for European SMEs.

Jyrki Katainen, Commission Vice-President responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, said: “The Investment Plan’s European Fund for Strategic Investments was designed to facilitate small and medium-sized enterprises gain access to finance they need to expand, innovate and create jobs. So far, around 700,000 small businesses across Europe are expected to benefit. I am delighted that, with today’s transaction, the Investment Plan will allow Finnish firms to benefit from EUR 100 million in financing opportunities.”

Press contacts:
EIB: Tim Smit, +352 691 286423, t.smit@eib.org – Twitter #EIB60 and Instagram
Tesi: Jan Sasse, CEO, +358 40 861 9151, jan.sasse@tesi.fi
European Commission: Siobhan Millbright, +32 22957361, Siobhan.millbright@ec.europa.eu – Twitter #investEU
MEE: Jukka Ihanus, +358 50 463 9929 and Jyrki Orpana, +358 50 409 4457, Twitter @Tem_uutiset

 

Background information:

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. In 2017, the Bank made available in excess of EUR 1.3 billion in loans for Finnish projects.

About The Investment Plan for Europe
The Investment Plan for Europe focuses on strengthening European investments to create jobs and growth. It does so by making smarter use of new and existing financial resources, removing obstacles to investment, and providing visibility and technical assistance to investment projects. The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is the central pillar of the Juncker Plan. It provides a first loss guarantee, allowing the EIB to invest in more, often riskier, projects. So far, the projects and agreements approved for financing under the EFSI are expected to mobilise EUR 335 billion in investments and support around 700 000 SMEs across all 28 Member States. Find the latest EFSI figures by sector and by country here, or see the FAQs.

SME Small- and medium-sized enterprise
Enterprise which has fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million or an annual balance-sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.

Mid-cap 
Company which has fewer than 3,000 employees and an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 300 million.

 

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Industrifonden exits OP5 – acquired by ITRS Group

Industriefonden

We are excited to announce that our portfolio company OP5 has been acquired by ITRS Group, the leading provider of real-time monitoring and analytics for financial services.

OP5 is a global leader in providing IT monitoring and log analysis technology built by enhancing the open source software of Nagios/Naemon and ELK (ElasticSearch, Logstash & Kibana). OP5 addresses the needs of enterprise customers by providing greater scalability, APIs for controlling the software and its configuration, and enhanced visualisation of the data. OP5’s 600+ customers include data centre providers, telecommunications, automotive and financial services.

Industrifonden made an initial investment in OP5 in 2004, together with other shareholders through their part ownership of KTH Seed Capital. OP5 has had a positive development the past years with a strong footprint in the market and a long list of well-known customers, both in Scandinavia and abroad. ITRS acquisition of OP5 also included OP5 Inc., the US subsidiary of OP5.

We strongly believe that the acquisition by ITRS creates excellent opportunities for a continued, positive development of OP5, says Martin Gemvik, Investment Manager at Industrifonden.

For more information on the acquisition: ITRS Group acquires OP5 to expand monitoring & log file analytics offering. 

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Kinnevik invests in Kolonial.no – the leading online grocery store in Norway

Kinnevik

Kinnevik AB (publ) (“Kinnevik”) today announced that it has invested NOK 300m in Kolonial.no AS for a 15% stake in the Norwegian online grocery retailer.

Kinnevik invested NOK 200m in primary capital and a further NOK 100m in secondary shares. Kolonial.no was founded in 2013 and offers grocery delivery to approximately 40% of Norwegian households, a share that they expect to expand over time. The company grew revenues by 88% to approximately NOK 800m in 2017.

Andreas Bernström, Kinnevik Investment Director, commented:

“We are excited to lead the funding round in Kolonial.no, a company that fits squarely into our investment thesis of using technology to offer consumers more and better choice. We have been impressed by the founding team and what they have achieved in a relatively short period of time. Kinnevik is well placed to support the team in scaling the business and we look forward to working with Kolonial.no to reach their goals.”

Karl Munthe-Kaas, CEO Kolonial.no commented:

“Kinnevik is a dream partner for us. We feel there is a great fit in both the strategic vision and the values of our companies. Our ambition is to make grocery shopping an effortless and inspiring activity for everyone and bring freedom in their everyday lives. Kinnevik has the right expertise and the right mindset to help us in this journey and we are very excited to work with them.”

For further information, visit www.kinnevik.com or contact:

Torun Litzén, Director Investor Relations
Phone +46 (0)70 762 00 50
Email press@kinnevik.com

Kinnevik is an industry focused investment company with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our purpose is to build digital businesses that provide more and better choice. We do this by working in partnership with talented founders and management teams to create, develop and invest in fast growing businesses in developed and emerging markets. We believe in delivering both shareholder and social value by building companies that contribute positively to society. Kinnevik was founded in 1936 by the Stenbeck, Klingspor and von Horn families. Kinnevik’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm’s list for large cap companies under the ticker codes KINV A and KINV B.

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GCP Hospitality expands its Australia portfolio by acquiring Bell City mixed-use development in Melbourne

Gaw Capital

August 15, 2018, Hong Kong – Real estate private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners announced the acquisition of Bell City mixed-use development for AUD$157 million in Melbourne’s Preston precinct through its funds under management and its hospitality arm, GCP Hospitality.

Bell City, located just 20 minutes from Melbourne Airport and the CBD, consists of two hotels totaling 844 guestrooms under the Mantra and BreakFree brands, a conference complex, commercial tenancies, a 600-space car park and serviced offices.

In response to the growing popularity of community living, GCP Hospitality will work to incorporate a ‘co-living’ concept with vibrant social areas, a co-working hub, a state-of-the-art fitness center, in-vogue restaurants and bars, and an outdoor pool. Moreover, the Group will roll-out its modern student shared accommodation brand: Campus.

Kenneth Gaw, President and Managing Principal of Gaw Capital Partners, said, “We are excited about the opportunities this acquisition presents. In addition to giving us a foothold in the Melbourne market, this major hospitality asset will allow us to effectively roll out multiple concepts within the same project. After this acquisition, we look forward to further expansion opportunities in the Australia market.”

Christophe Vielle, CEO & Co-Founder of GCP Hospitality, said, “We are delighted to expand our footprint in Australia with this new acquisition. The increasing demand for modern community living concepts will allow us to introduce within Bell City an in mode ‘co-living’ concept as well as roll-out our student shared accommodation concept – Campus – which has been successfully launched in Hong Kong and is due to open in Perth’s city center in January 2019.”

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