Ardian and MCH Private Equity join forces to invest in Logalty, a spanish legaltech company

Ardian

Madrid, April 19, 2021 – Ardian Growth has teamed up with MCH Private Equity, a leading Spanish mid-market private equity firm, to acquire the legaltech company, Logalty. Swen Capital Partner, a long-term investor in MCH, also participated in the transaction.

Founded in 2005, Logalty is responsible for ensuring the legal security of online transactions by providing digital identity and contractual flow solutions with distributed interposition. To meet the highest standards of cyber-security and compliance, Logalty provides large corporates with legal security through effective electronic evidence.

In the last two years, the company has seen 20% growth in sales year-on-year and has doubled its EBITDA. It client base includes some of the leading financial institutions in Spain.

Through this investment by MCH Private Equity as leader of the transaction and Ardian Growth, the group is aiming in 2021 to consolidate its position in its domestic market and accelerate its international development, particularly in Mexico and Portugal. The company aims to develop new technological blocks, expand its offer in the SME market and strengthen its positioning with blue chip customers. In 2020, Logalty maintained its profitable growth, successfully coping an increasing number of data exchanges.

MCH PE and Ardian Growth have enjoyed a close relationship for several years and have highly complementary expertise. Logalty will be able to leverage MCH PE’s deep understanding of the Spanish market, after more than 20 years’ experience transforming leading companies in their respective industries, as well as Ardian Growth’s digital expertise scaling up companies with double-digit growth.

Andrés Peláez, Senior Partner at MCH Private Equity, comments: “Logalty is the only Spanish player to have penetrated major accounts and managed to maintain long-lasting relationships. It is a very attractive company with great potential in a market that is in the process of consolidation. Together with Ardian Growth, we are confident that we will be able to take the company to new levels of growth.”

Bertrand Schapiro, Director in the Ardian Growth team, added: “Logalty has built an impressive tech platform able to support customers’ growing needs, while simultaneously reaching new markets. We’re delighted to leverage our pan-European footprint and our ecosystem of entrepreneurs to support the management’s ambitious growth strategy.”

Gonzalo Fernandez Albiñana, Managing Director at Ardian Spain completed: “Investing alongside MCH, one of the leading Spanish mid-market funds, with whom we have a long-standing relationship, and whose approach is complementary to that of Ardian Growth, is an exciting opportunity.”

ABOUT LOGALTY

Established in 2005 as the first Spanish Legaltech, Logalty acts as a provider of services for generating proof by interposition in online transactions, ensuring that transactions are secure, unalterable and with full probative value. Since its foundation, the Company has registered +38 million electronic signatures and +25 million certified communications in +147 countries, as well as generating +58 million notarized electronic documents and evidence.

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Hg invests in AUVESY to support the business’ leading position in the growing industrial automation sector

HG Capital

Landau, Germany and London, United Kingdom: 16 April 2021

Hg, a leading global software investor, today announces an investment in AUVESY GmbH (“AUVESY”), a leading global provider of version control and change management software solutions for automated industrial environments.

As part of the transaction, the AUVESY management team will maintain a significant investment in the business whilst the former majority owner Brockhaus Private Equity has fully exited its position. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed and the transaction is subject to completion.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Germany, AUVESY is a provider of version control software for smart production machinery and other industrial Internet of Things (“IoT”) devices. AUVESY manages over 5 million industrial IoT devices across 45 countries, serving over 700 loyal customers.

Software developed by AUVESY enables its customers with automated production facilities and other smart machinery to automatically backup, secure and centralise their machine data and executable code. Customers also benefit from fully-featured change management, detailed change detection, easily comprehensible documentation, and a high degree of user-friendliness. All machine level data is easy to backup and access when needed, simplifying maintenance, and freeing up time for optimising production processes. Downtime is significantly reduced, due to easy and reliable code management, trouble shooting and disaster recovery. The AUVESY software product “versiondog” is in use across a wide range of sectors, including automotive, chemical, energy, food & beverage, pharma and utilities.

AUVESY is the first investment from the Hg Mercury 3 Fund and represents the 8th investment in Hg’s Automation & Engineering cluster focus, including the recently announced agreement with Trackunit. The investment will support AUVESY’s position in a growing sector, which sits an important inflection point as shopfloors and industrial devices are getting increasingly digitalised, requiring version control solutions from a technical, cybersecurity, compliance and, for certain industries, even a regulatory perspective.

“This is positive news for everyone at AUVESY and I thank all my colleagues who have worked so hard to get us to this very strong position. We are delighted to be partnering with a software expert in Hg. We see their operational experience and expertise in areas such as international sales, marketing and M&A being hugely beneficial to the future growth of the firm, all supporting our ‘Never Stand Still’ mission to ensure that our customers around the world experience less down time in their production.”

Dr. Tim Weckerle, CEO of AUVESY

“AUVESY is a highly innovative business, building a leading position in industrial IoT version control software globally. We see significant growth potential in this sector, both across new industry verticals and expansion into additional use cases. AUVESY is incredibly well positioned to benefit from this potential. Its excellent software enjoys high customer satisfaction and loyalty due to the efficiency increase and risk protection it provides.”

Benedikt Joeris, Director at Hg

“Digitalisation at the shopfloor level is an increasing requirement across many sectors right now. As this trend continues, AUVESY is well positioned to enable customers to follow this trend. We see significant room to grow dynamically in the years ahead and look forward to working with the team.”

Markus Reithwiesner, an industry advisor at Hg and serving board member for several companies in the production and industry automation sector, will join AUVESY as Chairman

“As a technology investor focusing on high margin companies in innovation-driven markets, AUVESY was a perfect fit for our investment strategy when we acquired the company from its founders in 2017. After having supported the company in internationalisation by opening offices in the USA and in China, we see a prospering future for AUVESY.”

Marco Brockhaus, founder and Managing Director of Brockhaus Private Equity


For further details:

Tom Eckersley (Hg)
Tom.Eckersley@hgcapital.com
Phone: +44 208 148 5401

About AUVESY

AUVESY is a global leader for data management systems and the company behind versiondog, the world’s leading version control & data management system for automated production. versiondog provides users with comprehensive support for centralised data management and device backup. Specifically developed for industrial automation and designed to work with all data and automation systems, this solution is acknowledged as the world leader in its field.

AUVESY has a wide range of customers across the industrial spectrum who use this version control and change management software to safeguard PLCs, CNCs, SCADAs, HMIs, robots, and field devices. versiondog is the go-to solution for safeguarding data and for disaster recovery.

All users of AUVESY’s versiondog software benefit from greater utilisation of plant capacity and a significant reduction of downtime. https://auvesy.com/

About Hg

Hg is a leading investor in software and services, focused on backing businesses that change how we all do business. Deep technology expertise, complemented by vertical application specialisation and dedicated operational support, provides a compelling proposition to management teams looking to scale their businesses. Hg has funds under management of over $30 billion, with an investment team of over 140 professionals, plus a portfolio team of more than 35 operators, providing practical support to help our businesses to realise their growth ambitions. Based in London, Munich and New York, Hg has a portfolio of over 35 software and technology businesses, worth over $60 billion aggregate enterprise value, with over 35,000 employees globally. Visit www.hgcapital.com for more information.

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KKR to Acquire Ensono

KKR

April 14, 2021

Exciting chapter begins for Ensono with a new investor to drive continued growth

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill.April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Ensono, a leading hybrid IT services provider, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that KKR has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ensono from Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners. The new investment follows multiple years of strong performance by Ensono, including robust growth in 2020 and its recently completed acquisition of Amido, a UK-based cloud native consultancy.

Ensono provides a comprehensive suite of services that help enterprises manage, optimize and modernize their IT systems across mainframe, cloud and hybrid infrastructure. Charlesbank and M/C Partners acquired the company in 2015 as a corporate carve-out. Since rebranding as Ensono in 2016, the company has achieved impressive growth in new clients and revenue. Ensono will benefit from KKR’s deep technology experience and global resources to help it achieve new heights as it continues to establish itself as a leading managed service provider to medium and large enterprises.

“As we embark on our next chapter with KKR, Ensono will continue to provide clients with transformational solutions that help them operate for today and optimize for tomorrow,” said Jeff VonDeylen, CEO of Ensono. “Our initial investors played an important role in helping us establish our business and brand and funding our growth.  With the support of KKR, we will continue to grow and invest in our future as we drive innovation to meet the changing needs of our clients. We are fortunate to be in an industry where the need for our services has not only grown but diversified into exciting new areas of potential growth.”

“Digital transformation across industries is driving an increased need for comprehensive service providers to help simplify IT infrastructure management for enterprise clients,” said Webster Chua, Partner at KKR. “Ensono is a proven leader in delivering hybrid solutions for clients with complex IT environments, and we are thrilled to support the Ensono team on its next phase of growth and development.”

“We are proud that our investment enabled Jeff and his outstanding management team to achieve their ambitious vision of establishing Ensono as a global leader in hybrid IT,” added Michael Choe, Managing Director and CEO of Charlesbank Capital Partners, and Gillis Cashman, Managing Partner of M/C Partners, in a joint statement. “We are thrilled about Ensono’s new investment from KKR and look forward to seeing its success continue as the company adds to its portfolio of innovative service options.”

KKR is making the investment primarily from its Americas XII Fund. The investment adds to KKR’s experience helping to grow leading global technology businesses, including GoDaddy, Internet Brands, Epicor, BMC, Optiv, Calabrio and 1-800 Contacts.

The transaction is expected to close within the next 60 days, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

UBS Investment Bank and Guggenheim Securities, LLC are serving as financial advisors to Ensono. Morgan Stanley & Co LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are serving as financial advisors to KKR. Goodwin Procter LLP is providing legal counsel to Ensono and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as KKR’s legal counsel.

About Ensono
Ensono helps IT leaders be the catalyst for change by harnessing the power of hybrid IT to transform their businesses. We accelerate digital transformation by increasing agility and scalability through infrastructure modernization and migration to public cloud. Our broad services portfolio, from mainframe to cloud, is powered by an award-winning IT insights platform and is designed to help our clients operate for today and optimize for tomorrow. We are certified experts in AWS and Azure and recognized as Microsoft Datacenter Transformation Partner of the Year. Ensono has over 2,400 associates around the world and is headquartered in greater Chicago. Visit us at www.ensono.com.

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 Charlesbank Capital Partners
Based in Boston and New York, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a middle-market private investment firm with more than $15 billion of capital raised since inception. Charlesbank focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital financings, as well as opportunistic credit and technology investments. The firm seeks to build companies with sustainable competitive advantage and excellent prospects for growth. For more information, please visit www.charlesbank.com.

About M/C Partners 
M/C Partners is a private equity firm focused on small and mid-size businesses in the communications and technology services sectors. For more than three decades M/C Partners has invested $2.2 billion of capital in over 130 companies, leveraging its deep industry expertise to understand long-term secular trends and identify growth opportunities. The firm is currently investing its eighth fund, partnering with promising companies and empowering strong leaders to accelerate growth, optimize operations, and build long-term value. For more information, visit www.mcpartners.com.

Media Contacts:
Ensono
Bridget Devine
Bridget.devine@walkersands.com

KKR
Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
media@kkr.com

Charlesbank
Maura Turner
mturner@charlesbank.com

SOURCE Ensono

Related Links

http://www.ensono.com

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Longship divests Norian to ECIT

Longship

Longship Fund I (“Longship”) has as on April 13th, 2021 divested 100% of its shares in Norian Topco AS and its subsidiaries (“Norian”) to the Norwegian accounting and IT company ECIT AS. The management team will continue to work in Norian, and will retain an ownership stake in Norian as well as reinvest part of the proceeds in ECIT. Norian is the second exit from Longship Fund I in 2021.

Norian is a BPO service provider within accounting, payroll, and automation. In 2020 Norian had consolidated revenues of NOK 265 million, and 550 employees. Norian is headquartered in Norway and is present in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Germany with nearshore centers in Poland and Lithuania.

Norian was a carve-out of the accounting services business from OpusCapita Group Oy in 2017. During the ownership period of Longship, the company has been transformed into a leading BPO player in the Nordics with a significant improvement in EBITDA in 2020 compared to the pro-forma accounts of the business for 2017.

“The management team of Norian, together with their dedicated employees, have delivered on the ambitious strategy set out in 2017. We have enjoyed supporting Norian through a challenging carve-out and transformation process resulting in a significantly improved competitive position. Norian has become a differentiated BPO-player combining low-cost, high competence nearshore resources with a significant in-house robotics and automation competence”, says Espen Stenumgård, partner for Longships investment in Norian.

“Together with Longship we have transformed a loss-making business unit of a large corporation into a leading player in the industry. Longships’ engagement and understanding of both the soft and hard aspects of a service business has certainly enhanced our development. It has been a true partnership that has created a robust and profitable company positioned for further growth. We are now looking forward to continue the journey with the ECIT group”, says Knut Anders Opstad, CEO of Norian.

Longship is a transformational growth investor, developing successful and promising lower mid-market companies into mature growth businesses with institutional and strategic value. We aim to create a scalable platform for sustainable growth and profitability in our portfolio companies, and support them on their accelerated growth journey. Longship is targeting excess return from its transformational approach.

 

For more information, please contact:

Espen Stenumgård, Partner, Longship AS
+47 992 44 678
espen.stenumgard@longship.no

Knut Anders Opstad, CEO, Norian Topco AS
+47 917 86 843
kao@norian.no

 

About Longship:

Longship is a Norwegian private equity investor established in 2015 by an experienced team of investment professionals. Longship invests in companies with significant growth potential in the Norwegian lower mid-market, and are applying a transformational growth approach, organically and through M&A. The investment team currently consists of eleven professionals, making it the leading player in the Norwegian lower mid-market. Longship closed its second fund in November 2020 with commitments of NOK 1.7 billion.

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Centralpoint to be acquired by Dustin

Altor

otla BV (“Rotla”) – a company controlled by Altor Fund IV and Kool Active B.V. – has entered into an agreement to divest Centralpoint Holding B.V. (“Centralpoint”), the market leading IT value added reseller in the Benelux region to Dustin Group AB (“Dustin”). Dustin is a leading online IT partner serving the Nordic region and the Netherlands.

Centralpoint had revenues of about EUR 700m in 2020 and offers IT hardware, software, services and solutions to SMB, mid-market, enterprise and public sector customers. “We are proud of the journey with Centralpoint where we in our strong partnership with Jordy Kool and together with a strong management team, have created the market leading IT value added reseller in the Benelux region.” says Stefan Linder Chairman of the Board of Rotla and Partner at Altor. “We are now excited to have found a great new home for Centralpoint in Dustin, that complements Centralpoint’s offering in the Benelux region perfectly”.

“I’m proud of having led Centralpoint from its creation in 2017 and of the truly great company we have built. Through the hard work of our exceptional employees, we have solidified our position as the leading IT value added reseller in the Benelux region. In Dustin we have found a strong next owner with an ambition to further expand the offering to our customers and to accelerate growth in the Benelux region, organically and through acquisitions. The two companies complement each other perfectly and together we are ready to keep on building on our leading position. I’m excited to enter into the next phase of growth with Centralpoint.” says Luuk Slaats, CEO of Centralpoint.

“With Centralpoint we become the leading IT-partner in the Benelux region, continuing to build on our strategy of combining hardware and software sales with an attractive service offering to offer complete IT solutions. We see great potential in building on Centralpoint’s strong position within large corporate and public sales, combined with our current portfolio of offerings towards small and medium sized businesses and with that continuing to scale our online sales.” says Thomas Ekman President and CEO of Dustin.

Closing of the acquisition is subject to compliance with works council proceedings and customary closing conditions, including merger control clearance from the Dutch competition authority.

Jefferies International acted as exclusive financial advisor to the seller.

For more information please contact:
Tor Krusell, Head of Communications at Altor, Tel: +46 70 543 87 47

About Centralpoint
Centralpoint, headquartered in the Netherlands with presence in Belgium, has revenues of about 700 million EUR and employs ca 600 people. Centralpoint is the market leading IT value added reseller that provides hardware, software, services and solutions to SMB, mid-market, enterprise and public sector customers in the Benelux region. Centralpoint adopts a customer centric approach and works vendor independently.

About Altor
Since inception, the family of Altor funds has raised some EUR 8.3 billion in total commitments. The funds have invested in excess of EUR 4.2 billion in more than 60 companies. The investments have been made in medium sized companies in Northern Europe with the aim to create value through growth initiatives and operational improvements. Among current and past investments are Byggmax, CTEK, Eleda, Navico, OX2, RevolutionRace, Rossignol, SATS, and Trioworld. For more information please visit www.altor.com

About Dustin
Dustin is a leading online IT partner serving the Nordic region and the Netherlands. Dustin offers approximately 255,000 products with related services to companies, the public sector and private individuals. Dustin Group currently employs about 1,700 people, had sales of approximately 13.2 billion SEK for the financial year 2019/20 and has been listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm since February 2015. Dustin has its headquarters in Nacka Strand just outside central Stockholm.

Author: Katarina Karlsson
Date: 2021.04.13
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KKR to Acquire Therapy Brands

KKR

April 7, 2021

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and NEW YORK, April 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — KKR, a leading global investment firm, announced today that it has agreed to acquire a majority interest in Therapy Brands (the “Company”), a leading practice management and electronic health record (EHR) software platform for mental, behavioral, substance use recovery, applied behavior analysis (ABA) and physical rehabilitation healthcare providers, from its existing shareholders – investment funds affiliated with Lightyear Capital LLC, Oak HC/FT and Greater Sum Ventures. Existing investor PSG will participate in the transaction alongside KKR and continue to be a minority shareholder in Therapy Brands. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2013, Therapy Brands provides end-to-end, purpose-built software solutions to streamline the full clinical, administrative and reimbursement workflows of healthcare professionals in multiple end markets. Its HIPAA-compliant solution suite supports the daily operations of more than 28,000 practices across the U.S., ranging from individual providers to national multi-location practice groups.

“Provider and patient friendly technology-enabled solutions are more important than ever as the demand for mental and behavioral health services continues to rapidly increase,” said Kimberly O’Loughlin, CEO of Therapy Brands. “We are excited to welcome KKR as our new investor, which brings a deep understanding of the healthcare sector and extensive experience in scaling technology-enabled platforms. This support will help us accelerate our mission of making it easier for providers to navigate an increasingly complex administrative landscape so they can spend more time and focus on delivering improved outcomes for their clients.”

Therapy Brands’ technology platforms address the underserved practice management needs of mental and behavioral healthcare professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, ABA clinicians, addiction specialists and physical, speech and occupational therapists. Across its portfolio of leading brands – including TheraNestShareNoteCodeMetroAccuPoint,DataFinchTenElevenProcentiveFusion Web Clinic, and A2C – Therapy Brands offers comprehensive and customized practice management and EHR services along with integrated capabilities for telehealth, data collection and interoperability, revenue cycle management, e-prescribing and payments. Therapy Brands’ technologies are purpose-built, focused squarely on improving the patient experience and decreasing the administrative burden for practitioners so they can spend more time focused on the health and well-being of their clients and businesses.

“We are delighted to be backing Therapy Brands at a time when there is increasing recognition and social awareness about the importance of mental health,” said Max Lin, a KKR Partner who co-leads the health care industry team for KKR’s Americas Private Equity business. “Therapy Brands has developed an impressive portfolio of best-in-class software tools and mission-critical solutions to help mental health providers modernize their practices.  We look forward to working with the team in accelerating the growth of the platform and finding additional ways of delivering enhanced value to its clinicians.”

“We formed the Therapy Brands platform to bring comprehensive technology solutions to this important end market within our healthcare system,” said Marco Ferrari, a Managing Director at PSG. “We have been thrilled with our partnership with the Therapy Brands team and look forward to continuing this journey alongside KKR.”

KKR is making its investment in Therapy Brands primarily from its Americas XII Fund. The investment adds to KKR’s experience of investing in leading behavioral healthcare businesses, including Blue Sprig Pediatrics and BrightSpring Health Services, and in high-growth healthcare-related technology companies such as WebMD (Internet Brands) and Clarify Health. KKR has also established a strong track record of supporting leading vertical market software companies including Autodata, Epicor Software Corporation, Ipreo, Mitchell, MYOB and OptimalPlus.

Mark F. Vassallo, Managing Partner of Lightyear, stated, “The investment in Therapy Brands reflects Lightyear’s ongoing thematic focus on the intersection of tech-enabled financial services and healthcare. Under our ownership, Therapy Brands has more than tripled in size through a combination of strong organic growth and nine strategic acquisitions. It has been a pleasure working with Kimberly and the Therapy Brands team, and we wish them continued success.”

William Blair and TripleTree are acting as financial advisors and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP as legal advisor to Therapy Brands. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal advisor to KKR.

About Therapy Brands
At a time when the topics of digital connectivity and access to care are at the forefront of the cultural conversation in the U.S., Therapy Brands is equipping practitioners with effective solutions to address the growing needs of mental and behavioral health, substance use recovery, applied behavior analysis and rehabilitation populations. Through purpose-built, fully integrated practice management and EHR solutions provided by Therapy Brands, healthcare providers can improve patient quality of care and support better health outcomes for those they serve. Therapy Brands is headquartered in Birmingham, AL. For more information, please visit us at www.therapybrands.com

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.

PSG
PSG is a growth equity firm that partners with middle-market software and technology-enabled services companies to help them navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities and build strong teams. Having backed more than 65 companies and facilitated over 275 add-on acquisitions, PSG brings extensive investment experience, deep expertise in software and technology, and a firm commitment to collaborating with management teams. Founded in 2014, PSG operates out of offices in Boston, Kansas City and London. To learn more about PSG, visit www.psgequity.com.

Media Contacts:
For KKR:
Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

For Therapy Brands:
Shannon Vann
Mediainquiries@therapybrands.com

For PSG:
Cameron Nugent
cameron.nugent@psgequity.com

Paysafe Completes Business Combination with Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II

CVC Capital Partners

Transaction and move to capital markets expected to accelerate growth, enhance margins, and continue to build upon Paysafe’s M&A strategy

Paysafe Group Holdings Limited, a leading specialized payments platform, and Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: BFT), (BFT WS) (“Foley Trasimene”), a special purpose acquisition company, today announced that they have completed their previously announced merger. The merger was approved at a special meeting of stockholders of Foley Trasimene on March 25, 2021, and closed today, March 30, 2021.  The combined company now operates as Paysafe Limited (“Paysafe”) and Paysafe’s common shares and warrants will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbols “PSFE” and “PSFE.WS” respectively, starting tomorrow, March 31, 2021.

Paysafe is a leading specialized payments platform, with a two-sided consumer and merchant network, whose core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers around the world to connect and transact seamlessly through payment processing; digital wallets including the Skrill and Neteller brands; and online cash solutions including paysafecard and Paysafecash. William P. Foley, II, Founder and Chairman of Foley Trasimene will serve as Chairman of Paysafe’s newly formed Board of Directors. Paysafe’s management team headed up by Philip McHugh, CEO, will continue to lead the combined company. ¹

William P. Foley, II, Founder and Chairman of Foley Trasimene and Chairman of Paysafe, stated, “We are thrilled to complete this business combination with Paysafe and I am personally excited to continue to work with Philip, Blackstone, CVC and the entire board as we continue to execute against our plan for accelerated and profitable growth. Paysafe has the right assets, team and strategy in place to capitalize on a tremendous opportunity for long-term value creation in the payments industry, especially in iGaming which is really beginning to open up across the United States.”

Philip McHugh, CEO of Paysafe, stated, “The closing of this transaction and our listing on the New York Stock Exchange is a huge milestone for Paysafe and getting to this point today is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team around the world.  I would also like to thank Bill and the Foley Trasimene team for their backing and belief in our opportunity, and of course Blackstone and CVC for their continued investment and support.  We’re excited to be embarking on the next stage of our growth journey as a public company.”

Eli Nagler, a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: “Today is a significant milestone for Paysafe and a testament to the excellent work of their world-class management team over several years. We believe Paysafe has a long runway for further growth and look forward to remaining part of the team and seeing their continued success as a public company.”

Peter Rutland, a Managing Partner at CVC, said, “We are delighted for Paysafe as they begin their next chapter as a public company. By combining Paysafe’s leading solutions in high-growth, specialized markets with Paysafe’s seasoned management team, now supplemented with Bill Foley’s track record of enhancing organic and inorganic growth, this company is incredibly well-positioned to continue a strong growth trajectory and create value for shareholders and all other stakeholders.”

Advisors

Credit Suisse acted as lead financial advisor and capital markets advisor to Paysafe. Morgan Stanley also acted as financial advisor to Paysafe. BofA Securities, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays, Wolfe Capital Markets and Advisory, BMO Capital Markets and Evercore also acted as capital markets advisors. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal counsel to Paysafe. Proton Partners acted as strategic advisor to Paysafe.

RBC Capital Markets LLC., BofA Securities and J.P. Morgan acted as financial advisors to Foley Trasimene.  Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as legal counsel to Foley Trasimene.

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Cerba HealthCare to welcome EQT Private Equity as new shareholder

eqt

Cerba HealthCare, leading player in medical diagnosis, together with Partners Group, and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (“PSP Investments”) have entered into exclusive discussions with EQT Private Equity to enable the Company to pursue its long-term innovation services strategy and enhance services for patients and the medical community.

Cerba Healthcare, headquartered in France and firmly established in Europe and Africa through its historical routine and specialty biology expertise, also operates globally through its clinical trials business unit for the validation of new compounds and vaccines. It stands as a unique group in the diagnosis market, covering the needs for diagnostic tools and expertise for patients, physicians, hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry.

With this new partnership, Cerba HealthCare reinforces its capital structure with its existing shareholders -more than 400 long-time biologists and managers- and its long-term partner, PSP Investments, to sustain the Group’s development strategy and current transformation.

Catherine Courboillet, CEO, Cerba HealthCare, states, “Over the past four years, Partners Group has shown a comprehensive understanding of our market and unwavering support in sustaining Cerba HealthCare’s growth strategy. In order to continue to fulfill the Group’s long-term development, we are excited to welcome a partner that shares the same vision and values, as well as a strong understanding of the importance of cutting-edge, personalized services. It is critical to keep on investing heavily in innovation, IT security and talents in order to drive further and faster our on-going transformation towards better healthcare services for patients. With EQT, we have chosen an experienced partner that will strengthen our European positioning while helping us expand into new markets.”

Nicolas Brugère, Partner, Investment Advisor at EQT Partners and Head of EQT France, comments, “EQT has followed Cerba HealthCare for a long time and we are deeply impressed with the company’s unique platform for medical diagnoses and superior scientific expertise. Cerba HealthCare is a purpose-driven company with a culture that is well-aligned with EQT’s values and we are happy to partner with its management team and with PSP Investments. EQT Private Equity is committed to invest in and future-proof Cerba HealthCare for the long-run to best serve patients and healthcare professionals.”

Kim Nguyen, Partner, Private Equity Services, Partners Group, adds, “Cerba HealthCare operates in an important sector and we are proud to have successfully contributed to the sustainable growth strategy of the Company over the last four years. In line with Partners Group’s focus on positive stakeholder impact and entrepreneurial governance, Cerba HealthCare has not wavered in its commitment to responding to the COVID-19 crisis. During our holding period, the Company has transformed into a market leader, penetrating new international markets, including in Africa and Italy, further consolidating its expertise in clinical trials and securing leadership in the veterinary biology sector. We are convinced Cerba HealthCare is poised for lasting success and that, after our strong and collaborative partnership, it is the right time and opportunity for all stakeholders that the Company move into its next phase of growth.”

Simon Marc, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Private Equity, PSP Investments, said, “Since our initial partnership with Cerba HealthCare in 2017, the company has gone from strength to strength, and we are excited to continue supporting Catherine and her talented management team as long term-partners. We look forward to welcoming EQT who has been one of PSP Investments core partners for many years, and who brings tremendous expertise in European healthcare. Together, we will provide the long-term strategic capital to support Cerba HealthCare in achieving its full potential through its next phase of development as a European leader in medical diagnostics.”

Following the completion of the deal, which is subject to administrative notifications and regulatory approvals, EQT Private Equity and PSP Investments will work with Cerba HealthCare’s management team, led by CEO Catherine Courboillet, to support the numerous growth opportunities of the business. These include the continuation of the Company’s highly successful M&A strategy on a global scale, as well as the acceleration of organic growth and development in other segments.

With this transaction, EQT IX is expected to be 40-45 percent invested (including closed and/or signed investments, announced public offers, if applicable, and less any expected syndication) based on its target fund size, and subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Contact for EQT
French media inquiries: Brunswick Paris, +33 679 99 27 15
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with more than EUR 84 billion in raised capital and over EUR 52 billion in assets under management across 17 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America with total sales of more than EUR 27 billion and approximately 159,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

About Cerba HealthCare
Cerba HealthCare, a leading player in medical diagnosis, aims to support the evolution of health systems towards more prevention. It draws on more than 50 years of expertise in clinical pathology to better assess the risk of diseases development, detect and diagnose diseases earlier, and optimize the effectiveness of personalized medicine.

Every day, on 5 continents, the Group’s 8 500 employees sustain the transformation of medicine, driven by one deep conviction: to advance diagnosis is to advance health.

Cerba HealthCare, enlightening health.

About PSP Investments
PSP Investments is one of Canada’s largest pension investment managers with approximately $169.8 billion of net assets as of March 31, 2020. It manages a diversified global portfolio of investments in public financial markets, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, natural resources and private debt. Established in 1999, PSP Investments manages net contributions to the pension funds of the federal Public Service, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force. Headquartered in Ottawa, PSP Investments has its principal business office in Montreal and offices in New York, London and Hong Kong.

For more information, visit investpsp.com or follow PSP Investments on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Partners Group
Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 145 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create broad stakeholder impact through its active ownership and development of growing businesses, attractive real estate and essential infrastructure. With over USD 109 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2020, Partners Group serves a broad range of institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,500 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN).

For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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General Atlantic Leads $145 Million Financing Round in Staffbase

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Partnership to help accelerate Staffbase’s global growth and further strengthen its leading position in digital solutions for internal communications
• Digital employee communications are becoming a key factor in business success, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Existing investors Insight Partners and e.ventures will also contribute to this financing round

Staffbase, a leading provider of digital solutions for internal communications, and General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm, today announced a strategic partnership. General Atlantic is leading a $145 million (€122 million) financing round in the Chemnitz, Germany-based start-up to help the company grow internationally and strengthen its global leadership in the employee engagement space. Existing investors Insight Partners and e.ventures will also contribute to this round of financing, KIZOO and Capnamic Ventures remain invested. As part of the partnership, Achim Berg, Operating Partner at General Atlantic and President of Bitkom, Germany’s digital association, will join the advisory board of Staffbase.

Established in Chemnitz in 2014, Staffbase has become a high-growth, multi-award-winning provider of an internal communications suite, including an employee app, an internal email newsletter tool, and a state-of-the-art intranet platform – all of which are designed to enhance employee communications. Its products are used by over eight million people across more than 1,000 organizations. Staffbase’s customers include global enterprises and organizations such as Adidas, Audi, BHP, Deutsche Post DHL, Groupon, Hitachi, Ikea, Johns Hopkins University, McKesson, Paulaner, Suncor, Viessmann, and Volvo, among others.

The Staffbase platform enables companies to communicate quickly and effectively with all of their employees – whether through corporate-branded communications, the publication of news items in a fast and reliable manner, or effectively measuring communications activities. The company’s solutions allow for more effective onboarding and enhanced employee engagement, and help employees identify more closely with their employers. The COVID-19 pandemic and proliferation of hybrid working environments have underscored the importance of targeted and agile internal communications, with senior management at major companies increasingly viewing internal communications as an essential strategic tool for connecting with employees and guiding them through this period of digital transformation.

Dr. Martin Böhringer, Co-Founder and CEO of Staffbase, said, “Our vision is to unite all of a company’s employees through strong internal communications and a shared mission. To bring this about, we provide managers and communications specialists at enterprise companies with the leading digital platform for successful employee communications – a platform that we are expanding very rapidly. The partnership with General Atlantic will further help us achieve this and accelerate our growth, especially in North America. The strong local team and the expertise it provides are decisive for us.”

Dr. Christian Figge, Managing Director at General Atlantic, continued, “Staffbase is a global pioneer and has developed software that specifically addresses the employee experience, supporting enterprises in transforming internal communications and engagement. We have been following this exciting company for quite some time and are looking forward to partnering with Martin and the Staffbase team to build on the business’ position as a global market leader. Staffbase is a prime example of the quality of entrepreneurship and range of innovative companies with global ambitions emerging out of Germany.”

Staffbase has a global workforce of 450 employees throughout 11 locations, including its headquarters in Chemnitz and offices in London, New York, Vancouver, Amsterdam, and Berlin. In early March, the company merged with Bananatag, Canada’s leading provider of internal communications solutions. The combined company is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing providers of cutting-edge internal communications software. As a result of the merger, the Staffbase suite with an employee app and intranet was expanded to include a native solution for email communications and closer integration with collaboration tools like Slack and Microsoft 365, including Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.

About Staffbase

Staffbase is one of the fastest growing, most experienced internal communications platform providers for enterprise companies. The mobile compatibility of the company’s platform allows employers to securely reach their employees everywhere with reduced complexity — whether in the office, at home, on the factory floor, or on the road. Staffbase solutions give employees greater access to the corporate information that’s relevant to them and tools for the modern digital workplace, including existing intranets. With headquarters in Chemnitz, Germany, and offices in Amsterdam, Cologne, Dresden, Berlin, London, Munich, and New York City, Staffbase provides branded solutions for more than 1,000 leading companies worldwide who are transforming their employee experience including Adidas, Audi, Vestas, Spark Power, Paulaner, UC Health and US LBM. Please visit staffbase.com  for more information.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. Established in 1980, General Atlantic combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon, and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to build market-leading businesses worldwide. General Atlantic has more than 175 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Greenwich, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com.

Media Contacts

Mary Armstrong & Emily Japlon
General Atlantic media@generalatlantic.com

Leigh Nofi
Staffbase 516-446-2446 leigh@staffbase.com

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Questel acquires IP services leader Morningside

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Questel, one of the world’s largest end-to-end intellectual property solutions providers, has acquired Morningside, a leading IP and language services company.

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in New York, Morningside specializes in patent translation and foreign filing solutions as well as legal, life sciences, and corporate compliance language services. With a global presence of 250 employees, Morningside leverages its industry-leading IP Platform to help clients seamlessly reach new markets while doing more with their budget. Morningside has over 4,000 clients in 55 countries including many Global 500 companies, law firms, and regulatory bodies.

The acquisition is part of Questel’s strategy to act as a one-stop-shop for all of its clients’ IP needs. Since Morningside is one of the largest patent translation companies in the world, the acquisition consolidates Questel’s position as a leading IP translation provider. Morningside also has a major global law firm presence which will allow Questel to significantly expand and diversify its customer base.

“Morningside is an excellent fit for Questel both culturally and strategically,” said Charles Besson, Questel’s CEO. “Translation plays a critical role in providing end-to-end integrated IP solutions to our clients.”

“We are excited to become part of the Questel family,” said Tom Klein, Co-CEO of Morningside. “Our clients will benefit from the additional services, expertise and technology that Questel brings to the table.”

“The synergies here are clear,” added Co-CEO Roland Lessard. “Morningside is one of the largest patent translation providers globally and Questel is the #1 patent filer in the world. Clients of both companies will gain from this acquisition.”

During the past years, through targeted acquisitions, Questel has built the most balanced portfolio of software and tech-enabled services of the IP industry.

About Questel

Questel’s mission is to facilitate the development of innovation in an efficient, secure, and sustainable way. Questel is a true end-to-end intellectual property solutions provider to more than 20,000 clients and one million users across 30 countries. We offer a comprehensive software suite for searching, analyzing, and managing inventions and IP assets. Questel also provides services throughout the IP lifecycle, including prior art searches, patent drafting, international filing, translation, and renewals. These solutions, when combined with our IP cost management platform, deliver clients an average savings of 30-60% across the entire prosecution budget. www.questel.com

About Morningside

Morningside equips the world’s leading organizations with a full suite of end-to-end intellectual property and language solutions. With over 4,000 clients in 55 countries, Morningside is globally recognized for its subject matter expertise and technology innovation in regulated markets such as IP, legal services, life sciences, and corporate compliance. Our IP management solutions and translation services ensure your ideas seamlessly reach new markets and audiences while allowing you to do more with your budget. Global 500 companies, international law firms, and regulatory bodies all rely on Morningside as a trusted partner to make intelligent choices for their most valuable assets. www.morningtrans.com