Blackstone Completes the Acquisition of Clarus, Establishing a New Life Sciences Investment Platform

Blackstone

New York, November 30, 2018 – Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced that it has closed on its previously announced acquisition of Clarus, a leading global life sciences investment firm. Going forward, the business will operate as Blackstone Life Sciences, while historical funds will retain the Clarus name.

Blackstone Life Sciences is a new private investment platform with capabilities to invest across the life-cycle of companies and products within the key life sciences sectors. The business will leverage Clarus’ significant domain expertise and record of success, and Blackstone’s investment experience, operating platform and global scale, to help advance breakthrough products to address unmet medical needs.

Blackstone Life Sciences fills a critical void in the industry, which is seeing unprecedented growth, but lacks the necessary funding to bring medicines and healthcare technologies to market.  The business will retain and build on Clarus’ hands-on approach of leveraging its scientific and clinical development expertise in adapting to an ever-changing investment landscape. This includes a focus on funding growth-stage investments, often in partnership with major biopharmaceutical companies through R&D collaborations.

Clarus is led by a team of seasoned experts who have invested in more than 50 companies in the biopharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic sectors across multiple disease areas.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our asset management businesses, with $457 billion in assets under management, include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

Contact:
Jennifer Friedman
+1 (212) 583-5122
Jennifer.Friedman@blackstone.com

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MONROE CAPITAL closes $1.33 billion PRIVATE CREDIT FUND III

Monroe Capital

Chicago, ILNovember 27, 2018

Monroe Capital LLC (“Monroe”) today announced the final close of its 2018 Monroe Capital Private Credit Fund III (“Fund”) at $1.33 billion of limited partner commitments with over 100 investors in eight countries, eclipsing the Fund target of $800 million. When combined with target Fund leverage, the Fund will have more than $2.5 billion of buying power or capital available for investment.

The Fund will invest in private credit transactions originated and underwritten by Monroe.  The investment strategy is focused primarily on senior secured loans and unitranche loans to private equity sponsored, independent sponsored, and non-sponsored middle market companies located throughout the U.S and Canada. The Fund is Monroe’s 17th investment vehicle since its founding in 2004. The Fund received commitments from over 50 new institutional investors. The Fund investors are located throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, South America, Asia and the Middle East, and include leading public and private pension plans, insurance companies, universities, endowments, foundations, religious organizations, hospitals, non-profits, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and other institutional investors. In addition to the limited partner commitments, the Fund has secured term credit facilities to complement its available capital.

According to Ted Koenig, President and CEO of Monroe, “Private credit is an appealing area for institutional investors due to the ability to generate consistent absolute returns in a low yield environment. Investors have many choices in this space, many of which are recently created firms.  We are pleased and proud that the institutional investor and limited partner community has come to appreciate the differentiated returns and consistent risk adjusted returns that Monroe has been able to generate every year over the last 14-year period, regardless of the business cycle or economic climate. This is a testament to our organization and our people.”

Monroe was founded in 2004 and has been a consistent and reliable provider of transactional debt financing both pre and post credit crisis for private equity sponsored and non-sponsored deals. The firm has over 100 employees, inclusive of an investment team of approximately 55 professionals with an average of 16 years of credit, private equity, and investment experience.  Monroe has a national transaction sourcing network of seven offices located throughout the U.S. and a proven investment discipline and strategy that has been tested over multiple economic cycles.

About Monroe Capital
Monroe Capital LLC (“Monroe”) is a private credit asset management firm specializing in direct lending and opportunistic private credit investing. Since 2004, the firm has provided private credit solutions to borrowers in the U.S. and Canada. Monroe’s middle market lending platform provides debt financing to businesses, special situation borrowers, and private equity sponsors. Investment types include cash flow, enterprise value and asset-based loans; unitranche financings; and equity co-investments. Monroe is committed to being a value-added and user-friendly partner to business owners, senior management, and private equity and independent sponsors. The firm is headquartered in Chicago and maintains offices in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

Monroe has been recognized by Creditflux as the 2018 Best US Direct Lending Fund, Private Debt Investor as the 2017 Lower Mid-Market Lender of the Year; Global M&A Network as the 2017 Small Middle Markets Lender of the Year; M&A Advisor as the 2016 Lender Firm of the Year; and the U.S. Small Business Administration as the 2015 Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) of the Year. For more information, please visit www.monroecap.com.

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Ratos AB: Lars Nykvist appointed new CEO of Kvdbil

Ratos

PRESS RELEASE, 20 November 2018

Lars Nykvist has been appointed as the new CEO of Kvdbil, Sweden’s largest independent online marketplace offering broker services for second-hand vehicles. Lars most recently served as CEO of Outnorth AB and will assume the position of CEO of Kvdbil today, 20 November. Torbjörn Wik is leaving after three years as CEO of the company.

 

Lars Nykvist has extensive experience of heading up both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) operations. He most recently served as CEO of Outnorth AB, the largest e-commerce site and retailer of equipment for outdoor activities in the Nordic region. Lars served as CEO there until the beginning of 2018, having taken the company from sales of about SEK 30m to approximately SEK 430m with slightly more than 80 employees and a market-leading position in its niche.

“Under Torbjörn’s management over the past three years, Kvdbil has implemented major changes, including a thorough update of its IT platform to enable growth in the area of private cars, where Kvdbil has now changed to a more distinct consumer brand. The strategy moving forward is focused on increasing consumer business, strengthening the position in company cars and developing Kvdbil’s service offering, areas in which Lars has considerable experience. We foresee continued growth potential in Kvdbil’s business model and the potential to strengthen the company’s market position. I also look forward to following Lars’s and the management team’s continued work in this area”, says Johan Rydmark, Director at Ratos and responsible of Kvdbil.

Kvdbil was acquired in 2010 and is now Sweden’s largest independent online marketplace offering broker services for second-hand vehicles. The number of employees amounts to approximately 170 individuals and sales for the rolling 12 months at 30 September 2018 totalled SEK 336m.

For further information, please contact:

Johan Rydmark, Director and responsible of Kvdbil, +46 8 700 17 00

Helene Gustafsson, Head of IR and Press, Ratos, +46 70 868 40 50

Financial calendar from Ratos:

Year-end report 2018                                                15 February 2019

Annual General Meeting                                            8 May 2019

Ratos is an investment company that owns and develops unlisted medium-sized Nordic companies. Our goal as an active owner is to contribute to the long-term and sustainable business development in the companies we invest in and to make value-generating transactions. Ratos’s portfolio consists of 12 medium-sized Nordic companies and the largest segments in terms of sales are Construction, Industrials and Consumer goods/retail. Ratos is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and has a total of approximately 12,300 employees.

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Scanship delivers record-high performance in Q3 2018

Reiten

Scanship records their strongest results ever with third quarter 2018 revenues of NOK 80.1 million and EBITDA of NOK 10.7 million. Accumulated for the year revenues ended at NOK 226.6 million with EBITDA of NOK 27 million.

“We are very pleased with our performance, and it shows that our focus on improving our client’s environmental sustainability impact by delivering technology for cleaner oceans really pays off. We are delivering stronger on all fronts with higher revenues, improved margins and winning grounds both in cruise newbuilding, cruise retrofits and in aquaculture. We are in a good position to grow this business further” says Henrik Badin, CEO of Scanship Holding ASA.

See link with report:  https://newsweb.oslobors.no/message/462775

See video with presentation:  https://www.scanship.no/scanship-q3-2018/

 

 

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Finnvera issued a EUR 500 million bond

Finnvera

31.10.2018

STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 31 October 2018 at 16:15

Finnvera issued on 31 October 2018 a EUR 500 million ten year bond.

The transaction maturing in August 2028 represents Finnvera’s third bond issue this year.

Lead managers for the issue were Citi, Deutsche Bank and HSBC. The greatest demand came from France and Germany.

The bond was issued under Finnvera’s EMTN (Euro Medium Term Note) programme. Bonds issued under the programme are guaranteed by the Republic of Finland and their rating corresponds to the rating assigned to the Republic of Finland for its long-term liabilities. The rating given by Moody’s to Finnvera is Aa1 and that given by Standard & Poor’s is AA+.

Additional information:

Ulla Hagman, CFO, tel. +358 29 460 2458

Jari Kautto, Finance Manager, tel. +358 29 460 2697

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Ratos AB: CEO Peter Nilsson to leave Speed Group

Ratos

Peter Nilsson is stepping down from his role as CEO of Ratos’s subsidiary Speed Group. The company’s CFO, Anders Appelqvist, has been appointed Acting CEO until a permanent CEO has been recruited.

Outgoing CEO Peter Nilsson was initially a member of Speed Group’s Board of Directors before taking over as CEO in autumn 2016. Peter is now leaving the company and Anders Appelqvist, who currently serves as the company’s CFO, has been appointed Acting CEO. Anders will take office effective immediately and the process to recruit a permanent replacement has begun.

“During his time as CEO, Peter has contributed to Speed Group’s substantial growth. Under Peter’s leadership, the company has become a national supplier of logistics services through the acquisition of Samdistribution in Stockholm and the first third-party logistics (3PL) supplier in the Nordic region to invest in an Autostore system. Since Speed Group’s focus has now shifted from growth to consolidation and profitability-enhancing measures, Peter is now leaving the company and Anders is taking over as Acting CEO,” says Christian Johansson Gebauer, Director at Ratos and responsible of Speed Group.

Ratos became the majority owner of Speed Group in 2015. The company is now a national supplier of logistics services and services for staffing, recruitment and education, with strong growth in an attractive underlying market. Speed Group has approximately 1,200 employees and sales of SEK 673m for the rolling 12-month period ending 30 September 2018.

For further information, please contact:

Christian Johansson Gebauer, Director, +46 8 700 17 00

Helene Gustafsson, Head of IR and Press, Ratos, +46 8 700 17 98

Financial calendar from Ratos:
Year-end report 2018                                     15 February 2019
Annual General Meeting                                 8 May 2019

Ratos owns and develops unlisted medium-sized companies in the Nordic countries. Our goal as an active owner is to contribute to long-term and sustainable business development in the companies we invest in and to make value-generating transactions. Ratos’s portfolio consists of 12 medium-sized Nordic companies and the largest segments in terms of sales are Construction, Industrials and Consumer goods/Commerce. Ratos is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and has approximately 12,300 employees.

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Horizon Capital raises £200m

Horizon Capital

Last week we closed on a new fund, Horizon 2018 – a seven-year investment vehicle which secured £200 million of commitments from a group of blue-chip institutional investors led by Pantheon and Idinvest Partners alongside other investors including Lombard Odier, HQ Capital and eQ Asset Management.

Our partners, Jeremy Hand, Simon Hitchcock, Adam Lewis, Luke Kingston and Martin Squier will lead our strategy of making equity investments of between £10 – £50 million in high-growth businesses with a particular focus on creating value through buy-and-build strategies.

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InfraRed Active Real Estate Fund IV reaches its final close

InfraRed Capital Partners

InfraRed Capital Partners has reached the final closing of its latest real estate fund, InfraRed Active Fund IV, (“Active Fund IV” or “the Fund”) with total equity commitments of £522m (c. US$690m), exceeding its £500m target.

With the associated leverage envisaged for its strategy, Active Fund IV has an investment capacity of over £1.2bn. The Fund continues InfraRed’s successful strategy of focusing on intensively managed, high value-add opportunities in core markets, primarily in Germany, France and the UK. InfraRed has already committed more than 30% of the Fund’s capital to five assets, including office projects in Munich, Paris and Frankfurt.

Over 30 investors across the globe have committed to Active Fund IV, including pension plans, foundations, wealth managers and family offices from North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Chris Huxtable, Head of European Real Estate, noted: “We are very pleased with the support we have received from our investors, many of whom have experienced our disciplined and hands-on investment style over several years. The scope and quality of our investor base is testament to InfraRed’s track record and team.”

Commenting on the fundraising, Andreas Katsaros, Head of Real Estate Strategy & Origination, said: “Reaching deep into a select number of fundamentally strong markets, unearthing high quality opportunities, working with our tenants and creating highly desirable core assets with long-term purpose has been the mainstay of our investment approach. Our Fund IV investments in Munich, Paris and Frankfurt are great examples of this formula, and we are excited about the new projects we are expecting to add to the portfolio soon.”

Atlantic-Pacific Capital acted as global placement agent for InfraRed.

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Altamir expands its investment policy and subscribes to the Apax Development and Apax Digital funds

Altamir

Paris, 3 October 2018 – Reaffirming its ambitious long-term growth and value-creation strategy, Altamir has decided to expand its investment policy and make commitments to two new funds:  Apax Development, launched by Apax Partners SAS in the small-cap segment in France; and Apax Digital, launched by Apax Partners LLP, which invests worldwide in technology companies.

Altamir’s objective is to seize new investment opportunities in dynamic markets, while capitalising on the competitive advantages offered by Apax Partners: sector expertise and an ability to create value through digital transformation, acquisitions and internationalisation.

After consulting with Altamir’s Supervisory Board, the Board of Directors of Altamir Gérance decided to commit €15m to the Apax Development fund and $5m to the Apax Digital fund, keeping in mind that these amounts will be invested over the next 3-4 years.

Apax Development

Following the 2017 acquisition of EPF Partners, a renowned specialist in the small-cap segment in France, Apax Partners SAS is now launching the Apax Development fund, for which it aims to raise €225m. France’s small-cap segment is a large, dynamic market, attractive in terms of price and corporate growth potential.

The investment strategy consists in taking majority stakes in companies with an enterprise value of up to €100m in Apax’s four sectors of specialisation: TMT, Services, Consumer and Healthcare. This strategy complements that of the other funds managed by Apax Partners SAS, which invest in companies with a valuation in excess of €100m.

In March 2018, Apax Development made its first investment in Eric Bompard, the European leader in cashmere.

Apax Digital

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience and deep investment expertise in the technology and telecommunications sectors, Apax Partners LLP created a dedicated team in 2017, which raised $1.1bn for the Apax Digital fund.

The investment strategy is to take minority or majority stakes in enterprise technology and consumer internet companies that are smaller than companies in which the Apax VIII LP and Apax IX LP funds invest and are located in Apax Partners LLP’s geographical scope, i.e. Europe, North America, Brazil, China, India and Israel.

Apax Digital currently has four investments. They include two consumer internet companies, US company Moda Operandi (leading luxury fashion e-commerce platform) and Chinese company So Young (aesthetic medical treatments marketplace), and two enterprise tech companies, US company Wizeline (high-end software product development) and Solita (one of Finland’s largest digital transformation services companies).

Portfolio reporting

Given the smaller size of the investments that will be made via Apax Development and Apax Digital, Altamir’s investment in each fund will appear as a single line in Altamir’s portfolio, without the detail of underlying investments realised by these funds.

 

About Altamir

Altamir is a listed private equity company (Euronext Paris-B, ticker: LTA) founded in 1995 and with nearly €800m in assets under management. Its objective is to provide shareholders with long term capital appreciation and regular dividends by investing in a diversified portfolio of private equity investments.

Altamir’s investment policy is to invest via and with the funds managed by Apax Partners SAS and Apax Partners LLP, two leading private equity firms that take majority or lead positions in buyouts and growth capital transactions and seek ambitious value creation objectives.

In this way, Altamir provides access to a diversified portfolio of fast-growing companies across Apax’s sectors of specialisation (TMT, Consumer, Healthcare, Services) and in complementary market segments (mid-sized companies in French-speaking European countries and larger companies across Europe, North America and key emerging markets).

Altamir derives certain tax benefits from its status as an SCR (“Société de Capital Risque”). As such, Altamir is exempt from corporate tax and the company’s investors may benefit from tax exemptions, subject to specific holding-period and dividend-reinvestment conditions.

For more information: www.altamir.fr

 

Contact

Agathe Heinrich

Tel: +33 1 53 65 01 74

E-mail: investors@altamir.fr

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Apax Partners wins Private Equity International Operational Excellence Award for GlobalLogic Inc.

Apax

1 October 2018

Apax Partners is pleased to announce it has won the inaugural “Editors’ Award” (in America) for GlobalLogic at the Private Equity International Operational Excellence Awards 2018. The awards celebrate best practice in value creation across the private equity industry.

GlobalLogic is a leader in digital product engineering services helping blue chip clients design, build, and deliver their digital products.

The Apax Funds acquired GlobalLogic Inc. in 2013, seeking to scale the business to provide engineering expertise across diversified industries on a truly global scale. Under the Funds’ ownership, and together with management, the company invested in sales and marketing capabilities to both seek out and develop areas of expertise. Through both organic growth and M&A, the company expanded into numerous new geographies across the world, including establishing engineering centres across Europe and Asia. In addition, Apax’s Operational Excellence Practice (“OEP”) supported the business in several ways, including redefining their internal IT strategy and leading a finance improvement initiative. The result of these initiatives saw an acceleration in growth as both revenue and EBITDA more than doubled as GlobalLogic solidified its position as a leading global product engineering company.

The Apax Funds sold their stake in GlobalLogic across two tranches: half was sold in January 2017; and the remaining stake was sold in August 2018 in a transaction which valued GlobalLogic at over $2bn.

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