Purple Digital Storytelling Announces Strategic Acquisition of PLANWORX AG

Holland Capital

Amsterdam, Munich,  April 9, 2024 – In a strategic move to transform the landscape of digital experiences, Purple Digital Storytelling (‘Purple’) announces the acquisition of the Munich based agency PLANWORX, thereby initiating The Storytelling Group. This acquisition marks a turning point in the digital storytelling space, offering an expanded portfolio of services that range from the creation of permanent installations to dynamic event-based storytelling.

The Digital Storytelling Universe
Purple, known for designing and delivering world class experience centers powered by their digital storytelling software ‘Hyro’, and PLANWORX, celebrated for their cutting-edge event experiences will jointly deliver unparalleled digital and live experiences, catering to a wide range of global brands and audiences.

The acquisition aims to benefit from the collective expertise of both companies while maintaining their unique identities and strengths. Purple’s design and technological abilities and PLANWORX’s dynamic approach to live marketing and events are expected to create synergistic outcomes, driving innovation, and expanding the industry of digital storytelling.

Joost Rueck, CEO of Purple and Chairman of the Storytelling Group, expressed enthusiasm about the new direction, “This acquisition is a game changer for us. Looking at this from a market perspective, it allows us to serve our customers better because of our increased reach and offerings. It’s a stepping stone to being a global player in digital brand experience solutions.”

Chris Boehm-Tettelbach, founder of PLANWORX: “Joining forces will allow us to establish a full-spectrum storytelling powerhouse capable of addressing every aspect of digital brand experiences from concept to execution. Using the latest technology we bring these narratives to life – in physical spaces, live events or online.”

Ewout Prins, Managing Partner Holland Capital, “The acquisition of PLANWORX is a significant step for Purple in becoming a true global player in digital and immersive experiences. We are happy that we have been able to support this cross-border transaction from our offices in The Netherlands and Germany. We look forward to supporting the team in their growth ambitions and will continue to keep an eye on the market for additional strategic acquisitions”.

Clients of Purple and PLANWORX can look forward to increased capacity, creativity, and services, enhanced by the shared knowledge, technology, and creative drive of both teams. This collaboration is expected to set new benchmarks in the industry, establishing The Storytelling Group’s commitment to be at the forefront of digital storytelling innovation.

About Purple Digital Storytelling

Founded in 2011, Purple Digital Storytelling, based in the Netherlands, specializes in capturing audience’s attention through innovative digital narratives and immersive experiences. Leveraging their Hyro storytelling software, they offer a full suite of services from strategy and design to content production, tailoring each project to its unique client’s and their specific needs. https://www.purplestorytelling.com/

About PLANWORX

PLANWORX, founded in 1987, is a digital creative agency celebrated for their cutting-edge event experiences. By using the latest technology, they bring these narratives to life – in physical spaces, at live events or online. PLANWORX sees itself as an enabler, digital pioneer, and creative catalyst for global corporations as well as medium-sized companies, bridging the communication gap between businesses, employees, and end customers. With a team of 50 people, PLANWORX operates from Munich. https://planworx.de/en/

About The Storytelling Group

The Storytelling Group is home to Purple Digital Storytelling and PLANWORX. With a focus on creating engaging narratives through digital experiences in physical spaces, The Storytelling Group is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of storytelling, serving a roster of renowned global brands, and setting new industry standards. https://thestorytellinggroup.com/

About Holland Capital

Holland Capital has been responsibly and successfully investing in promising Dutch and German SMEs with growth ambitions for over 40 years. The team understands entrepreneurship and fosters an open, sustainable, and professional relationship with the management teams of the invested companies, aiming for mutual growth. With offices in Amsterdam and Düsseldorf, Holland Capital focuses on Healthcare, Technology, and the recently added Agrifood-Tech sector. The firm actively supports Purple Digital Storytelling in both operational and strategic development since becoming a shareholder in December 2020.

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STG Strengthens Quor’s CTRM Capabilities through Acquisition of Eka Software

Stg Partners

STG, a US-based private equity firm focused on software and software-enabled tech services companies, announces the strategic acquisition of Eka Software Solutions (“Eka”), a global provider of commodity management solutions with a speciality in the soft ags and energies markets. For nearly two decades, Eka has been providing commodities trade and risk management (“CTRM”) and supply chain solutions, consistently delivering innovation to its customers while building a robust and modern vertical SaaS platform.

STG will merge Eka with the Quor Group (“Quor”), an existing STG portfolio company that specializes in CTRM offerings within the metals ecosystem. The combination of Eka and Quor is a material step forward for the CTRM industry, providing a broad software suite that addresses a spectrum of customer needs across asset classes globally.

Eka, leveraging its innovative approach and cutting-edge technology, joins Quor to provide the combined entity’s customers with a broad ability to navigate the complexities of the commodity markets, including increasing end market volatility and customers’ desire to hedge their corresponding risk profile. Together, Quor and Eka are poised to address customers’ greatest needs, accelerate innovation, and set new benchmarks within the industry.

“We have been extremely impressed by the breadth and depth of the products that make up the Eka platform. Their CTRM / ETRM and supply chain products have consistently delivered for their impressive customer base” said William Chisholm, Managing Partner of STG. “We are committed to supporting Quor and Eka through further investments in innovation with the ultimate goal of continuing to provide exceptional value to their clients,” added Ishan Manaktala, Operating Partner at STG.

Manav Garg, founder and CEO of Eka, will continue to play a pivotal role in guiding the vision and strategic direction of the combined company as a Board Advisor. His industry insight and leadership will be invaluable as Quor embarks on its next phase of growth. Manav comments, “the merger could not happen at a more opportune time – we have seen increased volatility across asset classes, greater desire of customers to hedge their risk, and substantial supply chain disruption; all of which leaves the market yearning for solutions from Eka and Quor.”

Steve Hughes, CEO of Quor, commented on the strategic synergies, stating, “I believe joining forces with Eka is a game-changer for us and our customers. I am keen to partner with Manav and his decades of knowledge to drive the CTRM industry forward into a new era of growth and success.”

Jefferies LLC acted as financial advisor and DLA acted as legal advisor to STG. Tree Line Capital Partners provided debt financing to support the acquisition.

About Quor Group
Quor is a provider of CTRM software to the global commodity markets with a specialty in metals. The Company provides end-to-end trade management across the entire CTRM value chain, supplying functionality for both physical and financial trade through to risk management, settlement, and post-trade reporting.

About Eka
Eka Software Solutions is a global provider of digital commodity management solutions to the commodity trading industry. With its cutting-edge technology and comprehensive suite of services, Eka empowers businesses to manage risk, improve profitability, and enhance operational efficiencies.

About STG
STG is a private equity partner to market-leading companies in data, software, and analytics. The firm brings experience, flexibility, and resources to build strategic value and unlock the potential of innovative companies. Partnering to build customer-centric, market-winning portfolio companies, STG creates sustainable foundations for growth that bring value to existing and future stakeholders. The firm is dedicated to transforming and building outstanding technology companies in partnership with world-class management teams. STG’s expansive portfolio has consisted of more than 50 global companies.

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Veracode Embarks on a New Chapter with Appointment of Brian Roche as Chief Executive Officer

TA associates

Company intensifies innovation focus to continue solving customers’ growing software and cloud risk

Burlington, Mass. – April 3, 2024 – Veracode, a global leader in application risk management, today announced the appointment of Brian Roche as Chief Executive Officer. Roche was formerly Veracode Chief Product Officer and his ascension to CEO completes a succession plan through which Sam King will step down after 17 years at the company.

“My tenure at Veracode has provided me with an unforgettable and rewarding experience,” said Sam King. “I have been working with Brian, the leadership and the Board on this transition. I look forward to advising him as well as continuing to champion the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders going forward.”

“Veracode has a history of pioneering the market with leading solutions for managing application security risks. From our introduction of a SaaS-based static analysis solution to our current development of AI-based remediation solutions, we have consistently led the industry in how best to manage enterprise security risk.” said Chris Wysopal, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Veracode. “As we continue pioneering the market in an AI era, I’m thrilled to welcome Brian into this role and thank Sam for her vision and leadership.”

Brian Roche becomes Veracode CEO after serving as Chief Product Officer for the past three and a half years, leading the company’s Product Strategy, Product Management, Engineering and Operations. With more than 25 years in engineering and digital operations leadership roles, Brian brings a wealth of experience in leading organizations through successful tech-driven transformation and innovations at scale. Under Brian’s vision, Veracode staked an early leadership position with the introduction of Veracode Fix and numerous innovations that shorten the time between code production and flaw remediation, liberating developers to focus on critical tasks that drive value and differentiation.

The next frontier for software security and risk management is fueled by rapid AI advancements and the proliferation of cloud-native technology adoption. Under pressure to innovate faster than ever, organizations are leaning on Large Language Models and open-source software to expedite this process. The safe adoption of AI technologies to fuel rapid innovation and business value is exactly the mission the talented and passionate Veracode team is committed to solving for its customers.

“It has been a privilege to work alongside Sam and I am honored to build on the strong position she leaves the company in as the leader in the application risk management market,” said Brian Roche. “We are here because of Sam’s incredible leadership and impact across our industry. We can’t thank her enough and wish her great success going forward.”

About Veracode
Veracode is intelligent software security. The Veracode Software Security Platform continuously finds flaws and vulnerabilities at every stage of the modern software development lifecycle. Using powerful AI trained on a carefully curated, trusted dataset from experience analyzing trillions of lines of code, Veracode customers fix flaws faster with high accuracy. Trusted by security teams, developers, and business leaders from thousands of the world’s leading organizations, Veracode is the pioneer, continuing to redefine what intelligent software security means. Learn more at www.veracode.com, on the Veracode blog, and on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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SunFire Announces Investment From KKR

KKR

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– SunFireMatrix, Inc. (“SunFire” or the “Company”), a leading software and tech-enabled services platform serving the insurance distribution and health plan markets, announced today that it has been acquired by funds managed by KKR, a leading global investment firm. Funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC, the Company’s previous majority owner, will continue to be a significant minority shareholder in the Company. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240402643144/en/

“We are excited to strategically partner with KKR, given our shared commitment to transforming the healthcare landscape. KKR and Stone Point’s support provides us with unique access and guidance, helping us to continue to grow and serve our customers and beneficiaries,” said David Graf, CEO of SunFire.

“SunFire is a leading, purpose-built platform with a culture of customer centricity and patient focus that we believe is highly differentiated,” said Ali Satvat, Partner and Global Head of Health Care Strategic Growth at KKR. “We have been impressed by what Dave and the entire SunFire team have achieved and look forward to collaborating closely with them during the next phase of the Company’s growth.”

“We are thrilled to support SunFire in its mission to utilize industry-leading technology and best-in-class customer service to create a more seamless and reliable experience for patients, health plans, and its distribution partners,” said Johnny Kim, Director at KKR.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with David Graf and Kevin Waldman and the entire SunFire team, and welcome KKR, in this next phase of growth for the Company. Over the past three years, SunFire has maintained its leadership position by developing innovative solutions to simplify beneficiary enrollment and to provide critical tools to agents and its carrier clients,” said Nick Zerbib from Stone Point Capital.

KKR is funding this investment through its Health Care Strategic Growth (HCSG) Fund II, which is focused on investing in high-growth health care companies to which KKR can be a unique strategic partner in helping reach scale.

Evercore and William Blair acted as financial advisors to KKR and SunFire respectively.

About SunFire

SunFire is a SaaS technology company providing transformative and proven IT solutions and services to support the rapidly growing Medicare market. SunFire’s core quoting and enrollment technologies enable brokers to compliantly sell Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug and Medicare Supplement plans within a proprietary cloud-based platform. SunFire delivers innovative post enrollment engagement solutions providing third party verification technology and advocate services, ensuring the beneficiaries intent to enroll, health risk assessment completion as well as the activation of plan benefits. As a mission-driven company, SunFire is deeply passionate about their commitment to improving the lives of the senior community.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as 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 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. For additional information about Global Atlantic Financial Group, please visit Global Atlantic Financial Group’s website at www.globalatlantic.com.

About Stone Point Capital

Stone Point is an alternative investment firm based in Greenwich, CT. Stone Point targets investments in companies in the global financial services industry and related sectors. The firm invests in alternative asset classes, including private equity through its flagship Trident Funds and credit through commingled funds and separately managed accounts. In addition, Stone Point Capital Markets supports our firm, portfolio companies and other clients by providing dedicated financing solutions. For more information, please visit www.stonepoint.com.

Media:
Liidia Liuksila
(212) 750-8300
media@kkr.com

Anne Gilliland
(203) 862-2926
agilliland@stonepoint.com

Source: KKR

 

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iCapital to Acquire Mirador, a Leading Financial Technology Provider of Consolidated Reporting and Data Management

Aquiline

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–iCapital1, the global fintech platform driving the world’s alternative investment marketplace for the wealth management industry, and Mirador, a leading technology-enabled provider of investment data aggregation and financial reporting across both alternative and traditional investments, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which iCapital will acquire Mirador. With the acquisition, iCapital will expand its data management and reporting capabilities to create an enhanced technology experience for clients in the wealth management, family office, endowment, and foundation segments.

“Mirador has set the industry standard for managing data with leading third-party performance reporting providers,” said Lawrence Calcano, Chairman and CEO of iCapital. “This acquisition further enhances and broadens the service model iCapital delivers through our market-leading alternative investment operating system and allows us to deliver on our goal of creating a reliable end-to-end data management capability for the industry.”

Mr. Calcano further commented, “Integrating Mirador’s exceptional financial reporting capabilities creates a holistic solution for both wealth and asset managers.”

Mirador delivers an array of services for its client base, including advisors serving high-net-worth investors, family offices, endowments, and foundations. Mirador’s offerings include consolidated financial reporting, private investment support, offline and alternative investment data management, K-1 document management, and compensation management for wealth management firms. Mirador also has a technology consulting team offering custom wealth technology solutions.

“Mirador and iCapital share a commitment to provide the wealth management community with easier access to alternative investments. By combining Mirador’s data aggregation, comprehensive reporting capabilities, and customizable service model with iCapital’s scale, global reach, and industry-leading technology solutions, we will offer clients of both firms a robust suite of enhanced resources,” said Joseph Larizza, CEO and President of Mirador. “Together, we meet clients precisely where they are and provide an experience without rival when integrating alternatives into investment portfolios.”

iCapital’s platform, analytic tools, and advisor education resources enable wealth managers and fund managers to streamline their operational infrastructures to provide advisors and high-net-worth investors with a digital investing experience across a broad spectrum of alternative investments – including private equity, private credit, real assets, hedge funds, registered funds, structured investments, and annuities.

As part of the transaction, over 180 employees of Mirador are expected to join iCapital. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Goodwin Proctor LLP are serving as advisors to iCapital. Raymond James and DBM Legal Services LLC are serving as advisors to Mirador.

About iCapital iCapital powers the world’s alternative investment marketplace offering a complete suite of tools, end-to-end enterprise solutions, data management and distribution capabilities and an innovative operating system. iCapital is the trusted technology partner to independent financial advisors, wealth managers, and asset managers, offering unrivaled access, technology, and education to incorporate alternative assets into the core portfolio strategies for their clients.

At the forefront of the digital transformation in alternative investing, iCapital’s secure platform delivers a complete portfolio of management capabilities for education, transactions, data flows, analytics, and client support throughout the investment lifecycle. With $180.92 billion in global platform assets, the iCapital operating system automates and streamlines the complex process of private market investing and seamlessly integrates with clients’ existing infrastructure platform and tools.

iCapital employs more than 1200 people globally, and has 13 offices worldwide including New York, Greenwich, Zurich, Lisbon, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and Toronto. iCapital has consistently been recognized for its outstanding innovation, fintech industry leadership, and performance including Forbes Fintech 50 for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 and MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards as Solutions Provider of the Year for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

For more information, visit icapital.com | Twitter (X): @icapitalnetwork | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc/

About Mirador, Inc. Grounded in Wall Street and enabled by technology, Mirador combines powerful data science and deep financial expertise to provide best-in-breed financial reporting services, middle office services, and technology solutions and products to the U/HNW wealth management industry. Through partnerships with leading technology platforms, Mirador’s flagship award-winning consolidated reporting creates insightful, consolidated, real-time views of all assets and liabilities – what they are, who holds them, how ownership is divided, how they’re invested, and how they’re performing – strategically constructed to identify opportunities and expose financial risks.

Founded in 2015, the firm employs over 180 professionals working from offices in Stamford, CT (HQ), Chicago, IL, Jacksonville, FL, Salt Lake City, UT, Edinburgh, Scotland and London, England, and supports the performance reporting requirements of family offices, wealth managers, endowments, and foundations throughout North America, South America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific.

For more information on Mirador, please visit www.Mirador.com.

SOURCE Business Wire

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SER Welcomes New Investment from TA to Accelerate Growth

TA associates

Bonn, Germany, 21 March 2024 – SER (the “Company”), a leading global Intelligent Content Automation (“ICA”) software vendor in the Enterprise Content Management (“ECM”) market, today announced that TA Associates (“TA”), a leading global private equity firm, has agreed to make a strategic growth investment in the Company. SER and Carlyle, an investor in SER since 2018, welcome TA as the new lead investor.

“We are delighted to welcome TA to SER as an investor and we are proud that they share our perspective on the significant opportunities ahead for our business,” said Dr. John Bates, CEO of SER. “SER is revolutionizing the way enterprise content is automated, understood and managed. We have amazing customers, a fantastic team and market leading technology. We have had an outstanding partnership with Carlyle, with incredible support throughout the journey, and we are delighted that TA now joins us to supercharge the next phase of growth.”

Since its founding in 1984, SER has developed from a primarily DACH-focused ECM solutions provider into a category-defining ICA player with highly differentiated AI capabilities and an increasingly international enterprise customer base. In partnership with Carlyle, SER built out its senior management team, successfully executed a rapid shift to a subscription-first business model, expanded its innovation-led product offering, and entered new markets including the US, UK, continental Europe, and the Middle East, through considerable organic investment and M&A.

Today, SER has over 600 employees across 20 offices in 11 countries. The Company’s technology is trusted by blue-chip enterprise customers worldwide. SER’s flagship product, Doxis ICA (“Doxis”), combines traditional ECM capabilities with AI-enabled services that are designed to bridge and automate content across best-of-breed apps and multiple vendor ecosystems like SAP, Salesforce, Microsoft and more.

“SER’s impressive suite of next-generation ECM solutions help organizations work faster, smarter and more efficiently,” said Morgan Seigler, Managing Director at TA, and Stefan Dandl, Director at TA. “As the demand for AI-powered technologies continues, we believe SER has a meaningful opportunity to support organizations in their digital transformation journey, harnessing the Doxis platform to streamline document processing and content management needs. We look forward to partnering with Carlyle and SER to accelerate international expansion, invest in AI innovation and enhance the Company’s product offering.”

“We are immensely proud to have partnered with SER during such a significant period of growth and transformation for the business,” said Dr. Thorsten Dippel, Managing Director in the Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (“CETP”) Investment Advisory team. “Through our work with Dr. John Bates and his incredible team, the Company has developed into the category-leading, international ICA software vendor it is today. SER is well-placed to continue its success story as an enterprise software player of scale in the large and growing global ECM market. We are delighted to partner with TA as the new lead investor in SER as the Company enters the next phase of its growth journey.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

About SER
Trusted by over 5 million users worldwide, SER is defining Intelligent Content Automation (ICA), the next generation of Enterprise Content Management which leverages AI to provide intelligent content understanding and process automation. SER’s highly scalable Doxis platform brings ICA capabilities into a single, unified platform that works seamlessly across multiple applications and vendor ecosystems, such as SAP, Salesforce and Microsoft. Offering many pre-built solutions and user-friendly no-code tooling, SER’s Doxis delivers rapid time-to-value, superior ROI and lower total cost of ownership for next-generation content applications. Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, SER has a well-established market leadership position in DACH and a fast-growing international business with blue-chip customers around the world.

About TA
TA is a leading global private equity firm focused on scaling growth in profitable companies. Since 1968, TA has invested in more than 560 companies across its five target industries – technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TA collaborates with management teams worldwide to help high-quality companies deliver lasting value. The firm has raised $65 billion in capital to date and has over 150 investment professionals across offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Austin, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across its business and conducts its operations through three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $426 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2023, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,200 people in 28 offices across four continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. For more, follow Carlyle on LinkedIn and X.

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Carlyle-backed SER Welcomes New Investment from TA to Accelerate Growth

Carlyle

Bonn, Germany, 21 March 2024 – SER (the “Company”), a leading global Intelligent Content Automation (“ICA”) software vendor in the Enterprise Content Management (“ECM”) market, today announced that TA Associates (“TA”), a leading global private equity firm, has agreed to make a strategic growth investment in the Company. SER and Carlyle, an investor in SER since 2018, welcome TA as the new lead investor.

“We are delighted to welcome TA to SER as an investor and we are proud that they share our perspective on the significant opportunities ahead for our business,” said Dr. John Bates, CEO of SER. “SER is revolutionizing the way enterprise content is automated, understood and managed. We have amazing customers, a fantastic team and market leading technology. We have had an outstanding partnership with Carlyle, with incredible support throughout the journey, and we are delighted that TA now joins us to supercharge the next phase of growth.”

Since its founding in 1984, SER has developed from a primarily DACH-focused ECM solutions provider into a category-defining ICA player with highly differentiated AI capabilities and an increasingly international enterprise customer base. In partnership with Carlyle, SER built out its senior management team, successfully executed a rapid shift to a subscription-first business model, expanded its innovation-led product offering, and entered new markets including the US, UK, continental Europe, and the Middle East, through considerable organic investment and M&A.

Today, SER has over 600 employees across 20 offices in 11 countries. The Company’s technology is trusted by blue-chip enterprise customers worldwide. SER’s flagship product, Doxis ICA (“Doxis”), combines traditional ECM capabilities with AI-enabled services that are designed to bridge and automate content across best-of-breed apps and multiple vendor ecosystems like SAP, Salesforce, Microsoft and more.

“SER’s impressive suite of next-generation ECM solutions helps organizations work faster, smarter and more efficiently,” said Morgan Seigler, Managing Director at TA, and Stefan Dandl, Director at TA. “As the demand for AI-powered technologies continues, we believe SER has a meaningful opportunity to support organizations in their digital transformation journey, harnessing the Doxis platform to streamline document processing and content management needs. We look forward to partnering with Carlyle and SER to accelerate international expansion, invest in AI innovation and enhance the Company’s product offering.”

“We are immensely proud to have partnered with SER during such a significant period of growth and transformation for the business,” said Dr. Thorsten Dippel, Managing Director in the Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (“CETP”) Investment Advisory team. “Through our work with Dr. John Bates and his incredible team, the Company has developed into the category-leading, international ICA software vendor it is today. SER is well-placed to continue its success story as an enterprise software player of scale in the large and growing global ECM market. We are delighted to partner with TA as the new lead investor in SER as the Company enters the next phase of its growth journey.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

 

Contacts

For SER
Maureen Cueppers
maureen.cueppers@sergroup.com

 

For TA
Maggie Benoit
mbenoit@ta.com

 

For Carlyle
Nicholas Brown
nicholas.brown@carlyle.com

 

About SER
Trusted by over 5 million users worldwide, SER is defining Intelligent Content Automation (ICA), the next generation of Enterprise Content Management which leverages AI to provide intelligent content understanding and process automation. SER’s highly scalable Doxis platform brings ICA capabilities into a single, unified platform that works seamlessly across multiple applications and vendor ecosystems, such as SAP, Salesforce and Microsoft. Offering many pre-built solutions and user-friendly no-code tooling, SER’s Doxis delivers rapid time-to-value, superior ROI and lower total cost of ownership for next-generation content applications. Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, SER has a well-established market leadership position in DACH and a fast-growing international business with blue-chip customers around the world.

 

About TA
TA is a leading global private equity firm focused on scaling growth in profitable companies. Since 1968, TA has invested in more than 560 companies across its five target industries – technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TA collaborates with management teams worldwide to help high-quality companies deliver lasting value. The firm has raised $65 billion in capital to date and has over 150 investment professionals across offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Austin, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

 

About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across its business and conducts its operations through three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $426 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2023, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,200 people in 28 offices across four continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. For more, follow Carlyle on LinkedIn and X.

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TA Announces Completion of Tender Offer for Payroll Inc.

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TA associates

BOSTON, HONG KONG AND TOKYO – March 19, 2024 – TA Associates (“TA” or the “Firm”), a leading global private equity firm, through its fund entity K.K. TA Associates Japan 1, today announced the successful completion of its tender offer (the “Offer”) to acquire all outstanding ordinary shares and stock acquisition rights of Payroll Inc. (“Payroll”), a leading mission-critical, tech-enabled payroll services provider for large enterprises in Japan. The Offer was completed as part of a Management Buyout (“MBO”) for Payroll’s shares in partnership with Tetsuya Yuasa, Payroll’s founder and current CEO.

The Offer, which commenced on January 25, 2024, for JPY1,380 in cash per share and JPY 87,000 in cash per stock acquisition right, completed as scheduled on March 11, 2024. At the time of completion of the tender offer period, approximately 87.87% of Payroll’s shares have been tendered on a fully diluted basis (together with the non-tendered shares and stock acquisition rights, the voting rights of which are agreed to be exercised in concert with TA under the non-tender agreements, 97.17% in total). All of such shares have been accepted for payment in accordance with the terms of the Offer, and TA expects to promptly pay for such shares.

As part of the delisting process from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, TA will over the coming months acquire the remaining shares from minority shareholders through a series of procedures and share purchases. Upon completion of the transaction, which is expected in Q3 2024, Payroll will become a privately held company, with Mr. Yuasa continuing to serve as CEO and joint shareholder with TA.

“Payroll has established itself as a leading technology-first player in the payroll services industry, demonstrating a strong commitment to innovation and an understanding of customer requirements in Japan,” said Edward F. Sippel, Head of Asia Pacific & Managing Director at TA. “With an attractive service proposition and strong market tailwinds for payroll outsourced services in Japan, we believe Payroll is well-positioned to expand its product portfolio and market presence across Japan. We are excited about the completion of this transaction and honored to partner with Tetsuya Yuasa and Payroll’s management team on the next chapter of the Company’s growth journey.”

The payroll services and solutions market in Japan has seen strong growth in recent years as companies increasingly utilize outsourcing capabilities to address staff shortages, streamline the complex payroll process and allow for companies to focus on their core business. Taking Payroll private will enable the Company to further strengthen its product suite and service offering, and allow for the pursuit and execution of strategic opportunities in the market.

“TA shares our vision for growth, and the Firm’s experience and resources make it a strong partner to accelerate our strategic execution,” said Tetsuya Yuasa. “It’s an exciting time to be part of Payroll, with new opportunities on the horizon for employees and customers alike, and we welcome TA for the next stage of Payroll’s business development.”

“We have been deeply impressed by Tetsuya Yuasa’s vision and strategy for Payroll, which has built the Company into a category leader in the payroll services segment in Japan with best-in-class customer retention,” said Taisuke Asada, Senior Vice President at TA. “We believe TA’s resources and experience scaling growth companies will further accelerate Payroll’s growth, both organically and through M&A, cementing its leading market position in payroll services.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

About TA
TA is a leading global private equity firm focused on scaling growth in profitable companies. Since 1968, TA has invested in more than 560 companies across its five target industries—technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TA collaborates with management teams worldwide to help high-quality companies deliver lasting value. The firm has raised $65 billion in capital to date and has over 150 investment professionals across offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Austin, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

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Verdane backs Nordic software leader Ingrid

Verdane Capital

  • Over 85% of shoppers churn after a poor delivery experience 
  • Ingrid creates delivery experiences that fit people’s lives. With over 130 million orders processed, Ingrid’s AI and tech-driven platform is trusted by more than 250 retailers  
  • Ingrid continues expanding and has signed major brands and retailers such as Paul Smith, ME+EM, Sneakersnstuff, Estrid and Farmasiet in the last year 
  • Verdane’s investment will enable the company to continue its international expansion across the Nordic markets, the UK and the Netherlands to become Europe’s leading delivery experience platform 

Verdane, the European specialist growth investor, has announced that it has invested in Ingrid, the Sweden-headquartered leading delivery experience platform. The oversubscribed €21 million transaction was led by Verdane with participation from Schibsted Ventures. 

Ingrid’s delivery experience platform connects retailers, carriers and consumers to create a better shopping experience. Ingrid optimises e-commerce delivery experiences for more than 250 global online retailers, processing over 40 million orders per year across over 180 countries and is building an increasingly international client lineup, with key recent customer wins including Paul Smith, ME+EM, Sneakersnstuff, Estrid and Farmasiet. 

As retail has shifted online, it has created pain points for everyone involved including consumers, retailers and carriers. Delivery has proven to be one of the most impactful, and costly, stages of e-commerce purchases: over 85% of shoppers churn after a poor delivery experience (Ipsos study, 20221); and 53% of shipping costs come from last-mile delivery (EMarketer, 20232). Delivery is not just last-mile; the delivery experience spans the entire e-commerce customer journey. Ingrid’s solutions cover the end-to-end experience from online checkout to order tracking and returns, along with related operations, including transport administration and store-based fulfilment.  

With Ingrid, retailers can manage the delivery experience in a multi-dimensional environment including product-specific requirements, multi-channel and/or multi-market, and A/B test to optimise the consumer experience. Consumers receive personalised delivery options that fit their lives thanks to smart logic relying on AI that analyses location, timing, sustainability and more. This has proven to lead to higher on-site conversion rate, lower shipping costs and an increase in shipping revenue for merchants. Ingrid customers have achieved over 15% increases in conversion, 10% net delivery cost savings and 82% increases in shipping revenue. 

 

Ingrid’s management team has partnered with Verdane to continue the company’s growth through international expansion and product development. Ingrid has also recently expanded its product portfolio through the acquisition of returns platform Turnr, announced in November 2023. 

Björn Beckman, Principal at Verdane, said: “At Verdane, we are excited to strengthen our partnership with Ingrid – a company we deem to have category leader potential in the European Delivery Experience Software market. With its leading technology and innovative product suite covering the entire e-commerce consumer journey, Ingrid is well-placed to significantly improve the online shopping experience for merchants, carriers and consumers alike. As the preferred partner to growing tech-enabled businesses across Europe and with its extensive experience backing software businesses, Verdane is perfectly positioned to support Ingrid as it continues to grow its platform and scale its operations across Europe. We look forward to closely collaborating with Piotr Zaleski and his team on this journey.” 

Piotr Zaleski, CEO and co-founder of Ingrid, said: “Everyone who has ever shopped online has had a bad delivery experience. Ingrid is here to change that. We’re entering a delivery-first era where delivery is no longer an afterthought. Product and price have traditionally been the two key decision drivers for consumers, but delivery is just as integral now. Retailers who don’t adapt to this reality will lose customers to competitors who provide personalised delivery via a wide network of well-known global players and hyper-local carriers. That’s where Ingrid comes in. We are positioned to drive fundamental change in the industry, helping mid-market and enterprise retailers create a delivery experience that drives purchases, customer loyalty and satisfaction.” 

 

About Ingrid

The leading Delivery Experience Platform Ingrid was founded in 2015 with a mission to create deliveries that fit people’s lives. Ingrid connects retailers, carriers, and consumers to help e-commerce businesses drive sustainable growth and give shoppers the power to personalize delivery and returns. The result is a better overall customer experience and greater efficiency for both the retailer and the delivery carrier. From product discovery to potential return, Ingrid’s product portfolio covers the full customer journey. With over 100 employees, Ingrid has offices in Sweden, Poland and the UK. Ingrid has processed more than 130M orders on its platform. Over 250 retailers use the service, including Paul Smith, ME+EM, GANT, Nudie Jeans, Samsoe Samsoe, NA-KD, and more. 

About Verdane

Verdane is a specialist growth investment firm that partners with tech-enabled and sustainable European businesses. Verdane can invest as a minority or majority investor, either in single companies or through portfolios of companies, and looks to deploy inside two core growth themes; digitalisation and decarbonisation.   

Verdane funds hold over €6.9 billion in total commitments and have made over 400 investments in fast-growing businesses since 2003. Verdane’s team of over 140 investment professionals and operating experts, based out of Berlin, Munich, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Oslo and Stockholm, is dedicated to being the preferred growth partner to tech-enabled and sustainable businesses in Europe.  

Verdane is also a certified B Corporation, the most ambitious sustainability accreditation globally. The firm only backs businesses that pass its 2040 test, which indicates whether the company can thrive in a more sustainable future economy.  

Verdane is partly owned by the Verdane Foundation, which is focused on focused on two areas: climate change and more equitable and inclusive local communities. 

Further information: www.verdane.com    
Follow Verdane on LinkedIn 

Press contacts

Verdane Press Office
press@verdane.com
+44 7462 607105

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Francisco Partners to Acquire Jama Software For $1.2B

Franciso Partners

Investment builds on an organic tripling of recurring revenue in 5 years to further extend the company’s leadership position in intelligent engineering management

PORTLAND, Ore. and LONDON, March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Jama Software®, an industry leading requirements management and traceability solution provider, announced today that Francisco Partners has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Company from shareholders including Insight Partners and Madrona Ventures for $1.2 billion. Marc Osofsky, Jama Software CEO, will personally reinvest and continue to lead the company.

“We are thrilled to work with Francisco Partners and leverage their expertise as we further accelerate our rapid expansion across enterprises, industries and continents”, said Marc Osofsky, CEO, Jama Software. “We thank Insight Partners, who have been tremendous supporters of Jama Software’s growth over the past six years.”

“The engineering management market is in the early stages of a fundamental transformation which Jama Software is at the forefront of. We are ecstatic to be partnering with Marc and his team in continuing to execute on their industry-leading vision and strategy”, said Petri Oksanen and Mario Razzini, Partners at Francisco Partners.

Jama Software has rapidly become a market leader in Requirements Management & Traceability and leads the market in customer satisfaction ratings, NPS scores, SaaS scale, security and SOC2 compliance, usability, performance, breadth and depth of integrations, measured process improvement, benchmarking, NLP and more. Jama Software helps companies intelligently improve their development process to reduce defects, delays, cost overruns and recalls.

“We’re delighted to have collaborated closely with Marc and the Jama Software team as they’ve navigated significant growth and emerged as a market leader,” said Richard Wells, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “As Jama Software embarks on their exciting new chapter of expansion and innovation, this acquisition by Francisco Partners reflects Jama Software’s success and the Company’s ability to consistently deliver exceptional value to customers worldwide.”

The investment by Francisco Partners is subject to customary closing conditions.

Evercore acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Jama Software and Insight Partners and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP acted as legal advisor. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as financial advisor to Francisco Partners and Paul Hastings LLP acted as legal advisor.

About Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners is a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology and technology-enabled businesses. Since its launch nearly 25 years ago, Francisco Partners has invested in more than 400 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. With approximately $45 billion in capital raised to date, the firm invests in opportunities where its deep sectoral knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential. For more information on Francisco Partners, please visit www.franciscopartners.com.

About Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a global software investor partnering with high-growth technology, software, and Internet startup and ScaleUp companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. As of December 31, 2023, the firm has over $80B in regulatory assets under management. Insight Partners has invested in more than 800 companies worldwide and has seen over 55 portfolio companies achieve an IPO. Headquartered in New York City, Insight has offices in London, Tel Aviv, and the Bay Area. Insight’s mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with tailored, hands-on software expertise along their growth journey, from their first investment to IPO. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit insightpartners.com or follow us on X @insightpartners.

About Jama Software

Jama Software® is focused on maximizing innovation success in multidisciplinary engineering organizations. Numerous firsts for humanity in fields such as fuel cells, electrification, space, software-defined vehicles, surgical robotics, and more all rely on Jama Connect® requirements management software to minimize the risk of defects, rework, cost overruns, and recalls. Using Jama Connect, engineering organizations can now intelligently manage the development process by leveraging Live Traceability™ across best-of-breed tools to measurably improve outcomes. Our rapidly growing customer base spans the automotive, medical device, life sciences, semiconductor, aerospace & defense, industrial manufacturing, consumer electronics, financial services, and insurance industries.

For more information about Jama Connect services, please visit https://www.jamasoftware.com/

Media Contact

Karrie Sundbom

Senior Director, Corporate Marketing, Jama Software

marketing@jamasoftware.com

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