Tag Archives: Software

Oakley Capital invests in Horizons Optical

Oakley Capital, the leading pan-European, mid-market private equity investor, is pleased to announce that Oakley Capital Origin Fund I is investing in Horizons Optical, a provider of medical software used to make premium spectacle lenses.

Origin is acquiring a majority stake in the business alongside CEO Santiago Soler, who will retain a significant share in the business and will continue to lead Horizons. As part of the agreement, Oakley is acquiring the shares in Horizons owned by Sherpa Capital, a leading private equity firm in Iberia.

Founded in Barcelona in 2017, Horizons’ proprietary and patented software is used by independent laboratories around the world to manufacture bespoke, ‘progressive’ lenses that can correct a range of eye conditions including short, mid and far sightedness as well as astigmatism, all in one lens. Lenses manufactured using Horizons’ patented technology are positioned in the highest value-added segments of the optical industry, standing out for their distinctive qualities and outstanding optical performance. 10 million lenses were produced with Horizons’ technology in 2023.

Horizon Optical

Horizons also provides equipment for opticians with the capability to scan consumers’ faces and measure relevant facial parameters for the manufacturing of lenses and frames.

Horizons has a strong, historical track record generating double-digit revenue growth. The fast-growing business is internationally diversified with Europe and the US each accounting for approximately a third of revenues, followed by APAC and South America.

Horizons operates in a lens market with strong, long-term growth prospects, underpinned by a growing ageing population and the increased incidence of vision conditions caused by excessive screen time on mobile phones and desktop computers. At the same time, Horizons is growing the market by developing tools to help opticians sell to more customers, including its recently-launched Mimesys virtual reality headset which enables optometrists to accurately measure customers’ eyes in order to produce bespoke lenses.

 

Oakley’s Investment

Oakley’s investment in Horizons reflects its strategy of partnering with founder-led, entrepreneurial businesses to help them innovate and accelerate growth.  Oakley will leverage its strong track record of building market leaders to help Horizon accelerate its international growth plans, taking market share as a high-quality, innovative solution for lens manufacturers and opticians looking to offer bespoke eyecare solutions for consumers, while also leveraging its strong market reputation for exceptional customer service. Oakley will also support investment into R&D and Sales & Marketing to ensure Horizons continues to win as an innovator and disruptor in its core markets.

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Oakley Capital invests in Spanish transport and logistics software business Alerce30.10.23

This will be Oakley’s sixth deal in Spain, following vLex, Seedtag, Alerce, Grupo Primavera (now part of Cegid), idealista, and several education assets, reinforcing its commitment to Iberia as a key investment destination. It will also be Origin I’s 9th investment after which the Fund will be c.75% invested.

Quote Peter Dubens

Horizons Optical has all the hallmarks of a typical Oakley deal: a disruptive market leader, with strong software IP and led by an exceptional management team. We look forward to working with Santiago to help the business realise its full potential, taking advantage of strong market growth drivers as well as leveraging our expertise helping to scale software businesses including Grupo Primavera in Iberia.

Peter Dubens

Founder and Managing Partner — Oakley Capital

Quote Santiago Soler

Our focus on quality, innovation and exceptional customer care have driven Horizons’ strong performance to date. Oakley clearly shares our values and so we are delighted to be partnering with the firm as we embark on the next stage of our expansion. We have travelled this path of growth alongside a strong partner in Sherpa Capital, to whom we are grateful not only for their investment in Horizons and belief in our potential but also for providing the company with a spirit of continuous improvement and excellence. We see enormous potential to further grow our international business, benefitting from Oakley’s expertise to expand our service offering and drive professional improvements across our business.

Santiago Soler

CEO — Horizons Optical

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Additional capital for app NeoTaste to continue international expansion.

Burdaprincipal

 

Last summer, Burda Principal Investment (BPI) led NeoTaste’s Series A funding round. Now, the growth capital provider of Hubert Burda Media is also participating in the next round. The app-based solution for connecting restaurants with their customers convinced BPI with its early traction, scalability, and network effects.

 

Scalability and network effects convinced BPI early on

The company raised €15.1 million in the current Series A extension which was led by European venture capital fund Earlybird.

The app is based on bringing consumers and restaurants together on the platform to create a win-win situation. Consumers receive exclusive dining deals and restaurants can expand their customer base. The service is free of charge for restaurants and funded by a subscription model on the consumer-side. Over the past six months, BPI’s portfolio company has shown impressive growth figures: In August 2023, 300,000 users were able to choose from around 1,300 restaurants in 13 German cities. Today, 750,000 consumers use the app, which provides them access to deals in more than 3,000 restaurants across 27 German cities. And the offer is continuously growing: the start-up is currently adding one new city to their offering every week.

Aiming for further international expansion and new features

Apart from expanding to multiple German cities, NeoTaste has also started to go international this year. Amsterdam, the first city outside of Germany, was launched in February and the capital from the current funding round will be used to continue international expansion. NeoTaste aims to make the app available in numerous additional German and European cities by the end of the year. Additionally, NeoTaste is planning new features to further enhance the digital interaction between restaurants and customers, including direct reservation capabilities.

“Our investment in NeoTaste in the summer of 2023 was a clear commitment to the company’s impressive growth and potential. The success beyond our expectations, especially in terms of expansion and internationalisation, reinforces our enthusiasm,” says Friedrich von Wulffen, Investment Manager at BPI.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Hendrik, Tobias and the entire team – now alongside Earlybird as a new and strong partner,” adds Julian von Eckartsberg, Managing Director Europe at BPI.

“”The last six months of collaboration between NeoTaste and BPI have been an incredible journey. Julian and Friedrich recognised the potential of NeoTaste early on and placed a lot of trust in us. We are very pleased that we have been able to turn this trust into action and results at an early stage. Receiving further capital just six months after the last funding round opens new doors for us. After a successful partnership so far, we are delighted that BPI is again participating in this round and continues to place its trust in us”, explains NeoTaste CEO Hendrik Sander.

Win-win for restaurants and consumers

NeoTaste Co-Founders Hendrik Sander and Tobias Düser launched the app in September 2021. After using the time during the covid pandemic, when restaurants were closed, to prepare their platform, NeoTaste was subsequently launched with first deals in Hanover. While subscribers benefit from offers – such as ‘two main courses for the price of one’ – the restaurant can use NeoTaste to promote itself, generate new customers and receive customer reviews.

NeoTaste
Founding members of Neotaste: Tobias Düser and Hendrik Sander

NeoTaste
Through the B2C platform, restaurants can offer exclusive deals and users can discover new locations
by Katharina Richter
Senior PR Manager, Hubert Burda Media
katharina.richter@burda.com

 

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Nordic Capital to invest in leading digital insurance payments network One Inc to drive continued growth and product innovation

Nordic Capital

Strategic investment will support One Inc’s mission to digitalize and modernize the insurance industry

Nordic Capital, one of the most active and experienced investors in Technology & Payments globally, today announced that it will join Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm that invests in high-growth, disruptive companies, as an investor in One Inc (the “Company”), a digital payments platform specializing in modernizing the insurance industry in North America. Great Hill Partners invested in One Inc in 2020 and will retain an equal stake to Nordic Capital alongside a significant continuing investment from the Company’s current management team.

Founded in 2012, One Inc’s mission is to help insurance companies digitalize and modernize payments through cutting-edge technology that places customers at the center of every transaction. From premium payments to claims disbursement, One Inc strives to ensure a frictionless experience, merging all payment flows into one comprehensive platform. One Inc Digital Payments Platform is designed to integrate with modern and legacy insurance core systems, engaging policyholders through the channels they use most while securely processing payments through those same channels. Today, the Company has close to 500 employees, handles annual payments of USD 70 billion, and has one of the largest networks in the industry with over 700,000 vendors. One Inc proudly serves over 240 customers in the insurance industry, including Amica Insurance, MAPFRE, SageSure, Tower Hill Insurance, Wawanesa Insurance, and others.

The insurance industry faces a landscape defined by digital transformation, economic shifts, and environmental disruption, prompting it to innovate and optimize. One Inc’s payment network is well-positioned to accelerate and drive transformation, currently demonstrating over 65% year-over-year revenue growth.

Nordic Capital has over 30 years of experience accelerating the growth of innovative technology companies and is set to leverage its deep sub-sector and operational knowledge to create value and boost One Inc’s ambitious plans. Nordic Capital also has a long history of investing in partnerships with owners, founders, and management. It has made 30 technology investments in companies with an aggregate enterprise value of over EUR 24 billion. It made its first investment in Payments 20 years ago and has since partnered with several innovative payment companies, including Point International, Bambora, Trustly, and PayWithMyBank. In addition, Nordic Capital has invested in a variety of financial services businesses – including insurance carriers – for many years, bringing an extensive network of industrial advisors and an in-house operations team. This transaction represents Nordic Capital’s third investment in an innovative software company in North America in the last couple of months.

Fredrik Näslund, Partner and Head of Technology & Payments, and Mohit Agnihotri, Partner, Nordic Capital Advisors, said: “Nordic Capital is a longtime admirer of One Inc, which has stood out for solving the unique and complex challenges of digital payments in the insurance industry. Through its innovative solutions, the Company is transforming and simplifying payments for the entire insurance ecosystem benefitting carriers, consumers, and vendors alike. The management team, together with Great Hill Partners, has achieved impressive results. Nordic Capital is thrilled to be joining them for the next leg of the Company’s growth journey and utilizing our combined deep sector experience, extensive network, and active owner approach to fuel One Inc’s ambitious growth plans even further.”

Matt Vettel and Nick Cayer, Managing Directors at Great Hill Partners, said: “One Inc has been at the forefront of helping to shape the future of the insurance industry through digitalization and transformative products that seek to make the payment process as seamless as possible. Led by a seasoned and talented management team, the Company has consistently demonstrated its ability to innovate for customers. Since our initial investment in One Inc, the business has rapidly grown volume processed by 13x and is still early in market adoption, so we continue to have strong conviction in its potential to further scale. We welcome Nordic Capital to the investor group and look forward to combining our expertise with their deep industry experience to support the Company’s continued growth.”

Ian Drysdale, CEO of One Inc, said: “We have built an amazing business in collaboration with our insurer clients by putting them at the center of everything we do. We continue to see exponential growth and excellent customer loyalty, underscoring the strength of our model and industry-leading payments network of more than 700,000 vendors. The sector experience and resources that Nordic Capital and Great Hill bring to this partnership will fuel additional product innovation and drive new opportunities for growth as we continue to provide solutions that improve efficiency and boost revenue for today’s insurers.”

In addition to One Inc, Great Hill’s current portfolio of financial technology and payment companies includes NMI, Paytronix, Vanco and VersaPay. Prior financial technology and payment investments include Accelerated Payment Technologies, AffiniPay, BillMatrix, Chrome River, Confirmation.com, Custom House, MineralTree and Vigo.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the investment is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Raymond James, J.P. Morgan and TD Cowen are serving as financial advisors and Goodwin Procter LLP as legal advisor to One Inc. William Blair is serving as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis as legal advisor to Nordic Capital.

 

About One Inc

One Inc is modernizing the insurance industry through a unified and frictionless payment network. Focusing only on the insurance industry, One Inc helps carriers transform their operations by reducing costs, increasing security, and optimizing customer experience. The comprehensive end-to-end digital payments platform provides expanded payment options, multi-channel digital communications and rapid digital claim payments, even for more complex insurance use cases. As one of the fastest-growing digital payments platforms in the insurance industry, One Inc manages billions of dollars per year in premiums and claim payments. For more information, please visit www.oneinc.com.

 

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading sector-specialist private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and Industrial & Business Services. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested over EUR 25 billion in more than 145 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital XI with EUR 9.0 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution with EUR 1.2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and South Korea. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com.

“Nordic Capital” refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures, and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital’s entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as “Nordic Capital Advisors.”

 

About Great Hill Partners

Founded in 1998, Great Hill Partners is a private equity firm targeting investments in high-growth companies across the software, digital commerce, financial technology, healthcare, and digital infrastructure sectors. With offices in Boston and London, Great Hill has raised over $12 billion of commitments and invested in more than 95 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and providing flexible resources to help middle-market companies scale. Great Hill has been recognized for its industry leadership, being ranked #4 in the 2023 HEC Paris-Dow Jones Mid-Market Buyout Performance Ranking on March 6, 2024, which evaluated fund performance of 632 leading private equity firms between 2010-2019[1]. For more information, including a list of all Great Hill investments, visit www.greathillpartners.com.

 

Media contacts:

Nordic Capital
Katarina Janerud
Communications Manager, Nordic Capital Advisors
+46 8 440 50 50
katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com

US media contact – Brunswick Group
NordicCapital@brunswickgroup.com


Great Hill Partners
FGS Global
greathill@fgsglobal.com
+1 212 687-8080


One Inc
Ana Pallas
Stanton Public Relations & Marketing
apallas@stantonprm.com
+1 415 867-6262

 

 

[1] Great Hill Partners did not submit a nomination to be considered for this list nor did it pay to be selected to/included on the list.

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Questel Achieves New Milestone for AI-Elevated Intellectual Property Solutions with Strategic Acquisition of qatent

IK Partners

Questel, a global leader in intellectual property (IP) management and technology services, is proud to announce the acquisition of qatent, a tech company whose use of artificial intelligence (AI) has broken new ground in the IP sector. This acquisition will bring forth a new era of sophisticated, AI-enhanced tools and services that will elevate global IP portfolio management. Questel’s acquisition of qatent represents a key component of its strategy to integrate AI-driven solutions into software and services at a level never before seen in the IP industry. With its extensive generative AI expertise and proven applications, qatent aligns perfectly with Questel’s vision for elevated AI-driven IP solutions.

qatent emerged from the distinguished AI research center INRIA Paris and has since become a cornerstone of innovation in the use of AI for IP management thanks to the leadership of its diverse and international team. Founded by a French IP attorney and a leading German AI researcher, from the Université Paris-Saclay, a European scientific and technological excellence cluster, qatent is not only pioneering the application of AI technologies in patent search and drafting but has already achieved notable success in these areas.

Remarking on the acquisition, Charles Besson, CEO at Questel, said: “The significance of AI in our field necessitates an internalized approach which partnerships simply cannot offer. In addition to immediately impacting patent drafting and searching, AI will directly benefit several of our other products such as Equinox, our highly successful IPMS solution.”

Echoing this sentiment, François Veltz, CEO at qatent, said: “qatent has always positioned the IP practitioners at the heart of its strategy, with the aim of augmenting them through machine capabilities.” “The unparalleled richness and structure of the Questel global patent, trademark and design databases is an incredible learning ground for our algorithms and will quickly give more depth to our calculations,” added Kim Gerdes, CTO at qatent.

Joining the Questel group enables qatent to overcome several previously insurmountable obstacles; in particular, the confidentiality of customer data according to the ISO 27001 standard for information security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection.

Questel’s integration of qatent’s capabilities not only enriches Questel’s AI Labs network across France, Germany, the USA, and Japan but also reaffirms its position as a tech leader in the IP services sector.

About Questel

Questel is a true end-to-end intellectual property solutions provider to more than 20,000 clients and one million users across 30 countries. Around our cutting-edge IPMS Equinox, Questel offers a comprehensive scope of software and services for managing all types of IP assets (Patent, Trademark, Design, Domain Name, Copyright, etc.) including searching, analyzing, and watching, international filing, translation, renewals and recordals. These solutions, when combined with our IP cost management platform, deliver clients an average savings of 30-60% across the entire prosecution budget. For more details about Questel and our innovative solutions, please visit www.questel.ai.

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About qantent

Originating from the world-renowned INRIA Paris Research Center, qatent is a distinguished company committed to advancing intellectual property management through artificial intelligence. Founded by eminent figures in AI research and IP law, qatent is at the cutting edge of developing solutions that significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of patent research, drafting, and a wide array of IP services.

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BB Capital takes majority stake in health app VYTAL

BB Capital

THE HAGUE – BB Capital Investments has taken a majority stake in VYTAL, an IT platform specialized in digital total solutions for the sports and health industry. Both parties announced this today. The company from Alphen aan den Rijn will use the investment to expand its unique market position in the Netherlands and Europe.

VYTAL supplies a complete software package to support coaches in their business processes and coaching activities. The company has been active in the growing digital health solutions market since 2019. The nutrition app managed to develop into an innovative platform with a complete offering where users and providers come together. The entire team of ten employees remains active from the head office in Alphen aan den Rijn.

Stephan Laurs, founder and CEO: “With BB Capital on board, we can roll out our strategy to become the all-in-one platform for coaches even more effectively. Our mission is to create a real vitality movement where, on the one hand, we help our users to become and remain vital, while we give our coaches all the tools to support users in this. From business administration to community and marketing support.”

Susan van Koeveringe, Managing Partner BB Capital Investments: “VYTAL has a clear focus on building a digital platform within which all activities for coaches come together. With the knowledge and drive of the VYTAL team, we are working with ambition to offer a total solution in this growing but fragmented market. We are excited to build a strong and innovative company together, both through organic growth and through multiple follow-up acquisitions in the Netherlands and abroad.”

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Kinnevik leads funding round in Mews

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Kinnevik
Kinnevik AB (publ) (“Kinnevik”) today announced an investment of USD 41m in Mews, the leading vertical software and payments solution for hotels. In line with its priority to concentrate capital deployment and portfolio weight towards its highest conviction companies, Kinnevik led the USD 110m funding round valuing the company at USD 1.2bn post-money.

Kinnevik first invested in Mews in December 2022, and since then the company has continued to execute on its vision to create the leading platform for the new era of hospitality. The funding follows a year of significant growth, in which Mews achieved:

  • Over 60% increase in revenue year-on-year, crossing USD 100m in annualized net revenue
  • A significant increase in Gross Payment Volume to over USD 8bn
  • Over 16 million annual check-ins at hotels worldwide
  • Three new acquisitions (Frontdesk Anywhere, Hotello and Nomi), taking the total number of hospitality companies acquired by Mews to eight

The new funding sets Mews up for further growth and enables the company to prioritize global expansion, research and development and acquisitions. Mews aims to revolutionize hotel operations with its cloud-based system that integrates with thousands of other tech solutions. Today, over 350,000 hospitality spaces are managed via Mews across 5,000 customers worldwide, including Strawberry Hotels, The Social Hub and Airelles.

Kinnevik led the USD 110m funding round with an investment of USD 41m, alongside Revaia, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Notion and new investor LGVP. The new funding values the company at USD 1.2bn, some 10% above Kinnevik’s assessed valuation in its 2023 year-end net asset value statement on a like for like basis.

Akhil Chainwala, Investment Director at Kinnevik, commented: “Matt and Richard are building a product and a team that is redefining the hospitality industry. In the short period of time since our initial investment, Mews has outperformed our expectations as it moved into new geographies and segments. Now, we are excited to further back the team to help them realize their ambitions and accelerate even more quickly – especially to extend the platform’s combination of software and payments. We’re looking forward to continuing this journey with Mews and being a part of the transformation that is happening across the industry.”

Richard Valtr, Mews Founder, commented: “We’re seeing a fundamental shift in the way the world’s leading hospitality brands are accelerating their digital transformation and reshaping the way they deliver hospitality. With this raise we will continue to build industry-leading products with a world-class team behind us. In five years, the way that hospitality brands and guests interact with each other will be completely different, with Mews leading the way.”

Matt Welle, CEO of Mews, added: “This funding is a credit to the strength of our vision, the Mews team, our forward-thinking customers and committed investors who have helped us get to where we are today. As more hoteliers embrace modern technology, we have a huge opportunity to help them streamline their operations, build more profitable businesses and deliver personalized guest experiences. Mews is in a unique position to truly transform the industry.”

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

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

Kinnevik’s ambition is to be Europe’s leading listed growth investor. We back the best digital companies for a reimagined everyday and to deliver significant returns. We understand complex and fast-changing consumer behaviours, and have a strong and expanding portfolio in healthcare, software, marketplaces and climate tech. As a long-term investor, we strongly believe that investing in sustainable business models and diverse teams will bring the greatest returns for shareholders. We back our companies at every stage of their journey and invest in Europe and the US. Kinnevik was founded in 1936 by the Stenbeck, Klingspor and von Horn families. Kinnevik’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm’s list for large cap companies under the ticker codes KINV A and KINV B.

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Quilvest Capital Partners invests in Acuiti Labs to drive further expansion

Quilvest Capital logo

06 March 2024 – Quilvest Capital Partners (“Quilvest”), a dedicated global mid and lower midmarket alternatives investment manager with over $7 billion in AUM, today announces its
investment in Acuiti Labs, a leading SAP consultancy specializing in optimizing the quote-to-cash
process.

Founded in 2014 by CEO Manoj Harbhajanka and headquartered in London, Acuiti Labs has
established itself as one of the largest consultancies dedicated to the quote-to-cash process, with
over 200 employees and global operations spanning North America, Europe and Asia. The
company advises large, blue-chip businesses seeking to optimize their revenue management and
billing processes through SAP Billing and Revenue Innovation Management (BRIM) solutions.
Quilvest’s investment will support Acuiti Labs’s continued global expansion strategy, including
further headcount growth and investment in technology, with a relentless focus on delivering bestin-class service, support and technology to its clients and partners.

With a global and diverse client base, Acuiti Labs delivers solutions aimed at making their
customers successful by monetizing services, minimizing revenue leakage and enhancing
financial reporting functionalities. The company derives 40% of its revenue from the U.S. market
and 55% from Europe, alongside other international regions.

Manoj Harbhajanka, CEO of Acuiti Labs, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Quilvest as our
strategic partner, poised to support our company in its next phase of growth. Leveraging their
professional expertise and extensive network, coupled with Acuiti Labs’s strong positioning and
talented management team, we are looking forward to further success.”
Benjamin Sass, Partner at Quilvest Capital Partners, said: “Acuiti Labs is at the forefront of an
enduring technology shift as companies across various industries seek to transform and optimize
their revenue models. We are honored that Quilvest Capital Partners has been selected as the
partner for Acuiti Labs’s next growth chapter, and we look forward to combining our international
reach and partnership approach with Acuiti Labs’s unique expertise and proven success in the
SAP BRIM space.”
-ENDS

About Quilvest Capital Partners
Quilvest Capital Partners is a leading global investment manager focused exclusively on the midmarket. It operates four investment strategies: Buyout; Primaries, Co-Investments and
Secondaries; Private Credit and Real Estate.
As one of the earliest pioneers in the alternative investment industry, we pride ourselves on our
rich and extensive history, with decades of experience deploying capital across multiple business
cycles and environments. We are trusted to manage over $7bn AUM for a prestigious base of
global investors, including leading pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, and family offices.

Our heritage dates back more than a century to 1917, managing the wealth of
our founding shareholder, the Bemberg family, which we continue to do today.
With six offices worldwide, our team is focused on identifying the global trends and themes
underpinning each investment strategy. We overlay this thematic approach with an extensive
global network of highly valued relationships, enabling us to identify and invest in the best
opportunities for our investors and partners.

Quilvest Capital Partners is committed to the highest standards of excellence. We offer best-inclass infrastructure and the professionalism of a leading global investment firm while retaining the
deeply personal, entrepreneurial, nimble approach routed in our origins.
For more information, visit www.quilvestcapitalpartners.com

About Acuiti Labs
Acuiti Labs, headquartered in London, is a global SAP consulting firm specializing in “Quote to
Cash” process transformation and optimization. As a SAP Silver Partner, we excel in delivering
business technology solutions and digital transformation by deploying SAP BRIM on S/4HANA
and cloud-based applications like Subscription Billing, CPQ and Entitlement Management.
With exceptional experience across various industries, Acuiti supports subscription and
consumption-based Target Operating Models, which is ‘Anything as a Service’ covering industries
like Public Transport, Automotive, Travel and Tourism, Ports (Airports & Seaports), Postal, Telco,
Media and Hi-Tech. Acuiti Labs prioritizes value realization and the monetization of digital assets, services and
strategies, offering end-to-end services covering Business & IT consulting, implementation,
training and managed support to our clients while keeping customer benefits at the forefront of
our efforts.

For more information, visit www.acuitilabs.com
Media contacts
Greenbrook
Tashi Lassalle / Demi Kurban / Sofia Newitt
+44 (0) 20 7952 2000
Quilvestcapital@greenbrookadvisory.com

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Nordic Capital makes majority investment in ActiveViam, provider of advanced analytics for financial institutions

Nordic Capital
  • The investment is made in partnership with ActiveViam’s founders and management to support and accelerate continued high-growth and expansion
  • Nordic Capital, a leading investor in banking software, will leverage its long-standing expertise and experience from accelerating digitization of the financial services industry 
  • The aim is to realize ActiveViam’s potential of improving the ever-growing needs of financial institutions’ regulatory compliance and real-time monitoring — as well as deep historical analysis — of performance, risk management and financial planning

 

Nordic Capital announced today it has acquired a majority stake in ActiveViam to support its next phase of growth. The investment is made in close partnership with ActiveViam’s founders and management who will invest alongside Nordic Capital.

ActiveViam is a leading provider of advanced analytics and decision-making solutions for financial institutions, including risk analytics and regulatory compliance software. The technology is purpose-built, scalable and handles massive datasets in sub-seconds. Founded in 2005 by industry experts, ActiveViam understands the data analytics faced by financial institutions across trading desks, risk and compliance, and its track differentiated core technology outperforms horizontal data aggregation and analytics tools.

ActiveViam serves a wide range of financial services organizations: Tier 1 and Tier 2 banks, hedge funds, asset managers, exchanges and regulators. The Company has lined up an extensive group of technology, system integrator, go-to-market and OEM partners, including Google, Accenture, AWS, Deloitte, ClickHouse, S&P Global, Snowflake, and Wolters Kluwer.

Financial analytics is a $10.4 billion addressable market growing at 13 percent a year, according to L.E.K. Consulting. Market drivers include continuous regulatory change, a focus on automation of manual processes, and an increasing need for a unified view of data spread across the fragmented IT ecosystem typical for large financial institutions.

As an experienced investor in the banking software sector, Nordic Capital aims to leverage its extensive expertise to scale the continued high organic growth of ActiveViam, by investing in the organization, driving continued excellence in R&D and new products, and by supporting partnerships and M&A.

Emil Anderson, Partner, Nordic Capital Advisors, said: “We are impressed by the ActiveViam team and what they have achieved:  they empower financial organizations to reduce risk and increase revenue by making better decisions, faster. Forty percent of Tier 1 banks worldwide work with ActiveViam technology, and the company has an especially strong footprint in Europe and North America.  With Nordic Capital’s prior experience in banking software, network of senior advisors, and internal operations resources, Nordic Capital is well positioned to support ActiveViam in its next stage of growth. Nordic Capital is excited about partnering with the founders and management to continue the company’s remarkable growth journey.”

Kathy Perrotte, CEO and Co-Founder, ActiveViam, said, “Nordic Capital’s investment is a great opportunity for ActiveViam and great news for our clients, partners and employees. As a large and respected private equity investor, Nordic Capital deploys its significant operational expertise, strategic capabilities and inventive approach to accelerate the growth of the technology leaders it invests in.  Nordic Capital recognizes the power, speed and flexibility of the technology our team has created for our financial services clients, and we look forward to their support as we make further advancements and explore acquisition opportunities.”

Nordic Capital has over 30 years’ experience of accelerating growth of innovative technology companies and is set to leverage its deep sub-sector and operational knowledge to create value and further boost the Company’s ambitious growth plans. As a leading specialized Technology & Payments investor globally, Nordic Capital has to date made 29 technology investments in companies with an aggregate enterprise value of close to EUR 24 billion.

As part of the transaction, Guidepost Growth Equity, which first invested in ActiveViam in 2019, will sell all its shares.

Raymond James was the exclusive financial advisor to ActiveViam on this transaction, and Broadhaven acted as financial advisor to Nordic Capital.

The parties have agreed that the terms of the transaction will not be disclosed. The transaction was completed on February 27, 2024.

 

About ActiveViam

ActiveViam is a pure player specializing in risk data analytics for the financial services sector, one of the fastest moving and most regulated industries. The Company has approximately 160 employees across offices in New York, London, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, Paris and Frankfurt.  ActiveViam has pioneered the use of high-performance analytics in finance, helping the largest investment banks, asset managers and hedge funds make better decisions, explain results with confidence, and simulate the impact of their decisions. ActiveViam’s mission is to deliver train-of-thought analysis on terabytes of data in the most cost-effective way so its customers can explain their results with confidence and model the scenarios that will optimize their business. For more information please visit: www.activeviam.com.

 

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading sector-specialist private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and Industrial & Business Services. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested EUR 23 billion in 140 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital XI with EUR 9.0 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution with EUR 1.2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and South Korea. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com.

“Nordic Capital” refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures, and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital’s entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as “Nordic Capital Advisors.”

 

Media contacts:

Nordic Capital
Katarina Janerud
Communications Manager, Nordic Capital Advisors
Tel: +46 8 440 50 50
e-mail: katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com

US media contact – Brunswick Group
NordicCapital@brunswickgroup.com


ActiveViam
Erica Fidel
Vice President, Marketing
Tel: +1 646 688 4442
e-mail: efi@activeviam.com

Hilary Condit
Communications Consultant
Tel: +1 914 886 5027
hco@ext.activeviam.com

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Adelis Equity Partners, via Adelis Fund II, exits Presto and HVD Group to a Continuation Vehicle led by HarbourVest Partners alongside Adelis Fund III

Adelis Equity

Adelis Equity Partners (“Adelis”) has raised a Continuation Vehicle to invest in Presto AB (“Presto”) and HVD Group (“HVD”, f.k.a. Hantverksdata), two portfolio companies in Adelis Equity Partners Fund II (“Adelis Fund II”). The Continuation Vehicle, which was led by HarbourVest Partners (“HarbourVest”), will invest alongside Adelis Equity Partners Fund III (“Adelis Fund III”) and the Adelis team.

Presto is the leading European player within fire safety and compliance services, having recently entered Germany through the acquisition of Jockel Brandschutztechnik Service GmbH, the German market leader in fire safety. Since being acquired by Adelis Fund II in December 2018, the company has quintupled its revenues to SEK 2.7 billion with healthy profitability.

Erik Hallert at Adelis says “Presto has had an impressive growth journey to date in the Nordics and has furthermore entered the German market through the transformative transaction with Jockel. We are excited about remaining as the majority shareholder in Presto and, together with management, taking part in the company’s continued growth in both existing and new geographic markets.”

HVD recently merged with Next One Technology (“Next”) to form a leading Northern European provider of ERP and project management software for the tradespeople and construction industries. Adelis Fund II acquired HVD in June 2018 and under Adelis’ stewardship, the business has more than tripled in size, increasing its share of recurring revenue from 66% to more than 90%. The merger with Next, in which the EQT X partnership became a co-investor in the group, further expanded the HVD business.

Joel Russ at Adelis says “After being partners with HVD for over five years and watching management and the company successfully develop into a leading, cloud-based software provider to the Nordic market for tradespeople, we continue to believe that the company is well-positioned in an attractive, growth market. We look forward to supporting HVD’s and Next’s continued growth.”

HarbourVest acted as lead investor in the EUR 430 million Continuation Vehicle, augmented by EUR 183 million of capital invested and committed from Adelis Fund III and the Adelis team.

Edward Holdsworth at HarbourVest says “We are pleased to expand our longstanding partnership with Adelis on this transaction and look forward to continuing to support the exciting growth prospects for Presto and HVD.”

Adelis was advised by Akin Gump, White & Case, PwC and Vinge on the transaction.

HarbourVest was advised by Kirkland & Ellis on the transaction.

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approval and is expected to close in April 2024.

About Adelis Equity Partners

Adelis is a growth partner for well-positioned, Nordic companies. Adelis partners with management and/or owners to build businesses in growth segments and with strong market positions. Since raising its first fund in 2013, Adelis has been one of the most active investors in the Nordic middle-market, making 39 platform investments and more than 200 add-on acquisitions. Adelis manages approximately €3.0 billion in capital. For more information, please visit www.adelisequity.com.

About HarbourVest Partners

HarbourVest is an independent, global private markets firm with 40 years of experience and more than $117+ billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2023. Our interwoven platform provides clients access to global primary funds, secondary transactions, direct co-investments, real assets and infrastructure, and private credit. Our strengths extend across strategies, enabled by our team of more than 1,150 employees, including more than 230 investment professionals across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.  Across our private markets platform, our team has committed more than $58 billion to newly-formed funds, completed over $50 billion in secondary purchases, and invested over $37 billion in directly operating companies. We partner strategically and plan our offerings innovatively to provide our clients with access, insight, and global opportunities. For more information, please visit www.harbourvest.com.

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Qics expands into the Nordic market with the acquisition of Danish Projectflow

Main Capital Partners

Qics, a leading Dutch provider of professional services automation (PSA), announces the acquisition of ProjectFlow, a Danish software provider for Project and Portfolio Management (PPM).

Combining the strengths of both companies in adjacent verticals will result in a market-leading best-of-breed offering in North-Western Europe, providing a solid basis for further internationalization. This acquisition marks the first add-on acquisition for Qics since entering into the strategic partnership with Main Capital Partners c. 2 years ago.

ProjectFlow is a Danish company, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Odense, Denmark, that develops and delivers a project and portfolio management tool. With 16 FTE, ProjectFlow develops and delivers the SaaS product ProjectFlow 365 to customers in Denmark and Norway. ProjectFlow currently has +80 customers, of which approximately two thirds is active within the public sector. The remaining customers are active across several verticals. ProjectFlow’s customer base includes entities such as the Municipality of Copenhagen, BITZER Electronics A/S, GLS, and the Danish Tax Authority.

Qics, a Dutch software company headquartered in Katwijk, The Netherlands, with a development office in Slovakia, is a leading provider of professional services automation (PSA) software. With over 350 clients, including ICT and SaaS companies such as xxllnc, BCS , accountancy customers such as Joanknecht, Londen & Van Holland and healthcare companies such as Proteion and Vierstroom Hulp Thuis, Qics empowers business service providers and healthcare companies in their digital transformation journey through smart SaaS solutions encompassing planning, time tracking, invoicing, and business intelligence. Employing over 30 full-time equivalents, Qics stands at the forefront of PSA, driving efficiency and innovation for its diverse clientele.

Mutually interchangeable product suites

Qics and ProjectFlow form a strategic partnership, leveraging their synergistic PSA and PPM product suites within Project Management. This collaboration integrates ProjectFlow’s scalable software, known for its flexibility with modules like document management, and its integration with Jira, which is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office and with Qics’ scalable best-of-breed solutions in time registration, planning, invoicing, as well as in business intelligence. The acquisition of ProjectFlow not only fosters strong cross-sell opportunities, as Qics’ modules such as Invoicing and Business Intelligence will be offered directly to ProjectFlow’s customer base and vice versa. This combination also enhances the overall solution suite, catering to both internal and external project management needs within the Project Portfolio Management space. This strategic move positions Qics for substantial growth and innovation in the competitive ICT and SaaS customer landscape.

Market-leading player in North-Western Europe

By combining ProjectFlow’s robust standing in the Danish Project Management Software market with Qics’ strong position in the Netherlands, the merged entity is poised to emerge as a major player in the Benelux and Nordics regions for Project Portfolio Management. This combination establishes a solid foundation for future buy-and-build strategies, propelling the group towards becoming a market-leading player in North-Western Europe. Qics’ geographical presence offers ProjectFlow an opportunity to expand its footprint in the Benelux, capitalizing on the high Microsoft adoption. Additionally, the combined group stands to benefit from Main’s expertise in internationalization and sales scalability within an expanded international framework.

Karsten Ley Poulsen, CEO of ProjectFlow, mentions: “The strategic partnership with Qics represents an exciting chapter for ProjectFlow. We look forward to integrating our scalable project and portfolio management tool with Qics’ best-of-breed solutions, creating a powerful offering for our customers. This collaboration not only expands our market reach, but also enhances our ability to provide innovative solutions in the Project Management space.”

Eddy Plasier, CEO of Qics, adds: “The acquisition of ProjectFlow strengthens the current offering of Qics and positions us well for further growth in ICT, SaaS and other verticals  in both The Netherlands as in the Nordics. We are excited to work with their enthusiastic team on modern solutions for Project Management in its broadest sense and are convinced our shared customer base will benefit from this collaboration.”

Ivo van Deudekom, Investment Director at Main concludes: “The strategic move marks a natural progression for Qics, extending their Project Management capabilities into Project Portfolio Management (PPM) while also entering the Nordics. The synergies between Qics and ProjectFlow are evident in the highly complementary functionalities, customer bases, and geographical focus. This acquisition creates a powerful combination, poised to deliver innovative solutions and strengthen our presence in the Project Management landscape. Lastly, Qics makes use of ProjectFlow’s software for the integration of both organizations, which we consider a blueprint for other companies with buy-and-build strategies. We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration brings and look forward to the growth and success it will unlock.”

We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration brings and look forward to the growth and success it will unlock.

– Ivo van Deudekom, Investment Director at Main Capital Partners

About

ProjectFlow

ProjectFlow is a Danish company, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Odense, Denmark, that develops and delivers a project and portfolio management tool. ProjectFlow develops and delivers the SaaS product ProjectFlow 365 to customers in Denmark and Norway. ProjectFlow 365 is utilized for project and portfolio management, resource management, and time registration. It is closely integrated with Microsoft 365. ProjectFlow currently has over 80 customers, of which approximately two thirds is active within the public sector. The remaining customers are active in energy/utilities, production, finance and professional services. Examples of such customers are: evida, sundhed and Dankske Spil. The clientele includes entities such as the Municipality of Copenhagen, Søstrene Grene, GLS, and the Danish Tax Authority. The company currently employs 16 FTE.

Qics

Founded in 2000, Qics is a dynamic company with approximately 30 employees dedicated to serving over 350 customers at a national and international level from offices in Katwijk and Slovakia. The diverse client base includes business service providers in accountancy (Lansigt Accountants and Tax Advisors and Vermetten Accountants and Advisors), consultancy (Verdonck, Klooster & Associates and House of Performance), IT (Ximedes and xxllnc), and the healthcare sector (Vierstroom Hulp Thuis and Florein Zorg). At the core of Qics’ portfolio are three robust SaaS solutions: QicsMilestones, QicsDashboards, and Assist Planner. QicsMilestones facilitates planning, time registration, and invoicing for business service providers, while QicsDashboards enables the creation of report models in Microsoft Power BI. Assist Planner is utilized by organizations offering care assistance. Currently boasting 20,000 users, all Qics products stand out for their user-friendliness, efficient and attractive design, and international scalability.

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