Nordic Capital exits investment in Vizrt Group to a new Nordic Capital-led consortium to further support successful growth journey

Nordic Capital
DECEMBER 28 2021
Nordic Capital exits investment in Vizrt Group to a new Nordic Capital-led consortium to further support successful growth journey Image

 

A Nordic Capital investment vehicle is exiting its investment in Vizrt Group to a new Nordic Capital-led consortium, comprising a secondary acquisition vehicle and other Nordic Capital investment vehicles. This transaction will allow Nordic Capital, alongside the Vizrt management team, to continue to support the business and its strategy over its next ownership cycle, providing capital to further fuel the strong growth momentum.

The secondary acquisition vehicle, which forms part of the new Nordic Capital-led acquiring consortium, was established with investment vehicles managed or advised by Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Vintage Funds, Pantheon and Coller Capital as co-leads.

Vizrt is a global leader in production software for live video production, serving the world’s best storytellers from tier one sports and news producers through to corporate, education and Pro-AV markets. Building on Vizrt’s leading technology platform, strong customer relationships and reputation for operational excellence, Nordic Capital has entered into a strategic transaction to enable it to further invest through a new consortium led by it in the ongoing development of the business. The aim is to further support Vizrt’s continued transition to a SaaS business model, accelerate new offerings, expanding its operational capabilities and pursuing add-on investments to complement the offering and further accelerate the group’s growth.

Following Nordic Capital’s initial investment in 2015, Vizrt has continued its innovation leadership in graphics and live production software, successfully expanded into new markets and regions and is today a global leading software provider for software defined visual storytelling solutions. During Nordic Capital’s ownership, expansion initiatives and product investments has doubled Vizrt’s revenues and accelerated organic growth leading to tripled profits. Furthermore, a top tier, globally recognised management team has been added, high calibre talent has been attracted throughout the business, and the IP video technology focus has been further enhanced with the acquisitions of NewTek and NDI.

“Vizrt is an exciting company that has consistently performed during Nordic Capital’s ownership. This transaction is an opportunity for Nordic Capital to continue to support Vizrt’s high-caliber management team and to further develop the company which has an exciting future ahead with strong growth potential. Vizrt will continue to benefit from Nordic Capital’s strong capabilities as software investor with an outstanding network and know-how in operational excellence. We are excited for Nordic Capital to have the opportunity to continue the journey together with Vizrt’s team who share the same vision of building a leading video software company which will drive the industry shift to IP and cloud adoption”, said Fredrik Näslund, Partner and Head of Technology & Payments at Nordic Capital Advisors.

“This continued investment validates the growth strategy we have embarked upon with Nordic Capital and is a strong endorsement of the capabilities of our team and the value we deliver for our customers every day. It will help us to better meet the evolving needs of our customers in the future by allowing us to realise our development plans, further deepening our innovative service offering”, said Michael Hallén, CEO of Vizrt.

Technology & Payments is one of Nordic Capital’s focus sector where it is has a long and extensive history and experience of investing and supporting sustainable growth in technology software companies. To date, Nordic Capital has deployed more than EUR 5.4 billion of equity across 23 technology companies since 2001 and has significant experience in software as well as payments.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, with completion of the transaction remaining subject to certain conditions such as satisfactory clearance from relevant anti-trust authorities.

Nordic Capital was advised in the process by, among others, Evercore as financial advisor, Kirkland & Ellis as lead legal counsel and Gernandt & Danielsson as Swedish legal counsel.

Press contacts:

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

Vizrt

Steve Wind-Mozley, Chief Marketing Officer
e-mail: swm@vizrt.com


About Vizrt
Vizrt is a global leader in production software for live video production, with large and diversified product segments serving News & Entertainment, Sports & eSports, Enterprise & Org. and Digital Industries.  The group contains three of the strongest names in the media and entertainment technology industry; NewTek, NDI® and Vizrt, all three being creative businesses, built on innovation and grown by the group’s people, with the goal of becoming the most recommended solution provider in the markets they serve. Vizrt combines strategic pillars of Content-Centricity, Software-Defined, IP First, and Innovation to increase its customers’ success in delivering engaging and immersive content to their audiences. Vizrt Group is a global and diverse organisation with over 600 employees from 58 different nationalities, with offices in 16 countries worldwide. For more information, please see www.vizrt.com

 

About Nordic Capital
Nordic Capital is a leading 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 selectively, Industrial & Business Services. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested more than EUR 19 billion in over 120 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital X with EUR 6.1 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”

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Maritime technology company Seaber.io to secure new growth funding

Seaber.io, the Finnish maritime technology company has raised EUR 1.5 million from Counterview Capital, Lifeline Ventures and Tesi to further develop the business.

Seaber is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact, inefficiencies and costs of bulk and break bulk shipping. Seaber’s cloud-based schedule planning, optimisation and communication solution helps charterers and shipowners to reduce emissions by improving asset utilisation.

“Seaber is set to modernize a traditional industry and bring new digital capabilities to maritime operators, driving significant environmental impact. As such it is a great fit with our Venture Bridge investment program. We are delighted to join a high-caliber investment syndicate supporting the company’s growth ambitions,” comments Juha Lehtola, Director of Tesi’s Venture Capital team.

Read more:

Press release by Seaber.io 21.12.2021

Additional information:

Juha Lehtola, Director, Venture Capital, Tesi
+358 400 647 671
juha.lehtola@tesi.fi

 

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned investment company that wants to raise Finland to the front ranks of transformative economic growth by investing in funds and directly in companies. We invest profitably and responsibly, hand-in-hand with co-investors, to create the world’s new success stories. Our investments under management total 2.1 billion euros. www.tesi.fi @TesiFII

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Advent International acquires majority stake in Encora, a leading provider of digital engineering services

Advent International

BOSTON and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. December 21, 2021Encora, a global digital engineering services company specializing in software product development services for fast-growing enterprises and digitally native companies and Advent International (“Advent”), a leading global private equity firm, today announced that Advent has acquired a majority stake in Encora’s business. As part of the agreement, Warburg Pincus, the existing majority shareholder of Encora, retains a minority stake.

“We are thrilled to enter into this partnership with Advent as we continue to scale our differentiated software engineering service offerings,” said Venu Raghavan, chief executive officer, Encora. “Advent’s deep business and technology services sector expertise, along with its global footprint, complements Encora’s strengths and creates opportunities to grow our business in key markets around the world.

Warburg Pincus has been a great partner to us over the last two and a half years, accelerating our rapid growth to a valuation of approximately $1.5B. We look forward to continuing to work alongside them in this next phase of growth.”

Encora is an established leader in outsourced software product development services, using deep technical expertise in machine learning, AI, data science, cloud services and other next-generation digital engineering disciplines to accelerate strategic innovation for tech-enabled companies whose market position and growth are driven by proprietary software products. Since rebranding as Encora in 2020, the Company has expanded its focus within the Consumer Tech and Enterprise Tech sectors, and grown its global talent pool to over 6,300 associates across 40 global offices across LatAm, India, APAC and the U.S.

“We have seen tremendous growth in the digital technology services sector over the past few years, as the need for strong technology products has escalated across industries,” said Shweta Jalan, managing director at Advent. Jan Janshen, managing partner at Advent, also said, “we believe Encora is well positioned to capitalize on the growing digital services market, and we are excited to partner with Venu, Encora’s talented management team, and Warburg Pincus to support the company’s growth in key markets across North America, Europe, India, Asia Pacific and Latin America, where Advent has a strong presence and domain expertise.”

This new partnership enables Encora to accelerate its global growth, both organically and through targeted M&A opportunities, expand its differentiated delivery model and advance its customer-facing digital services. Encora continues to focus on serving the software and digital engineering needs of enterprise SaaS companies, midmarket technology companies, and large enterprises.

“Encora has built an industry leading position, driven by its sharp customer focus and ability to attract high quality technology talent across the globe,” said Steven Glenn, managing director, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, Warburg Pincus. “Advent is a great addition to the team and we look forward to continuing to support Encora’s bright future.”

Advent, with $81 billion in assets as of June 30, 2021, has invested in over 380 companies across 42 countries, throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. It has significant investment experience in both the business and technology services sectors and in the key markets where Encora
operates.

About Encora

Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Encora is an established leader in software and digital engineering services, specializing in innovation acceleration for leading edge technology companies. Encora has over 6,300 associates in 40+ offices and innovation labs across U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, India, and Asia Pacific. Encora’s global talent pool, micro-industry vertical expertise and proprietary agile engineering capabilities enable clients to improve their speed to impact.

For more information, visit:
Website: www.encora.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/encorainc/

About Advent International

Founded in 1984, Advent International is one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors. The firm has invested in over 380 companies across 42 countries, and as of June 30, 2021, had $81 billion in assets under management. With 15 offices in 12 countries, Advent has established a globally integrated team of over 245 investment professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on investments in five core sectors, including business and financial services; health care; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology. After more than 35 years dedicated to international investing, Advent remains committed to partnering with management teams to deliver sustained revenue and earnings growth for its portfolio companies.

For more information, visit:
Website: www.adventinternational.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/advent-international

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $67 billion in private equity assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 215 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 20 private equity funds, which have invested more than $97 billion in over 960 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore.

For more information, visit:
Website: www.warburgpincus.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/warburg-pincus/

 

Media contacts

For Encora
Joshua Kanter, Chief Marketing Officer
480-991-3635
joshua.kanter@encora.com

Alec Robertson
Brodeur Partners on behalf of Encora
585-281-6399
arobertson@brodeur.com

For Advent International
Khushal Devera
Ketchum Sampark Pvt. Ltd.
+91 98196 66376
khushal.devera@ketchumsampark.com

For Warburg Pincus
Kerrie Cohen, Head of Corporate Communications, U.S.
212-878-9207
kerrie.cohen@warburgpincus.com

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KKR to Acquire Leading Software Provider Yayoi from ORIX

KKR

Investment elevates Yayoi into next phase of growth and enhances its work to meet digitalization needs of Japanese SMEs

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which KKR will acquire Yayoi Co., Ltd. (“Yayoi” or the “Company”), a software developer, distributor, and support service provider for small- and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) in Japan from ORIX Corporation (“ORIX”), a leading integrated financial services group.

Yayoi is the largest financial and accounting software provider for SMEs and sole proprietors in Japan, best known for its namesake accounting and tax filing software, widely used by Japanese SMEs. According to MM Research Institute and BCN, the Yayoi Series has been Japan’s number-one cloud accounting software for six consecutive years by number of users, and the number-one desktop business software for 22 consecutive years, with over 2.5 million registered users. Not only does Yayoi have strong brand recognition, but the Company plays a leading role in assisting Japan’s SMEs as they adopt greater digital solutions into their operations and migrate more functions to the cloud. Since 2020, the Company has also been involved in the launch of advocacy organizations including the Social Systems and Digitization Study Group and the E-Invoice Promotion Association, which both look to promote the digitalization of Japanese businesses.

KKR is one of the world’s leading diversified asset management companies, founded in 1976, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. As of the end of September 2021, KKR had assets under management of US$459 billion (~JPY52 trillion) and had completed investments in approximately 330 companies through its global private equity strategy.

KKR brings to Yayoi its strong expertise investing in and supporting the success of technology and software businesses globally, including companies focused on accounting and business solutions to SMEs. In the accounting and business software area for SMEs, KKR has a track record of investing in companies such as MYOB in Australia, Exact in the Netherlands, Visma in Scandinavia, and KiotViet in Vietnam. KKR has invested globally in a range of companies in the enterprise software and cloud and SaaS solutions space, such as Epicor, an ERP vendor in the United States; OneStream, a cloud financial accounting platform in the United States; SoftwareOne, an integrated business software and cloud solution in Switzerland; and dataX, the developer of the marketing tool b-dash in Japan.

Hiro Hirano, Co-Head of Private Equity for KKR Asia Pacific and CEO of KKR Japan, said, “SMEs account for the vast majority of companies in Japan. Considering this, we are pleased to add Yayoi to our global portfolio of software providers, and excited to support this important sector of the Japanese economy as SMEs strive to enhance their operational efficiency by digitally transforming their businesses. We see a terrific opportunity to increase Yayoi’s penetration across Japan and look forward to promoting the Company’s growth by leveraging our expertise in this segment.”

Nobuki Watanabe, Executive Officer, ORIX Corporation, commented, “Since we invested in Yayoi in December 2014, we have been working with the company’s management to significantly grow the business, leveraging our financial know-how and human resources. During this time, Yayoi has solidified its position as the firmly established leader in the domestic software service market for SMEs. As digitalization and cloud services grow in Japan, Yayoi now looks to a new phase of growth. We decided to proceed with this transaction with KKR in order to further support this new dynamic growth phase for Yayoi.”

Koichiro Okamoto, Yayoi Chief Executive Officer & President added, “By welcoming KKR as a new shareholder, Yayoi is even better enabled to provide further value beyond our current framework of providing business software. Together with KKR, we will not only support the growth of SMEs, the backbone of the Japanese economy, but also transform the business software industry in Japan and help to accelerate the digital transformation of society through dynamic and innovative product and service development beyond the current Yayoi SaaS products.”

The transaction is expected to be completed on March 1st, 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Further details of the investment have not been disclosed.

KKR is making its investment from its Asia IV Fund. The investment adds to KKR’s track record in Japan, where KKR’s current private equity portfolio includes Seiyu, Kokusai Electric (formerly Hitachi Kokusai Electric), PHC Holdings (formerly Panasonic Healthcare), Koki Holdings, Marelli (formerly Calsonic Kansei), and growth investments in dataX (formerly From Scratch) and NetStars. In addition, KKR’s infrastructure team recently announced an investment in Central Tank Terminal, a chemical tank terminal operator in Japan, and KKR’s real estate team completed its first investment in Japan in October 2021.

BofA Securities Japan Co., Ltd. acted as KKR’s financial advisor.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Yayoi Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1978, Yayoi is the largest financial and accounting software service provider in Japan. The Company is most recognized for its Yayoi Series and complementary business and business support services which are predominantly used and valued by SMEs, sole proprietors, and entrepreneurs to address their business needs. The Yayoi Series has been Japan’s top-selling software product for cloud accounting and for desktop business for 6 and 22 years, respectively, with a broad customer base of more than 2.5 million registered users. Across the wider business and business support segments, Yayoi also provides software solutions for those launching businesses and raising funds. Much of the Company’s recent focus has been on promoting digital transformation for Japan’s business community, as well as on activities that improve operational efficiency through the launch of the “Electronic Invoice Promotional Council” and other initiatives.

About ORIX

ORIX Corporation (TSE: 8591; NYSE: IX) is a financial services group which provides innovative products and services to its customers by constantly pursuing new businesses.

Established in 1964, from its start in the leasing business, ORIX has advanced into neighboring fields and at present has expanded into lending, investment, life insurance, banking, asset management, automobile related, real estate and environment and energy related businesses. Since entering Hong Kong in 1971, ORIX has spread its businesses globally by establishing locations in 28 countries and regions across the world.

Going forward, ORIX intends to utilize its strengths and expertise, which generate new value, to establish an independent ORIX business model that continues to evolve perpetually. In this way, ORIX will engage in business activities that instill vitality in its companies and workforce, and thereby contribute to society. For more details, please visit our website: https://www.orix.co.jp/grp/en/

(As of September 30, 2021)

 

Media:

KKR Asia Pacific
Anita Davis
+852 3602 7335
Anita.Davis@kkr.com
or
Wei Jun Ong
+65 6922 5813
WeiJun.Ong@kkr.com

KKR Americas
Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+1 212-750-8300
Media@kkr.com

Finsbury (for KKR Japan)
Deborah Hayden, +81 702492 0463
Hannah Perry, +81 70 3769 9633
FinsburyKKRJapan@finsbury.com

Source: KKR

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CONET Group acquires Karlsruhe-based ISB AG

IK Partners

CONET Group acquires Karlsruhe-based ISB AG, strengthening its market position in the public and automotive sectors

Common values and matching areas of focus form an ideal basis for successful cooperation in the CONET group of companies.

Hennef, December 15, 2021 – IT consulting firm CONET and the consultants and software developers of Karlsruhe-based ISB AG will combine their industry expertise, development know-how and consulting experience in the future. With this step, the two companies that have been successful individually in the IT services market for more than 30 years, will benefit from complementary services and customer relationships, particularly in the public and automotive sectors. The acquisition of ISB AG was supported by IK Partners, CONET Group’s majority investor, with whom CONET is consistently pursuing its growth course.

ISB AG, founded in 1981, has around 250 employees and specialises in software development and IT consulting. With the addition of ISB AG, which has its headquarters in Karlsruhe and offices in Berlin, Mainz and Stuttgart, the CONET group of companies is expanding its market position in key segments and extending its portfolio of solutions in the fast-growing consulting and service sectors of process automation, software development and digitalisation in public administration and industry.

Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed and the completion of the transaction is subject to legal and regulatory approvals.

“We have found an ideal new partner in ISB AG,” explains Anke Höfer, CEO of the CONET group of companies. With their distinctive expertise, especially in the areas of software development and process consulting, we are complementing our portfolio in a targeted manner and are jointly pursuing the strategy of further expanding our market position as a valued digitalisation partner.” ISB’s management team is guided by the same values as we are and has built a strong and innovative company that always keeps its finger on the pulse of digital development. We look forward to working with them to develop even more powerful solutions for our customers.”

Ralf Schneider, who has been a member of the ISB AG Executive Board since 2005, adds: “Open and cooperative partnership, respect, personal responsibility and, last but not least, transparency and a long-term approach are central cornerstones of our corporate philosophy. CONET Group shares these guiding principles, which are laid down in its corporate constitution CONET LIFE. This is the ideal basis for us to create maximum added value for our customers with our deep understanding of processes, industry knowledge and the highest methodological and technological competence and to offer our employees excellent prospects. We are looking forward to the future together in a strong group of companies!”

IK Partners
Deekeling Arndt/AMO
Natascha Divac
Phone: +49-162-9981108
natascha.divac@deekeling-arndt.com

CONET Technologies Holding GmbH
Simon Vieth, Spokesman
Phone: +49 2242 939-246
presse@conet.de

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Körber and KKR form strategic partnership to build a global supply chain software champion

KKR

December 14, 2021

Strategic partnership to create enhanced end-to-end capabilities for customers amid increasing supply chain complexity

 

Hamburg/Frankfurt, Germany and London, United Kingdom, 14 December 2021 – Körber, an international technology group, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that KKR has acquired a significant minority stake in Körber’s supply chain software business. This strategic partnership is expected to enable Körber’s supply chain software business to become a global leader with enhanced end-to-end solutions for customers worldwide. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Körber’s supply chain software business is among the top three global warehouse management software providers, delivering customers with differentiated warehouse management solutions (WMS) for varying operational complexities through software, voice and robotics solutions. With over 1,300 employees, the business has grown significantly over recent years, serving a diversified mix of more than 4,200 customers in different industries across over 70 countries.

Structural trends and market forces, including e-commerce, multi-channel, and micro-fulfilment, are amplifying the need for digital solutions to handle increased volume and overcome greater supply chain complexity.

KKR will work with Körber’s supply chain software business to pursue organic and inorganic growth strategies to expand the company’s geographic footprint, accelerate the transition to SaaS, automation and robotics, as well as to develop innovative digital solutions to support customers amid increasing warehouse automation and supply chain localization.

Stephan Seifert, CEO of the Körber Group, said: “I’m excited about this strategic partnership and the tremendous business opportunities evolving out of it. It is in Körber’s DNA to identify and develop attractive growth areas. With our supply chain software offerings, we strive to have a rich end-to-end application suite that provides enhanced software solutions to our customers all around the world. With KKR we have found a great business partner to accelerate our growth for supply chain software across additional products and regions. Always with one clear vision: market leadership through technology leadership for the benefit of our customers.”

Christian Ollig, Head of KKR for DACH, and Jean-Pierre Saad, Head of Technology for Private Equity in EMEA at KKR, commented: “A seamless and highly automated supply chain is business critical for enterprises of all sizes and we see significant growth potential in this market. Körber’s supply chain software business is already one of the leading providers with excellent expertise and capabilities in WMS including robotics and voice, led by an industry-leading management team. We look forward to the strategic partnership with Körber and to leveraging our experience of growth acceleration with global software businesses, as well as partnering with management, to help Körber’s supply chain software business reach its full potential in this attractive market.”

Chad Collins, CEO Software, Körber Business Area Supply Chain, says: “The strategic partnership with KKR is a great opportunity for us and we look forward to working with them and to drawing on their vast experience and track record of investing in and scaling software businesses globally. This will allow us to significantly accelerate our growth plan to build a global champion in supply chain software.”

KKR’s investment comes from its flagship European private equity fund, KKR European Partners Fund V, which has a long track-record in strategic partnerships with founders, corporates and management teams. KKR is one of the most active investors focused on building leading global technology enterprises, with global tech investments including Cegid, Exact Software, Cloudera, Darktrace, MYOB, Onestream, Epicor, iValua, Visma, among others. Across DACH, KKR has been investing on the ground for over 20 years primarily through strategic partnership deals such as in Axel Springer, Scout24, Wella, Unzer and SoftwareOne.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

– End –

About Körber

We are Körber – an international technology group with about 10,000 employees, more than 100 locations worldwide and a common goal: We turn entrepreneurial thinking into customer success and shape the technological change. In the Business Areas Digital, Pharma, Supply Chain, Tissue and Tobacco, we offer products, solutions and services that inspire. We act fast to customer needs, we execute ideas seamlessly, and with our innovations, we create added value for our customers. In doing so, we are increasingly building on ecosystems that solve the challenges of today and tomorrow. Körber AG is the holding company of the Körber Group.

About Körber’s Business Area Supply Chain

In the Business Area Körber Supply Chain, we have a broad range of proven supply chain solutions to fit our customers’ size, business strategy and appetite for growth. Our customers conquer the complexity of the supply chain thanks to our portfolio that includes software, automation, voice solutions, robotics and material handling – plus the systems integration expertise to tie it all together. Körber helps to manage the supply chain as a competitive advantage.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Further information is available at www.koerber-supplychain.com and www.koerber.com/en

 

Contact Körber:

Business media

Matthias Mezele

Senior Manager Corporate Communications

Körber AG Tel.: +49 40 211 07 364

Mob.: +49 173 75 19 148

E-Mail: matthias.mezele@koerber.de

 

Trade media

Heather Smith

Director Corporate Communications and Brand

Körber Supply Chain – Software

Tel.: +1.800.328.3271-2717

Mob.: +1.605.203.0605

E-Mail: heather.smith@koerber-supplychain.com

 

Contact KKR: Germany & Switzerland

Finsbury Glover Hering

Thea Bichmann

Tel: +49 172 13 99 761

E-Mail: kkr_germany@fgh.com

 

Finsbury Glover Hering

Emily Lagemann

Tel: +49 160 992 713 35

E-Mail: kkr_germany@fgh.com

 

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Transflo and True Wind Capital announce significant new equity investment from Bregal Sagemount

Truewind

New investment provides leading software company for the supply chain and transportation sectors with significant additional resources to drive growth

NEW YORK & SAN FRANCISCO, December 14, 2021 – Transflo, a leading provider of mobile business intelligence and payments facilitation tools to the transportation sector, today announced a significant new equity investment. Together with True Wind Capital (“True Wind”), a San Francisco-based private equity firm focused on investing in leading technology companies, Transflo welcomes Bregal Sagemount (“Sagemount”), a global private equity firm that specializes in backing growing companies to the Board and investor base. Carousel Capital, Transflo’s first institutional investor, remains a significant minority investor. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Transflo’s cloud‐based technologies digitize nearly 800 million shipping documents each year with over $100 billion in freight spend flowing over the Transflo rails. Transflo is the only customizable, open, and secure digital ecosystem that offers complete visibility, all-in-one driver tools, document management, and two-way communications to increase efficiency across the logistics arena.

Philip Yates, a Founding Partner of Sagemount, said, “We are thrilled to partner with the management team and investor base at Transflo. We believe that Transflo is poised to expand its position as a leading cloud-based business intelligence and payments engine in the transportation sector. The company occupies valuable real estate at the point of load consummation that continues to enhance velocity, accuracy and compliance in the payments flows for carriers, brokers and shippers. We look forward to accelerating Transflo’s product innovation and pursuing strategic acquisitions with this new funding.”

Aaron Matto, Partner of True Wind, said, “As the transportation and supply chain sectors continue to evolve amid this dynamic environment, we are excited to welcome Sagemount as a significant investor in Transflo to accelerate the company’s strategic growth objectives. Since True Wind’s initial investment in 2017, Transflo has built on its leadership position in the industry by delivering real-time communications to thousands of fleets, brokers, and commercial vehicle drivers while driving increased efficiency, improved cash flow, and reduced costs for its clients. We look forward to partnering with Sagemount and Transflo’s leadership team to drive further value creation.”

“At Transflo, we strive to drive better business results for our clients through technology and innovation,” said Frank Adelman, Chief Executive Officer of Transflo. “We are thrilled to have the support of best-in-class technology investors such as Sagemount and True Wind as we continue building our integrated software platform that enables transportation and supply chain businesses to improve velocity in the workflow and speed of payment.”
Transflo has continued to make significant enhancements to its software product suite. Over the past several months, the company announced the release of the latest iteration of its driver-focused workflow app, Transflo Mobile+ 5.0, and introduced Transflo Intelligent Automation, a suite of document automation services that provide carriers, freight brokers, factoring providers, shippers and freight auditors powerful new tools to manage and process load related documents.

Harris Williams served as financial advisor to Transflo. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett served as legal advisor to True Wind Capital. K&L Gates acted as legal counsel to Carousel Capital. Goodwin Procter served as legal advisor to Bregal Sagemount.

About Bregal Sagemount
Bregal Sagemount is a growth focused private capital firm with $4.0 billion of committed capital. The firm provides flexible capital and strategic assistance to market-leading companies in high-growth sectors across a wide variety of transaction situations. Bregal Sagemount invests $40 million to $200 million per transaction into targeted sectors including software, digital infrastructure, healthcare IT / services, business and consumer services, and financial technology / specialty finance. For more information, please visit www.sagemount.com.

About True Wind Capital
True Wind Capital is a San Francisco-based private equity firm focused on investing in leading technology companies. True Wind has a broad investing mandate, with deep industry expertise across software, data analytics, tech-enabled services, internet, financial technology, and hardware. Founded in 2015, True Wind has completed 10 platform investments and 20 add-on acquisitions. For more information, please visit www.truewindcapital.com.

About Transflo
Transflo®, a Pegasus TransTech company, is a leading provider of mobile, business intelligence and payments facilitation software to the transportation industry. The company’s cloud‐based technologies digitize nearly 800 million shipping documents each year with over $100 billion in freight spend flowing over the Transflo rails. Organizations throughout the Transflo client and partner network use the solution suite and digital platforms to increase efficiency, improve cash flow, and reduce costs. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, Transflo is setting the pace for innovation in transportation software. For more information, visit www.transflo.com.

Media Contacts:
For Bregal Sagemount:
Michelle Riley
(212) 704-3050

For True Wind Capital:
Jonathan Gasthalter/Nathaniel Garnick
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170

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ThreatX Names Tom Axbey to its Board of Directors

.406 Venture
Boston, MA – December 14, 2021 –ThreatX, the leading web application and API protection (WAAP) platform, today announced the appointment of Tom Axbey to its board of directors. Axbey will serve as an independent board member, assisting the company’s leadership team as ThreatX continues its expansion into the WAAP market. “ThreatX partners with customers around the world to ensure that their web applications and APIs are securely protected against today’s increasingly complex threat landscape,” said Gene Fay, CEO at ThreatX. “As the demand for WAAP coverage continues to accelerate, I’m thrilled to welcome Tom to our board of directors. His experience will prove invaluable to us as we scale the business in 2022 and beyond to build the most comprehensive WAAP platform available in the industry.” 

Axbey has demonstrated an ability to drive growth and build operational excellence in high-growth companies. Most recently, he served as VP & GM of CloudHealth by VMware and served as its CEO prior to its acquisition by VMware. Prior to CloudHealth, Tom served as CEO of Rave Mobile Safety, where he led its turnaround, growth and acquisition. He has also held leadership roles at IBM, Micromuse, Quallaby Corp and American Internet Corporation.  

“I’m excited to leverage my enterprise technology leadership experience to help guide and influence yet another highly-disruptive technology,” said Axbey. “ThreatX is well positioned to seize the web application and API security market with its innovative WAAP platform solution and its experienced team of industry leaders. As the newest member of ThreatX’s board of directors, I look forward to accomplishing great things together.” 

In addition to ThreatX, Axbey serves on several other boards, including Language I/O, Armoured Things, BluStream, Interactions and InSpace and is an operating partner at large for GutBrain Ventures. 

ThreatX was recently named a Visionary in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Web Application API Protection. To learn more about the ThreatX WAAP platform, please visit www.threatx.com. 

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Reveall raises €1.5 million from Fortino Capital and Dutch Founders Fund to expand its team and implement their ambitious roadmap.

Fortino Capital

14th December 2021 – Reveall, the Amsterdam-based platform that helps teams make customer research and feedback data actionable, raises a €1.5 million pre-seed round. Fortino Capital led the round with additional investment from Dutch Founders Fund.

Reveall was launched in July 2021 by Ferdinand Goetzen and Marcel Hagedoorn to help companies bridge the gap between customer data and decision making. The platform serves as a single source of truth about the customer for companies like WeTransfer, Signify and PostNL.

Reveall will use the investment to expand its team and implement an ambitious product roadmap that intends to help product and UX teams make the most of their customer insights.

The Reveall founding team will also be completed with the addition of Dwayne Pascal, who has over 15 years of experience leading tech teams and strategy at companies like Vodafone, Amazon and Skyscanner, and will be joining the company as CTO.

About Reveall

Reveall is a software platform that helps teams make their customer research and feedback data actionable.Founded in Amsterdam in 2021, Reveall serves a number of industry-leading businesses, including WeTransfer, Signify and PostNL. To make your customer data actionable, create an account at Reveall.co.

 

About Fortino Capital

Fortino Capital Partners is a European investment firm specializing in B2B software and based in Antwerp and Amsterdam. Through a growth capital fund and two early stage venture capital funds, Fortino Capital partners with exceptional entrepreneurs in North Western Europe. The investment portfolio includes MobileXpense, Efficy CRM, Teamleader, Salonkee, SimplyDelivery, iObeya, Zaion, Oqton, among others (www.fortinocapital.com).

Onex Partners to Acquire Tes Global from Providence Equity Partners

Onex

Toronto, ON, and London, England, December 7, 2021 – Onex Corporation (“Onex”) (TSX: ONEX) today announced that Onex Partners V, Onex’ $7.2 billion fund, has agreed to acquire Tes Global (“Tes” or the “Company”), a leading education technology services provider, from Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. (“Providence”), a premier private equity firm that specializes in growth-oriented investments in media, communications, education and technology. Tes’ management team will also invest alongside Onex. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Based in London, England, Tes is an international provider of comprehensive software solutions for the education sector. Its core vision is to power schools and enable great teaching worldwide by creating intelligent online products and services to make the greatest difference in education. Tes’ offering falls into three pillars – Staff Management, Safeguarding & Compliance, and Pupil & Learning Management – hosting over 13 million teachers on its online platform and serving over 17,000 schools in 117 countries. Tes also provides teachers with continuous professional development training in addition to software tools to deliver excellence in the classroom. The Company’s products and services have proven critical throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as teaching and assessment have largely taken place remotely.
“Tes has a well-established brand and deep-rooted relationships with teachers, creating an unparalleled and highly differentiated place in the market. We were attracted to its focus of helping both teachers and school administrators deliver better educational outcomes for students in the UK and around the world,” said Nigel Wright, a Senior Managing Director at Onex. “The Company is well-positioned to grow and to expand its offering of EdTech point-solutions. Onex’ experience in both the Business Services industry and supporting companies in their acquisition plans makes us the ideal partner for Tes. We’re thrilled to be joining Rod and the entire Tes team as we look to accelerate the Company’s next phase of growth.”

“Onex has a wealth of experience and an impressive track record of helping the companies it partners with to grow and thrive. We’re delighted to have found another team whose values are aligned with our vision for the Company and are committed to our future,” stated Rod Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Tes. “On behalf of everyone at Tes, we’d like to thank Providence for their guidance and support as we transformed our business under their stewardship.”

Andrew Tisdale, Senior Managing Director at Providence, said: “We are honored to have partnered with Tes and help the Company accelerate its mission of providing world-class tools to drive high quality education. Since partnering with Tes in 2019, we have supported several strategic acquisitions, including Edval, EduCare and SchoolCloud. Together with the launch of new products and services, these efforts have seen Tes firmly transition into a technology-first partner for teachers and schools, which has been invaluable during a period of sustained remote learning owing to the global pandemic. We are confident Rod and his team have a strong partner in Onex to build on its existing momentum and continue to grow the business.”
The transaction is anticipated to close in the first quarter of 2022. With this transaction, Onex Partners V will be approximately 78% invested.
Onex was advised by Rothschild & Co. as financial advisors and Latham & Watkins LLP as legal counsel. Tes was advised by Arma Partners and Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (“Morgan Stanley”) as financial advisors and by Weil, Gotshal & Manges as legal counsel.

About Onex
Founded in 1984, Onex manages and invests capital on behalf of its shareholders, institutional investors and high net worth clients from around the world. Onex’ platforms include: Onex Partners, private equity funds focused on mid- to large-cap opportunities in North America and Western Europe; ONCAP, private equity funds focused on middle market and smaller opportunities in North America; Onex Credit, which manages primarily non-investment grade debt through tradeable, private and opportunistic credit strategies as well as actively managed public equity and public credit funds; and Gluskin Sheff’s wealth management services. In total, as of September 30, 2021, Onex has approximately $47 billion of assets under management, of which approximately $7.9 billion is its own investing capital. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey, Boston and London, Onex and its experienced management teams are collectively the largest investors across Onex’ platforms.
Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONEX. For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com. Onex’ security filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com.

About Tes Global
Tes Global is an international provider of software services to make life easier for schools and teachers. All products and services are built with teachers and schools needs at the core, ensuring they are innovative, trusted education solutions. Tes Global products play a critical role helping teachers and school leaders deal with the challenges of teaching, including safeguarding and compliance, smart pupil management, and staff management. This dedication and focus supports educators across the globe in providing high quality education to millions of children using smart, flexible, and cost-effective solutions. A global Company, Tes Global employs over 500 people operating across 10 offices, including in London, Sheffield, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, and Dubai. For more information, please visit www.tes.com.

About Providence Equity Partners
Providence Equity Partners is a premier global private equity firm with approximately $45 billion in aggregate capital commitments. Providence pioneered a sector-focused approach to private equity investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the firm’s inception in 1989, Providence has invested in over 170 companies and is a leading equity investment firm focused on growth-oriented investments in media, communications, education and technology. Providence is headquartered in Providence, RI, and also has offices in New York and London. For more information, please visit www.provequity.com.

Disclaimers
This press release may contain, without limitation, statements concerning possible or assumed future operations, performance or results preceded by, followed by or that include words such as “believes”, “expects”, “potential”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “intends”, “plans” and words of similar connotation, which would constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve significant and diverse risks and uncertainties that may cause actual operations, performance or results to be materially different from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by Canadian securities law, Onex is under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein should material facts change due to new information, future events or other factors. These cautionary statements expressly qualify all forward-looking statements in this press release.
Morgan Stanley, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to Tes and no one else in connection with the transaction. In connection with such matters, Morgan Stanley, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to anyone other than Tes for providing the protections afforded to clients of Morgan Stanley nor for providing advice in connection with the Transaction, the contents of this announcement or any matter referred to herein.

For Further Information:
Onex
Jill Homenuk

Managing Director – Shareholder Relations and Communications
JHomenuk@onex.com
+1 416.362.7711
Tes Global
Tom Endean

Chief Marketing Officer
Tom.Endean@tes.com
+44 (0) 203 194 3000

Providence Equity Partners
Charlie Chichester / Rory King
Sard Verbinnen & Co.
Prov-SVC@sardverb.com

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