The Carlyle Group and Explorer Investments Acquire Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort

Carlyle

Lisbon, Portugal – Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG), and Explorer Investments, an independent alternative asset management company in Portugal, today announced they have purchased Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort in Portugal.  Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Resort will continue to be managed by Ritz-Carlton, a Marriot Group company, who have run the resort since December 2003.

Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort, part of Quinta da Penha Longa, in Sintra, is one of the most iconic resorts in Portugal, with 194 rooms, a spa and a wellness centre as well as more than 3,000m2 conference and meeting facilities. The resort features a golf course, highlighted as one of the top 30 best golf courses in Europe, and designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. In addition to extensive meeting, sporting and leisure facilities, in 2018 Penha Longa became the first hotel in Portugal to have two restaurants awarded Michelin stars.

Peter Stoll, Managing Director for Carlyle European Realty advisory team, said: “Penha Longa is one of the best-known and most-established hotels in Portugal, and the hospitality sector in the country is experiencing a strong demand from both leisure and corporate travellers. We are excited to partner with Explorer Investments to develop the full potential of the resort.”

Pedro Seabra, Partner for Real Estate of Explorer, said: “The Explorer’s co-investing and asset management business in Real Estate and Hospitality is growing in a sustainable way, and we are very happy with the quality of this asset, which comprises state of the art hospitality and first-class real estate development, and the quality of our partner in this investment”.

CBRE acted as an advisor to the transaction. Carlyle and Explorer received additional support by Uría Menéndez – Proença de Carvalho and Deloitte.

* * * * *

About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $212 billion of assets under management across 339 investment vehicles as of September 30, 2018. Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, many of whom are public pensions. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, real estate, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,625 people in 31 offices across six continents.

Web: www.carlyle.com
Videos: www.youtube.com/onecarlyle
Tweets: www.twitter.com/onecarlyle
Podcasts: www.carlyle.com/about-carlyle/market-commentary

About Carlyle Europe Realty

Carlyle Europe Realty (CER) is focuses on investments in a thematic and targeted way in real estate and real estate related assets and companies primarily in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, as well as Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands pursuing an opportunistic investment and management strategy. The CER investment team is led by European real estate veteran Peter Stoll and a senior team that averages over 17 years of European principal investing experience. The CER investment team has an on-the-ground presence in key locations in the United Kingdom, France and Germany and a pan-European investment team based in London, as well as benefitting from the global resources of Carlyle.

About Explorer Investments

Founded in 2003, Explorer is the independent management company of alternative assets with the greatest experience and track record in Portugal. Explorer manages and advises funds with a total value in the region of € 1,500M, divided into three Business Areas: Private Equity, Growth Capital, Tourism and Real Estate. Explorer’s team is made up of more than 35 people, with complementary experience in investment banking, consulting, legal advice and industry. The investment track record of its team, its deep knowledge of Portuguese business fabric, its experience in contracting with public entities and its long-term relationships with banks, financial intermediaries and lawyers, gives Explorer a unique competitive advantage in the management of alternative assets in Portugal. Explorer has a relevant presence in the Portuguese real estate market since 2012, as investment adviser of the Discovery Property Fund, a Tourism oriented fund, with Gross assets in the region of € 950 M, and the recently created Explorer Real Estate I, focused on acquiring Commercial Real Estate in Lisbon, with a gross asset Value in the region of € 200 M.

Media contacts:

The Carlyle Group
Catherine Armstrong 
Tel: +44 (0) 207 894 1632 
Email: catherine.armstrong@carlyle.com

José Pedro Luís
939 743 133
jpl@cunhavaz.com 

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Cinven to acquire European web hosting provider, One.com

Cinven

International private equity firm, Cinven, today announces that the Sixth Cinven Fund has agreed to acquire One.com, a leading European supplier of web hosting services, for an undisclosed consideration.

Established in 2002 in Denmark, One.com is one of Europe’s leading providers of domain names and web hosting services to small to medium enterprises (‘SMEs’) and small-office home-offices (‘SOHOs’). One.com has 270 employees and serves more than 1 million customers, with a focus on Northern Europe.

The Cinven TMT sector team identified One.com as a compelling investment opportunity based on its direct experience in HEG (formerly ‘Host Europe Group’), a leading European provider of hosting and domain services acquired by Cinven in August 2013. Cinven invested in HEG as a platform investment from which to successfully consolidate the fragmented European hosting market. Cinven ultimately sold HEG to US-listed strategic acquirer, GoDaddy Inc. in January 2017.

Cinven’s TMT sector team believes One.com is an attractive investment opportunity for the Sixth Cinven Fund given:

  • The mass hosting industry is growing steadily, driven by the structural increase in web-presence and usage of web applications amongst SMEs and SOHOs;
  • One.com has a well-recognised brand, a significant customer base which has been developed organically, and a scalable technology platform;
  • The business model is attractive and resilient due to its diversified customer base and subscription model, resulting in highly recurring revenues, earnings visibility and strong cash flow generation; and
  • There are opportunities to accelerate the growth of the business organically and through acquisition: Cinven’s strategy centres on helping One.com realise its growth potential drawing on its sector expertise and experience through its successful investment in HEG.

Thomas Railhac, Partner at Cinven, said:

“We are very excited to invest in One.com alongside Jacob. It is a high quality business with an attractive brand and scalable technology platform, operating in a market with structural growth drivers. This is a subsector we know well through Cinven’s successful investment in HEG in Fund 5, continuing to invest in both the organic growth story and targeted acquisitions.”

Jacob Jensen, founder and CEO of One.com, said:

“We have more than 15 years’ experience in web hosting services and are today one of the leading companies in Europe in the sector. The pride we have in our achievements to date is matched by our growth ambitions for the future and, in Cinven, we have a partner whose expertise in the sector and financial resources can support our compelling growth strategy.”

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DIF appoints two new Partners

DIF

Schiphol, 19 December 2018 – DIF is pleased to announce the appointment of Marko Kremer and Andrew Freeman to Partner. Their promotion from Managing Director is in response to their personal contributions to the success and growth of the firm.

Speaking on behalf of the existing Partners, Managing Partner Wim Blaasse said, “We are very pleased to welcome Marko and Andrew into the Partnership. Marko and Andrew have contributed strongly to the success of DIF and I am confident that they will continue to play leading roles in the further build out of the DIF platform.”

About Marko
Marko Kremer is Head of Australia. He leads the Sydney office and is responsible for the origination, execution and optimisation of transactions in Australia and New Zeeland. He joined DIF in 2008 as a member of the Origination Team in DIF’s Schiphol office in the Netherlands. In 2015 he moved to Australia to establish the Sydney office, which he has successfully built out to seven team members and completed the acquisition of nine assets in the region.

Prior to joining DIF, he was in the Leveraged Finance Team at ABN AMRO, responsible for originating, structuring and executing leveraged finance opportunities. Marko holds a master’s degree in Management Engineering from the University of Twente and is a CFA and CAIA charter holder.

About Andrew
Andrew Freeman is Head of Exits and Head of the UK office. He is responsible for leading, preparing and executing the exit of projects and Funds managed by DIF. This includes the landmark sale of the remaining 48 projects in DIF Infrastructure II, with a combined value of ca. €650 million, to APG in 2017. In addition, he is responsible for the management of the UK office. He joined DIF in 2011 as a member of the Origination Team, focused on the origination, execution and optimisation of transactions in the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining DIF, he was in the Infrastructure Team at PwC, responsible for advising on primary and secondary PPP transactions, with a focus on fund setups and exits, listings and valuations. Andrew holds a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from the University of Portsmouth and is registered as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

About DIF

DIF is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €5.6 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in greenfield and brownfield infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, North America and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

  • DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated assets and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.
  • DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams that generate stable and predictable cash flows.

DIF has a team of over 110 professionals, based in eight offices located in Schiphol (the Netherlands), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Sydney and Toronto. Please see www.dif.eu or further information on DIF.

For further information please contact:

Allard Ruijs, Partner
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

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Waterlogic acquires Maestro Pressure Coolers and Cariad Cool Water in the UK

Castik Capital

Waterlogic, a leading global designer, manufacturer, distributor and service provider of purified drinking water dispensers, is pleased to announce the acquisitions of Maestro Pressure Coolers and Cariad Cool Water Ltd. in the UK.

Maestro Pressure Coolers is based in Plumstead, East London. Established in 1993, the company supplies both bottled and point-of-use water coolers to UK businesses. The acquisition of Maestro Pressure Coolers further strengthens Waterlogic’s market presence in the UK and adds additional product lines to an already comprehensive range of drinking water solutions.

Cariad Cool Water (formerly Princes Gate Cool Water) was founded in 2001 by Glyn and David Jones in Princes Gate, Pembrokeshire, South Wales. The company supplies bottled and point-of-use water coolers across Wales and the South West of England, with depots in Margam, Port Talbot and Narberth, Pembrokeshire. The acquisition of Cariad Cool Water establishes Waterlogic with a direct presence in Wales and allows for increased and more efficient customer growth and reach in this important market.

Glyn Jones, Owner, Cariad Cool Water, said, As a family, we are proud to have built this business, and thankful for the loyal relationships we have enjoyed with our customers and employees. In Waterlogic, we have found the perfect company to continue the growth of the business for the future.”

Greg Pritchett, Managing Director, Waterlogic UK and Ireland, saidThe combination of national reach with local density will ensure we are able to continue serving our new and existing customers in the best possible way.”

 

The expansion of Waterlogic UK’s product portfolio and customer base significantly strengthens the company’s position as the total water solutions provider of point-of-use and under-counter dispensers, bottled water coolers and specialty hotel and hospitality solutions, and accelerates growth in the UK.

Waterlogic was acquired in January 2015 by funds managed by Castik Capital, the European private equity investor. Water Coolers Ltd and Cariad Cool Water are the most recent acquisitions as part of the company’s buy and build strategy since the acquisition by Castik, and following substantial acquisitions in the US, UK, Australia, Spain, France, Germany, CEE, and Scandinavia.

 

– ENDS –

Media Contact

Rosanna Turner, Group Marketing Communications Manager

rosanna.turner@waterlogic.com

About Waterlogic

Waterlogic is an innovative designer, manufacturer, distributor and operator of point-of-use (POU) drinking water purification and dispensing systems designed for environments such as offices, factories, hospitals, hotels, schools, restaurants and other workplaces. Founded in 1992, Waterlogic was one of the first companies to introduce POU systems to customers worldwide, and has been in the forefront of the POU market, promoting product design and quality, the application of new technologies and world class sales and service. Waterlogic has its own subsidiaries in many markets and an extensive and expanding independent global distribution network in place, reaching over 60 countries around the world. Waterlogic products are currently distributed in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa. Waterlogic’s leading markets are the US, Australia and Western Europe, in particular the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and France. More information can be found at www.waterlogic.com

About Castik

Castik Capital S.à r.l (“Castik”) manages investments in private equity. Castik is a European multistrategy investment manager, acquiring significant ownership positions in European private and public companies, where long-term value can be generated through active partnerships with management teams. Founded in 2014, Castik is based in Luxembourg and focuses on identifying and developing investment opportunities across Europe. The advisor to Castik is Castik Capital Partners GmbH, based in Munich. Investments are made by the Luxembourg-based fund, EPIC I SLP, the first fund managed by Castik, which had its final fund close of EUR 1bn in July 2015.

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Robert Bosch Venture Capital participates in Graphcore’s USD 200 million Series D

Robert Bosch

A world leading AI chipmaker valued at USD 1.7bn

  • Early backer Robert Bosch Venture Capital continues its support after leading Series A
  • Machine intelligence training and inference at 10x to 100x the speed of current solutions
  • Investment Partner Dr. Hongquan Jiang: “Graphcore is changing the paradigm of AI computing in the cloud and at the edge”
18 December 2018, Stuttgart. Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC), the corporate venture capital company, of the Bosch Group, participated in the just announced financing round of Graphcore. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) chipmaker just finalized a new USD 200 million funding round, which values the company at USD 1.7 billion

A new kind of processor

Graphcore has built a completely new kind of processor and software for AI and machine intelligence. It has been shipping first products to early access customers and generated first revenues this year, just two years after the company was founded. High volume production is now ramping up to meet customer demand for its Intelligent Processing Unit (IPU) PCIe processor cards. Graphcore’s IPU is the first processor to be designed specifically for machine intelligence training and inference and delivers an increase in speed of 10x to 100x compared to today’s hardware. “Graphcore is changing the paradigm of AI computing in the cloud and at the edge. The highly efficient and massively parallel IPU technology can significantly improve AI driven products in many categories such as autonomous driving and security”, says Dr. Hongquan Jiang, Investment Partner at RBVC and board member of Graphcore. “We are very excited to accompany Graphcore’s journey in becoming a global leading AI company”.

Rapid growth towards a global leading AI company

The company is currently in a stage of rapid growth and has tripled the size of its team in 2018. This rate of growth will now accelerate significantly driven by the new investment. The funding is a further step towards fulfilling the company’s ambition to build a global technology company, focused on this new and fast-growing machine intelligence market. RBVC led Graphcore’s Series A in 2016 and has continuously supported the company that has now raised over USD 300 million in funding. RBVC Managing Director Dr. Ingo Ramesohl says: “Graphcore is a perfect fit for the RBVC portfolio in artificial intelligence technologies. We see enormous business potential with Bosch.”

A new age of computing

Nigel Toon, CEO and co-founder of Graphcore, says: “Machine intelligence marks the start of a new age of computing which needs a radically different type of processor and software tools. This new, fast growing market creates the opportunity for Graphcore to build a major global technology company that can help innovators in AI achieve important breakthroughs.”

About RBVC GmbH

Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC) is the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, a leading global supplier of technology and services. RBVC invests worldwide in innovative start-up companies at all stages of their development. Its investment activities focus on technology companies working in areas of business of current and future relevance for Bosch, above all, automation and electrification, energy efficiency, enabling technologies, and healthcare systems. RBVC also invests in services and business models as well as new materials that are relevant to the above-mentioned areas of business.

Additional information is available at www.rbvc.com

About Graphcore
Graphcore’s Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU) hardware and software lets innovators create next generation machine intelligence solutions. The IPU is the first processor to be designed specifically for Machine Intelligence and delivers between 10x to 100x speed up compared to today’s hardware. Graphcore has raised over $300m in funding from leading financial and strategic investors and is headquartered in Bristol UK, with offices in London UK, Oslo Norway, Palo Alto USA and Beijing China.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 402,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2017). The company generated sales of 78.1 billion euros in 2017. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology.

As a leading IoT company, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected mobility, and connected manufacturing. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to deliver innovations for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 125 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 64,500 associates in research and development.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.comwww.iot.bosch.comwww.bosch-press.comwww.twitter.com/BoschPresse.

Egress Secures $40 Million Growth Equity Funding Led by FTV Capital

FTV Capital

Global private equity firm specializing in high-growth companies invests in Egress to accelerate global expansion

BOSTON — Egress, a leading provider of data privacy and compliance software designed to secure unstructured data, today announced it has raised $40 million in a Series C financing round led by FTV Capital, with continued participation from existing backer AlbionVC. Egress will use this investment to build on its ongoing rapid growth in Europe and North America, as well as accelerate development of new technology across its data security platform.

A market leader in privacy and risk management, Egress helps enterprises protect unstructured data to meet compliance requirements and drive business productivity. The company’s AI-powered platform enables users to control and secure the data they share in line with evolving compliance regulations, including GDPR, the NYDFS Cybersecurity Regulation (23 NYCRR 500), and the recently-passed California Consumer Privacy Act. Since raising $3.6 million in Series A funding in February 2014, Egress has grown ARR by 9x, acquired over 2,000 customers and now supports more than five million users globally.

Egress customer, the State of Delaware, has been using the technology to help protect highly sensitive data and manage compliance. “As a regulated US Government State Agency, we recognized the importance of selecting a best-of-breed security partner,” explained Director of Network Engineering Mark Cabry. “Egress understands our complex business requirements and their technical innovation has helped us to maintain privacy and mitigate risk when sharing data across and outside government, leading us to deploy the service state-wide. It is therefore of little surprise that Egress is continuing to gain significant traction throughout the US market.”

Tony Pepper, CEO and co-founder of Egress, commented on the announcement: “Today’s heightened security threats, combined with an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, means that organizations face considerable risk from data breaches, resulting in reputational damage and significant financial loss. At Egress, we help businesses mitigate this risk by wrapping security around the user and managing their experience using machine learning and AI. This risk-based approach helps users avoid potential mistakes, such as sending information to the wrong recipients, and provides security administrators with insight into behavioral anomalies across the business.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with FTV as we enter the next phase of our development,” Pepper continued. “A prominent growth equity firm with an impressive track record of helping similar companies in our space to scale rapidly, FTV will bring invaluable strategic expertise to help expand our technical capabilities and business operations into new markets and geographies.”

As part of the transaction, FTV partner Kyle Griswold will join the Egress board of directors.

“The need for comprehensive data security systems that help prevent data breaches and maintain compliance has become one of the key strategic priorities for businesses globally,” stated Griswold. “Egress’ user-centric strategy, combined with their use of AI-driven technical innovation, is helping to tackle these challenges head on. Their success in highly regulated markets is evidenced by their rapid growth and exceptional customer retention rates, which make them an ideal partner for FTV and an attractive solution for the financial institutions in our Global Partner Network.”

“By partnering with Egress at this point in their journey, FTV will offer strategic support and guidance designed to accelerate growth and capitalize on what is a significant market opportunity, in addition to commercial introductions to our Global Partner Network enterprises,” Griswold concluded.

Ed Lascelles, partner at AlbionVC, commented: “We look forward to supporting Egress as it enters the next stage of expansion. We have witnessed first-hand how the business has built out an enterprise-grade data security platform from a niche point solution, while growing into new verticals and geographies during the period. The demand for enhanced data security is only going to increase and so we remain excited about the team’s ability to continue delivering rapid growth.”

About Egress

Egress helps enterprises protect unstructured data to meet compliance requirements and drive business productivity. The company’s AI-powered platform enables users to control and secure the data they share.

The award-winning solution provides email and document classification, accidental send prevention, email and file protection, secure online collaboration and audit and compliance reporting.

Trusted by over 2,000 enterprise organizations and governments around the globe, Egress offers a seamless user experience, powerful real-time auditing and patented information rights management, all accessible via a single global identity.

A privately-held company, Egress has offices in London, UK, Boston, USA, and Toronto, Canada.

About FTV Capital

Celebrating its 20 year anniversary, FTV Capital is a growth equity investment firm that has raised over $2.7 billion to invest in high-growth companies offering a range of innovative solutions in three sectors: enterprise technology & services, financial services and payments & transaction processing. FTV’s experienced team leverages its domain expertise and proven track record in each of these sectors to help motivated management teams accelerate growth. FTV also provides companies with access to its Global Partner Network®, a group of the world’s leading enterprises and executives who have helped FTV portfolio companies for two decades. Founded in 1998, FTV Capital has invested in 107 portfolio companies including compliance/security and managed services companies such as A-LIGN, Aveksa (acquired by EMC), KVS (acquired by Veritas), ReliaQuest and Trustwave (acquired by Singapore Telecom). FTV has offices in San Francisco and New York. For more information, visit www.ftvcapital.com.

About AlbionVC

AlbionVC is the technology investment arm of Albion Capital Group LLP. The technology team invests from seed through to Series B in high growth companies, predominantly in the UK, with a particular focus on B2B software and technology enabled services. Albion has 20+ years’ experience investing in technology, has c.£450m FUM in technology companies and over 40 tech investments within its portfolios.

Albion Capital Group LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Visit: www.albion.vc

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Bolster Investment Partners acquires stake in Careflex Zorg Groep

Bolster

Bolster Investment Partners (‘Bolster’) has acquired a stake in Careflex Zorg Groep (‘Careflex’), an innovative provider of complex care solutions for institutions in mental, youth and disabled care. Bolster will support Careflex by securing its embedded qualities, implementing its growth strategy and further professionalizing the organization.

Careflex works from the conviction that complex care requires a different approach. Over the years Careflex has become a specialized partner with 330 employees responsible for the daily treatment of clients with challenging care questions. Careflex focuses on complex care questions, where seeing the bigger picture in providing the best care for the patents is the prerequisite for success. By working with specialized self-managing teams, Careflex is able to provide effective solutions as an external partner.

Mark van Rijn, partner at Bolster Investment Partners explains: “With its focus on high quality complex care with a distinctive approach, Careflex Zorg Groep fits well within our long-term investment philosophy. Careflex proves it is possible to deliver better patient care and have higher employee satisfaction at the same time by working with an integral and self-management approach. Following years of rapid expansion, it is important to further professionalize the organization. We are looking forward to supporting Careflex as an involved partner.”

Careflex Zorg Groep strives to grow organically, possibly in combination with cooperation with partners in the value chain. Being able to fulfill current market demand and further geographic expansion in the Netherlands are the logical next steps.

Hans Dons and Nardo Veldhuijzen, board of directors of Careflex Zorg Groep explain: “Our ambition is to expand our impact as the care provider in complex care, based on a clear and distinctive philosophy. It is great to be supported by a shareholder who shares our vision and philosophy. An equal partner who supports enthusiastic entrepreneurship.”

For more information please contact
Bolster Investment Partners
Mark van Rijn +31 20 226 3088

About Careflex Zorg Groep
Careflex provides solutions for institutions and individuals with complex healthcare questions. We do this by taking responsibility of client treatments and by coaching healthcare staff. In addition, we second specialists and generalists to support care institutions quickly with waiting list and staff issues. During 20 years of experience in disability care, mental care and youth care; Careflex has developed into the Dutch healthcare specialist.

Every day, over 300 experienced healthcare professionals are active at multiple care locations throughout the Netherlands. They are supported by an enthusiastic office team enabling them to find the best solutions.

About Bolster
Bolster Investment Partners is a long-term investor specializing in minority interests. Bolster invests in exceptional Dutch companies with a keen focus and a proven business model. Bolster helps entrepreneurs realize their company’s full potential. By acting as equal partners to make the difference.

Bolster has a proven track record. As an investment firm we have collaborated successfully with over 100 companies since 1982. Having previously operated under the flag of Van Lanschot Participaties, in late 2017 the entire team became an independent unit operating under the name Bolster Investment Partners.

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Triton has signed an agreement to acquire Sunweb Group

Triton

Stockholm (Sweden) / Rotterdam (Netherlands) 18 December 2018 – Funds advised by Triton (“Triton“) have signed an agreement to acquire Sunweb Group (“Sunweb”), a leading European online tour operator. Terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Founded 1991 in Netherlands, and with more than EUR 600m in turnover, Sunweb serves ~1 million customers annually providing packaged holidays to more than 20 focal destinations across Europe and the Mediterranean. As an online tour operator, Sunweb combines the best features of the online travel agencies’ asset light business model and the content quality and customer experience provided by traditional tour operators.

“Sunweb´s online tour operating model is a unique hybrid between traditional tour operators and online travel agencies. The value chain in travel is changing, and Sunweb has proven that its position and business model is resilient and winning in this complex environment. Directly sourced quality content sold directly to the consumer through Sunweb’s own digital sales channels makes the company well position to benefit from the megatrends of growing travel and increased conversion to online,” said Per Agebäck, Investment Advisory Professional, sector leader for consumer and advisor to the Triton Funds.

“We are pleased to welcome Triton as new majority owner of Sunweb. They have demonstrated deep sector knowledge of the travel space and is the right partner to the company as we continue investing in digital capabilities and expand across Europe,” said Joost Romeijn, founder of Sunweb, who will remain invested in the group.

Headquartered in Netherlands and Switzerland, with additional sales offices in core source markets, the company retains leading European market positions in both winter sports and summer holiday offerings. Consisting of the five powerhouse brands; Sunweb Sun, Sunweb Ski, Eliza was here, Primavera and GoGo, Sunweb Group has approximately 500 employees and direct contracts with 6,000+ accommodations including hotels, apartments and resorts. Growing from core markets in Netherlands, Belgium and France, the group has expanded into Denmark, Germany and the UK and continues to explore opportunities for geographic expansion.

“We look forward to actively supporting the management and employees as a stable owner by investing in and supporting the growth and development of the company. Our strong industry expertise, gained through other investments and strengthened by senior industry experts, will contribute in taking the company to the next level.” said Peder Prahl, Director of the General Partner for the Triton funds.

 

About Triton
The Triton funds invest in and support the positive development of medium-sized businesses headquartered in Europe, focusing on businesses in the Industrial, Business Services and Consumer/Health sectors.

Triton seeks to contribute to the building of better businesses for the longer term. Triton and its executives wish to be agents of positive change towards sustainable operational improvements and growth. The 37 companies currently in Triton’s portfolio have combined sales of around € 12.9 billion and around 83,000 employees.

The Triton funds are advised by dedicated teams of professionals based in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Luxembourg and Jersey.

For more information please visit: www.triton-partners.com

About Sunweb Group
Sunweb Group is one of the leading travel groups in Europe with more than EUR 600m in turnover. It is the driving force behind numerous brands operating within seven international markets: The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany and France. Sunweb is the flagship brand of the group.

Sunweb is a pure online player for packaged holidays towards sun and winter sport destinations.

Sunweb Group employs approximately 500 individuals and sends more than 400 representatives on to various holiday destinations to support its customers. The Sunweb Group has a pan-European identity with its tour operator activities based in Zurich, headquarters and back-office in Rotterdam, software and web development in Girona and various sales offices around Europe. The combination of a centralized organization, unique self-contracted content and strong online business model has resulted in over one million happy clients for Sunweb Group each year.

For more information please visit: www.sunwebgroup.com/

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The Carlyle Group to Acquire Leading Aircraft Engine MRO Provider StandardAero from Veritas Capital

Carlyle

WASHINGTON, DC – Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) today announced it has agreed to acquire StandardAero, a global provider of aftermarket engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the aerospace and defense industries, from Veritas Capital. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory conditions and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2019. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Russell Ford, CEO of StandardAero, said, “We are excited to partner with The Carlyle Group, and we thank Veritas Capital for its support and partnership. We look forward to working with Carlyle to further our aggressive growth trajectory as we continue providing world-class services to our customers as one of the world’s best and largest independent MRO service providers.”

Adam J. Palmer, Managing Director and Global Head of Aerospace, Defense and Government Services for The Carlyle Group, said, “Russell Ford and the StandardAero team have built a reputation for industry-leading capabilities and customer service. StandardAero is well positioned in an attractive market and we look forward to building on its strong foundation by helping it grow and meet evolving customer needs.”

Ramzi Musallam, CEO and Managing Partner of Veritas Capital, said, “We have enjoyed our successful partnership with StandardAero.  Russ and the StandardAero team have generated robust growth while consistently delivering outstanding services to customers through a relentless commitment to excellence. The StandardAero partnership underscores Veritas’ commitment to growing and adding lasting value to businesses in the aerospace and defense industries.  We wish the StandardAero management team all the best in their next phase of growth.”

Founded in 1911, StandardAero is one of the world’s largest independent MRO providers offering extensive services and custom solutions for commercial aviation, business aviation, military and industrial power customers. As an OEM-aligned strategic partner, StandardAero has developed a reputation for quality and performance that drives a sustainable competitive advantage and positions the company for future growth

Equity for the investment will come from Carlyle Partners VII, an $18.5 billion fund that focuses on buyout transactions in the United States.

Credit Suisse, RBC Capital Markets LLC and Macquarie Capital served as financial advisors to Carlyle, and Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor. Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, RBC Capital Markets LLC, Macquarie Capital, Barclays, Jefferies LLC, Nomura Securities and Goldman Sachs have agreed to provide debt financing for the transaction. Goldman Sachs & Co. served as lead financial advisor to StandardAero, and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC also acted as a financial advisor on the transaction, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP served as legal advisor.

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Contacts:

The Carlyle Group
Christa Zipf: +1 (212) 813-4578
christa.zipf@carlyle.com

Veritas Capital
Andrew Cole/David Millar/Julie Rudnick
Sard Verbinnen & Co
212.687.8080
VeritasCapital-SVC@sardverb.com

StandardAero
Kyle Hultquist:  +1 (480) 377-3192
kyle.hultquist@standardaero.com

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About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $212 billion of assets under management across 339 investment vehicles as of September 30, 2018. Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, many of whom are public pensions. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, real estate, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,625 people in 31 offices across six continents.

Web: www.carlyle.com
Videos: www.youtube.com/onecarlyle
Tweets: www.twitter.com/onecarlyle
Podcasts: www.carlyle.com/about-carlyle/market-commentary

About StandardAero

StandardAero is one of the world largest independent maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers. StandardAero offers extensive MRO services and custom solutions for business aviation, commercial aviation, military and industrial power customers. About 6,000 professional, administrative and technical employees work in 38 major facilities around the world, with additional strategically located regional service and support centers all across the globe. More information can be found on the company’s web site at www.standardaero.com.

About Veritas Capital

Veritas Capital is a leading private equity firm that invests in companies that provide critical products and services, primarily technology and technology-enabled solutions, to government and commercial customers worldwide, including those operating in the aerospace & defense, healthcare, technology, national security, communications, energy, government services and education industries. Veritas seeks to create value by strategically transforming the companies in which it invests through organic and inorganic means. For more information on Veritas Capital and its current and past investments, visit www.veritascapital.com.

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Altice and KKR Announce the Creation of Hivory

KKR

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 18, 2018– Altice Europe and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today jointly announce the creation of Hivory, the largest independent telecoms tower company in Franceand third largest European tower company. The creation of Hivory follows the successful completion of the transaction announced in June, of KKR’s acquisition of a 49.99% stake in a portfolio of more than 10,000 of Altice’s French towers.

Hivory is a high-quality telecoms infrastructure provider with a nationwide presence, benefiting from more than 10,000 strategically located sites with a diversified portfolio of ground-based towers and rooftops. The company is focused on serving the growing infrastructure needs for mobile operators to provide connectivity to all parts of the French population, meeting continued strong demand for data consumption and increased coverage.

Through Hivory, Altice and KKR will proactively seek to partner with all mobile operators to develop their coverage and densification objectives in France, through the build-to-suit of new towers and facilitating colocation needs in the French mobile market.

The company will seek to contribute to the development of French technology infrastructure and innovation, supporting telecom players on the eve of the ‘New Deal’ for French mobile and 5G roll out.

Alain Weill, CEO of Altice Europe, and Vincent Policard, Member at KKR in the European Infrastructure team, jointly said: “Altice and KKR are excited about the prospects for Hivory in improving mobile connectivity in France and building the telecommunications infrastructure critical for modern society. Hivory will benefit from strong market tailwinds, as well as the sector expertise and operational resources which Altice and KKR will provide through our partnership.”

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About Altice Europe

Altice Europe (ATC & ATCB), listed on Euronext Amsterdam, is a convergent leader in telecoms, content, media, entertainment and advertising. Altice delivers innovative, customer-centric products and solutions that connect and unlock the limitless potential of its over 30 million customers over fiber networks and mobile broadband. Altice is also a provider of enterprise digital solutions to millions of business customers. The company innovates with technology, research and development and enables people to live out their passions by providing original content, high-quality and compelling TV shows, and international, national and local news channels. Altice delivers live broadcast premium sports events and enables its customers to enjoy the most well-known media and entertainment.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business.

References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Source: KKR

Media Contacts
For Altice:
Arthur Dreyfuss
Head of Communications, Altice Europe
Phone: +41 79 946 4931
Email: arthur.dreyfuss@altice.net

For KKR:
Alastair Elwen Finsbury
Phone: +44(0)20 7251 3801
Email: alastair.elwen@finsbury.com

Olivier Blain
Adding Value Conseils
Email: ob@addingvalueconseils.com
Phone: +33 6 72 28 29 20

 

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