Tag Archives: Cloud

Nasuni Announces Investment From Vista Equity Partners, KKR And TCV

No Comments
KKR

BOSTON, July 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nasuni, a leading enterprise data platform for modern hybrid cloud environments, today announced a strategic growth investment led by Vista Equity Partners, a global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data, and technology-enabled businesses. Vista will be joined by TCV and KKR in the new investment, which values Nasuni at approximately $1.2 billion.

The investment will build on Nasuni’s strong momentum disrupting the legacy storage industry to further accelerate product innovation and commercial expansion in the global hybrid cloud market. Further terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“At Nasuni, we care first and foremost about the success of our customers, partners, and employees,” said Paul Flanagan, CEO of Nasuni. “We are maniacal about our commitment to delivering quality in every aspect of our business and interaction with our customers. This investment and our strategic partnership with Vista, TCV, and KKR will allow us to build upon that commitment, scale with purpose and continue to innovate as we look to take Nasuni to the next level.”

Nasuni’s success to-date includes award winning technology, top decile customer retention rates, industry leading NPS scores, and a consistent 30% growth rate in a market that is rapidly expanding with the advent of hybrid cloud and AI. Nasuni’s data platform is used by over 850 companies spanning 70 countries, and is in use by some of the largest enterprises in the manufacturing, consumer goods, and energy industries.

“Nasuni’s platform offers a highly differentiated approach to consolidating, protecting, and managing data at scale with performance that is critical to supporting AI applications and other high-volume data use-cases,” said Martin Taylor, Co-Head of Vista’s Foundation Fund and Senior Managing Director. “We are thrilled to partner with the Nasuni team as they work to help businesses optimize their expanding and complex data needs with solutions that are fast, secure, and highly cost-effective.”

BofA Securities served as the exclusive financial advisor and Goodwin Proctor LLP served as legal advisor to Nasuni. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Vista and TCV. KKR is making the investment through its Next Generation Technology III Fund.

About Nasuni
Nasuni is a scalable data platform for enterprises facing an explosion of unstructured data in an AI world.

The Nasuni File Data Platform delivers effortless scale in hybrid cloud environments, enables control at the network edge, and meets the modern enterprise expectation for insight- and AI-ready data. It simplifies file data management while increasing storage access and performance. Its best-in-class file recovery protects customers against a range of cyber threats and eliminates the need for specialized backup and disaster recovery – all while cutting the cost of infrastructure by up to 65%.

Organizations worldwide rely on Nasuni, spanning across the manufacturing, construction, energy, consumer goods, and public sectors. Nasuni’s corporate headquarters is in Boston, Massachusetts, and the company delivers services to over 70 countries. For more information, visit www.nasuni.com.

About Vista Equity Partners
Vista is a leading global investment firm with more than $100 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023. The firm exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies, bringing an approach that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and employees. Vista’s investments are anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future – a healthier planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on X, @Vista_Equity.

About TCV
For nearly thirty years, TCV has partnered with global, category-defining, technology companies as a leading growth equity investor. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TCV’s mission is to provide long-term capital and support to high-quality management teams across their growth journey. Since its founding in 1995, TCV has invested over $20 billion in more than 350 technology companies worldwide and has supported over 150 IPOs and strategic acquisitions, making it one of the most active technology investors. Select investments include Airbnb, AxiomSL, Built, CCC Intelligent Solutions, Celonis, Clio, Cradlepoint, ETQ, ExactTarget, Expedia, Facebook, Fandango, Genesys Software, GoDaddy, GoFundMe, HomeAway, Miro, Netflix, Nubank, OneSourceVirtual, Prodege, Qonto, Relex, Revolut, SilverPeak, Splunk, Sportradar, Spotify, Toast, Twillio, and Zillow. TCV has a global presence in Menlo Park, New York, London and Melbourne. For more information on TCV and its investments, visit tcv.com.

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

Media Contacts

Nasuni
Kristin Concannon
kconcannon@nasuni.com
617-416-2873

Vista Equity Partners
Brian W. Steel
media@vistaequitypartners.com
212-804-9170

TCV
marketing@tcv.com

KKR
Liidia Liuksila
media@kkr.com

SOURCE Nasuni

 

DOWNLOAD PDF

Categories: News

Tags:

Partners Group to sell Civica, a global provider of cloud software solutions for the public sector

Partners Group

Zug, Switzerland; 22 November 2023

  • Over 6,000 organizations use Civica’s solutions to deliver critical services
  • Civica has high customer retention rates and benefits from strong recurring revenues
  • Partners Group acquired Civica in 2017 and transformed it into a pure software business

Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, acting on behalf of its clients, has agreed to sell Civica (or “the Company”), a global provider of cloud software solutions for the public sector, to Blackstone.

Headquartered in the UK, Civica provides cloud software solutions to over 6,000 organizations across seven countries that deliver critical services to citizens. Civica’s solutions are designed to help public bodies, including local councils, government departments, health and social care providers, and schools, operate more effectively through automating and streamlining services. The Company has a comprehensive product portfolio covering workflow and automation, risk and compliance, workforce management, financial management, and data analytics and insights. Given Civica’s role in supporting the delivery of critical services, the Company maintains high customer retention rates and benefits from strong recurring revenues. Civica is well-positioned to continue capitalizing on broad growth trends within the software market as organizations look to further digitize to provide better services and save money.

Partners Group acquired Civica in 2017 and has since transformed the Company into a pure software business, pivoting away from its previous services such as IT management. This has driven Civica’s strong growth, with EBITDA doubling since Partners Group’s investment. During Partners Group’s ownership, Civica has accelerated organic topline growth, developed a cloud offering, built out its offshore R&D operations, and executed 24 highly complementary add-on acquisitions. Together with the management team, Partners Group has also defined overarching functional priorities that will guide Civica’s next phase of growth.

Bilge Ogut, Partner, Head Private Equity Technology Industry Vertical, Partners Group, says: “We have been on a transformational journey with Civica, and we are very proud of where the business stands today. Our value creation plan centered around moving Civica in the direction of a pure software solutions business and embracing the shift to cloud, which is important for its client base. The Company will continue to benefit from being the trusted party for digital transformation for its clients, with whom it has deep relationships as a partner of choice. We believe Civica has strong foundations from which to further build on its success.”

Lee Perkins, Chief Executive Officer, Civica, comments: “At Civica, our aspiration is to be a ‘GovTech’ champion, providing software that supports the needs of citizens and those that serve them. In partnership with Partners Group, we have significantly transformed our offering and increased growth momentum across cloud, digital enablement, software innovation, and data analytics. We have also cemented our position as an innovation leader. We now have over two decades of growth to build on and look forward to the next phase of our journey.”

Charles Rees, Member of Management, Private Equity Technology Industry Vertical, Partners Group, adds: “The thematic trends that underpinned our original investment in Civica remain strong. Civica’s mission-critical and deeply specialized solutions, which are key in the public sector space where a high level of customer intimacy is required, continue to differentiate the Company from its competitors. Civica’s growing international presence should also provide future growth channels. We wish the management team all the best.”

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing is expected in Q2 2024. Partners Group was advised by Clifford Chance as legal counsel and Arma Partners as exclusive financial adviser.

Partners Group’s Private Equity business has USD 74 billion in assets under management.

Categories: News

Tags:

Apollo Infrastructure Funds Announce Structured Investment in Yondr Group

Apollo
Proceeds to Facilitate the Continued Buildout of Yondr’s Portfolio of Hyperscale Data Center Facilities in Europe and the Americas

NEW YORK and LONDON , June 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that Apollo-managed infrastructure funds (the “Apollo Funds”) have agreed to provide a significant capital commitment to Yondr Group (“Yondr”) via a structured instrument as the first step in a broader partnership. Proceeds from the investment will be utilized to further Yondr’s growth ambitions in support of client demand for its differentiated service proposition as Apollo and Yondr partner to facilitate the continued buildout of Yondr’s portfolio of hyperscale data center facilities. In connection with the investment, Apollo Partners Trevor Mills and Andrew Kirby will join Yondr’s Board of Directors.

Yondr, wholly owned by Cathexis Group (“Cathexis”), is a recognized global leader in developing, owning, and operating build-to-suit hyperscale data centers, primarily in Europe and the Americas. The Company operates a single-tenant, build-to-suit data center strategy, benefitting from key strategic partnerships across the globe which support development and speed to market. Today, Yondr owns and operates a hyperscale data center in the Netherlands, with four additional sites in construction across Europe and the United States expected to come online between 2024 and 2025, all of which are fully contracted with large, investment-grade counterparties.

Yondr has advanced plans to continue scaling its portfolio of build-to-suit hyperscale data centers with the support of Apollo to meet the rapidly growing needs of its high-quality customer base, with a continued focus on speed to market, top-tier facility design and performance while leveraging the Company’s local expertise.

Paul Cossell, CEO at Yondr Group, said, “Apollo’s support of our global growth ambitions is truly exciting for us at Yondr. This allows us to create long-term sustainable value for clients, and to rapidly deploy cloud solutions, in line with the growing demands of our select, blue-chip client base.”

Apollo Partners Trevor Mills and Andrew Kirby said, “With increasing global demand for hyperscale data center capacity, we believe that nimble, proven build-to-suit players like Yondr are well positioned for sustainable growth. Yondr has rapidly developed a leading position in the global hyperscale sector since its inception in 2019, and we are pleased to support Paul, the management team and Cathexis as they scale to meet the growing demand of their customer base. We are looking forward to our role as Board members as part of a long-term, wide-ranging partnership to help support their continued success.”

Dylan Foo, Head of Global Infrastructure at Apollo, added, “We believe this transaction demonstrates our ability to navigate complexity amid continued economic uncertainty and structure an attractive, tailored investment which supports the needs of both Yondr and Apollo Funds. We look forward to supporting Yondr’s continued expansion while pursuing the high growth secular trend of global cloud adoption.”

Simpson Thacher & Barlett LP served as legal advisor to the Apollo Funds. White & Case LLP served as legal advisor to Yondr.

About Apollo

Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity with a focus on three investing strategies: yield, hybrid, and equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of March 31, 2023, Apollo had approximately $598 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

About Yondr Group
Yondr Group is a global developer, owner operator and service provider of data centers. The company specialises in delivering and operating dedicated infrastructure that is engineered for scale. As an organisation, our mission ‘Global capacity responsible delivery’ ensures that we achieve our vision of a tomorrow without constraints. For more information, visit www.yondrgroup.com

Apollo Contacts

Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
212-822-0540
ir@apollo.com

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
212-822-0491
communications@apollo.com

Yondr Contact

Louise Donkor
Marketing Communications Manager
Yondr Group
info@yondrgroup.com

 


Primary Logo

Source: Apollo Global Management, Inc.

Categories: News

Tags:

Gaw Capital Partners and A3 Capital Jointly Form a JV Platform with the Launch of the first Infinaxis Data Centre in Malaysia

Gaw Capital

Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Welcome the JV Partnership to Enhance Digital Infrastructure in Malaysia

22 February 2023, Singapore/Kuala Lumpur — Real estate private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners announced today that the firm, has formed a JV platform jointly with A3 Capital to invest into greenfield and under-performing data centre assets across key markets in the Southeast Asia region. The collaboration is aimed to create a portfolio of Tier-3 certified data centre assets. This JV platform will also launch the Infinaxis Data Centre platform with a focus on developing Internet Data Centre (IDC) assets across the Southeast Asia region. The data centre assets under the JV platform will be managed by Infinaxis, staffed by an experienced data centre team originally under A3 Capital.  The JV platform’s first investment is located in Cyberjaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with other pipeline opportunities in other neighboring countries like Indonesia and Singapore.

Cyberjaya is one of the largest IDC hubs in Malaysia, housing 67 per cent of the Multi-Tenant Data Centre market in Malaysia as of Q2 2021. Considered as the “Silicon Valley of Malaysia”, Cyberjaya, spanning around 29 square kilometers, is the nucleus of the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia. Cyberjaya houses over 2,000 businesses, including SMEs, startups and multinational companies such as IBM, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Huawei, as well as seven universities, turning it into a regional and global ICT hub. Located in Cyberjaya, the seed investment consists of two greenfield sites with a combined plot area of 12,490 square meters. The JV platform will develop a 12 MW IT load IDC facility on one of the plots. The IT capacity will potentially be doubled in the future, with the second plot to be developed as an expansion site. The data centre assets under the JV platform will be operated by Infinaxis, which consists of seasoned industry experts with decades long track records in data centre, real estate and technology industries.

Kok Chye Ong the Managing Director and Head of IDC Platform, Asia (Ex-China) of Gaw Capital Partners said “Gaw Capital Partners is honored to work together with Infinaxis Data Centre Holdings as the platform operator. By forming this strong partnership, we will develop, acquire or reposition four to five data centres in different locations throughout Southeast Asia. The data centre demand in Malaysia is underpinned by strong internet traffic and high amount of data consumption. In recent years, the internet data growth in these areas have been further accelerated by the continued digital transformation of enterprises and 5G penetration. Also, several government initiatives over the last decade have made Malaysia an attractive market for data centres. However, the supply of quality data centres has not caught up with the technical demand from customers. We look forward to exploring more investment opportunities in this market.”

Zahri Mirza, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Infinaxis further added, “The outlook for data centre demand in Southeast Asia is indeed highly positive and our collaboration with Gaw Capital will allow us to fast track the delivery of services for our customers. Indeed, through our Gaw Capital partnership we have been able to gain support from MIDA and MDEC in processing the necessary regulatory approvals in a timely manner.”

The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) welcome the JV partnership formed by Gaw Capital Partners and A3 Capital to launch the Infinaxis Data Centre platform, enhancing digital infrastructure in Malaysia. Data center facilities are now at the forefront of innovation and have been supporting the demand for mission-critical digital infrastructures and the cumulative growth of data. Not only do businesses rely on data centers for storage, but for disaster recovery and data management too.

Datuk Wira Arham Abdul Rahman, CEO of MIDA said “My sincere compliments to Gaw Capital Partners and A3 Capital for launching the Infinaxis Data Centre platform. Malaysia is the location of choice for industry leaders to site their best-in-class data centres. These combined efforts will definitely play a key role in enhancing our digital infrastructure.”

“The Government is committed to growing Malaysia as a data centre hub by developing infrastructure, facilitating innovation and strengthening frameworks guided by the MyDigital Blueprint and National Investment Policy (NIP). Anchored by the National Investment Aspirations (NIA), the NIP will outline practical strategies to prioritise nurturing innovative, high-impact, high-tech investments that create high value jobs,” added Datuk Wira Arham.

Ts. Mahadhir Aziz, CEO of MDEC, said, “As the nation’s lead digital economy agency, we are pleased to have facilitated this expansion in raising the overall infrastructure capacities in the data centre sector. This will be crucial as we seek to continue accelerating the growth of our digital economy, guided by the new national strategic initiative, Malaysia Digital (MD). MDEC will strive to form more effective collaborations and drive further facilitation on this front to ensure that the nation remains competitive and attractive to investments, towards establishing Malaysia as the digital hub of ASEAN.”

The JV platform is committed to incorporating ESG principles. Infinaxis plans to apply a staged implementation of more advanced sustainability features over time, considering the availability of options and unique circumstances at the respective sites. The data centres will be more efficient and sustainable, fundamentally making them more competitive which will increase the platform’s long-term value.

Gaw Capital Partners was named ‘Alternatives Investor of the Year: Asia’ at the PERE Awards 2021 after receiving the largest number of votes in a public ballot of the real estate industry. In recent years, IDC has been a focus sector for Gaw Capital Partners as the data centre industry is one of the cornerstones of the digital economy, which is growing rapidly with broad prospects. The firm was also highlighted for launching two data centre platforms in China and two in Pan-Asia. In September 2020, the firm closed fundraising for its first IDC platform, which invested in a portfolio of projects in partnership with IDC developers and operators in China, bringing the total equity raised to approximately USD1.3 billion with the aim to build “green, efficient, innovative and recyclable” data centre clusters.

The Asia region represents as one of the geographic frontiers in the data centre space with greater opportunities. The Gaw Capital data centre platform will also comprise data centres located in China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and now in Malaysia.

-END-

Categories: News

Tags:

Sentia Denmark Continues Independent Operations Following Divestment of Its Businesses in Belgium, Bulgaria and the Netherlands

Waterland

Today it was announced that Accenture intends to acquire Sentia’s businesses in Belgium, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. Sentia’s Danish business will not be part of the transaction and will continue as an independent business under the Sentia brand, supported by Waterland Private Equity as its main shareholder. Accenture’s acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Following the closing of the transaction, Sentia Denmark will be 100% Danish, focusing on a Danish delivery to Danish customers, which will further strengthen its strong market position. Sentia Denmark has always been run mostly independently from the rest of the group given its local heritage and leadership.

Jakob Høholdt, managing director of Sentia Denmark, said:

“Through our buy-and-build strategy in Denmark in the past years, Sentia Denmark has become a leading and well-integrated hybrid cloud services player, with strong public cloud capabilities. Our Digital Experience Monitoring capabilities underline our focus to make IT work for client’s end-users. We are one of the largest independent cloud services providers in Denmark with offices throughout the country and have always operated standalone from the rest of the group due to our regional and client intimate setup. With the continued support of our shareholders, we are excited about this next phase as a 100% Danish business in which we will continue to focus on being the best possible cloud services provider for our customers, employees and all other relevant stakeholders.”

The majority shareholders of Sentia Group, being Waterland Private Equity and Belgian entrepreneur Jonas Dhaenens, applaud all of Sentia’s operations, whose employees and leadership have proven their superior customer service levels and profile as a leader in cloud services. They will continue to support Sentia Denmark’s growth ambitions and look forward to working together with the management team in the years to come to further strengthen its leading market position.

Categories: News

Tags:

Oakley Capital agrees strategic combination of Grupo Primavera with Cegid

Oakley

Oakley Capital (“Oakley”) is pleased to announce that Oakley Capital Fund III (“Fund III”) has agreed the strategic combination of Grupo Primavera, the leading business software provider in Iberia, with Cegid, a leading provider of cloud-based management solutions.

Grupo Primavera News 2

As part of the transaction, Fund III will increase its stake in Grupo Primavera and roll over its equity into Cegid. The all-share transaction values the combined company at approximately €6.8 billion.

Oakley acquired Ekon as a standalone platform in 2019, and assembled a group management team to lead an intensive buy and build strategy. With that team Oakley acquired 11 further companies, including the transformative acquisition of Primavera in 2021, to form the newly enlarged Grupo Primavera.

Through acquisitions as well as investment in product innovation and talent, Grupo Primavera has performed well ahead of its business plan, becoming Iberia’s largest software platform in just three years.

Icons8 User Groups

Grupo Primavera has 800 employees based in five countries

Icons8 Receive Cash

Serves 165k paying customers

Icons8 Sales Performance

Delivered €76 million of revenue in 2021

Grupo Primavera

Today, Grupo Primavera has 800 employees based in five countries, serves 165,000 paying customers, and delivered €76 million of revenue in 2021.

The company offers a wide range of cloud-based software solutions covering Invoicing, Accounting, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). These offerings serve small businesses and mid-market segments across Spain, Portugal, and Africa, with a particularly strong footprint among accounting professionals. Together, Grupo Primavera and Cegid will have pro forma revenue in the Iberia region of more than €150 million this year.

Quote Santiago Solanas

We are strongly aligned with Cegid’s vision and ambition and have long admired the company. Like Cegid, we have an entrepreneurial and passionate culture with a focus on product excellence, a commitment to customers, and an exciting vision for growth. This is a powerful partnership that will allow us to combine resources and expertise, bringing customers new products and continued innovation, as well as building on our proven track record to expand and integrate new talent and approaches to market needs. Both Cegid and Grupo Primavera share a mission to grow our ecosystem and to offer our combined customers, channel partners, colleagues, and communities renewed value.

Santiago Solanas

CEO — Grupo Primavera

Quote Peter Dubens

In partnership with Oakley, Grupo Primavera has grown to become a leading player in the Iberian market for business software. Now under the stewardship of both highly experienced management teams and committed shareholders, Cegid and Grupo Primavera are poised to accelerate a global growth strategy with a focus on market expansion and cross sell opportunities. We look forward to being a part of this new chapter for both companies and the significant potential that lies ahead.

Peter Dubens

Managing Partner — Oakley Capital

Cegid

Cegid is a global leading provider of cloud business management solutions for finance (treasury, tax, ERP), human resources (payroll, talent management), CPAs, retail and entrepreneurial sectors.

With 350,000 clients, the business is focused on large and SMB customers, operating in 130 countries across the globe and its installed base is already close to fully migrated to Cloud. Cegid has a strong track record of double-digit organic growth with a high proportion of recurring revenues, underpinned by the SaaS transition of its customer base and new client acquisitions in the Cloud, and investments in next-generation cloud products.

Joining forces with Grupo Primavera is an immense opportunity for both companies and our respective clients. Like Cegid, Grupo Primavera offers useful and innovative solutions to partners and customers in the cloud, and has achieved impressive growth specifically across Spain, Portugal, and Africa. We share an inspiring vision for the future driven by continuous product and technology innovation, and Cegid is fully committed to investing in the combined company’s continued growth. We look forward to working closely with Santiago and the talented team at Grupo Primavera to bring value to a more global customer base.

Pascal Houillon

CEO — Cegid

The combination of Cegid and Grupo Primavera underscores Cegid’s position as a leading provider of cloud-based management solutions.

The addition of Grupo Primavera firmly establishes Cegid’s leadership in Iberia and offers exciting expansion opportunities for Grupo Primavera by leveraging Cegid’s presence in Latin America.

Upon close, Silver Lake will remain the majority shareholder of the combined company. Oakley Capital will join KKR and AltaOne as minority shareholders in the combined company. Together, these shareholders will partner with Cegid CEO Pascal Houillon, Grupo Primavera CEO Santiago Solanas, and the rest of the management team in Cegid’s next phase of growth.

Through our investment and strategic development executed since 2016, Cegid has become a pan European and global player with strong positions in multiple geographies including France, Spain, and Portugal, with important market presence in 12 other countries and selling in more than 130 countries. We are excited about the growth prospects of the combined group and by the creation of the Iberian market leader in the business software space, reinforcing Cegid’s existing position on a broader global scale. The market for digitisation solutions in the European mid-market, namely through financial management software, is large and growing meaningfully, and the combined company will be uniquely positioned to capitalize on this opportunity as it continues to expand.

Christian Lucas

Co-head — Silver Lake EMEA / Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors — Cegid

Upon closing of the transaction, Mr. Solanas and his entire management team will join Cegid, with Mr. Solanas reporting directly to Mr. Houillon.

The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2022, and as is customary, remains subject to the information and consultation processes of the relevant employee representative bodies in accordance with applicable laws.

Oakley was advised by Evercore (M&A), PWC (financial & tax), Paul Hastings and Uría Menéndez (legal).

Categories: News

Tags:

Funds Advised by Apax to Buy Majority Stake in Pickles

Apax

Pickles Auctions Pty Limited (“Pickles”), Australia’s leading marketplace for vehicles, industrial, and salvage assets, today announced it has entered into an agreement to sell a majority share of its business to funds advised by Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”), a global private equity firm.

Privately owned since 1964, the business is now at an inflection point and the family has decided now is the right time to bring in outside investment, utilising the additional capital to fuel future growth. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. The Pickles family will retain a minority interest going forward and the current executive leadership team will remain in place.

“This has not been an easy decision for our family, but we are excited that the capital injection will accelerate our growth and digitisation plans,” says family member and chairman, Tim Pickles. “Having dealt with multiple potential buyers over the years, it became clear to us that Apax is a strong natural fit for Pickles. They bring global experience of digital marketplaces, the capacity to drive us forward, and they share our dedication to providing our clients with an unparalleled level of service,” added Tim Pickles.

Pickles chief executive officer, Bruce Maclennan, says the business is excited by this next phase of Pickles.

“Every member of our team is proud of Pickles’ history and performance. And we’re energised by the fact that Apax is aligned with our strategy and vision for the business going forward. Apax is impressed by the fact that, even though we are leaders across our marketplaces, we continue to evolve and improve our services. Our roadmap for transitioning the business digitally particularly excited them, as did the team we have in place to deliver these plans,” says Maclennan.

Steven Kooyers, partner at Apax, commented: “Pickles is a clear leader across all of its verticals, with a strong reputation for customer success and long history of consistent growth. We are impressed by the foundation the team has built and are excited to be partnering with the Pickles family and management, leveraging our extensive experience investing in and operating leading online marketplaces in other markets, such as New Zealand’s Trade Me, and our expertise in digital transformation, to accelerate the business’s digitalisation journey and fuel future growth.”

The Apax Funds have a strong track record investing in online marketplace businesses, combining extensive digital investment expertise with deep operational value-add. Previous investments include TradeMe in New Zealand, KAR Global and Boats Group in the US, Auto Trader in the UK, Trader Corporation in Canada and Idealista in Spain.

Maclennan adds: “When the Pickles family first opened their doors over 50 years ago, it was so local people with local knowledge could support local businesses like no one else had seen before. Today, Pickles is still synonymous with choice, value, and transparency for buyers and sellers of vehicles and equipment.

“Our business is built on our partnerships, and with Apax we know we can continue to digitise and grow our business. They bring global experience of digital marketplaces and are keen to keep investing in our business beyond the initial purchase.”

 

Categories: News

Tags:

team.blue strengthens leadership team and prepares for further expansion

HG Capital

team.blue, a leading digital enabler for companies and entrepreneurs across Europe, today announces that it has received further investment and continued support from Hg, a leading software and services investor.

The investment will help to supercharge the business and enable team.blue to implement ambitious plans for further expansion in its product offering of online solutions, as well as increase its local presence across more countries in Europe.

team.blue is bringing additional capacity and capability into its executive management team by appointing a new CEO, President and Executive Chair.

In 2019, team.blue was created with the merger of three European hosting groups: Combell Group, TransIP Group, and Register Group. Since it was formed in 2019, the group has scaled significantly, acquired complementary businesses and has expanded its operations to four more countries and across multiple new online solutions such as privacy and compliance tools, e-commerce, agency solutions and web site development.

team.blue is also bringing additional capacity and capability into its executive management team. Claudio Corbetta, previously CEO of one of the founding members of team.blue and currently deputy CEO of the Group will become CEO of the business.  Jonas Dhaenens will move to a role of President and Dawn Marriott will be appointed as Executive Chair.

Working together, the Executive Team will leverage on decades of industry and sector experience focusing on further enhancing team.blue’s world class operations, executing an ambitious M&A strategy across Europe and developing value creation projects across the Group.

Claudio Corbetta brings more than 25 years of experience to team.blue in leadership roles that have transformed brands meeting the online needs of the small business community.

“At team.blue, we have amazing people across multiple countries, and they are the real reason why millions of businesses choose us. We speak our customers’ languages and understand their cultures and local needs. We use this local connection to customise products and services so we are there for our customers at all times. This strengthening of the team and continued long-term backing of Hg will enable us to continue to achieve this through organic expansion and acquisitions into different regions, whilst also expanding our online solutions.”

Claudio Corbetta, CEO at team.blue

As a founder of team.blue, Jonas Dhaenens has delivered a successful growth strategy, fuelling impressive growth and forging new paths into emerging segments set to play a critical role in the group’s evolution.

“Over the past 20 years, team.blue has become a digital champion offering online solutions to millions of European SMEs. Today marks the beginning of a new phase in the evolution of team.blue and I am personally excited to focus on spending more time with ambitious entrepreneurs across Europe looking to join the team.blue ecosystem.”

Jonas Dhaenens, President at team.blue

Dawn Marriott is a serial CEO and Chair, having worked at several global technology and service businesses, focused on best-in-class, senior operations. Dawn will focus on implementing an ambitious value creation plan across team.blue.

“team.blue is full of dedicated, knowledgeable, innovative and collaborative people, which is exactly what we need in order to deliver world class products to our customers. Combining this with high quality support is key to fulfil our purpose, to help our customers achieve their business potential by connecting them with the world. I am incredibly proud and excited to be part of this brilliant team.” 

Dawn Marriott, Executive Chair at team.blue

Hg has a history of backing entrepreneurs and businesses that provide digital and online services to SMEs, creating industry champions by scaling platforms internationally, through transformational M&A and organic growth, backed by Hg’s sector experience and operational support.

“team.blue have built an exceptional business addressing the need for SMEs to digitise and provide more services online. We look forward to the next phase for the business, as team.blue expands into new, adjacent products to offer its customers, whilst embarking on an ambitious value creation plan to accelerate several commercial initiatives around product and technology.” 

Nick Jordan and Joris Van Gool, Partners at Hg

The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed and completion is subject to closing conditions.

For further details:

Hg
Tom Eckersley
+44 (0)208 148 5401

Brunswick
Azadeh Varzi
+44 (0)207 404 5959
Hg@brunswickgroup.com

Categories: News

Tags:

Oakley Capital agrees sale of Contabo and follow-on investment

Oakley

Oakley Capital (“Oakley”) is pleased to announce that Oakley Capital Fund IV (“Fund IV”) has reached an agreement to sell its stake in Contabo, a leading cloud hosting platform offering easy-to-use and cost-effective cloud services used by SMEs, entrepreneurs and developers. The exit will generate a gross return in excess of 10x MM and over 100% IRR to Fund IV. As part of the transaction, Oakley Capital Fund V (“Fund V”) will acquire a minority stake in Contabo alongside majority investor KKR, to benefit from the anticipated future growth of the business.

Fund IV first invested in Contabo in 2019 alongside proven hosting entrepreneurs Thomas Strohe, Jochen Berger and Thomas Vollrath who introduced the opportunity to Oakley. Under Oakley’s ownership, Contabo has generated strong revenue and EBITDA growth to become a leading SME cloud hosting provider with 24 lean and highly efficient data centres across four continents serving a diversified mix of more than 250,000 customers. In 2020, Czech hosting business VSHosting was acquired to expand Contabo’s international footprint, followed by GPORTAL in 2021, a rapidly growing ‘platform-as-a-service’ provider in the gaming space.

The strategic partnership with KKR and fresh investment from Oakley will support the next stage of Contabo’s growth plan including acquisitions, and enable Contabo to continue its successful growth journey to become a global leader in SME cloud hosting. The company is well positioned in a market that has shown very strong and resilient growth in recent years, driven by structural trends and market dynamics, including increasing data traffic, the ongoing digitisation of small businesses as well as the increasing use of cloud applications.

Arma Partners and DH Capital acted as financial advisors to Contabo, and Kirkland & Ellis International LLP acted as legal advisor to Contabo in connection with this transaction.

Contabo CEO, Thomas Noglik, commented:

“When we first invested in Contabo three years ago, the business was very much a relatively unknown, subscale player in the domestic German web-hosting market. In partnership with Oakley, we leveraged our combined experience in cloud hosting and our track record in successfully professionalising businesses to transform Contabo into the market-leader it is today. We’re pleased to be continuing our collaboration with Oakley and now with KKR’s support and sector expertise as we proceed with the next stage of the company’s growth plan.”

Jean-Pierre Saad, Partner and Head of Technology for Private Equity in EMEA and Laura Schröder, Director at KKR, commented:

“The demand for cloud infrastructure and hosting services has accelerated considerably over recent years, and is set to further increase due to the ongoing digitalization of small businesses and secular growth of the developer community. With its differentiated positioning in the market based on price-performance leadership and strong customer satisfaction, Contabo benefits from these market trends. We are excited by the opportunity to work with the management team and Oakley to unlock the significant potential in Contabo, drawing on our extensive expertise from investing in the cloud and hosting industry globally.”

Oakley Capital Managing Partner, Peter Dubens, commented:

“For over a decade, Oakley has built significant expertise investing in the attractive web-hosting sector. We are pleased to sustain our strong track record with Contabo, and look forward to continuing our partnership with management to deliver on our ambition for the company. We also welcome KKR as co-investors with their deep experience in technology investing and the DACH region.”

Oakley Capital

When we first invested in Contabo three years ago, the business was very much a relatively unknown, subscale player in the domestic German web-hosting market. In partnership with Oakley, we leveraged our combined experience in cloud hosting and our track record in successfully professionalising businesses to transform Contabo into the market-leader it is today.
Thomas Noglik
CEO of Contabo

Categories: News

Tags:

KKR to acquire majority stake in global cloud infrastructure and hosting provider Contabo

KKR
  • KKR has agreed to acquire a majority stake in the leading cloud infrastructure and hosting provider for small-sized enterprises (SMEs), developers and tech-savvy prosumers
  • Contabo operates in a market that is characterized by strong and resilient growth benefiting from structural trends of SME digitalization, migration to cloud based infrastructure and increasing popularity of community-based gaming
  • Strategic partnership with KKR will support Contabo in its next phase of international expansion

Frankfurt, Germany, 8 June 2022 – KKR, a leading global investment firm, announced today that KKR has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Contabo, a global cloud infrastructure and hosting provider based in Germany. As part of the transaction, existing investor Oakley Capital will retain a minority stake in the business, alongside management and hosting entrepreneurs Thomas Strohe, Jochen Berger and Thomas Vollrath.

Contabo is a fast-growing cloud infrastructure and hosting provider, offering SMEs, developers, prosumers, and gamers simple, easy-to-use cloud services with a best-in-class price-performance proposition. With a global network of 23 data centres in Europe, the US and Asia, Contabo is serving a diversified mix of more than 250,000 customers in different industries across approximately 150 countries.

The strategic partnership with KKR will help enable Contabo to further invest in its infrastructure and pursue its organic growth ambitions by expanding its product and technology portfolio as well as the company’s international footprint. The company is excellently positioned in a market that has shown strong and resilient growth in recent years, driven by structural trends and market dynamics, including SME digitalization, migration to cloud based infrastructure and increasing popularity of community-based gaming.

Thomas Noglik, CEO of Contabo, said: “I am delighted to enter this strategic partnership, which will allow us to unlock the next phase of Contabo’s global ambitions. With our platform, we want to provide developers, prosumers and small businesses around the world access to simple, user-friendly and cost-effective cloud infrastructure and hosting services and we strongly believe that with KKR we have found the ideal partner with the right expertise to support us in our next phase of growth.”

Jean-Pierre Saad, Partner and Head of Technology for Private Equity in EMEA and Laura Schröder, Director at KKR, commented: “The demand for reliable cloud infrastructure services offered at leading price-performance ratios has considerably accelerated over the recent years, and is set to continue to increase in the foreseeable future. With its differentiated value proposition in this market and its strong customer satisfaction, Contabo is well positioned to benefit from those market trends. We are excited by the opportunity to work with Thomas, the rest of the management team and Oakley Capital to further realize the full potential of Contabo,drawing on our experience from investing in the cloud infrastructure and hosting markets globally.”

Peter Dubens, Managing Partner at Oakley Capital, added: “After almost three years working closely with Contabo, we are excited to continue this partnership and welcome KKR as co-investor who will lend their deep technology investing experience and a track record of successfully helping European businesses scale internationally.”

KKR is one of the most active investors focused on building leading global technology enterprises, with global tech investments including Körber Supply Chain Software, Cegid, Exact Software, Darktrace, Onestream and Box among others. The investment in Contabo builds on KKR’s experience investing in the cloud infrastructure industry globally, with investments including OVHcloud, Cloudera, Ensono and GoDaddy, among others.

KKR will invest in Contabo through its European Private Equity Strategy.

 

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

Media Contacts KKR

Germany

Finsbury Glover Hering
Thea Bichmann
Mobile: +49 172 13 99 761
Email: kkr_germany@fgh.com

Emily Lagemann
Mobile: +49 160 992 713 35
Email: kkr_germany@fgh.com

<< Back to Press Releases

Categories: News

Tags: