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KKR and Gulf Data Hub Form Strategic Partnership to Scale One of the Middle East’s Largest Independent Data Center Platforms

  • Strategic partnership between a leading global investment firm and a leading UAE business with a regional footprint
  • KKR and GDH are committing to support over $5 billion of total investment to build-out data center capacity, supporting the significant rise in hyperscale demand, AI and digital-focused national priorities across the Gulf countries
  • First data center investment for KKR in the Middle East, adding to KKR’s unique global portfolio of four hyperscale platforms comprising several GW of deployed assets across 100+ facilities

DUBAI & LONDON & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Gulf Data Hub (“GDH” or the “Company”), one of the largest independent data center platforms in the Middle East focused on serving hyperscale demand across the Gulf countries, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that funds affiliated with KKR will acquire a stake in GDH. The investment, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is being made through KKR’s Global Infrastructure strategy.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250117834785/en/

H.E. Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, presiding over the official signing of the strategic partnership between KKR and Gulf Data Hub by Tara Davies Co-Head of KKR EMEA and Co-Head of European Infrastructure and Tarek Al Ashram, CEO of Gulf Data Hub (GDH) (Photo: Business Wire)H.E. Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, presiding over the official signing of the strategic partnership between KKR and Gulf Data Hub by Tara Davies Co-Head of KKR EMEA and Co-Head of European Infrastructure and Tarek Al Ashram, CEO of Gulf Data Hub (GDH) (Photo: Business Wire)

Established in 2012 and headquartered in Dubai, GDH, is one of the largest independent carrier and vendor neutral data center platforms in the Middle East with significant operating capacity and pipeline of projects. With an owned portfolio of seven purpose-built and state-of-the art data centers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and additional facilities planned in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, GDH is focused on delivering the infrastructure required to meet hyperscale demand across the region to support increasing data consumption driven by the growing trends in digital connectivity, cloud and artificial intelligence.

The transaction marks one of the largest international investments into a UAE-founded and managed business in a fast-growing sector that benefits from high demand and major competitive advantages, reaffirming the UAE’s leadership in accelerating digital and AI capabilities. Upon completion, KKR and GDH have committed to support over $5 billion of total investment to grow GDHs’ market leading position and to support its international growth plans through organic and inorganic strategies.

GDH has successfully built on its first mover advantage and leveraged its scalable platform and large powered landbank to create a sizeable pipeline of assets. The Company’s proven track record of data centre buildouts, reliable delivery of availability, performance, security and support for hyperscale customers, and successful operation of secure data centers which have been built to ensure continuous operation, have consolidated its position as a standout business in a rapidly growing sector.

Commenting on the transaction, His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, who witnessed the signing ceremony in Dubai, remarked: “The UAE exemplifies visionary leadership, driving digital and AI capabilities to new heights. By transforming ambitious visions into the achievements we are witnessing today, it sets a global benchmark for innovation and progress. Through groundbreaking initiatives and strategic investments, the UAE is shaping a future where technology enhances lives, fuels economic prosperity, and unlocks boundless opportunities.”

Al Olama further added: “This milestone underscores the strength of the UAE’s digital economy, enhances the journey of growth, and aligns with the National Strategy for Digital Economy. Building on the momentum of 2024, marked by the launch of numerous data centers, it represents a strong start to 2025 and reaffirms the UAE’s dedication to strengthening its digital infrastructure. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, the UAE continues to lead, inspiring the world by advancing human potential and creating a smarter, more connected tomorrow.”

Tarek Al Ashram, Founder and CEO of Gulf Data Hub, said: “Today marks a milestone in our growth journey as we welcome KKR, a global leader in digital infrastructure investing, as a strategic partner in our business. Over the past 12 years, GDH has grown into one of the most successful data center platforms in the region, supporting the business needs of sophisticated cloud and enterprise software customers. The strategic partnership with KKR will enable us to leverage their deep expertise, positioning us to achieve our pan-regional ambitions and deliver on our mandate of being a partner and provider of choice.”

Tara Davies, Co-Head of KKR EMEA and Co-Head of European Infrastructure, added: “The Middle East is a fast-growing region for hyperscale deployment. With competitively priced and readily available sources of energy, an unmatched ability to serve as a gateway hub for Asia and Africa, and sustained government commitment to power the growth of the digital sector, we believe it is today one of the most attractive investment destinations for long-term capital. Our investment in GDH aligns with our conviction in digital infrastructure and enables us to leverage our global connectivity to drive value and accelerate the growth of a leading business in the region. It also reinforces KKR’s continued commitment to the Middle East, following our landmark investment in ADNOC Oil Pipelines as well our work with Etihad alongside Altavair AirFinance.”

Waldemar Szlezak, Global Head of Digital Infrastructure at KKR, said: “Today’s digital assets form the backbone of our data-driven society. With the world set to generate 1.5 times more digital data than just two years ago, the demand for data center capacity is skyrocketing. The ongoing migration to cloud computing and the rise of AI are not just trends; they are reshaping the landscape of digital infrastructure. As business requirements evolve, strategic investments such as the one we have forged with GDH will be crucial to harnessing the full potential of our digital future. We look forward to working with Tarek and his team to power their success together.”

KKR has had a presence in the Middle East for over 15 years, with offices in Dubai and Riyadh. Prior investments in the region include the strategic partnership with ADNOC to create ADNOC Oil Pipelines, which marked the first midstream infrastructure collaboration between a leading global institutional investor and a national oil company in the Middle East. KKR also acquired a portfolio of commercial aircraft from Etihad Airways in 2020 through aircraft leasing investment platform Altitude Aircraft Leasing, which was established by KKR’s credit and infrastructure funds in 2018 to acquire aircraft serviced by Altavair.

KKR first established its global infrastructure team and strategy in 2008 and has since been one of the most active infrastructure investors around the world with $77 billion in infrastructure assets under management as of September 30, 2024. To date, KKR has invested more than $29 billion across 22 investments in relevant digital infrastructure companies across data centers and fiber, as well as $15 billion in power, utilities, and energy.

KKR’s significant global data center footprint spans four platforms with several GW of deployed assets across over 100 facilities and more under development globally. These platforms include US-based global data center infrastructure provider CyrusOne, Singapore-based data center operators STT GDC and Nxera, and UK-based hyperscale data center developer, owner, and operator GTR. KKR’s portfolio also includes over 10 renewable energy developers with over 50 GW of global development pipeline.

Advancements in AI are fueling an unprecedented demand for data centers, but a limited availability of reliable power is impeding the strategic goals of the world’s largest technology companies, enterprises, and governments looking to deploy AI. To help address this, KKR has formed a $50 billion strategic partnership with Energy Capital Partners, the largest private owner of power generation and renewables in the US, designed to deliver scaled data center and power solutions for hyperscalers and other market participants to support the rapid expansion of AI and cloud computing globally.

About KKR

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

About GDH

Gulf Data Hub (GDH) is a leading provider of state-of-the-art data center solutions across the Middle East, offering highly secure, scalable, and sustainable infrastructure for businesses in the digital economy. Since its inception in 2012, GDH has consistently innovated and sought ways to minimize the risks associated with downtime while maximizing operational efficiency. With facilities strategically located in key markets, GDH provides colocation, cloud, and connectivity services to a diverse portfolio of clients, including global enterprises, governments, and hyperscale cloud providers. Committed to innovation, operational excellence, and environmental sustainability, GDH empowers its clients to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. For additional information about GDH, please visit the GDH website at www.gulfdatahub.ae

Media

Middle East:
Mitali Atal: mitali.atal@fgsglobal.com
Aditi Mane: aditi.mane@fgsglobal.com

United Kingdom:
Alastair Elwen: alastair.elwen@fgsglobal.com
Jack Shelley: jack.shelley@fgsglobal.com

Source: KKR

 

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Novacap and H5 Data Centers Announce Formation of Joint Venture

Novacap

 

Novacap, a leading North American private equity firm, and H5 Data Centers, one of the United States’ largest privately-owned data center operators, are pleased to announce the formation of a joint venture focused on delivering advanced data center solutions across North America.

The joint venture will prioritize the development and repositioning of strategically located facilities to meet the growing demand for scalable, high-quality colocation space. The facilities aim to provide robust infrastructure, enhanced connectivity options, and industry-leading security features to enterprise and hyperscale customers.

“As we reach a critical juncture for power and compute, we are excited to partner with the H5 team to bring critical capacity online in key markets across the country,” says Ted Mocarski, Senior Partner and Head of Digital Infrastructure at Novacap.

“Data center projects continue to rapidly grow in scale, and we look forward to partnering with Novacap to deliver incredible data centers to support our customers’ significant IT infrastructure needs,” emphasizes Josh Simms, CEO at H5 Data Centers.

The joint venture with H5 Data Centers is Novacap’s fourth investment within its Digital Infrastructure platform and represents its continued commitment to building a diversified portfolio across the digital landscape.

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP acted as legal advisor to Novacap. Hogan Lovells LLP acted as legal advisor to H5 Data Centers.

About Novacap
Novacap is a leading North American private equity investor and one of Canada’s most experienced private equity firms. Founded in 1981 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs, Novacap focuses on middle market companies in four core sectors: Technologies, Industries, Financial Services, and Digital Infrastructure. Novacap combines deep sector-specific expertise with strategic and operational excellence to support entrepreneurs and management teams. Since its inception, the firm has made primary and add-on investments in more than 250 companies. With over C$10 billion in assets under management and a presence across offices in Montreal, Toronto, and New York, Novacap continues to drive innovation and growth. For more information, please visit: https://novacap.ca.

About H5 Data Centers
H5 Data Centers is one of the leading privately-owned data center operators in the United States, with 4 million square feet of data center space under management in more than 20 US markets. Learn more at: https://h5datacenters.com.

 

 

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Blackstone Invests $300 Million at a $5 billion Valuation in DDN, AI and Data Intelligence Solutions Leader, to Fuel Further Rapid Growth

Blackstone

Chatsworth, CA & New York, NY – January 9, 2025 – DDN, a global leader in AI and data intelligence solutions, today announced it has received a $300 million investment from funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (“Blackstone”) at a $5 billion valuation. The investment will be used to help fund DDN’s continued rapid growth as it serves its customers’ fast-expanding AI and high-performance computing (HPC) software and infrastructure needs.

Founded in 1998, DDN has thousands of customers and supports over 500,000 NVIDIA GPUs for organizations ranging from top financial services, life sciences, and public sector clients to AI hyperscalers and cloud providers such as xAI and Lambda. DDN high-performance data intelligence platform is used to power NVIDIA clusters. DDN’s solutions help make data rapidly accessible for analysis and processing at high throughput and low latency – which are critical to helping power highly data-intensive AI and HPC workloads and ensuring maximum GPU utilization for the best performance and return on investment possible. Building on its two-decade heritage as a leader in high-performance storage, the company is a partner of choice for leading organizations seeking to implement scalable, reliable, and secure AI applications that deliver tangible business outcomes. DDN’s platform enables rapid data ingestion, real-time processing, and significantly faster insight generation—accelerating enterprise deployments of LLMs, Gen AI, and RAG for customer-facing applications, predictive analytics, and operational improvements.

“Blackstone’s support accelerates our mission to redefine the enterprise AI infrastructure category and scale at an even faster rate,” said Alex Bouzari, CEO and Co-Founder of DDN. “By fueling our mission to push the boundaries of data intelligence, we believe we can empower organizations worldwide with next-level AI solutions that drive groundbreaking innovation and deliver significant returns on their investments.”

“This investment enables us to execute our strategy to bring enterprise-grade AI solutions to companies of all sizes, transforming industries and delivering measurable outcomes,” said Paul Bloch, President and Co-Founder of DDN. “DDN is laser-focused on solving real AI business challenges, from accelerating LLM deployments to enhancing inferencing, so our customers can unlock their data’s potential and achieve tangible ROI faster than ever.”

Jas Khaira, Head of Blackstone Tactical Opportunities, Americas, said: “The digital infrastructure powering the AI revolution continues to be among our highest conviction investment themes at Blackstone. DDN’s solutions are trusted by many of the most important AI companies in the world and are critical to the next phase of development for transformative AI deployments. We are thrilled to be the first institutional investor in DDN and help further strengthen its market leadership for high-intensity AI workloads.”

John Watson, Managing Director at Blackstone, said: “Alex and Paul have built a highly innovative business that is poised to help further propel the exponential growth in artificial intelligence. We’re excited to partner with them and their team to further expand DDN’s reach and solutions in the years to come for the benefit of their customers.”

Blackstone is a leader in investing in the digital infrastructure driving AI innovation. Blackstone is the largest data center provider in the world with holdings across the U.S., Europe, India, and Japan. The company also recently made major investments in CoreWeave, a specialized provider of critical cloud infrastructure pioneering the AI revolution.

BofA Securities acted as the exclusive financial advisor to DDN in connection with the transaction.

For more information about DDN’s mission to transform data intelligence and redefine enterprise AI, visit www.ddn.com, DDN blog, and register for “Beyond Artificial”.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to deliver compelling returns for institutional and individual investors by strengthening the companies in which we invest. Our more than $1.1 trillion in assets under management include global investment strategies focused on real estate, private equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, credit, real assets, secondaries, and hedge funds. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

About DDN
DDN is the world’s leading AI and data intelligence company, empowering organizations to maximize the value of their data with end-to-end HPC and AI-focused solutions. Its customers range from the largest global enterprises and AI hyperscalers to cutting-edge research centers, all leveraging DDN’s proven data intelligence platform for scalable, secure, and high-performance AI deployments that drive 10x returns. Follow DDN: LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

Media Contacts

Outcast for DDN
Brian Cronkhite: bcronkhite@thisisoutcast.com

Matt Anderson for Blackstone
Matthew.Anderson@blackstone.com

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Digital Edge DC raises over US$1.6 billion in new equity and debt capital to fund continued platform expansion

Stonepeak

SINGAPORE, 6 January 2025 – Digital Edge (Singapore) Holdings Pte Ltd. (“Digital Edge”), a leading developer and operator of interconnection and hyperscale edge data centers across Asia and portfolio company of Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, today announced it has raised over US$1.6 billion in new capital through a combination of equity and debt financing to fuel its next phase of growth.

The capital raise includes approximately $640 million of equity investment from both existing and new investors as well as $1 billion of total debt financing across multiple campus expansions. The equity raise was significantly oversubscribed, and welcomes some of the world’s largest institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds as new co-investors.

The growth capital will accelerate Digital Edge’s expansion to meet the increasing and nuanced cloud and AI demands of its customers across the region. Digital Edge was established in early 2020 and now owns and operates 21 data centers with over 500 MW of critical IT load in service and under construction and development, with another 300 MW held for future development, across strategic locations in Japan, Korea, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

This past October, Digital Edge opened its third data center in Korea, known as SEL2. The 36MW SEL2 facility is the first building in its 100MW Incheon campus in Seoul. This followed the expansion of Digital Edge’s Jakarta footprint with the opening of its 23MW EDGE2 facility earlier in the year. Looking forward, Digital Edge is set to open the first facility in its 300MW campus in Navi Mumbai in Q2 of 2025, as well as a hyperscale edge facility in downtown Tokyo known as TY07, its ninth data center facility in Japan.

“The level of interest received from existing and new investors is testament to Digital Edge’s proven track record, expansion capacity, and relentless focus on delivering for our customers across the Asia Pacific region,” said Andrew Thomas, Chairman of Digital Edge and a Senior Managing Director at Stonepeak. “Since making the founding investment in Digital Edge in 2020, Stonepeak has been proud to support the platform’s expansion into six countries and a truly pan-APAC footprint.”

Samuel Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Edge commented, “This is a major milestone for Digital Edge and an affirmation of the quality of this platform and our team. We are very proud of what we have achieved and are excited to deliver on the next phase of AI-ready data center developments.”

“We would like to thank our investors and financing partners for their continued support and confidence in Digital Edge’s strategy,” said John Freeman, President of Digital Edge. “This efficient and flexible funding will accelerate the continued execution of our vision, enabling us to further build-out our digital infrastructure to better meet our customers’ cloud, AI, and interconnection requirements.”

About Digital Edge

Headquartered in Singapore, Digital Edge is a trusted and forward-looking data center platform company, established to transform digital infrastructure in Asia. Through building and operating state-of-the-art, energy-efficient data centers rich with connectivity options, Digital Edge aims to bring new colocation and interconnect options to the Asian market, making infrastructure deployment in the region easy, efficient and economical.

Backed by leading alternative investment firm Stonepeak, Digital Edge has established itself as a market-leading pan-Asia data center platform. The company provides data center and fiber services across Asia, with a presence in Japan, Korea, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. You can visit the company’s website at www.digitaledgedc.com.

Media Contacts

Digital Edge
Dina Yang, Associate Director Corporate Communications
dina.yang@digitaledgedc.com
+82 10 9874 2655

Stonepeak
Kate Beers / Maya Brounstein
corporatecomms@stonepeak.com
+1 (646) 540-5225

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Rivean Capital to become major shareholder in Valcon

Rivean
  • Leading European transformation consultancy to partner with PE firm

Utrecht: Valcon, a leading European digital transformation service provider specialising in data, consulting and technology, is delighted to announce its partnership with Rivean Capital, a pioneer in European mid-market private equity, who will acquire a majority stake, subject to ACM approval (the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets) and the advisory process with Valcon’s Dutch works council. This strategic collaboration is set to accelerate Valcon’s growth and the firm’s ability to help organisations across Europe achieve transformative business outcomes.

Rivean Capital’s investment underscores its confidence in Valcon’s ability to drive impactful transformation across different industries and will support Valcon to further expand its services, invest in cutting-edge solutions and strengthen its position as a trusted partner for organisations navigating complex business challenges. Rivean Capital will replace Waterland as the existing majority investor, with the latter continuing to invest as a minority shareholder.

Geert van den Goor, CEO of Valcon, commented: “We are thrilled to join forces with Rivean Capital in this exciting new chapter for Valcon. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our journey to become the benchmark for digital transformation in Europe. With Rivean’s support, we are well-positioned to amplify our impact and achieve our ambitious goals for organic and acquisitive growth. And Waterland’s re-investment as a minority shareholder is a testament to its continued belief in our business.”

Hidde Vedder, Partner at Rivean Capital, said: “We are delighted with the opportunity to partner with Valcon’s management team and contribute to Valcon’s further expansion in NorthWestern Europe. Valcon has a great reputation for delivering transformative results for its clients and we are excited to be working with them to provide support to further scale their operations and unlock new opportunities in the European market.”

Wouter Roduner, Managing Partner at Waterland, commented: “It’s been a great journey partnering with the Valcon team. The team has consistently delivered growth – it is always looking to develop its capabilities, such as the addition of AI, to meet client needs. Waterland is therefore committed to continue to support Valcon on the next stage of its growth cycle.”

—

Editors’ notes

About Valcon
Valcon is a digital transformation service provider which is the trusted partner for European enterprises to enable their competitive edge for tomorrow. Its 1600 skilled professionals have expertise in creating value for its clients by by providing profound data, business transformation and technology capabilities. Valcon works with large organisations across multiple industries, including financial services, retail, public, industrials and infrastructure. For more information, please visit www.valcon.com

About Rivean Capital
Rivean Capital is a leading European private equity investor in mid-market transactions with operations in the DACH region, Benelux and Italy. Rivean Capital has assets under management in excess of €5bn and offices in Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Zug and Milan. Since its inception in 1982, Rivean Capital has supported more than 250 companies in realizing their growth ambitions. For more information, please visit www.riveancapital.com

About Waterland
Waterland is an independent private equity investment company that supports companies in realizing their growth plans. With substantial financial resources and industry expertise, Waterland enables its portfolio companies to achieve accelerated growth both organically and through acquisitions. Waterland operates out of 13 offices across Europe and currently has approximately EUR 14 billion in equity funds. For more information, please visit www.waterlandpe.com

Contacts

Valcon
Lucy Clark
Lucy.clark@valcon.com
+44 (0) 7984184461

Rivean Capital
Maikel Wieland (Head of Investor Relations & Co-Investments)
m.wieland@riveancapital.com
+41 43 268 20 30

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Gryphon Investors Announces Investment in phData

Gryphon Investors

Partners with Management to Scale Next Generation Data and AI Services Platform

Gryphon Investors (“Gryphon”), a leading middle-market private equity firm, announced today that it has completed a majority growth recapitalization of phData (the “Company”), an industry leader in developing and delivering modern data applications and AI solutions. This investment will support phData’s continued growth of its differentiated set of end-to-end offerings and its expert global team. As part of the transaction, the Company’s management team, including CEO Ryan Bosshart, will retain a significant equity stake in the Company. Financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed.

phData, one of the largest pure-play data engineering companies globally, is certified as a Snowflake Elite Services Partner and an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner. Specializing in AI and data applications, phData offers services including data engineering, AI and machine learning, analytics, and visualization. Founded in 2014 and based in Minneapolis, MN, phData serves the world’s top brands in the financial services, manufacturing, healthcare & life sciences, and retail & CPG industries.

Gabe Stephenson, Partner and Head of the Technology Solutions & Services Group at Gryphon, said, “phData is incredibly well-positioned to capitalize on the punctuated change and positive tailwinds driven by data and AI. phData has an advantaged market position and leading brand in data and AI services, underpinned by strong and long-term customer relationships, a highly talented team of skilled engineers, and a humble and hungry management team. We look forward to partnering with phData to help the Company capture the tremendous opportunity that exists.”

phData represents Gryphon’s fourth platform investment in a Technology Solutions & Services company, following partnerships with 3Cloud, NewRocket, and Caylent.

Mr. Bosshart added, “We are excited to have found a partner in Gryphon that shares our vision of innovative, efficient data and AI solutions driving real world business value. Their proven track record of helping leading solutions and services companies scale in the technology space will enable us to build on our momentum and accelerate our growth.”

Guggenheim Securities acted as financial advisor to phData. Latham & Watkins, Winthrop & Weinstine, and Gunderson Dettmer acted as legal advisors to phData. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Gryphon, and Lazard acted as financial advisor to Gryphon.

# # #

About phData

phData is a leading AI and data services company that specializes in AI and data applications, from conception to production. The company’s global delivery team partners with the world’s top brands to execute data initiatives in artificial intelligence, data engineering, applications, analytics, and managed services for cloud platforms.

About Gryphon Investors

Gryphon Investors is a leading middle-market private investment firm focused on profitably growing and competitively advantaged companies in the Business Services, Consumer, Healthcare, Industrial Growth, Software, and Technology Solutions & Services sectors. With approximately $9+ billion of assets under management, Gryphon prioritizes investments in which it can form strong partnerships with founders, owners, and executives to accelerate the building of leading companies and generate enduring value through its integrated deal and operations business model. Gryphon’s highly differentiated model integrates its well-proven Operations Resources Group, which is led by full-time, Gryphon senior operating executives with general management, human capital acquisition and development, treasury, finance, and accounting expertise. Gryphon’s three core investment strategies include its Flagship, Heritage, and Junior Capital strategies, each with dedicated funds of capital. The Flagship and Heritage strategies target equity investments of $50 million to $500 million per portfolio company. The Junior Capital strategy targets investments of $10 million to $25 million in junior securities of credit facilities, arranged by leading middle-market lenders, in both Gryphon-controlled companies, as well as in other private equity-backed companies operating in Gryphon’s targeted investment sectors.

Contact:

Lambert

Caroline Luz

203-570-6462

cluz@lambert.com

or

Jennifer Hurson

845-507-0571

jhurson@lambert.com

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Equistone portfolio company TIMETOACT GROUP acquires JOIN(+) and further expands its expertise in Big Data & AI

Equistone

TIMETOACT GROUP, a leading provider of IT services for upper medium-sized companies, corporations and public institutions, is acquiring JOIN(+), an experienced German IT consulting service specialised in Big Data & AI. The partnership marks TIMETOACT GROUP’s third acquisition in the past twelve months and tenth overall since the Equistone funds acquired a majority stake in the business.

TIMETOACT GROUP, headquartered in Cologne, comprises specialised IT companies across 30 locations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as in Latvia, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, Hungary and the USA. With over 1,350 employees and a comprehensive portfolio of software and consulting services, the digitalisation expert primarily concentrates on medium-sized and large companies from the industrial, financial and service sectors, as well as public institutions.

Funds advised by Equistone Partners Europe acquired a majority stake in the business in June 2021. Since then, TIMETOACT GROUP has successfully pursued a targeted buy-and-build strategy focused on strengthening the group’s service portfolio and accessing new market segments. In February 2024, TIMETOACT GROUP acquired Austrian IT consulting firm Trustbit to form one of the leading digitalisation players in Austria. In November 2024, the group announced the planned acquisition of Hungarian-based EverIT through its portfolio company catworkx, a transaction which will further strengthen its global consulting portfolio. With the acquisition of JOIN(+), TIMETOACT GROUP has achieved another important milestone in its dynamic growth journey and the expansion of its group-wide consulting portfolio.

With offices in Villingen-Schwenningen and Konstanz, Germany, JOIN(+) GmbH is an established IT consulting service provider which has been operating for over 25 years. JOIN(+) acts as a technical consulting and implementation partner to support customers in a range of industries in the DACH region. The company specialises in business analytics, business intelligence, Big Data & AI, and data visualisation, and is able to draw on highly trained employees who work every day to fulfil the company’s mission of focusing on quality, flexibility and trust.

With this transaction, the companies are now joining forces and will be optimally positioned to benefit from important synergy and growth potential, especially through their extensive expertise in the area of Big Data & AI. The managing directors of JOIN(+), Erich Anhut and Jürgen Lutz, will continue to lead the company and oversee the integration of the business into the TIMETOACT GROUP.

“We are becoming part of a strong brand by joining the TIMETOACT GROUP and will benefit from increased efficiency and performance, which will ultimately strengthen our position as a reliable partner in the IT industry. With an expanded portfolio, we are now even better positioned to meet the constantly changing needs of our customers and offer innovative, tailor-made solutions,” commented Erich Anhut, Managing Director of JOIN(+). “The merger also increases stability and planning security for our employees and allows us to offer new development perspectives and exchange opportunities with many international experts,” adds Jürgen Lutz, Managing Director of JOIN(+).

“The acquisition of JOIN(+) is an important step in expanding our Data & AI portfolio. With Erich and Jürgen, we have also gained two highly motivated managers and we are very pleased to be able to further develop the TIMETOACT GROUP together,” says Frank Fuchs, Co-Managing Director of TIMETOACT GROUP.

Felix Binsack, Co-Managing Director of TIMETOACT GROUP, adds: “Through the merger with JOIN(+), we are gaining a highly competent and dynamic team, who perfectly complement the TIMETACT GROUP culturally. The acquisition supports our offering to our customers and gives us broad and cross-manufacturer consulting expertise in the key growth area of Data & AI.”

“TIMETOACT GROUP has been pursuing an ambitious growth strategy since Equistone funds acquired a majority stake back in 2021. The acquisition of JOIN(+) marks another decisive step for the group on its journey towards becoming one of the leading players in the IT consulting sector in the DACH region. TIMETOACT GROUP is not only strengthening its competencies in Big Data & AI, but the merger will also maximise synergies from which both customers and employees will benefit in the long term,” adds Moritz Treude, Director at Equistone Partners Europe’s Munich Office.

Frank Fuchs, Christian Koch and Christian Reifenhäuser are responsible for the transaction on behalf of TIMETOACT GROUP. TIMETOACT GROUP was advised on the transaction by AC CHRISTES & PARTNER (Financial & Tax), de Angelis Rechtsanwälte (Legal) and McDermott Will & Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater (Legal, Antitrust Law). The JOIN(+) shareholders were advised on the transaction by LFK PARTNER (Legal, Financial & Tax) and GROUP BUILDERS HAMBURG (M&A).

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From Product to Platform: Our Continued Investment in Cyera

Accel

From Product to Platform: Our Continued Investment in Cyera

Today, Accel is thrilled to announce that we have led Cyera’s Series D financing round. We’re honored to continue building on our partnership with Yotam and Tamar as they help customers modernize their approaches to data security.

Accel has had the privilege of being Cyera’s partner since its Series A round in 2022. Back then, Yotam and Tamar identified a critical threat facing enterprises: securing vital business and customer data in a world of increasing complexity. Yotam and Tamar saw how cloud migration, data proliferation, and emerging technologies like Generative AI could create data-related security headaches for customers, a problem space with limited innovation and no true platform for managing vulnerabilities. Data-driven cyber attacks are growing in frequency and sophistication, and enterprises across industries are increasingly concerned with protecting against breaches of their own and their customers’ sensitive data.

Over the last year, Cyera has proven itself to be the most innovative player in data security, earning the trust of many Fortune 500 organizations. Yotam and Tamar are building a platform to support customers in securing data assets across multiple vectors – Posture Management, Identity, Data Loss Prevention, to name a few – and are leveraging the latest technologies, like AI and large language models, to do so. The team has innovated rapidly from when we first met Yotam and Tamar through our deep connectivity in the thriving Israeli start-up ecosystem. We continue to be impressed by their passion and by how their forward-thinking perspectives on the market have become reality.

At Accel, we look to back great entrepreneurs and businesses throughout their journeys. We are proud to be the largest institutional investor in Cyera, having previously led the Series A and Series B rounds. We’re excited to invest further in our partnership with the company, and we can’t wait to see what Yotam, Tamar, and the rest of the team accomplish.

The Accel Team

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Erik Sterck eyes further growth with FIELDS partnership

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Fields Group

FIELDS Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of a majority interest in Erik Sterck GmbH (“Erik Sterck”). Erik Sterck is a leading expert in data center environments, cloud-native services and cybersecurity. The aim of the partnership is to build on the successful heritage of Erik Sterck and to expand the business operations in the DACH area. At the same time FIELDS Group will facilitate a strategic alliance with its existing portfolio company TTNL (a specialist in data management in hybrid multi-cloud environments and mission-critical IT Infrastructures), allowing Erik Sterck to resell TTNLs proprietary Hyperplatform and complementary Managed Services in the German-speaking market. For TTNL this marks a further step in its European expansion.

“After a decade of consistent growth, this next step represents an exciting new chap-ter for us. For us, there is no question that together with FIELDS Group and their network we can further expand our business, both geographically but also with regard to our service offering”, says Erik Sterck, Co-Founder & CEO of Erik Sterck.

Oliver Batz, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Erik Sterck, adds: “We are looking forward to this next step. We are convinced that we have found the right partner for the next phase of growth. Especially the alliance with TTNL will allow us to deliver comprehensive cloud solutions, that drive innovation and business transformations across industries.”

André Reitz, Investment Director at FIELDS Group, adds: “We are excited to announce our partnership with Erik Sterck. We are particularly looking forward to support Erik, Oliver and the rest of the Erik Sterck-Team on their journey of expanding the Cloud and Managed Services capabilities, aiming to further manifesting Erik Stercks positioning as trusted advisor for its clients. Also, we are looking forward to bringing the successful Erik Sterck model into new markets within German-speaking Europe.”

 

About Erik Sterck

The owner-managed Erik Sterck GmbH, headquartered in Leonberg, Baden-Württemberg, advises companies in the entire data center environment as well as on cloud-native services and cybersecurity. Another focus is on the automation of operations services. From consulting workshops to implementation, Erik Sterck GmbH is available as a contact partner and implements projects in both virtual server environments and container-virtualized environments.

In total, the company supports almost 200 customers from all sectors, primarily in the German SME sector. Erik Sterck GmbH has received numerous awards for its work, most recently Nutanix “Best Technical Partner” (2020), Rubrik Global Award “Cyber Recovery Partner of the Year” (2023) and Arctic Wolf Networks “DACH Partner of the Year” (2024). In addition to its headquarters in Leonberg, the system house is represented throughout Germany with branches in Cologne, Munich and Hamburg.

www.eriksterck.de

 

About FIELDS Group

FIELDS Group is an entrepreneurial hands-on investor focused on developing companies with potential. FIELDS Group invests in companies with headquarters in Benelux and the DACH region and realizes true transformations with its team.

www.fields.nl

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Simplifying Observability for Developers Everywhere: Our Investment in Dash0

Accel

Simplifying Observability for Developers Everywhere: Our Investment in Dash0

Observability – the ability to track the telemetry data that applications produce, such as metrics, logs, and traces – is one of the most powerful tools a developer can have at their disposal, and represents a $50B market opportunity. Analyzing telemetry data helps businesses to improve performance, reliability and user experience, and the launch of OpenTelemetry in 2019 made this even easier by providing universal open-source standards for data measurement. Despite this, OpenTelemetry’s potential is mostly untapped, with legacy observability tools favoring outdated, proprietary data collection methods that cannot be understood by other tools. The result is a poor user experience, data that can’t be contextualized, and high, unpredictable costs based on inconsistent standards.

Mirko Novakovic, Ben Blackmore, Miel Donkers, Marcel Birkner and Michele Mancioppi set out to change this and founded Dash0, the first observability tool that is OpenTelemetry-native. After seeing the opportunity to accelerate the adoption of OpenTelemetry in the software market, Mirko, Ben, Miel, Marcel and Michele built Dash0 from the ground up on top of these standards to empower developers with an observability framework that is easier to install, integrate, and use than legacy alternatives. Users have access to an intuitive UI, thanks to fully-customizable dashboards, while the platform also fully-supports PromQL and Perses, giving developers complete flexibility to query and visualize their observability data in real time. Integrations with Slack, email, and custom webhooks support easy, proactive monitoring and alerting.

Dash0’s OpenTelemetry-native approach means that it is the only observability tool that does not generate proprietary data for its customers, instead providing visibility of vendor-agnostic performance data that is standardized and fully contextualized. This prevents observability costs from spiraling, instead allowing transparent, real-time pricing based on standardized units of observability data generated by Dash0 users. Customers pay Dash0 based on the count of data they send, meaning they know exactly when and how charges are incurred. The Dash0 platform has also been built to prioritize trust and security, and is already SOC 2 Type 2 certified – one of the most rigorous information security standards – and GDPR-compliant, meaning that users’ telemetry data remains completely private.

Since its inception in 2023, Dash0 has already gained impressive momentum. Its team has grown to more than 20 people and early design customers, including catchHR, ChargeTrip and Porsche Digital, have come on board following Dash0’s early beta launch in September. Mirko is also no stranger to the Accel team as he previously founded observability company Instana, which became part of the Accel family following our investment in 2017 and was acquired by IBM in 2020. Back then, it was clear that Mirko was not only an exceptional entrepreneur but a genuine leader in the tech community – not only in Solingen where Instana was founded but globally. We’re delighted to be partnering with Mirko and the Dash0 team on their mission to simplify observability for developers everywhere.

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