EQT Acquires Clinical Innovations, LLC

eqt

  • EQT acquires Clinical Innovations, the leading global, pure-play provider of single-use clinician-preferred medical devices for Labor & Delivery departments within hospitals
  • EQT to continue accelerating Clinical Innovations’ growth by leveraging EQT’s experience in scaling medical device businesses, through further investment in bringing the leading products to international markets, and by continuing to add new clinician-preferred products to the portfolio

The EQT Mid Market US fund (“EQT Mid Market US”) today announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Clinical Innovations (the “Company”). Clinical Innovations is the leading global, pure-play provider of single-use clinician-preferred medical devices for Labor & Delivery (“L&D”) departments within hospitals. The Company has recently expanded its product portfolio to also serve the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (“NICU”).

Clinical Innovations, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the largest medical device company exclusively focused on L&D. Already a market leader in several categories with products such as the Kiwi® Vacuum-Assisted Delivery System and Koala® Intrauterine Pressure Catheter, Clinical Innovations is developing state-of-the-art technologies and innovative medical devices that fulfill its mission of improving the lives of mothers and babies. The Company’s manufacturing facility in Utah is ISO 13485 certified. Clinical Innovations has built the industry’s largest specialized L&D-focused sales force and has developed strong relationships with specialty medical device distributors. The Company has approximately 165 full time employees and serves more than 80 countries globally.

Brendan Scollans, Partner at EQT Partners Inc. and Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market US, said: “We look forward to supporting Clinical Innovations’ CEO Ken Reali and his team through their next phase of growth. The Company’s portfolio of innovative and high-growth new products, combined with an impressive global sales organization, has enabled it to become a market leader within L&D. EQT’s healthcare expertise and global presence will help the Company continue accelerating its international expansion and the broadening of its of best-in-class L&D and NICU product set through acquisitions.”

Jerry He, Partner at EQT Partners Asia Limited stated: “We are impressed by Clinical Innovations’ success in the fields of L&D and Neonatal care. Its product portfolio offers unique value to doctors, mothers and babies around the world. We are committed to supporting the Company’s international growth strategy, especially as it looks to bring the strong product lineup to China and other Asian markets.”

“We are eager to partner with EQT as we continue to develop our L&D and NICU strategy that we have executed over the past several years” said Ken Reali, President and CEO of Clinical Innovations. “EQT is an ideal fit for Clinical Innovations and our continuing growth. EQT’s relationships, global presence and philosophy fit well with the Company culture and our strong commitment to delivering excellent products to clinicians to care for mothers and their babies”, Reali added.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor to EQT Mid Market US. Moelis & Company and Cain Brothers served as financial advisors to Clinical Innovations.

Contacts:
Brendan Scollans, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Mid Market US, +1 (917) 281 0849
KEKST: + 1 (212) 521 4800 (US media) Daniel Yunger, daniel.yunger@kekst.com
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. EQT is an active investor and owner in the healthcare sector, including recent investments in Certara, Press Ganey, Ottobock, Sivantos, and Lima Corporate.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Clinical Innovations
Clinical Innovations is one of the largest medical device companies exclusively focused on labor and delivery and the neonatal intensive care unit. The company is already a market leader in several categories with products such as the Koala® Intrauterine Pressure Catheter; Kiwi® Vacuum-Assisted Delivery System; ROM Plus® Rupture of Membranes Test; traxi® Panniculus Retractor; ClearView Uterine Manipulator; babyLance Safety Heelstick; and the recently added ebb Complete Tamponade System. Clinical Innovations is expanding its global presence while developing state-of-the-art technologies and innovative medical devices that fulfill its mission of improving the lives of mothers and their babies throughout the world.

More info: www.clinicalinnovations.com

 

Categories: News

Tags:

CapMan Buyout to divest Oral Hammaslääkärit to Colosseum Dental Group

CapMan Buyout to divest Oral Hammaslääkärit to Colosseum Dental Group

CapMan Buyout press release 6 October 2017 at 11.00 a.m. EEST

CapMan Buyout to divest Oral Hammaslääkärit to Colosseum Dental Group

A group of investors led by CapMan Buyout, including funds managed by CapMan Buyout, are pleased to announce to have reached an agreement to divest Oral Hammaslääkärit Plc (“Oral”) to Colosseum Dental Group (“Colosseum”), a Swiss-based dentistry group. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Oral is the leading Finnish private dentistry chain with 63 clinics and sales close to EUR 100 million. During CapMan’s ownership, Oral’s revenue has increased by 15 per cent annually while EBITDA has increased by a compound annual growth rate of 19 per cent. Funds managed by CapMan acquired Oral in 2014.

Together with Oral, Colosseum is expected to have sales of around EUR 350 million and will operate more than 200 clinics in Finland, Norway, Sweden, the UK, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark, further pursuing its journey to build a leading pan-European dentistry group.

“We are very pleased with the development of Oral and the return of our investment. During our ownership, Oral has significantly expanded and completed several developments projects, especially within the digitalisation of its operations. Today, Oral is one of the most developed private dental care companies in Europe. Oral will in my mind fit very well into Colosseum Dental Group, who will continue to support the company in its future development and further build on the strengths of the business and its ongoing initiatives. It has been an honour to be part of Oral’s development, and I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the company’s management, the dental care professionals and all its employees,” says Jan Mattlin, Partner at CapMan Buyout and responsible for the investment in Oral.

“We are delighted to become part of the Colosseum Dental Group. The company has a long-term mandate to build a strong European dentistry platform. This allows us here in Finland to continue building a great local business with high quality offering for both patients and dentists. We will continue to improve oral health in Finland as we have done for the past 35 years. Oral’s strong brand will prevail in Finland and our employees and dentists will have even more opportunities to develop their know-how in the future through the opening-up of opportunities for international exchange. We see the acquisition as a very positive opportunity for our service development in the years to come”, says Martin Forss, CEO of Oral.

“With Oral we both reach a group of highly competent new colleagues, as well as gain access to forefront know-how around how to run many of our processes in a more advanced manner that we can leverage across other geographies. Our vision of modern, high quality dentistry for the benefit of patients, dentists and employees fits well with what management wants to accomplish. We are certain that the increased scale of the new company will be for the benefit of all stakeholders,” says Tomas Aubell, CEO of Colosseum.

Colosseum will continue to support management with its development of the company and Martin Forss and his team have agreed to continue to run Oral also after the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in November 2017.

For more information, please contact:
Jan Mattlin, Partner, CapMan Buyout
jan.mattlin@capman.com
+358 40 508 6406

Tomas Aubell, Chief Executive Officer, Colosseum Dental Group
tomas.aubell@colosseumdental.com
+41 79 519 55 02

Martin Forss, Chief Executive Officer, Oral Hammaslääkärit Plc
martin.forss@oral.fi
+358 40 779 6266

About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic investment and specialised asset management company. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers we have actively developed hundreds of companies and real estate and thereby created substantial value in these businesses and assets over more than 25 years. CapMan has today 110 private equity professionals and manages €2.3 billion in assets. We mainly manage the assets of our customers, the investors, but also make direct investments from our own balance sheet in areas without an active fund. Our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors and value adding services to professional investment partnerships, growth-oriented companies and tenants. Our current investment strategies cover Buyout, Growth Equity, Real Estate, Russia, Credit and Infrastructure. We also have a growing service business that currently includes fundraising advisory, procurement activities and fund management.
www.capman.com
twitter.com/CapManPE

About Colosseum Dental Group
Colosseum Dental Group, a company fully owned by Jacobs Holding AG, has the ambition to become the leading European provider for dentistry services. With the acquisition of Oral, Colosseum now operates more than 200 clinics with 900 dentists across Finland, Norway, Sweden, the UK, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark with run-rate sales of approximately EUR 350 million. The group wants to provide modern, quality dentistry services for the benefit of patients, dentists, employees and shareholders alike, striving for continuous growth and excellence.
www.colosseumdental.com

About Oral Hammaslääkärit Plc
The Finnish Oral Hammaslääkärit Plc is a service company offering oral health care, with more than 1,300 professionals providing services throughout Finland. In 2016, the company’s revenue amounted to EUR 81.4 million. Oral provides dental health services at over 60 dental clinics in various locations in Finland. The dental laboratory Oral Hammaslaboratorio Oy is part of the Group.
www.oral.fi

Categories: News

Tags:

Ponroy acquires Aragan, a designer and distributor of premium pharmaceutical food supplements

3I

3i Group plc (“3i”) today announces that Ponroy, a leading manufacturer of natural healthcare and cosmetics products in which 3i invested in January 2017, has acquired ERSA Group (“Aragan”), a designer and distributor of premium pharmaceutical food supplements. This acquisition will strengthen Ponroy’s presence in the pharmacy channel, which represents more than half of the food supplement market in France.

Under the leadership of Philippe Charrier, the combined group will be a leading player in the natural consumer healthcare industry in France with revenues in excess of €200m. Ponroy will benefit from Aragan’s innovative culture and Ponroy’s international presence will enable Aragan to penetrate new markets outside France.

Aragan, which employs approx. 100 staff, sells its food supplements through three brands: ARAGAN, SYNActifs and ERBALAB. The company has grown at 40% p.a. since 2012 into one of the leading players in the pharmacy channel in France, by using its innovation-led approach to develop a number of professional brands based on health and wellbeing. The combined business will become #4 in the pharmacy channel in France, with around €50m of revenues.

Remi Carnimolla, Partner & Managing Director 3i France, and Guillaume Basquin, Director 3i France, commented:

“3i is delighted to support Ponroy’s first acquisition since our investment which confirms Ponroy’s ambitious growth plans in line with the strategy we set out. Aragan is very complementary to Ponroy and we look forward to supporting the combined business to continue its international growth, further strengthen its position in the pharmacy channel in France and continue to take advantage of the rise of natural consumer healthcare which is a mega consumer trend in food and cosmetics.”

Nicolas Brodetsky, currently Aragan CEO since 2011, will lead the pharmacy business unit for the combined group. He said:

“I am delighted by this new partnership between Ponroy and Aragan and the future opportunities for both businesses. This is a key step in our development. New and exciting challenges are ahead of us and I am delighted to join Philippe Charrier and his team to establish a leader in the food supplement market with high potential for international growth. I would like to thank Calcium Capital for the last 4 years of partnership, which have enabled us to strengthen our development model.”

-Ends-

For further information, contact:

3i Group plc
Silvia Santoro
Investor enquiries
Tel: +44 20 7975 3258
Email: silvia.santoro@3i.com

Categories: News

Tags:

NPM merges NL Healthcare Clinics with Malenstein family’s Bergman Clinics

NPM Capital

Jointly largest provider of insured healthcare via focus clinics

NPM Capital as an investment company is clearly committed to Healthcare, with current investments in various focus clinics of NL Healthcare, the Arts en Zorg health centres (combining GPs, physiotherapists, pharmacists and psychological healthcare providers) and psychological and psychiatric care providers (Mentaal Beter).

On 26 September 2017, NPM Capital announced jointly with the Malenstein family that their respective interests in NL Healthcare (which include the clinics Oogziekenhuis Zonnestraal, Orthopedium, Medinova, Dermicis and Nedspine) and Bergman Clinics would be merged. Via their focus clinics, they will jointly be the largest provider of medical specialist care in the Netherlands following the merger.

By joining forces, both parties are responding to the need for upscaling and specialisation in the medical specialist healthcare sector. Their aim is to deliver high-quality, patient-focused treatments at competitive prices throughout the Netherlands. The merged chains of clinics will jointly become the country’s largest provider of treatments included in healthcare insurances in the fields of hip, knee, shoulder, foot/ankle, back and eye disorders and plastic surgery. They also provide specialist treatments in the field of skin, gastro-intestinal and pelvic floor disorders (for women). The new group comprises more than forty specialised clinics throughout the Netherlands. Joint revenue amounts to some EUR 220 million, and the organisation will have around 1,500 employees following the merger. The group expects to be able to create new employment opportunities in the years ahead by expanding existing clinics and opening new ones.

Investment and greater focus
The increase in scale will enable medical teams within the merged clinics to focus their attention even more closely on their specialisation. The combination also provides greater scope for investing in technological innovation, digitalisation and training. Planning efficiency for treatments will also be increased due to the nation-wide coverage, leading to better utilisation of the available treatment facilities in the clinics. This offers opportunities to deliver customised high-quality medical care at lower costs.
The merger is taking place against a background in which people in the Netherlands are making increasingly informed choices in all areas of their lives, including the medical field. For both patients and healthcare insurers, the demonstrable quality of treatments, costs and the service they are offered are increasingly important. Focus clinics are able to offer high quality at competitive prices, which they successfully combine with a customer-focused approach in which service and patient experience are among the key factors.

“Specialisation and focus are important principles for improving treatment outcomes and service,” says Bart Malenstein, CEO of Bergman Clinics. “To achieve those aims effectively requires an organisation to have a certain size and the volume of disorders presented to increase significantly. That creates greater potential for giving medical specialists room to specialise even further and for stepping up investments to improve the medical services they deliver”.

Photo: Bart Malenstein

Close cooperation with hospitals
After the merger, the new organisation will continue to seek partnerships with traditional hospitals in order to work jointly on improved indication setting and uniformity for treatments.
The merger will lead to a more mature offering by focus clinics that complements the transition that these traditional hospitals are undertaking to define clear treatment profiles in order to maintain the high quality of their medical care at affordable costs. Malenstein: “For that reason, we expect that they will be open to complementary alliances with specialised healthcare providers such as our clinics. This will enable hospitals to maximise their focus on patients’ disorders, leading to better diagnosis and treatment of patients as well as lower healthcare costs for society in general.”

Frank Arnoldy, CEO of NL Healthcare Clinics, points to another consequence of the merger: “The focus clinics of Bergman Clinics and NL Healthcare Clinics are able to provide high quality at competitive prices. That is important in a sector in which people are increasingly taking control of their own affairs, including insured healthcare. We successfully combine this high price/quality ratio with a customer-focused approach, in which service and patient experience are key factors. Entering into this merger enables us to continually improve the way in which we deliver that combination and means we have even more to offer our patients and staff.”

Photo: Frank Arnoldy

Better diagnoses
The new organisation will devote special attention to innovations that utilise data analysis to ensure that better and more transparent diagnoses are provided. This leads to better and more objective indication setting, contributing to more effective treatments. The upscaling also offers opportunities to treat disorders in a uniform manner, according to clearly described methods and guidelines throughout the Netherlands. “Overall, this creates better outcomes for patients,” concludes Arnoldy.

New management
Following a transition period, the new organisation will be led by a new CEO. The current CEOs of Bergman Clinics and NL Healthcare Clinics will step down when the new CEO is appointed. The CEO of Bergman Clinics, Bart Malenstein, will continue for some time as a director after the transition phase. The Malenstein family, which at present is a major shareholder of Bergman Clinics, will remain a shareholder in the new company after the merger, as will NL Healthcare Clinics shareholder NPM Capital, part of family-owned multinational SHV.

Rutger Ruigrok, managing director of NPM comments: “We know that it takes time to achieve change in the healthcare sector. Our flexible investment horizon and conservative financing of our portfolio companies provides a good match not just for the healthcare sector but also for the Malenstein family’s investment philosophy. These are important foundations for achieving further sustainable growth for our clinics.”

After completion of the transaction, teams from both organisations will work on developing in further detail the merger plans drawn up in outline as part of the negotiations. In doing so, they will also identify potential synergies, particularly at the central support departments.

Required approvals and timeline
The merger will take place subject to approval by the relevant authorities. The works councils of both businesses will also have to consider the requests for advice that will be submitted by the management of the companies concerned. The parties expect to be able to complete the merger before the end of this year.

About Bergman Clinics
Bergman Clinics has been one of the leading independent chains of focus clinics for more than 25 years, with more than 25 locations throughout the Netherlands.

The focus clinics engage in delivering high-quality plannable medical care, centred on the customer and the disorder. Owing to their focus on frequently occurring treatments, a great deal of knowledge and expertise has been built up. Today, Bergman Clinics is one of the most highly experienced institutions in the Netherlands for a range of frequently occurring treatments.

The five categories in which Bergman Clinics offers insured or uninsured care are: Movement care, Eye care, Women’s care, Internal care and Appearance and Skin care.

Bergman Clinics has contracts with all healthcare insurers. The majority of treatments qualify as insured healthcare (70%), which is reimbursed from the basic insurance package. Bergman Clinics receives more than 80,000 customers a year. The average customer rating for Bergman Clinics on zorgkaartnederland.nl is 8.7.

About NL Healthcare Clinics
NL Healthcare Clinics provides high-quality secondary healthcare which it delivers through a focused approach for each specialisation.

The organisation has around 500 employees and 18 clinics throughout the Netherlands with various labels for orthopaedic care (Medinova, Orthopedium and NedSpine), ophthalmology (Ooghospital Zonnestraal) and dermatology (Dermicis). The average customer rating on zorgkaartnederland.nl is 8.8.

Get in touch with the NPM Capital investment team

Categories: News

Tags:

Almi Invest invests in Medtech PressCise

Almi Invest

Almi Invest invests SEK 2 million in Medtech PressCise, which is developing a new type of effective compression bandages, in a share issue totaling 4.8 million. The capital will be used to market launch, both in Sweden and internationally.

Compression bandages are used to treat chronic bone diseases such as varicose veins, leg ulcers and edema. Today’s bandages have different pressures depending on who winds, since different people different hard winds. This can delay the processing when the correct pressure is essential for optimal healing.

With PressCises unique patented technology for compression products are guaranteed the right pressure no matter who winds bandage. This provides a safer and more effective treatment, while health care costs will be lower because it takes fewer products and the total treatment time is shorter.

– The market for compression products are great and today’s products have clear limitations for both the patient and for the economy, says Mats Enegren, investment manager at Almi Invest. We see a clear demand for better products and believe that PressCise are well positioned to become a leading supplier.

PressCise is now about to launch its bandages and additional so-called patches under the brand Lundatex. The company is also developing a compression stocking.

– Our focus is to reach the market, says PressCises CEO Andreas Nilsson. With several strong investor capital and expertise in the back will enable us to accelerate our development.

 

Categories: News

Tags:

Takeover Offer of Bain Capital and Cinven for STADA successful

Cinven

Takeover Offer of Bain Capital and Cinven for STADA successful

  • Minimum acceptance threshold reached
  • Final results to be published tonight

Frankfurt / Munich, 18 August 2017 – Nidda Healthcare Holding AG, a holding company controlled by funds advised by Bain Capital Private Equity, LP (“Bain Capital”) and by Cinven Partners LLP (“Cinven”), has acquired above 63 percent of all outstanding shares of STADA Arzneimittel AG (“STADA” or the “Company”) during the acceptance period which ended on 16 August 2017. Therefore the minimum acceptance threshold has been reached and all offer conditions have been fulfilled.

Dwight Poler and Michael Siefke, Managing Directors at Bain Capital, said: “We are pleased that the required majority of STADA’s shareholders has decided to accept our very attractive second Takeover Offer. This confirms that the decision to relaunch the offer was in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders. We thank the STADA Management and Supervisory Boards as well as the Advisory Board for their strong level of support, which has been instrumental in reaching this goal.”

Supraj Rajagopalan and Bruno Schick, Partners at Cinven, said: “Following the successful closing of the transaction, we look forward to strengthening further STADA’s existing operations as well as growing the Company’s position as a global pharmaceutical business. Bain Capital and Cinven are committed to adding significant value to STADA including investment in organic growth and expansion through acquisitions. Building on STADA’s highly qualified employees, strong brands and market opportunities, we look forward to initiating the next phase of the Company’s development.”

Pursuant to section 16 of the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (Wertpapiererwerbs- und Übernahmegesetz), shareholders who have not yet tendered their shares can accept the Offer during the two weeks mandatory additional acceptance period, which starts with the publication of the final results pursuant to section 23 para 1. sentence 1 no. 2 the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (Wertpapiererwerbs- und Übernahmegesetz).

The offer document and all other information about the second Takeover Offer are available on the following website: www.niddahealthcare-angebot.de

Categories: News

Tags:

Standout Capital Invests in BCB Medical and the Future of Digital Healthcare

Bcb

Standout Capital invests in BCB Medical Oy, the Nordic market leader in gathering and analysing clinical data. The investment will support the continued growth of BCB Medical’s established business in the Finnish market as well as the international launch of the company’s software and clinical data products. Standout Capital and Tesi lead the investment round. Following the investment, Standout Capital becomes BCB Medical’s largest shareholder.

Technology in healthcare is advancing rapidly across all areas. BCB Medical develops quality register software for outcome based healthcare. As of today, more than 9 000 healthcare professionals at 200 clinics in Finland are using BCB Medical’s software on a daily basis. The objective is to establish best practice treatments and implement comparable monitoring in all of Finland’s hospital districts. With the investment, BCB Medical will double its staff in Finland over the next three years. At the same time, the company will expand the coverage of its software and quality registries from current 60 disease groups to 100, and start international expansion.

The digital model created in Finland for comparing treatment quality is well advanced on an international level. BCB Medical has over the years collected a structured clinical database of 1 million treatments with up to 3 000 data points in each of treatment – a highly valuable resource for healthcare professionals as well as medical researchers at universities and pharma companies. BCB Medical has received a lot of interest from outside Finland for quality registries and the clinical data, and is now actively looking to launch internationally.

Following the investment, Standout Capital becomes the largest shareholder in BCB Medical and will together with Tesi own the majority of the shares. Among other co-investors, the Stockholm-based Backstage Invest also participated in the financing round. Pre-investment shareholders will continue as minority shareholders of the company.

Standout Capital brings expertise in the growth and internationalisation of technology companies and Tesi has huge networks in both Finland and abroad. Thanks to Standout Capital and Tesi’s investment, we will have more resources to serve the Finnish healthcare market and invest in new services and international markets related to analysing and comparing clinical data. Our aim is to spread best practices in outcome based healthcare, which will improve the quality of treatments and achieve a better quality of life for patients,” says BCB Medical’s Managing Director, Petteri Viljanen.

We are impressed with BCB Medical’s success in working closely with the leading Finnish healthcare providers in developing software that ultimately benefits patients. BCB Medical is a great example of our strategy to partner with outstanding technology companies that are transforming their industries through digitalisation,” says BCB Medical’s new Chairman and Standout Capital’s Partner, Erik Wästlund.

Contacts and further information

Erik Wästlund, Partner, Standout Capital, +46 70 755 79 69, erik.wastlund@standoutcapital.com
Petteri Viljanen, Managing Director, BCB Medical, +358 400 727 366, petteri.viljanen@bcbmedical.com

About BCB Medical – BCB Medical is the Nordic market leader in gathering and analysing clinical data in digital quality registers. The mission is to combine, analyse and illustrate clinical data gathered from various sources and present it in an understandable format so that current and future generations can live healthier lives. BCB medical’s vision is to revolutionise the way clinical data impacts people’s lives. BCB Medical employs 53 people and 2016 turnover was around EUR 4 million. The company’s head office is located in Turku, Finland, with offices in Espoo, Oulu and Tampere. www.bcbmedical.com

About Tesi – Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a venture capital and private equity company investing in growth companies, both directly and via funds. Operating as an active minority owner, Tesi provides access to business expertise and international networks for implementing the company’s growth strategy. Tesi’s investments under management total close to EUR 1 billion. www.tesi.fi

About Standout Capital – Standout Capital is a Stockholm-based private equity firm investing in growing Nordic tech companies. As an active owner, our mission is to partner with outstanding companies to help them grow and succeed. Standout Capital’s investment strategy is to support the digital transformation in business and society. The founders and investment team build on experience in entrepreneurship, investments and finance. The Standout Capital I fund is SEK 1 billion. www.standoutcapital.com

Standout Capital I AB benefits from the support of the European Union under the Equity Facility for Growth established under Regulation (EU) No 1287/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council establishing a Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium enterprises (COSME) (2014-2020)

 

Categories: News

Tags:

Investments in companies – 17.8.2017

BCB Medical, the Nordic market leader in gathering and analysing clinical data, has raised new capital from a group of high quality institutional investors led by Standout Capital and Tesi. The investors will support BCB Medical’s continued growth in the Finnish market and the launch of BCB’s quality register software and clinical data products internationally.

“Thanks to Standout Capital and Tesi’s investment, we will have more resources to serve the Finnish healthcare market and invest in new services and markets related to analysing and comparing clinical data. Our aim is to spread best practices in outcome-based healthcare, which will improve the quality of treatments and achieve a better quality of life for patients,” says BCB Medical’s Managing Director, Petteri Viljanen.

According to Viljanen, technology in healthcare is advancing at a fast pace across all specialist fields. That is why the continuous development of software requires resources and new expertise. BCB’s quality registers include among others diseases cancers, musculoskeletal diseases and heart diseases.

“With this investment, we will double our personnel from 50 to 100 employees in Finland over the next three years. At the same time, we will expand the coverage of our quality registries from the current 60 disease groups to 100, which can be considered an achievement even on an international scale,” Viljanen points out.

In November 2016, the procurement unit formed by Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) and KL-Kuntahankinnat chose BCB Medical as the technical supplier of the quality registries with a goal to harmonise treatment quality on a national level.

“As of today, more than 9 000 healthcare professionals in 200 clinics are using our software on a daily basis. The objective is to put in place comparable monitoring in all of Finland’s hospital districts,” says Viljanen.

Finnish model is well advanced

Viljanen stresses that the digital model created in Finland for comparing treatment quality is well advanced on an international level. The company has over the years collected a structured clinical database of 1 million treatments with up to 3 000 data points in each treatment – a highly valuable resource for healthcare professionals as well as medical and drug researchers at universities and pharma companies.

“We have received a lot of enquiries from other countries concerning the quality registries and the clinical data. We are actively looking for the right commercial partners, especially from the Nordic countries, to launch our services internationally. We could follow the footsteps of the Finnish gaming industry in becoming a global phenomenon in our field, the digitalisation of medical information. Our goal is that, in three years’ time, more than 30 per cent of the company’s turnover should be international,” Viljanen says.

Investors prove strong backers for growth and internationalisation

“We are very pleased to have these experienced investors join our team. Standout Capital brings world-class expertise in the growth and internationalisation of technology companies and Tesi, as a significant Finnish anchor owner, its huge networks in both Finland and abroad,” says Viljanen.

“We are impressed with BCB Medical’s success in working closely with the leading Finnish healthcare providers like HUS in developing software that ultimately benefits patients. BCB Medical is a great example of our strategy to partner with outstanding technology companies that are transforming their industries through digitalisation,” says BCB’s new Chairman and Standout Capital’s Partner, Erik Wästlund.

“We want to contribute to strengthening Finland’s key position as a world-leading country in utilising medical information. BCB Medical has long been developing its know-how and products in Finland, and is now ready to take the next step towards the global healthcare ICT market,” says Director Heli Alhroos from Tesi.

Following the investment, Standout Capital became the largest shareholder of BCB Medical and together with Tesi, the majority shareholders. Stockholm based Backstage Invest is also participating in the financing round. Old shareholders will continue as minority shareholders of the company.

For further information:
Petteri Viljanen, Managing Director, BCB Medical, tel. +358 400 727 366, petteri.viljanen@bcbmedical.com
Erik Wästlund, Partner, Standout Capital, tel+ 46 70 755 79 69, erik.wastlund@standoutcapital.com
Heli Ahlroos, Director, Finnish Industry Investment Ltd, tel. +358 40 077 2833, heli.ahlroos@tesi.fi

 

BCB Medical is the Nordic market leader in gathering and analysing clinical data. Our mission is to combine, analyse and illustrate clinical data gathered from various sources and present it in an understandable format so that current and future generations can live healthier lives. Our vision is to revolutionise the way clinical data impacts people’s lives. Our turnover amounts to around EUR 4 million, and we employ 53 people. The company’s head office is located in Turku, Finland, and we also have offices in Espoo, Oulu and Tampere. www.bcbmedical.com

Standout Capital is a Stockholm based private equity firm investing in growing tech companies. We have a personal approach and entrepreneurial know-how. The founders and investment team build on personal experience in entrepreneurship, investments and finance. As an active owner, we are personally highly engaged in our firm and the companies we partner with. Our mission is to support outstanding companies to grow and succeed. Standout Capital invests in Nordic growth companies and the digital transformation in business and society. www.standoutcapital.com

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a venture capital and private equity company that accelerates companies’ success stories by investing in them directly and via funds. Tesi always invests together with other investors, providing them with access to high quality deal flow in Finland. Our investments under management total 1 billion euros and we have altogether 723 companies in portfolio. www.tesi.fi

 

Categories: News

Tags:

Qunomedical raises $2 million and changes its name to strengthen brand

Project A

Berlin, August 15, 2017. Digital Health platform Qunomedical (formerly Junomedical) today announced its funding round of $2 million and a new brand name. The platform provides patients with access and independent information on the world’s best doctors and hospitals. Qunomedical is the only provider to vet medical providers by means of a multi-stage quality algorithm developed by medical practitioners together with data scientists to list only accredited clinics. Dr. Sophie Chung, doctor and founder of Qunomedical, pursues the vision of breaking down the barriers to affordable, short-term and complex medical treatments for patients all over the world.

Investors like Kima Ventures from Paris are joining Project A from Berlin and 500 Startups from San Francisco, thereby strengthening the company’s international focus. “Digital health is one of our focus areas and we are happy to support companies like Qunomedical which are pushing the boundaries in the industry,” says Anton Waitz, Partner at Project A. “Since day one we believed in Sophie’s vision and it’s great to see the company grow in Germany and internationally.”

Launched in April 2016, the platform currently works with over 4,000 patients per month and partners with internationally certified clinics in 25 countries. Qunomedical shows monthly growth rates of 23% since its launch. In the first twelve months the company focussed on English-speaking countries. The most recent financial boost will help Qunomedical strengthen its presence in the English-speaking market and expand its offering in German-speaking markets. Jean de La Rochebrochard, Partner at Kima Ventures: “Qunomedical makes healthcare accessible to more patients by connecting them with the right doctors who can meet their needs in the best conditions. It’s very exciting to be part of this journey!”

The new name is another step to strengthen its international brand recognition as a leading patient-centric platform. According to Dr. Sophie Chung, CEO and founder of Qunomedical, this has been a strategic decision: “The name represents the next step in our company history. Our product has evolved over the last 1.5 years. With the financing round, we are now focusing on sustainable growth. The launch of the German website and potential trademark conflicts in the US were contributing factors for this decision.”

The new name reflects the deepened understanding about the patients who turn to Qunomedical. Derived from the Latin verb quaerere (engl.: search, seek), Qunomedical stands for the empowered patient, who is looking for the best possible medical care. The new logo visualizes the vision to simplify access to healthcare and focus on the patient. The magnifying glass reflects the company’s mission to make the medical options visible to patients worldwide. Most importantly, Qunomedical’s fundamental belief that everybody in this world deserves easy access to the best possible care remains, and continues to shape its mission.

Categories: News

Tags:

Livingbridge invest in Symphony Ventures

Symphony

Livingbridge, the mid-market private equity firm, today announces its investment in Symphony Ventures, a global services firm focused on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Intelligent Automation.

The £3.5m series A investment will be used to fuel continued rapid expansion to meet demand for Robotic Process Automation services.

Our funding will further accelerate Symphony’s rapid growth – including a doubling of employee numbers – and continue its glo­­­­­bal expansion, increasing delivery capacity and widening product development. Symphony also welcomes two new members to its Board of Directors: Henry Alty of Livingbridge, and Bill Thomas, managing partner of Acresis – a founder advisory firm that supports Symphony on its growth and liquidity goals – joins as Chairman of the Board.

Symphony was founded in 2014 and provides consulting, implementation and managed services to enterprise clients looking to automate operational processes that are manual, repetitive, complex and time consuming through RPA and Intelligent Automation solutions. RPA can yield improvements in speed, accuracy, quality and compliance while delivering significant cost savings. Employees can be freed up to focus on more dynamic, engaging work while customers can experience higher satisfaction levels through improved interactions.

Organizations in all industries are increasingly adopting RPA for front, middle and back office functions ranging from human resources, to finance and accounting, to procurement to logistics. The RPA industry has demonstrated rapid growth in recent years and according to HfS Research, the market is expected to reach £920 million ($1.2 billion) by 2021*. Symphony was ranked the #1 RPA Pure Play Specialist by HfS Research in 2016** and recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor in 2015***. Symphony’s client portfolio includes firms in more than 21 countries in financial services, telecommunications, health care, logistics and the public sector.

Symphony’s founders have been at the forefront of work innovation for two decades as former Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry executives and have a combined 70+ years of market experience. The team recognized early on that automation had the potential to unleash significant value for enterprises. Led by Chief Executive Officer David Poole, Chief Strategy Officer Ian Barkin, Chief Client Officer Pascal Baker and Chief Operations Officer David Brain, Symphony has grown in just three short years into an unrivaled 120-person strong team of talented professionals worldwide, known for delivering some of the most complex and impactful RPA solutions.

Livingbridge has experience in working with high-growth technology companies, having invested in firms such as email signature software company Exclaimer, B2B connectivity and internet infrastructure provider M24Seven and field force automation software provider Kirona. The investment in Symphony Ventures uses funds from the Baronsmead Venture Trusts.

CEO David Poole said:

“We are delighted to be working with Livingbridge. We had a choice of partners and selected Livingbridge for its strong track record of helping founders achieve rapid growth, while respecting the company and the culture in place.

“Across the globe, we’re seeing exceptional demand for enterprise-grade RPA, and Livingbridge’s vision of the market proved to be one of the most strategic and insightful about how we can meet client needs and, by doing so, further accelerate Symphony’s growth and expansion.”

Henry Alty of Livingbridge said:

“Symphony Ventures has swiftly developed a strong position in the rapidly growing RPA and Intelligent Automation space, a multi-billion-pound sector we have monitored since its inception. Symphony’s impressive founding leadership team has developed a compelling proposition for its clients, and we are excited to be working with them to further accelerate Symphony’s growth.”

Symphony will use the investment to expand hiring within its core markets in the U.S., U.K. and Poland, and to extend its capabilities into new geographies. The company plans to at least double its current team size over the next 12 months. The company will also continue to invest in product development and broaden its service catalog to bring new, high-demand offerings to market. Symphony plans to introduce an innovation lab that will provide infrastructure to allow feasibility assessments of RPA and other new ecosystem technologies.

Additionally, Symphony will use the funding to address the explosive demand for RPA skills in the market by developing training programs for enterprises to scale RPA teams and train RPA developers side-by-side with the company’s experts. The funding will also support a new service category that will offer lower risk RPA-centric outsourcing solutions that create higher value for clients than traditional BPO.

Symphony works with a leading roster of RPA and Intelligent Automation software providers including Blue Prism, UiPath, NICE Systems, Kryon Systems and Celaton. The company continues to expand its digital ecosystem of tools and capabilities – responding to changing market trends – to be able to offer expanded solutions for clients.

“RPA is extremely complex and requires a unique set of process and technical skills,” said Phil Fersht, HfS Research. “Businesses understand the great benefits the technology can offer, but lack the know-how to effectively select and manage solutions so that they deliver the greatest return based on their specific goals and applications. As a result, demand for skilled expertise from RPA specialists like Symphony Ventures is unprecedented.”

 


 

 

*http://www.horsesforsources.com/RPA-marketsize-HfS_061017

**http://www.horsesforsources.com/RPA_pureplays_121616

***https://www.gartner.com/doc/3028319/cool-vendors-business-process-services

 

Categories: News

Tags: