Tag Archives: Information technology

Workwize Raises $13 Million in Series A Funding to Disrupt IT Asset Management for Globally Distributed Teams

Klass Capital

The new funding will allow Workwize to enhance its AI-driven automation and strengthen its
operations with the launch of a U.S. office in early 2025.

Amsterdam, Netherlands. 16 January 2025. Workwize, a leading platform for global IT hardware asset management, today announced that it closed $13 million in Series A funding led by Klass Capital, with continued support from early-stage investors Peak and Graduate Entrepreneur Fund. This investment will fast-track Workwize’s integration of AI-driven automation, making it the first platform to fully automate the IT equipment lifecycle—from procurement and deployment to retrieval and disposal.

“IT teams worldwide are overwhelmed by the inefficiencies of managing equipment for distributed teams. They waste valuable hours on manual, repetitive tasks and getting caught up in complex vendor management,” said Michiel Meyer, CEO and co-founder of Workwize. “This investment further solidifies our vision of a barrier-free future where managing a global workforce becomes effortless and enables IT workflows to shrink from hours to minutes through smarter automation.”

A recent survey conducted by Workwize of over 150 global enterprises revealed that 48% of IT leaders prioritize ‘operational efficiency and automation.’ Workwize’s platform dramatically cuts IT management time from 27 hours to just 10 minutes per employee for tasks like procuring, deploying, managing, retrieving, and decommissioning IT equipment. What’s more, Workwize customers appreciate the platform’s ease of use, ensuring new hires receive the necessary IT equipment on their first day.

Fully automated hardware asset management: A breakthrough for IT leaders

Traditional IT hardware asset management platforms provide a centralized record of the locations and status of IT equipment, but moving equipment still relies heavily on manual interventions by IT teams. For example, if an overseas employee needs a laptop repair, an IT manager must coordinate with multiple international vendors: sending a shipping label and packaging to the employee, booking the repair, arranging and configuring a replacement laptop, seeking cost approvals, and more.

Once fully automated, Workwize’s AI-driven platform automates the entire lifecycle of IT equipment, eliminating the need for labor-intensive interventions. Workwize improves the efficiency and scalability of repetitive tasks so that IT teams can focus on strategic initiatives. AI and automation are also used to analyze IT assets needed and manage the lifecycle of an organization’s IT hardware inventory globally. The company provides its customers with flexible delivery options, including pre-configured laptops with Mobile Device Management (MDM) from local warehouses, ensures compliance with standards like ISO, repurposes phased-out equipment, prioritizes sustainability, and certifies services to wipe, recycle, or resell IT assets. This leads to significant time savings and delivers an experience that is ten times more efficient, allowing IT teams to be completely hands-off.

“Our investment in Workwize reflects our strong belief in its ability to revolutionize IT management for an increasingly global workforce that demands streamlined solutions,” said Will Anderson, Managing Partner at Klass Capital. “Workwize provides the efficiency and scalability modern enterprises need to thrive in today’s dynamic, borderless business environment.”

Strengthened global operations

In 2024, Workwize has grown more than 3x and its platform is already transforming IT operations for customers, including Adyen, Elastic, EQT, and HelloFresh. The new funding will enable Workwize to expand its global footprint and enhance operations with the launch of a U.S. office in early 2025. Workwize also plans to double its headcount in 2025.

For more information, visit www.goworkwize.com

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Qventus Announces $105 Million Investment, Series D Led by KKR

KKR
  • The Company is a leading AI solutions provider across inpatient and outpatient operations, continuing to drive millions of dollars in ROI for health systems partners for over a decade
  • The investment supports development and expansion of first-to-market AI Operational Assistants, extending the platform even further across clinical operations

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Qventus, a leading provider of AI-based care automation software for health systems, today announced a $105 million investment led by global investment firm KKR, with additional participation from world-renowned investment firm Bessemer Venture Partners, and new strategic investors, including leading health systems Northwestern Medicine, HonorHealth, and Allina Health.

Qventus has built an AI-first care operations automation platform deployed across leading health systems in inpatient and outpatient settings. This funding accelerates the Company’s ability to provide AI-based automations and AI operational assistants in more care settings, building upon the success of its existing offerings like Qventus’ Surgical Growth and Inpatient Capacity solutions as well as new solutions built on its first-to-market AI Operational Assistants platform capability.

Hospital executives, providers, and frontline staff are overburdened by manual, fragmented, and antiquated processes, which create challenges to achieving their mission of providing excellent care to patients in their communities. Despite having top-of-the-line therapies, clinicians and equipment, healthcare systems are hindered by inefficiencies related to administrative tasks like scheduling, higher costs, and more, which collectively cost the healthcare system billions of dollars every year. In turn, reducing staff burnout from administrative tasks and enhancing productivity have become mission-critical for health systems. Qventus’ transformative solutions and AI teammates help health systems combat these challenges by intelligently automating operations and end-to-end workflows across care settings.

“Across the country, healthcare teams have to do extraordinary things to get ordinary things done every single day. Qventus has dedicated the last decade to building AI automation solutions that alleviate the administrative burden of healthcare staff so they can deliver highly reliable patient care. This funding is a testament to how these solutions generate best-in-industry return on investment, helping health systems achieve the margins needed to fulfill their mission of delivering exceptional care to their communities,” said Mudit Garg, CEO and Co-Founder of Qventus. “This capital primes us to continue maximizing our growth, delivering on our promises to our partners, and launching new, game-changing technology.”

Qventus will leverage this funding to accelerate the development and commercialization of solutions powered by its AI Operational Assistants into new care settings beyond its Surgical Growth and Inpatient Capacity solutions. Enhancing team productivity by up to 50 percent, these AI teammates work alongside care teams to reduce the administrative burden, identify potential issues upstream, surface suggested interventions, and take action to solve problems for busy staff.

“Built on a solid foundation, Qventus has navigated the evolving care landscape and emerged resilient, thanks to its sophisticated technology and proprietary data engine built over the last decade,” said Jake Heller, Partner and Head of Tech Growth Equity, Americas at KKR. “We believe Qventus is well-positioned to be a market leader in supporting care delivery at the provider level and redefining the future of health care by supporting hospital systems in operating more efficiently so they can focus on what really matters–quality care for patients.”

Since its inception in 2012, Qventus has built a suite of AI solutions to address health system pain points across care settings. In the last year alone, Qventus’ Inpatient Capacity solution, which reduces the length of stay and creates capacity, eliminated over 36,000 excess days for its health system partners, saving them millions of dollars and helping them create the capacity to serve more patients in their communities. The company’s Surgical Growth solution drives strategic surgical volume for hospitals, generating $95M in annualized contribution margin in 2024 through Qventus enabled cases. This year alone, Qventus’ platform touched more than half a million surgeries and drove 35% more robotic cases using its technology to spot gaps of time available, helping patients receive the critical care they need.

“By collaborating with Qventus, Northwestern Medicine has been able to significantly address capacity and access demands for our operating rooms which has allowed our patients quicker access to care,” said Doug King, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Northwestern Medicine. “By deploying Qventus’ solutions, Northwestern Medicine is able to reduce the burden on our clinical teams and allow them to turn their focus to caring for our patients.”

This financing follows a year of significant growth for Qventus, increasing its cadre of health system partners and expanding its team globally. The company received an impressive overall KLAS score of 92.5 percent (as of November 1, 2024) in the capacity management segment, in which 100 percent of customers included Qventus as a part of their long-term plans. Last month, Qventus additionally took home Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Customer Value Leadership Award for its commitment to providing best-in-class solutions that generate an average of over 10x return on investment for its hospital and health system clients.

KKR is funding this investment primarily from its Next Generation Technology III Fund.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C. served as legal advisor to Qventus, Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to KKR and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati served as legal advisor to Bessemer Venture Partners.

About Qventus

For more than a decade, Qventus has been at the forefront as a provider of AI-based software automating care operations in both OR and inpatient settings. By deeply understanding the challenges faced by healthcare providers and applying modern technologies and principles proven in other industries, we empower care teams to make smarter decisions and optimize patient flow, while reducing the cognitive load on team members and improving the patient experience. Our solutions not only deliver meaningful returns but have also recently achieved the highest KLAS rating, creating a competitive edge for our clients, including health systems, independent hospitals, and academic medical centers. By integrating with EHRs, the Qventus platform leverages GenerativeAI, machine learning, and behavioral science to predict operational bottlenecks, recommend remedies, and automate processes. Explore more at www.qventus.com.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing 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.

Contacts

Qventus
qventus@solcomms.co

KKR
Emily Cummings
media@kkr.com

 

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Apax Funds to Sell Their Majority Stake in Paycor HCM, Inc. to Paychex, Inc.

Apax

Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”) today announced that Paycor HCM, Inc. (Nasdaq: PYCR) (“Paycor”), a leading provider of human capital management (“HCM”) software, has entered into a definitive agreement with Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAYX) (“Paychex”) to be acquired in an all-cash transaction for $22.50 per share, representing a total enterprise value of $4.1 billion.  Funds advised by Apax, together with certain of their affiliates, currently own a majority of Paycor’s outstanding common stock.

The Apax Funds acquired a majority stake in Paycor in November 2018 for $1.3 billion and took the company public in July 2021. Over the past six years, Apax has partnered closely with Paycor’s leadership team in the transformation of the company – accelerating its top-line growth, expanding it into tier one cities across North America, and building a modern HCM platform for the mid-market.

Jason Wright, Partner at Apax and Chair of Paycor’s Board of Directors, said: “We could not be more proud of our partnership with Raul and the Paycor team. The company has tripled in size since the original investment. This exceptional growth was fueled by strategic investments in product and customer service. Paycor’s world-class management team has created an industry leader in mid-market HCM software.”

Raul Villar, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Paycor, said: “Apax has been a committed and valuable partner to Paycor over the past six years. Jason and the Apax team have been instrumental in shaping Paycor’s strategic vision, investing for long-term profitable growth and scaling our overall enterprise capabilities. We thank the entire Apax team for their guidance and unwavering support for Paycor and our loyal associates and clients.”

Funds advised by Apax have a long history of investing across the software industry and in subsectors such as HCM software. In 2024, the Apax Funds acquired the Zellis Group, one of the leading providers of payroll and HR software solutions to customers in the UK and Ireland and an emerging leader in the global benefits administration software market. Other noteworthy past and current software industry investments include Duck Creek Technologies, Epicor Software Corporation, Sophos Group, ECi Software, and RealPage, Inc.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as Paycor’s exclusive financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as Paycor’s legal advisor.

 

lobal Media Contacts

Katarina Sallerfors

t: +44 20 7872 6300

Gill Corish

t: +44 207 872 6480

Amanda Boateng

t: +44 207 872 6359

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Mashura Announces $300M Strategic Partnership with Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus logo

Partnership to fuel growth, innovation and expand client reach in veterinary and dental markets

January 7th, 2025 — Scottsdale, AZ – Mashura, a leading inventory intelligence platform in healthcare, today announced a $300 million strategic partnership with a newly formed financing vehicle sponsored by Warburg Pincus, the pioneer of private equity growth investing. Mashura will focus on expanding its customer base across the U.S. and globally, innovating key solutions and increasing integration partnerships.

Mashura, a global leader in inventory intelligence solutions, provides cutting-edge smart cabinet technology to veterinary and dental clinics, which drives hard dollar cost savings by streamlining operations, improving inventory management and ensuring seamless compliance with DEA and state regulatory audits. Operating through two specialized brands, CUBEX, serving the veterinary industry, and Zimbis, catering to the dental sector, Mashura delivers tailored solutions designed to meet the unique needs of each market. The company’s software platform offers real-time reporting and intuitive analytics, empowering customers to prioritize operational demands and optimize inventory supply. By reducing medication costs and improving efficiency, Mashura supports clinics in driving positive EBITDA. With installations in over 16 countries worldwide, Mashura’s solutions are transforming how healthcare providers manage their inventory and improve patient outcomes.

“One of my core focuses is to foster a culture at Mashura that emphasizes serving one another, developing innovative solutions, and creating programs that enhance healthcare for both people and their pets. Through our best-in-class solutions, we help healthcare companies maximize profitability, control inventory, and optimize workflow efficiencies, thereby increasing safety and mitigating risk,” said Anton Visser, CEO, Mashura. “This partnership unlocks an exciting new opportunity for Mashura, allowing us to innovate, expand and drive continued success. The support from Warburg Pincus is invaluable and we look forward to leveraging their decades-long experience in healthcare and financing strategies.”

“Mashura is a valued part of the vet and dental markets with their innovative storage cabinets, helping clients with increased billing capture, reduced inventory, consolidated analytics, automated suggested ordering and regulatory audits – all important services for healthcare providers,” said José Arredondo, Principal, Warburg Pincus. “We are excited to partner with Anton and the CUBEX and Zimbis teams on this next phase of growth, expanding the reach and services for the company to benefit customers as the demand for automation solutions continues to accelerate,” added Jordan Jones, Principal, Warburg Pincus.

The equity for the transaction is being provided by Warburg Pincus Capital Solutions Founders Fund (“WPCS FF”), which closed in September 2024 with over $4 billion in commitments. Mitsubishi Corporation remains a strategic partner to Mashura.

About Mashura

Mashura is a leading provider of innovative health care automation and cloud-based business intelligence solutions that enable veterinary and dental facilities to improve medication care, cost and patient outcomes, while at the same time increasing regulatory compliance. Mashura is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, home to its corporate office and distribution center. More information can be found at www.mashura.com.

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is the pioneer of private equity global growth investing. A private partnership since 1966, the firm has the flexibility and experience to focus on helping investors and management teams achieve enduring success across market cycles. Today, the firm has more than $86 billion in assets under management, and more than 230 companies in their active portfolio, diversified across stages, sectors, and geographies. Warburg Pincus has invested in more than 1,000 companies across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies.

Warburg Pincus funds have invested over $18 billion in more than 180 innovative healthcare companies around the world, including Summit Health/CityMD, Modernizing Medicine, Ensemble Healthcare Partners, and Bausch + Lomb. The firm also has a successful track record of investing in capital solutions related transactions historically. The Warburg Pincus Capital Solutions Founders Fund consists of investments that include DriveCentric, Excelitas, MB2, MIAX, Nord Security, Service Compression, and United Trust Bank.

The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Warburg Pincus

Sarah Bloom, Associate Director, Communications

Sarah.bloom@warburgpincus.com

Mashura

Neels Visser, Director of Marketing

nvisser@mashura.com

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Regnology receives a significant minority investment from CPP Investments to support further international growth and expansion

Nordic Capital
  • CPP Investments capital commitment will be made alongside a new investment from Nordic Capital
  • The broadened ownership will support Regnology in achieving its vision of becoming the central platform for reporting across financial institutions and regulators and fulfilling its accelerated international growth plan both organically and through strategic acquisitions 

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPP Investments”), a leading global institutional investor and Nordic Capital, a leading software private equity investor, today announced an agreed new significant minority investment by CPP Investments for Regnology (“Regnology” or “the Company”), a global software provider with a focus on regulatory reporting solutions for financial institutions.
In addition, Nordic Capital will make a new investment alongside its current ownership. Nordic Capital sees strong continued potential in the Company, and will together with CPP Investments, continue to support Regnology’s vision of creating a global platform that connects regulators and the financial industry to drive stability, transparency and a sustainable future.

This transaction enables Regnology’s further access to long-term capital, global networks and sector expertise to accelerate its expansion into more international markets both organically and through strategic acquisitions. In addition, the broadened ownership will support further investment in Regnology’s technology, product offering, customer success and people. The new ownership structure reflects both CPP Investments and Nordic Capital’s confidence in Regnology’s business model and future growth prospects and provides an opportunity to create additional value.

Regnology is a global provider of innovative regulatory, risk, and supervisory technology solutions. Over 35,000 financial institutions, 70 regulators, and tax authorities rely on its solutions to streamline their processes, enhance data quality and improve efficiency. Regnology supports regulatory reporting for all scales of financial institutions, including top-tier banks, brokerage firms, community banks, and corporate entities, along with major regulatory bodies and financial authorities across Europe, North America, and APAC.

Since Nordic Capital acquired Regnology in December 2020, the Company has outperformed its operational and financial targets and executed on its value creation plan earlier than expected. Regnology has made significant investments in its technology and product platform, experiencing strong organic growth as well as international expansion through strategic add-on acquisitions. The recently announced acquisition of VERMEG’s RegTech business unit (Agile) will expand Regnology’s international footprint in the strategic North American and APAC markets. This acquisition is expected to strengthen Regnology’s position as a global provider of end-to-end regulatory reporting solutions for large banks and other financial institutions seeking a comprehensive and innovative offering from a
single, trusted partner.

Fredrik Näslund, Partner and Head of Technology & Payments, Nordic Capital Advisors, commented:

“Under Nordic Capital’s ownership, Regnology has transformed from a carve-out into a sizeable software platform in the RegTech space and the management team has successfully executed the key levers of the initial value creation plan. Nordic Capital is delighted to be investing further together with CPP Investments to support this journey, allowing Regnology to scale its business model globally. We also want to thank BearingPoint Capital as a strategic partner and minority investor over the last four years.”

Sam Blaichman, Managing Director, Head of Direct Private Equity at CPP Investments, said:

“Regnology has a leading position in attractive and resilient markets, with a differentiated offering driving high customer advocacy. Under its current leadership, Regnology has demonstrated a strong track-record of entering and winning in new geographies. We look forward to supporting the management team’s global ambitions alongside Nordic Capital. We expect this investment to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns for CPP contributors and beneficiaries.”

Rob Mackay, CEO, Regnology said:

“Nordic Capital’s support has been pivotal in our journey, and we are thrilled for CPP Investments to come on board as we enter the next phase of our global expansion. With their combined strengths, we are empowered to further invest in developing our SaaS solutions and accelerate our vision of creating a dedicated network that streamlines regulatory data flows, helping both regulators and the regulated in navigating the complexities of financial regulation.”

Nordic Capital has over 20 years of experience accelerating the growth of innovative technology companies globally. It has made 33 technology investments in companies with an aggregate enterprise value of circa EUR 26 billion, including Itiviti, Macrobond, Regnology, Trustly, Bambora, Signicat, One Inc, ActiveViam, Zafin and the recently announced acquisition of Anaqua. Its current Technology & Payments portfolio generates EUR 4.5 billion of revenues and employs over 17,400 people.

CPP Investments’ net investments through the Private Equity department totalled C$136.9 billion at September 30, 2024. CPP Investments’ Direct Private Equity strategy is focused on assets and sub-sectors where it maintains competitive advantages including a strong track record, superior insights and strategic partnerships to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns. CPP Investments’
Direct Private Equity team has C$44bn assets under management and has significant experience investing in technology businesses, combined with strong expertise in the financial services sector.

CPP Investments has committed approximately €460 million / C$ 690 million for a significant minority stake in Regnology alongside a new investment made from Nordic Capital XI. Nordic Capital entities will hold a majority stake via Nordic Capital X and Nordic Capital XI. Nordic Capital X, which initially invested in Regnology in 2020, will sell a portion of its holding as part of the transaction. Current minority investor BearingPoint Capital will sell its full holding in connection to the transaction.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and expected to be completed in Q1 2025.

Contact Details

CPP Investments
Steve McCool
Public Affairs & Communications, CPP Investments
Tel: +44 7780 224 245
email: smccool@cppib.com

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

About CPP Investments

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments™) is a professional investment management organization that manages the Fund in the best interest of the more than 22 million contributors and beneficiaries of the Canada Pension Plan. In order to build diversified portfolios of assets, investments are made around the world in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, São Paulo and Sydney, CPP Investments is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm’s length from governments. At September 30, 2024, the Fund totalled C$675.1 billion. For more information, please visit www.cppinvestments.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or on X @CPPInvestments.

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading sector-specialist private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and Service & Industrial Tech. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested EUR 26 billion in close to 150 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital XI with EUR 9.0 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution II with EUR 2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and South Korea. www.nordiccapital.com.

“Nordic Capital” refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures, and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital’s entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as “Nordic Capital Advisors”.

About Regnology

Regnology is a leading technology firm on a mission to bring safety and stability to the financial markets. With an exclusive focus on regulatory reporting and more than 35,000 financial institutions, 70 regulators, international organizations, and tax authorities relying on our solutions to process their regulatory reporting data, we’re uniquely positioned to bring greater data quality, efficiency, and cost savings to all market participants. With over 900 employees in 16 countries and a unified data ingestion model powering our work, our clients can quickly implement and derive value from our solutions and easily keep pace with ongoing regulatory changes. Regnology was formed in 2021 when BearingPoint RegTech, a former business unit of BearingPoint Group, joined forces with Vizor Software, a global leader in regulatory and supervisory technology. The Company is on a continued organic and external growth path, building up as one of the world’s most recognized global regulatory reporting powerhouses. For more information about Regnology, connect with us on LinkedIn and X. Visit our website: www.regnology.net

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KKR Extends Second Tender Offer for FUJI SOFT

KKR

Board of FUJI SOFT Unanimously Supports KKR Second Tender Offer and Recommends Tender

TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR, a leading global investment firm, announced today that in connection with the Second Tender Offer in its two-stage tender offer scheme (the “Tender Offer”) for the common shares and share options of FUJI SOFT INCORPORATED (“FUJI SOFT” or the “Company”; TSE stock code 9749) through FK Co., Ltd. (the “Offeror”), an entity owned by investment funds managed by KKR, the Offeror has submitted an amendment statement (“Amendment Statement”) to the Tender Offer Registration Statement that was submitted on November 20, 2024.

The Amendment Statement was submitted due to the Offeror’s decision to extend the end date of the tender offer period for the Second Tender Offer from December 19, 2024 to January 9, 2025. The tender offer price per common share will remain at 9,451 yen, and there is no change to the price that is being considered.

The extension of the tender offer period is intended to allow the Company’s shareholders and share option holders to make a considered decision, in light of the fact that as of December 19, 2024, the market price of the Company’s shares has stayed above the Second Tender Offer price due to the following announcements:

  • Bain Capital’s “Notice Regarding Changes to the Terms and Conditions of Tender Offer for the Shares of FUJI SOFT INCORPORATED (Securities Code 9749)” on December 11, 2024;
  • FUJI SOFT’s “Notice Regarding the Opinion (in Opposition) of the Board of Directors of the Company on the Tender Offer for the Company Share Certificates by BCJ-88 Co., Ltd.” on December 17, 2024;
  • Bain Capital’s “Notice Regarding Changes to the Terms and Conditions of Tender Offer for the Shares of FUJI SOFT INCORPORATED (Securities Code 9749) (Waiver of Conditions Precedent Regarding the Affirmative Opinion, Etc.)” on December 18, 2024; and
  • Changes to the terms of Bain Capital’s tender offer proposal.

FUJI SOFT’s Board of Directors resolved on December 17, 2024 to express its opinion of continued support for KKR’s Second Tender Offer, and to recommend the shareholders and share option holders of the Company tender their shares and options, and to express its opinion in opposition of the tender offer by Bain Capital. The Board stated the following main reasons for opposing the tender offer proposal by Bain Capital:

  • Bain Capital’s proposal carries the risk of deadlock among major shareholders with respect to special resolutions of shareholders and would not contribute to the improvement of corporate value; and
  • Bain Capital’s proposal is inferior to KKR’s proposal in quantitative terms, given that the price premium is incommensurate with the at least three-month delay required by Bain Capital’s tender offer compared to KKR’s Second Tender Offer.

In addition, the Board of Directors considered important factors including:

  • Bain Capital’s failure to comply with the Company’s information destruction request and its actions may constitute a violation of its non-disclosure agreement with the Company;
  • The possibility that Bain Capital’s proposal dated December 11 may be withdrawn; and
  • Bain Capital’s “inadequate response”1 to the issue of coerciveness in its proposal.

FUJI SOFT also recognized that by changing the terms of its tender offer on December 18, 2024 and waiving the support of the Board of Directors of the Company as a condition precedent to commencement of the tender offer and setting a maximum number of shares to be purchased at 31,444,443 shares (ownership ratio: 49.89%), Bain Capital’s tender offer is no longer intended to take the Company private and has changed into a “hostile partial tender offer with the aim of seizing control of the company,” and this proposal is a violation of Bain Capital’s confidentiality agreement with FUJI SOFT as outlined above.

KKR continues to have strong regard for FUJI SOFT’s growth potential and intends to leverage KKR’s global network and resources and work together with FUJI SOFT’s management and employees to provide better services and solutions for customers and achieve further business growth and value creation for FUJI SOFT after the privatization. This will create value for stakeholders, including management, employees, and customers.

For details on the Amendment Statement, please refer to the release issued by the Offeror today titled “(Amendment) Notice Regarding Amendment to “Notice Regarding the Commencement of Tender Offer for the Shares of FUJI SOFT INCORPORATED (Securities Code: 9749) by FK Co., Ltd.” Following Submission of Amendment Statement to the Tender Offer Registration Statement by FK Co., Ltd.”

***

This press release should be read in conjunction with the release issued by the Offeror titled “(Amendment) Notice Regarding Amendment to “Notice Regarding the Commencement of Tender Offer for the Shares of FUJI SOFT INCORPORATED (Securities Code: 9749) by FK Co., Ltd.” Following Submission of Amendment Statement to the Tender Offer Registration Statement by FK Co., Ltd.”

The purpose of this press release is to publicly announce an extension to the tender offer period for the Second Tender Offer and it has not been prepared for the purpose of soliciting an offer to sell or purchase in the Tender Offer. When making an application to tender, please be sure to read the relevant Tender Offer Explanatory Statement for the Tender Offer and make your own decision as a shareholder or share option holder. This press release does not constitute, either in whole or in part, a solicitation of an offer to sell or purchase any securities, and the existence of this press release (or any part thereof) or its distribution shall not be construed as a basis for any agreement regarding the Tender Offer, nor shall it be relied upon in concluding an agreement regarding the Tender Offer.

The Tender Offer will be conducted in compliance with the procedures and information disclosure standards set forth in Japanese law, and those procedures and standards are not always the same as the procedures and information disclosure standards in the U.S. In particular, neither sections 13(e) or 14(d) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended; the same shall apply hereinafter) or the rules under these sections apply to the Tender Offer; and therefore the Tender Offer will not be conducted in accordance with those procedures and standards.

Unless otherwise specified, all procedures relating to the Tender Offer are to be conducted entirely in Japanese. All or a part of the documentation relating to the Tender Offer will be prepared in English; however, if there is any discrepancy between the English-language documents and the Japanese-language documents, the Japanese-language documents shall prevail.

This press release includes statements that fall under “forward-looking statements” as defined in section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Due to known or unknown risks, uncertainties or other factors, actual results may differ materially from the predictions indicated by the statements that are implicitly or explicitly forward-looking statements. Neither the Offeror nor any of its affiliates guarantee that the predictions indicated by the statements that are implicitly or expressly forward-looking statements will materialize. The forward-looking statements in this press release were prepared based on information held by the Offeror as of today, and the Offeror and its affiliates shall not be obliged to amend or revise such statements to reflect future events or circumstances, except as required by laws and regulations.

The Offeror, its financial advisors and the Tender Offer agent (and their respective affiliates) may purchase the common shares and share options of FUJI SOFT, by means other than the Tender Offer, or conduct an act aimed at such purchases, for their own account or for their client’s accounts, in the scope of their ordinary business and to the extent permitted under financial instrument exchange-related laws and regulations, and any other applicable laws and regulations in Japan, in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5(b) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such purchases may be conducted at the market price through market transactions or at a price determined by negotiations off-market. In the event that information regarding such purchases is disclosed in Japan, such information will also be disclosed on the English website of the person conducting such purchases (or by any other method of public disclosure).

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.

_________________________
1 As explained on point (5) on page 22 of FUJI SOFT’s statement dated December 17, 2024: https://www.fsi.co.jp/company/news/2024/20241217.pdf

For more information, please contact:

Media Contact

KKR Asia Pacific
Wei Jun Ong
+65 6922 5813
WeiJun.Ong@kkr.com

Source: KKR

 

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Citation welcomes new investment from HarbourVest Partners supporting its growth as a global provider of SME compliance and certification solutions

KKR
  • HarbourVest Partners joins forces with Hg and KKR to propel Citation’s growth ambitions, international expansion and innovation in AI.
  • The strategic partnership will back CEO Chris Morris and his team as they continue to support the compliance needs of over 110,000 SME customers across the UK, Australia and Canada.

London, UK – 19 December, 2024 – The Citation Group (Citation), an international provider of tech-enabled compliance and certification solutions to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), today announce that they have welcomed HarbourVest Partners (HarbourVest), a global private markets investment manager, as a new investor in the business. This new chapter of investment will see HarbourVest join forces with the management team and majority investors, KKR and Hg, to bolster Citation’s international growth trajectory – organically, through product development in AI and through strategic acquisitions.

Citation supports SMEs in the UK, Canada, and Australia, acting as a critical partner for over 110,000 SMEs businesses navigating the complexities of HR, Health and Safety, and Quality Certifications.

Chris Morris, CEO of Citation, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome HarbourVest as our new strategic partner. Their expertise, along with the continued support from Hg and KKR, will be instrumental as we pursue our vision of simplifying compliance for SMEs globally. Our focus remains on providing peace of mind to business owners, allowing them to concentrate on growing their enterprises, while we protect their people, their businesses and their reputations.”

This transaction follows a period of sustained and rapid growth at Citation, in which the Group has benefited from its leading quality and the breadth of its mission-critical compliance solutions, as well as its hybrid approach in leveraging both software and services to optimally serve its customers’ compliance needs. In the last four years, Citation has entered Canada and Australia – now jointly representing c.20% of revenue, and consistently stayed in excess of “rule of 40” economics.

Gonçalo Faria Ferreira, Managing Director at HarbourVest, said: “We are excited to become a  strategic partner to Citation, joining Hg and KKR to support the Group’s continued growth. Having followed the business for several years, we are impressed by what Chris and his team have achieved. We see strong potential for the business going forward as it continues its mission to simplify compliance for SMEs.”

Joris Van Gool and Nick Jordan, Partners at Hg, said: “Citation stands as a testament to what can be achieved with the right team, technology and strategic partners. The addition of HarbourVest to the fold marks an exciting new phase for Citation, as we continue to unlock the immense potential within the SME compliance space.” Hans Arstad and Rami Bibi, Managing Directors in KKR’s European Private Equity and Global Impact teams, added, “We’re excited to welcome HarbourVest as Citation continues its strong growth under Chris and the team. Together, we’ll further expand Citation’s reach and enhance its offering through strategic acquisitions and innovation, positioning the business for continued success.”

The transaction details have not been disclosed. Jefferies acted as financial advisors to Citation Group, Hg and KKR.

For further inquiries, please contact:

Citation:
Stephanie Beane
Email: stephaniebeane@citation.co.uk

Harbourt:
Andrew Hopkins
Email: ahopkins@harbourvest.com

Hg:
Tom Eckersley
Email: tom.eckersley@hgcapital.com

KKR:
Annabel Arthur
Email: annabel.arthur@kkr.com

About Citation
Citation is a leading provider of tech-enabled compliance (HR, Health and Safety) and certification subscription solutions to SMEs in the UK, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand. Serving a diverse customer base, Citation provides its customers with a suite of software tools and services, supporting businesses both on a day-to-day basis, as well as in their moment of need. Its offering allows customers to operate with confidence in compliance and certification matters, while being a cost-effective alternative to professional services, and a more holistic solution compared to software-only solutions.

About HarbourVest
HarbourVest is an independent, global private markets firm with over 42 years of experience and more than $132 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2024. Our interwoven platform provides clients access to global primary funds, secondary transactions, direct co-investments, real assets and infrastructure, and private credit. Our strengths extend across strategies, enabled by our team of more than 1,200 employees, including more than 245 investment professionals across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Across our private markets platform, our team has committed more than $59 billion to newly-formed funds, completed over $58 billion in secondary purchases, and invested over $41 billion in direct operating companies. We partner strategically and plan our offerings innovatively to provide our clients with access, insight, and global opportunities.

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 Hg
Hg supports the building of sector-leading enterprises that supply businesses with critical software applications or workflow services, delivering a more automated workplace for their customers. This industry is characterised by digitization trends that are in early stages of adoption and are set to transform the workplace for professionals over decades to come. Hg’s support combines deep end-market knowledge with world class operational resources, together providing compelling support to entrepreneurial leaders looking to scale their business – businesses that are well invested, enduring and serve their customers well. With a vast European network and strong presence across North America, Hg’s 400 employees and around $75 billion in funds under management support a portfolio of around 50 businesses, worth over $160 billion aggregate enterprise value, with around 110,000 employees, consistently growing revenues at more than 20% annually. https://hgcapital.com/

 

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Our Series A Investment in Nuitée: API Infrastructure for Global Travel

Accel

Accel has a deep history of partnering with companies at scale, often based outside of Silicon Valley, led by truly great leaders, and have little to no external capital, like Atlassian, Braintree, Qualtrics, and Bird (formerly MessageBird). This approach aligns perfectly with our latest partnership, Nuitée, a company that has been quietly building a profitable business outside Silicon Valley for the past seven years.

Nuitée, led by CEO and founder Med Benmansour, is a global infrastructure provider powering the travel and hotel industry. Originating from Morocco and Spain, it has become an unexpected force: partnering with industry leaders like Hopper, Expedia, Priceline, Google, and Uber. Nuitée’s core strength lies in simplifying a complex web of suppliers and hotels into a single, user-friendly API, enabling businesses to offer travel products seamlessly.

Their approach reminds us of other interesting API-first companies in our portfolio, such as Checkr, Braintree, Scale AI, and Snyk. Med’s operational discipline echoes that of Atlassian, Braintree, and Qualtrics, building a scaled global business while generating cash every year.

Already, Nuitée is poised to disrupt the $75B B2B hotel market, which has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The current B2B hotel industry is a fragmented mix of hotels, agents, bed banks, aggregators, and third-party suppliers, often plagued by poor coverage, unreliable technology, and opaque pricing. Nuitée’s modern tech stack and strong, direct hotel relationships offer a refreshing alternative.

As Nuitée becomes an increasingly integral part of B2B inventory distribution, it is also building a range of software solutions for hotels and sellers alike to distribute and operate their businesses more effectively. Over time, we believe Nuitée will become a central pillar of the travel ecosystem.

While Med didn’t need to “raise” capital, we admire his global ambition to build a unique and special company. We’re excited to lead Nuitée’s $48M Series A and partner with Med and his team as they work towards becoming the API backbone of the travel industry.

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Belgian software company Itineris accelerates expansion in the U.S.

GIMV

3 contracts signed, including one with the ninth largest city in the country. Additionally, Flanders’ largest drinking water company extends its partnership with the company.

Ghent, Belgium & Atlanta, U.S. – December 13th, 2024 – Itineris, a global leader in innovative SaaS solutions for utilities, has recently secured three new contracts in the United States. Dallas, the ninth largest city in the country, is one of the three new customers. Additionally, De Watergroep, the largest drinking water company in Flanders (Belgium), has extended its partnership with Itineris by five years.

Dallas partners with Itineris to modernize its IT landscape

With Itineris’ software, Dallas Water Utilities (DWU), located in Texas, aims to modernize its business processes and enhance services for the 2.6 million residents of Dallas and 27 surrounding cities. DWU delivers more than 150 billion gallons of water annually through an extensive network of more than 5,000 miles of pipelines.

Following an intensive evaluation process, DWU selected Itineris—headquartered in Ghent, Belgium and supported by their U.S. division in Atlanta, GA—and its cloud-based software solution, UMAX. UMAX will replace outdated systems for meter readings, billing, and water management, and will also include a brand-new customer portal.

The contract spans 10 years. Following previous successful implementations in cities such as New York City; Boston; Baltimore; Tallahassee, Florida; and Lansing, Michigan; this marks the second-largest contract for Itineris in North America.

Two additional major contracts secured in the U.S.

Itineris has also recently signed contracts with Gwinnett County Water, serving 270,000 water customers in Georgia, and Arizona Water Utilities, its first investor-owned utility (IOU) customer, heralding the company’s entrance into a new market segment.

Largest drinking water company in Flanders extends partnership

Alongside its successes in the U.S., Itineris has extended its collaboration with De Watergroep—the largest drinking water company in Flanders, Belgium—by at least five years. This partnership, which began in 2007, highlights the strong relationship and mutual trust between the two companies.

 

Read more: https://www.itineris.net/accelerated-expansion-in-the-us/

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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).

PR Contacts

GERMANY / SWITZERLAND / NETHERLANDS

Munich, Zurich, Amsterdam

  • IWK Communication Partner
  • Ira Wülfing / Florian Bergmann
  • Tel: +49 (0)89 2000 30 30
  • E-Mail IWK

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