A new addition to Axon’s Italian portfolio: the Growth Equity fund specializing in investments in innovative companies is a Co-Lead Investor, along with the Italian fund BlackSheep and the Azimut Digitech Fund, under the advisory of FNDX, and Azimut Eltif – Venture Capital – ALIcrowd III of Azimut, in Kleecks’ €6.5 million round. Kleecks is an Italian startup that has developed a cutting-edge enterprise SaaS platform for optimizing website performance, helping maximize customer engagement. Kleecks already boasts an excellent track record and successful case studies, having worked alongside leading international brands, particularly in the luxury and fashion sectors, to optimize their digital channels.

With this investment, BlackSheep, Axon, and Azimut’s VC funds will support Kleecks in further developing its platform, consolidating its presence in target markets, and expanding into new business opportunities. Thanks to the funds’ established expertise in the software, marketing, and advertising sectors, as well as their managerial skills and international network, will actively contribute to implementing Kleecks’ growth plan, ensuring a rapid, solid, and strategic development.

With offices in London and Milan, Kleecks serves clients worldwide and has achieved excellent results in competitive markets such as the UK, France, the United States, and Japan. The platform handles significant volumes, managing over €1.5 billion in transactions for its clients and serving more than 8 million daily users.

Kleecks has developed an innovative platform based on advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, designed to optimize website and e-commerce performance without requiring back-end modifications. The platform operates directly on the front-end, enhancing critical aspects such as SEO, accessibility, site speed, and user experience. Through continuous 24/7 analysis in 50 languages, Kleecks constantly monitors competitors’ strategies, with a particular focus on keyword strategy, enabling brands to close any competitive gaps. The platform operates on the front-end, generating digital assets and providing data and insights to optimize content and performance. This ensures better search engine indexing, increased organic traffic, and higher conversion rates.Kleecks, which currently has around 30 employees, has shown year-over-year growth of over 70%, thanks to stable partnerships with more than 100 brands, including prominent international companies like Fendi, Bulgari (Luxury), Western Union (Finance), Gabel (Retail), Poliform, and Natuzzi (Design), among others.

Marco Bezzi, CEO and Founder of Kleecks: We are excited to continue our ambitious growth journey with the support of new strategic partners, including Axon and BlackSheep, with whom we share values and goals. This investment not only validates Kleecks’ value but also strengthens our belief that we can make a significant impact in the market. We are confident that together we will take Kleecks to a new level, reaching new markets and business opportunities, enabling us to offer increasingly effective solutions and positioning ourselves as a true game changer in the market

Francesco Terraneo, Head of Italy at Axon Partners Group stated: We are excited to announce our partnership with BlackSheep in the investment in Kleecks. We firmly believe that Kleecks has an exceptional future ahead, driven by an outstanding team. The international collaboration between the funds will support the company in further expanding its reach and positioning itself as a leading international player in the industry.

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Sixth Street to acquire minority interest in EdgeConneX

Broadened investor base adds new resources and expertise, supporting EdgeConneX’s long-term ambition as a leading global data center and AI infrastructure provider

EQT and Sixth Street are pleased to announce that the EQT Infrastructure IV and EQT Infrastructure V funds (“EQT Infrastructure”) have signed an agreement to sell a minority stake in EdgeConneX to funds managed by Sixth Street. Having been invested in the company since 2020, EQT Infrastructure will remain the largest shareholder following the closing of the transaction.

EdgeConneX is a leading global provider of data center capacity focused on energy-efficient and sustainable designs optimized for AI and large-scale cloud deployments. Since 2020, EdgeConneX has more than tripled its built data center capacity and expanded its reach into Asia, Latin America and new European markets. Today, EdgeConneX has a global footprint of 80 data centers in operation or development in more than 50 markets across North America, Europe, APAC and South America.

The stake sale marks a strategic milestone in EdgeConneX’s journey, welcoming a strategic partner to help accelerate the company’s ability to deliver capacity and cutting-edge solutions to its customers.

“With this transaction, EQT believes EdgeConneX is well-equipped to deliver scalable, high-performance data center solutions that will power the next generation of AI,” said Jan Vesely, Partner within EQT Infrastructure’s Advisory Team. “As AI continues to drive significant changes and create new opportunities across industries, EQT remains committed to being at the forefront of developing the required datacenter, connectivity and energy infrastructure needed for AI and to ensuring that EdgeConneX and our partners across EQT Infrastructure will continue to capitalize on this powerful industry tailwind.”

Sixth Street’s investment is a result of cross-platform collaboration between the firm’s dedicated digital infrastructure and global real estate platforms, which offer scaled capital solutions for companies and assets across their respective sectors.

“We’re pleased to bring our team’s deep experience in digital infrastructure and real estate asset investing to this partnership and join EQT in supporting EdgeConneX’s strategic growth,” said Julian Salisbury, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Sixth Street. “EdgeConneX is well-positioned for future success with the scale, high-quality performance, and expanding capabilities required to meet the increasing global demand for data center capacity and services.”

The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals and is expected to close in Q4 2024.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as lead financial advisor, Goldman Sachs served as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett provided legal counsel to EQT Infrastructure. Centerview Partners LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Debevoise & Plimpton provided legal counsel to Sixth Street.

Contact

EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com

Sixth Street Press Office, media@sixthstreet.com

About

About EQT

EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 246 billion in total assets under management (EUR 133 billion in fee-generating assets under management), within two business segments – Private Capital and Real Assets. EQT owns portfolio companies and assets in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas and supports them in achieving sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram

About Sixth Street

Sixth Street is a global investment firm with over $80 billion in assets under management and committed capital. Sixth Street uses its long-term flexible capital, data-enabled capabilities, and One Team culture to develop themes and offer solutions to companies across all stages of growth. Founded in 2009, Sixth Street has more than 650 team members including over 200 investment professionals operating around the world. For more information, follow Sixth Street on social media and visit www.sixthstreet.com.

About EdgeConneX

Backed by EQT Infrastructure, part of the global investment organization EQT, EdgeConneX provides a full range of sustainable data center solutions worldwide. We work closely with our customers to offer choices in location, scale, and type of facility, from Hyperlocal to Hyperscale. EdgeConneX provides anytime, anywhere, and any scale data center services for a diverse portfolio of industries, including Cloud, AI, Content, Networks, and more. With a mission predicated on taking care of our customers, our people, and our planet, EdgeConneX strives to Empower Your Edge.

More info: www.edgeconnex.com

EQT Private Equity, together with its co-shareholders, to sell Open Systems to Swiss Post

Under EQT’s ownership, Open Systems transformed from a founder-led managed security services provider to a leading integrated network and cyber security company

Since EQT’s acquisition in 2017, Open Systems has almost doubled its revenues and more than tripled its EBITDA, while significantly expanding its product offering to support customers on their network transformation and cybersecurity journey

EQT is pleased to announce that the EQT Mid Market Europe fund (“EQT”), together with its co-shareholders, have agreed to sell Open Systems (“Company”) to Swiss Post.

Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Open Systems delivers network and cyber security capabilities in a single cloud-based platform known as Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). Open Systems’ innovative SASE Experience eliminates the complexity of secure global connectivity and network management, while providing seamless global 24×7 support. The Company plays a pivotal role in supporting customers globally in their network and cyber security transformation by offering a fully integrated, single-pane-of-glass cloud and software platform and supporting services.

EQT acquired a majority stake in Open Systems in 2017. During EQT’s ownership, the Company almost doubled its sales and more than tripled its EBITDA, while making substantial investments into its technology platform and transforming from a network-focused managed security services provider to a leading SASE player with extensive cyber security capabilities. Open Systems also built a Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) division, which was carved out in 2023 and now operates as a standalone company under the brand Ontinue, which will be retained by EQT. Organic growth was complemented by three strategic add-on acquisitions, including Sqooba, a Swiss provider of data science, AI, cloud, and cyber services founded by the current Open Systems CEO Daniel Neuhaus.

As part of Swiss Post, Open Systems will continue its growth journey under the leadership of Daniel Neuhaus. With the acquisition, Swiss Post strengthens its role as provider of digital communication services by increasing its competences and know-how to support digitally connected businesses in Switzerland.

Daniel Neuhaus, CEO of Open Systems: “I would like to thank EQT for their support over the years and their hands-on involvement in our development. Swiss Post’s investment is a validation of our long-term strategy to become a leading SASE software provider with the best customer experience. With Swiss Post, we have found a sustainable partner in Switzerland who shares our values and will support us in continuously delivering best-in-class technology and services to our customers while continuing to drive innovation.”

Philipp Woerner, Director within EQT Private Equity’s Advisory Team: “We have been continuously impressed by Open Systems’ track record of technological innovation in the network and cyber security space. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of the management team led by Daniel, Open Systems delivers attractive technology and services from Switzerland to its customers globally. We could not have imagined a better future home for Open Systems than Swiss Post to support continuing the strong development.”

Nicole Burth, CEO of Swiss Post Communication Services, said: “Open Systems strongly complements our existing offerings in the area of cybersecurity. The Company is an excellent cultural fit and supports our strategy to bring cybersecurity to our Swiss customers. This makes the network and communication of businesses more efficient and secures it with the unique cloud security solutions Open Systems provides.”

The completion of this transaction is pending customary regulatory approvals and is anticipated to take place in Q4 2024.

Contact
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com

About

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 246 billion in total assets under management (EUR 133 billion in fee-generating assets under management), within two business segments – Private Capital and Real Assets. EQT owns portfolio companies and assets in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas and supports them in achieving sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram

About Open Systems
Open Systems is a leading provider of native, managed SASE solutions that enable organizations to simply connect and secure hybrid environments to meet their business goals. Backed by our Service Experience Promise, Open Systems’ SASE Experience helps reduce risk, improve efficiency, and accelerate innovation with a comprehensive, easy-to-implement and use combination of SD-WAN and Security Service Edge delivered as a service with a superior user experience. SASE Experience combines SD-WAN, firewall, SWG, CASB, and ZTNA into a framework that supports secure connectivity across cloud and hybrid environments and locations. It provides a comprehensive SASE solution through an easy-to-use customer portal, underpinned with a unified data platform to drive future innovation, all delivered as a 24×7 managed service.

More info: www.open-systems.com
Follow Open Systems on LinkedIn and X/Twitter

About Swiss Post
Swiss Post is a diversified company operating in the communication, logistics, retail financial and passenger transport markets. In the logistics market, its services comprise the delivery of letters, parcels and newspapers, direct marketing and courier, express and goods logistics services, both on the domestic market and abroad. It also offers tailored and comprehensive logistics solutions. In the communication market, it offers digital information solutions for the healthcare sector, authorities and companies. In the retail financial market, its subsidiary PostFinance Ltd offers extensive services for payment transactions, savings, investments, retirement planning and financing solutions, and has had a banking licence since 2013. In the public passenger transport market, its subsidiary PostBus Ltd operates regional, municipal and urban bus services. Swiss Post employs around 46,000 members of staff in Switzerland and generated turnover of 7.279 billion francs in 2023. That same year, it was named the “world’s best postal service” by the Universal Postal Union for the seventh time in a row.

More info: www.swisspost.ch

Adds application security and code quality capabilities to expand ecosystemʼs most complete solution Cambridge, UK—September16,2024— Gearset, the leader in Salesforce DevOps solutions, today announced the acquisition of Clayton, a cutting-edge code analysis platform designed specifically for Salesforce.

The strategic acquisition is Gearsetʼs first, following years of rapid growth fueled by a $55 million growth investment from Silversmith Capital Partners. In that time, Gearset has launched several products and upgrades, and reached the milestone of surpassing 2,500 customers — four times more than any other Salesforce DevOps vendor.

Clayton has a unique approach to Salesforce DevSecOps: identify anti-patterns and vulnerabilities early during development and remediate recurring issues with automated code corrections. Clayton has helped find and correct thousands of vulnerabilities in some of the largest Salesforce orgs on the planet.

The integration of Claytonʼs technology into Gearsetʼs DevOps suite will enable Salesforce teams to quickly and easily build secure and well architected applications, and underscores Gearsetʼs commitment to delivering best-in-class solutions that optimize the entire DevOps lifecycle, from code quality to secure deployments.

Kevin Boyle, CEO at Gearset, said, “Salesforce development teams today need more than just speed — they need confidence in the quality and security of their code as they scale. The acquisition of Clayton allows us to address this need head-on by offering our customers advanced code analysis tools that streamline the development process and improve code quality from the ground up. Claytonʼs deep expertise in this area aligns perfectly with our mission to empower teams with the most robust, reliable solutions available, ensuring our customers can focus on innovation for their business, while Gearset takes care of the heavy lifting in DevOps.ˮ

Lorenzo Frattini, founder and CEO at Clayton, stated, “We started Clayton with a true passion: making it easy for teams to write secure, high-quality business apps on Salesforce. We are thrilled to join Gearset. They have built a fantastic DevOps platform that customers love. Together, we can make modern DevSecOps accessible to many more Salesforce teams, making it easier to build secure, well-architected applications at scale.ˮ In the immediate term, Clayton will continue to operate under its own brand within the Gearset family, ensuring uninterrupted service for existing users. As the integration of teams and technologies progresses, customers can expect a unified platform that delivers an even more powerful suite of tools to drive Salesforce DevOps success. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Gearset Gearset is the leading Salesforce DevOps platform, with powerful solutions for metadata, data and CPQ deployments, CI/CD, automated testing, sandbox seeding, archiving and backups. It helps Salesforce teams apply DevOps best practices to their development and release process, so they can rapidly and securely deliver higher-quality projects. Gearset is a uniquely reliable solution trusted by thousands of global enterprises, including McKesson, Accenture, and IBM. For more information visit www.gearset.com

About Clayton Clayton is the modern code analysis platform for Salesforce. Itʼs the only developer-first solution that catches, blocks, and automatically fixes bad code, helping you build secure and well-architected Salesforce applications fast.

The specific companies identified above do not represent all of Spectrum’s investments, and no assumptions should be made that any investments identified were or will be profitable. View the complete list of our portfolio companies. Spectrum is not responsible for the contents of any third party website linked above, and has not confirmed the accuracy of any information provided therein.

Tikehau Capital, the global alternative asset manager, today completes the acquisition by Safran of its stake in Preligens, a world leader in artificial intelligence (AI) for aerospace and defence, for an enterprise value of €220 million. Following an exclusive negotiation process that began in June 2024, Tikehau Capital is selling its stake in Preligens to Safran.

Founded in 2016 by two French engineers, Preligens provides field-proven Artificial Intelligence (AI) analysis solutions for high-end imagery, full-motion video and acoustic signals.

Tikehau Capital’s investment in November 2020 has played a key role in accelerating the growth of Preligens, which has increased revenues tenfold (from €3 million to nearly €30 million), expanded operations in the US and Asia, and now employs around 250 people, including 140 R&D engineers. This sale is the first divestment of Brienne III, the first vintage of the Group’s private equity strategy dedicated to cybersecurity. This strategy has raised almost 4001million euros over its two vintages and has now invested 150 million euros in 16 companies including Trustpair, Chapsvision and Egerie in France and VMRay in Germany. This transaction generates a MOIC of 2.4x and a gross IRR of 30.4%2. 1Brienne III raised €175 million, making it Europe’s largest fund dedicated to cybersecurity. The next vintage announced a closing of €200 million in October 2023, exceeding the final size of the predecessor fund.

22.1x net MOIC and 18% net IRR 1 PRESS RELEASE  PARIS, 2 SEPTEMBER 2024 PRESS CONTACTS: Tikehau Capital: Valérie Sueur +33 1 53 59 03 64 UK – Prosek Partners: Philip Walters – +44 (0) 7773 331 589 USA – Prosek Partners: Trevor Gibbons – +1 646 818 9238 press@tikehaucapital.com SHAREHOLDER AND INVESTOR CONTACTS: Louis Igonet – +33 1 40 06 11 11 Théodora Xu – +33 1 40 06 18 56 shareholders@tikehaucapital.com

ABOUT TIKEHAU CAPITAL: Tikehau Capital is a global alternative asset management group with €46.1 billion of assets under management (at 30 June 2024). Tikehau Capital has developed a wide range of expertise across four asset classes (private debt, real assets, private equity and capital markets strategies) as well as multi-asset and special opportunities strategies. Tikehau Capital is a founder-led team with a differentiated business model, a strong balance sheet, proprietary global deal flow and a track record of backing high quality companies and executives. Deeply rooted in the real economy, Tikehau Capital provides bespoke and innovative alternative financing solutions to companies it invests in and seeks to create long-term value for its investors, while generating positive impacts on society. Leveraging its strong equity base (€3.1 billion of shareholders’ equity at 30 June 2024), the firm invests its own capital alongside its investor-clients within each of its strategies. Controlled by its managers alongside leading institutional partners, Tikehau Capital is guided by a strong entrepreneurial spirit and DNA, shared by its 762 employees (at 30 June 2024) across its 17 offices in Europe, Middle East, Asia and North America. Tikehau Capital is listed in compartment A of the regulated Euronext Paris market (ISIN code: FR0013230612; Ticker: TKO.FP). For more information, please visit: www.tikehaucapital.com.

DISCLAIMER: The strategy mentioned in this press release is reserved for professional investors and is managed by Tikehau Investment Management SAS, a portfolio management company approved by the AMF since 19/01/ 2007 under the number GP-07000006. Non-contractual document intended exclusively for journalists and media professionals. The information is provided for the sole purpose of enabling them to have an overview of the transactions, whatever the use they make of it, which is exclusively a matter of their editorial independence, for which Tikehau Capital declines all responsibility. This document does not constitute an offer to sell securities or investment advisory services. This document contains only general information and is not intended to represent general or specific investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and targets are not guaranteed. Certain statements and forecasted data are based on current forecasts, prevailing market and economic conditions, estimates, projections and opinions of Tikehau Capital and/or its affiliates. Owing to various risks and uncertainties actual results may differ materially from those reflected or expected in such forward-looking statements or in any of the case studies or forecasts. Tikehau Capital accepts no liability, direct or indirect, arising from the information contained in this document. Tikehau Capital shall not be liable for any decision taken on the basis of any information contained in this document. All references to Tikehau Capital’s advisory activities in the US or with respect to US persons relate to Tikehau Capital North America. 2