SINGAPORE, January 20, 2022 – Blackstone (NYSE:BX) announced today that private equity funds managed by Blackstone (“Blackstone”) have acquired Interplex, a global leader in innovative and customized connector solutions for the auto, medical and information communications technology (ICT) markets, from Baring Private Equity Asia’s affiliated private equity funds (“BPEA”). The company has developed strong R&D capabilities and services a portfolio of blue-chip industry customers through a manufacturing footprint spanning 13 countries.

Interplex is a key industry leader in future mobility power and signal connector technology, working closely with electric vehicle (EV) customers to develop proprietary solutions for EV powertrains, battery systems, autonomous driving, and other vehicle electrification applications. The company has also actively positioned itself for other high-growth connector and high precision products in markets such as smart medical devices, life sciences, and ICT. Interplex will continue to support customers in providing solutions for their increasingly complex product development roadmap.

Ed Huang, Chief Operating Officer of Asia Private Equity for Blackstone, said: “Interplex is a global leader in developing innovative interconnect solutions targeting key markets that we believe have attractive growth prospects – markets such as EVs and future mobility, healthcare, and digital infrastructure. This investment reflects Blackstone’s continued global focus on investing in leading companies that are well positioned in what we refer to as good neighborhoods. We are very pleased to partner with a world-class management team and look forward to supporting Interplex on its next phase of growth.”

About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $731 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

Media Contact
Ellen Bogard
Ellen.Bogard@Blackstone.com
Tel: +852 3651 7737

The shareholder group of Inmarsat (“Inmarsat” or the “Company”) – which comprises Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPP Investments”), Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (“Ontario Teachers’”), Warburg Pincus LLC (“Warburg Pincus”) and funds advised by Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”), (together, the “Consortium”) acting through their jointly-owned entity, Connect BidCo – today welcomes the announcement of a definitive agreement between Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) (“Viasat”) and the shareholders of Inmarsat to combine and create a leading global communications innovator with enhanced scale and scope to affordably, securely and reliably connect the world.

The proposed combination integrates two businesses headquartered in the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) and United States, respectively, which together generate $4.1 billion in annual revenues[1] and operate a premier fleet of 19 in-orbit satellites with 10 more spacecraft under construction for planned launch in the next three years. It brings together two organisations with highly complementary technology assets, resources, capabilities and service portfolios.

Together, Viasat and Inmarsat are positioned to deliver an improved communication offering to customers globally. The combined business will have the resources to accelerate innovation, delivering enhanced quality of service (speed, bandwidth, flexibility, reliability, low latency, coverage, security), product choice, and greater value to existing and new customers. Together, Viasat and Inmarsat will enable the availability of advanced new services in mobile and fixed segments, driving greater customer choice in broadband communications and narrowband services (including Internet of Things or “IoT”).

The Consortium has accepted Viasat’s offer for the entire ordinary share capital of Inmarsat and will retain a significant minority stake in the combined company. Under the terms of the agreement, Inmarsat shareholders will receive $4.0 billion composed of $850 million in cash, subject to adjustments, and approximately 46.36 million newly issued Viasat shares, which represent a 37.5% ownership on a fully diluted basis, valued at $3.1 billion, based on the closing price of $67.00 per Viasat share on November 5, 2021.

The Consortium expects the combined company to build on the strategic and operational progress achieved at Inmarsat to date, and by remaining significant minority shareholders, it is backing a transaction which presents strong industrial logic. Under the Consortium’s ownership, Inmarsat has invested to enhance its go-to-market, product and network capabilities, including the recent launch of GX-5 and the upcoming launches of the I-6 satellites serving the Company’s L-band business for the next 15 years.

Inmarsat has an exceptional presence in the growing global mobility segment and is at the forefront of network design, including its recently announced multi-dimensional mesh network. The Company is preparing to expand its global network later this year with its most powerful and advanced commercial communications satellite ever.

Viasat plans to build on Inmarsat’s presence in the U.K. and is committed to preserving and growing the investment of the combined company in U.K. space communications, as well as supporting the recently published National Space Strategy. The combined company will cooperatively engage with the U.K. government with a view to operating in the U.K. consistent with the commitments previously made by Inmarsat/Connect BidCo and expects continued constructive engagement across the U.K.’s thriving innovation ecosystem. It further intends to work closely with the U.K. government to bring additional space capabilities and other advanced technologies to the country as well as long-term, highly skilled engineering and related jobs for U.K.-based employees. Viasat plans to preserve and grow Inmarsat’s London headquarters, as well as its footprint in Australia and Canada and across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific.

Rajeev Suri, Chief Executive Officer of Inmarsat, said: “I am pleased our shareholders have supported a combination that enables Inmarsat to join forces with Viasat, a recognized global innovator in space and broadband communications. With our shareholders backing, Inmarsat has successfully returned to strong growth, weathered the pandemic and renewed its technology capabilities. I want to thank our shareholders for enabling Inmarsat to enter this transaction from a position of strength, as well as for their vote of confidence in the combination by becoming equity holders in the combined group.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including Viasat shareholder approval and regulatory approvals.

• EQT Infrastructure and Stonepeak to acquire DELTA Fiber, a leading owner and operator of fiber-to-the-home telecom infrastructure in the Netherlands
• EQT Infrastructure and Stonepeak are committed to investing significantly into the continued digitization of the Dutch society by accelerating nationwide fiber-to-the-home connectivity to B2C and B2B customers in suburban and rural areas of the country

• DELTA Fiber will benefit from EQT and Stonepeak’s combined expertise in digital infrastructure and a strong industrial board. Together, the parties are committed to support DELTA Fiber and its management’s ambition to connect two million Dutch households to fiber by 2025

EQT and Stonepeak are pleased to announce that EQT Infrastructure V (“EQT Infrastructure”) and Stonepeak have agreed to acquire DELTA Fiber (the “Company”) from EQT Infrastructure III. Following the closing of the transaction, each party will hold a 50 percent stake in the Company and co-control DELTA Fiber through a strong industrial board.

Headquartered in Schiedam, the Netherlands, DELTA Fiber provides high-speed broadband, TV and fixed and mobile telephony to Dutch households and businesses connected to its superior fiber-to-the-home (“FTTH”) network. DELTA Fiber owns and operates approximately 50,000 km fiber-based network infrastructure that connects approximately 900,000 households and businesses across the Netherlands. The Company employs approximately 600 people and was established as DELTA Fiber in 2018, following a combination of DELTA and CAIW, which were acquired by EQT Infrastructure III in February 2017 and January 2018, respectively.

With 20,000 new connections per month, DELTA Fiber today is one of the largest and fastest growing fiber companies in the Netherlands and is on its way to reaching one million connections by the end of 2021. DELTA Fiber benefits from a rapid growth in data consumption and an increased demand for fast and stable internet. The Company’s new network rollout will be based on the latest fiber technology (XGS-PON) that enables speeds up to 10 Gbps. This is the prelude to its 25G-PON technology that enables speeds up to 25 Gbps.

DELTA Fiber will benefit from EQT’s and Stonepeak’s significant combined expertise in the digital infrastructure sector and vast track record in fiber rollout across the Netherlands and Europe. Both parties are committed to investing significantly in the continued digitalization of the Dutch society by accelerating nationwide B2C and B2B FTTH connectivity in suburban and rural areas. Moreover, the Company’s fiber broadband is more sustainable and energy efficient than the legacy networks, with approximately 40-60 percent lower energy consumption.

Together, EQT Infrastructure and Stonepeak will support DELTA Fiber and its management team in its ambition to reach a footprint of two million fiber connections by 2025, thereby covering a quarter of the country. The Company will also be supported by a strong advisory board with seasoned industry experts who possess broad expertise within digital infrastructure and FTTH rollout.

Matthias Fackler, Partner within EQT Infrastructure’s Advisory Team, said, “We are deeply impressed by DELTA Fiber’s management and employees’ strong performance over the past few years. EQT Infrastructure is excited to support their continued journey of digitizing the Netherlands by providing high quality broadband infrastructure to Dutch households and businesses. EQT Infrastructure shares this vision with Stonepeak whose vast experience in the digital infrastructure space makes them an ideal partner to support DELTA Fiber in its next phase of evolution and growth.”

Brian McMullen, Senior Managing Director at Stonepeak, said, “Stonepeak has long recognized the mission critical nature of broadband in today’s society and we look forward to working with Marco and the team to accelerate the additional rollout of DELTA Fiber’s network across the Netherlands. We are delighted to partner with a like-minded peer in EQT Infrastructure on this transaction, which will accelerate DELTA Fiber’s ability to connect households throughout the country with reliable broadband.”

Cyrus Gentry, Managing Director at Stonepeak, added, “DELTA Fiber, with its unique asset base and industry-leading management team, represents a compelling investment opportunity that will complement Stonepeak’s existing global portfolio of residential broadband-focused platforms.”

Marco Visser, CEO of DELTA Fiber, said, “Two leading international investors joining DELTA Fiber confirms our success in recent years. That EQT is choosing to invest in our company again, together with Stonepeak, shows confidence in our ambitious plans for the future. Together they provide us with a solid foundation for further growth.”

The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals. It is expected to close in December 2021. With the acquisition of a stake in DELTA Fiber, EQT Infrastructure V is expected to be 60-65 percent invested (including closed and/or signed investments, announced public offers, if applicable, and less any expected syndication).

Contacts
EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334
Stonepeak, Kate Beers, beers@stonepeakpartners.com +1 646-540-522

About EQT
EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with more than EUR 71 billion in assets under management across 27 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 175,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

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

About Stonepeak
Stonepeak is a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets with over $39 billion of assets under management. Through its investment in defensive, hard-asset businesses globally, Stonepeak aims to create value for its investors and portfolio companies, and to have a positive impact on the communities in which it operates. Stonepeak sponsors investment vehicles focused on private equity and credit. The firm provides capital, operational support, and committed partnership to sustainably grow investments in its target sectors, which include communications and digital infrastructure, transport and logistics, water, energy transition, and power and renewable energy.

About DELTA Fiber
DELTA Fiber is one of the fastest growing fiber companies in the Netherlands. About 900,000 addresses throughout the Netherlands are already connected to the DELTA Fiber network, with around 20,000 new connections being added every month. DELTA Fiber’s ambition is to provide as many households and companies as possible with access to fast internet. And to grow to two million connections by 2025.

More info: www.deltafibernederland.nl/en

The Hague, 16 September 2021 – Healthcare innovator SDB Group acquires three Dutch software companies with the support of software investor Main Capital Partners. With the acquisitions of CPM4Care and Infent, which were signed in July and September, SDB Group takes a leading position as a provider of Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for the healthcare industry. In addition, with the acquisition of KindPlanner, SDB Group positions itself strategically in the childcare market. The expansion of SDB Group is in line with its ambition to become the market leader in software solutions for the Dutch healthcare and welfare sector. COO Vincent van Staalduinen: ‘We want to unburden the healthcare professional with innovative software, which is best-of-breed and best-of-suite.’ 

SDB Group offers a total package of cloud-based solutions for the healthcare sector, including software for HR, planning, payroll, electronic client records (ECD), e-learning and business intelligence (BI). SDB Group, which is 45 years old, strongly believes in the importance of data science to improve the healthcare sector. To this end, Reports, a provider of data analytics software, was acquired in 2019. Woerden-based CPM4Care strengthens SDB Group’s BI arsenal with various tools to improve the business performance of healthcare institutions, such as a healthcare dashboard and a budget planning tool. The Nieuwegein-based company Infent is specialised in BI-solutions for disabled care, elderly care and revalidation care, and is strong in forecasting, KPI tooling and master-data management.

Market leader in Business Intelligence for healthcare

‘By combining the strengths of these companies, we not only take a leading position in BI, but we also build on our big data and data science strategy’, explains Vincent van Staalduinen, COO of SDB Group. Jeroen van Ree, co-founder of Infent, shares this vision. ‘Together with SDB Group and CPM4Care we can develop more innovative BI-solutions for healthcare. With this, we are taking a meaningful step towards data-driven healthcare delivery.’ Marcel Brockhoff, Director of CPM4Care, emphasizes the added value for healthcare institutions. ‘The combination of CPM4Care, SDB Group and Infent allows us to help healthcare institutions even better in fulfilling the requirements in terms of reporting and make valuable healthcare data accessible.’

SDB Group positions itself in the childcare market

With the acquisition of KindPlanner, SDB Group strengthens its position within the welfare market. With the arrival of KindPlanner, SDB Group is the only player in the market that can offer a complete, integrated and user-friendly software solution to childcare companies. KindPlanner CEO Vincent van Nimwegen: ‘SDB Group had everything KindPlanner didn’t, and vice versa: they have software for payroll and business intelligence, we offer child planning and invoicing software and a portal to communicate with parents, which over 100 childcare companies are already using.’

Unburdening care professionals

SDB Group has set itself the goal of innovating the conservative healthcare sector and making it more efficient. ‘This requires deep knowledge about healthcare, which we have. With the support of Main Capital we also have the capital to grow’, says COO Vincent van Staalduinen. SDB Group aspires a best-of-breed and best-of-suite approach: the best specialized software solutions, which are seamlessly integrated. No fragmentation of services or switching between separate programs, but a time-saving total solution. The ultimate goal? ‘Care professionals are relieved of their administrative burden with innovative software, and the time saved is spent where it is needed most: on the client’, says Van Staalduinen.  

About SDB Group

SDB Group develops and supplies specialist ICT solutions for the healthcare sector. In 2018, software investor Main Capital acquired a majority stake in the company, which was then known as SDB Ayton. Since then, SDB Group has made four acquisitions, aimed at obtaining the widest possible range of software services. The first acquisition was Cormel (ECD software), followed by Reports (data analytics for the healthcare sector), The Competence Group and CSS Breda (e-learning for the healthcare sector). In 2021, KindPlanner, CPM4Care and Infent were added. Turnover tripled as a result of this buy-and-build strategy. The number of employees grew from 70 in 2018 to 220 after the latest acquisition.

About Main Capital Partners

Main Capital Partners is a leading software investor in the Benelux, Dach and the Nordics. Main has almost 20 years of experience in strengthening software companies and works closely together with management teams of its portfolio companies as a strategic partner, in order to realize sustainable growth and build excellent software groups. Main counts over 40 employees and has offices in The Hague, Stockholm and Düsseldorf. In September 2021 Main has over 1 billion euros under management and invested in more than 120 software companies. These companies create jobs for approximately 5,000 employees.

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For more information, please contact:  

Sonja Hartgring (Manager Marketing & Communications)
+31 (0) 6 24 22 71 06
sonja@main.nl