HTL-Strefa is a fast-growing global med-tech company and pioneer in the medical sharps’ industry. The company is going through an exciting phase - transforming its commercial profile and execution capabilities which has led to higher demand from customers. In order to fulfill the increased demand and to support the implementation of new investments in production, Rick Cook, former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors.

EQT V portfolio company HTL-Strefa is a global leading provider of proprietary capillary blood sampling and hypodermic injection devices. Global demographic megatrends, such as a growing number of insulin users and increasing need for safe point-of-care blood tests, underpin a solid underlying market growth for years to come. During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa has embarked on a transformation journey from being a local manufacturer to a fully-fledged international medical device player.

Since the appointment of CEO Mikkel Danvold in January 2017 and the strengthening of HTL-Strefa’s management team, the top-line growth and earnings trajectory have been reinvigorated. The improved performance is the result of changing the commercial approach ensuring that customers and end-users are at the center of all decision-making. This approach has already led to a large number of new customers, an ongoing repositioning in the value chain, as well as implementation of multiple initiatives to ensure state-of-the-art commercial excellence and product innovation.

To meet the increased demand from both existing and new customers, HTL-Strefa is scaling up its organization and production capacity significantly. To support management in the implementation of the new expansion projects, Rick Cook will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and operations for Intravenous solutions and medical devices at all levels, from floor supervision to global operations leadership.

“As former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, Rick has a long track-record from leading large-scale projects within production and operations in the med-tech industry. Rick brings impressive experience which will be highly valuable to HTL-Strefa’s ongoing transformation. Supporting Mikkel and his team in implementing excellence in quality, service and cost from operations will bring competitive differentiation and enhanced value for customers”, says Gerard Van Odijk, Chairman of the Board of Directors at HTL-Strefa.

“I am honored to be asked to serve on HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. I look forward to helping Mikkel and the Operations team build upon the existing strong foundation and create a manufacturing culture and capability that will serve global customers of HTL with excellence in the exciting years ahead”, says Rick Cook, new Board Member of HTL-Strefa.

With the new commercial agenda being implemented, HTL-Strefa is uniquely positioned to further accelerate execution on the many top-line growth initiatives. The plan includes among other things a rapid channel expansion and launch of numerous new innovative products with distinct end-user benefits.

During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa’s revenues have been growing at high single-digit rates and EBITDA margins have increased. With accelerated investments in product innovation and the implementation of an enhanced commercial strategy, growth has improved further to solid double-digit rates and are expected to continue to rise.

Since EQT Ventures launched in May 2016, the fund has closed 22 investments and the team has grown rapidly - now consisting of 22 people in Stockholm, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and San Francisco, and with part-time advisors in Tel Aviv, Zurich and Munich. Ted Persson, Operating Partner and Investment Advisor at EQT Ventures gives an update on the fund’s recent activities and current market trends.

“AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them”

Earlier this year, Hjalmar Winbladh, Partner and Co-Head at EQT Ventures, stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to take “the next big step” in 2017. Since then, EQT Ventures has made two additional AI-investments – the virtual customer call centre agent, CallDesk and the AI-powered e-health system, Aifloo.

Ted Persson explains: “As always, there are a lot of things buzzing in tech, but the thing that excites me the most right now is that we are starting to see concrete examples of how AI is underpinning entire industries. There are also speculations around whether AI will start replacing jobs in specific sectors or not. Having said that, I think it is important to also emphasize the job creation possibilities that this technology will bring. AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them.”

“One of EQT Ventures’ most recent investments, CallDesk offers an AI-powered virtual agent that works alongside human tele-operators to improve customer experience and lower costs. The virtual AI-agent can autonomously handle simple, repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as scheduling, order management, authentication and call routing. This means less waiting times for customers and more time for the (human) tele-operators to focus their efforts on handling high-value, complex issues”, says Ted Persson

Blurring the lines between the real and digital world

Earlier this fall, EQT Ventures announced its first Mixed Reality (MR) investment in Helsinki-based Varjo – the world’s first human eye resolution platform for virtual reality and augmented reality. Varjo’s proprietary combination of software, hardware and insight into how the brain processes visual information, provides the experience of 70 megapixels per eye. This blurs the lines between the real and digital world.

“We have been excited about AR and VR for a long time, but mass adoption of this technology shift has taken somewhat longer than anticipated. EQT Ventures’ bet is that Mixed Reality has the potential of being “the next smartphone” sooner or later. However, in the meantime, the fund is serving more niche markets where the need of this advanced technology already has arrived”, says Ted Persson.

EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley

It is not only the EQT Ventures portfolio that is growing – the team is also expanding rapidly, with several key recruitments made during the year. This summer, San Francisco-based Alastair Mitchell joined as Partner, with the ambition to grow EQT Ventures’ US presence and making sure that EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley.

“Alastair has an impressive track record of developing companies. He is the Co-Founder and former CEO of enterprise collaboration platform Huddle as well as board member of a number of early-stage B2B internet software companies in Europe and the US. We also welcomed Lucy Wimmer as new Communications Partner, bringing more than 12 years of experience from working with communications in the European and US tech industries”, says Ted Persson.

Ted Persson continues: “Bartosz Jakubowski was recruited to join EQT Ventures straight from a Paris-based VC firm and Reda Bensaid joined the team from a Danish investor. Both are native French speakers and are now our eyes and ears on the French scene, which has become increasingly more well-sophisticated, especially within AI”.

More recently, Axel Bard Bringéus, former Global Head of Markets at Spotify, joined the fund to help identify fast-growing, innovative and tech-enabled companies for support and investment in Germany. Earlier in December, EQT Ventures also welcomed Jo Bertram, former regional general manager for Northern Europe at Uber, as an Executive in Residence.

Read more on www.eqtventures.com

The EQT Mid-Market Credit fund (“EQT Credit”) today announces that it has provided a tailored financing solution to support IK Investment Partners’ investment in Studienkreis Holding GmbH (“Studienkreis” or the “Company”), a German private tutoring service provider.

Studienkreis was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Bochum. It operates a network of over 1,000 learning centres and offers small group tutoring to 60,000 primary and secondary school students across Germany. It also offers online tutoring and has developed the Studienkreis app for homework support. The Company has a strong growth profile, driven by expansion both through acquisitions and opening of new centres. Studienkreis has opened 150 new locations since 2013, when previous owner Aurelius acquired the group, and today has 160 full time employees.

EQT Credit is providing a unitranche facility to back IK Investment Partners’ acquisition of Studienkreis. The drawn debt consists of a super senior package by Berenberg Bank and an Unitranche facility. The parties have agreed not to disclose the terms of the transaction.

Paul Johnson, Partner at EQT Partners’ Credit team, Investment Advisor to EQT Credit, commented: “EQT Credit has a strong history in providing financing to the education sector. We are looking forward to supporting Studienkreis to further facilitate growth and expansion of the Company”.

Contacts:
Paul Johnson, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Mid-Market Credit, +44 207 430 55 54
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 55 334, press@eqtpartners.com

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 25 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More information: www.eqtpartners.com

About the EQT Credit platform
The EQT Credit platform, which spans the full risk-reward spectrum investing with three strategies: senior debt, direct lending and credit opportunities, has invested over EUR 3.6 billion in more than 136 companies since inception in 2008.

More information: www.eqtpartners.com/Investment-Strategies/Credit

• EQT VI brings in blue chip investors such as AMF, AP6, Volito and Cubera in a 19% minority stake sale in Anticimex to accelerate growth

• EQT VI remains majority owner and continues to support Anticimex in becoming the global leader in preventive pest control

EQT VI today announces the decision to bring in a small group of partners through a 19% minority stake sale in Anticimex (“the Company”), valuing the Company at an enterprise value of approximately EUR 2.3 billion. The minority partners will hold the same mix of instruments as EQT VI.

Since the acquisition in 2012, EQT VI has transformed Anticimex from being a Nordic services conglomerate into becoming a leading global pure play pest control business, completing over 100 acquisitions worldwide and introducing the disruptive digital solution Anticimex SMART. During the EQT VI ownership period, Anticimex has tripled revenues and more than quadrupled its operating earnings.

Headquartered in Sweden, Anticimex operates 142 branches in 17 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US. With the Company’s over 80 years of consecutive revenue increase and recent growth acceleration, EQT VI remains a committed owner with an industrial and long-term approach.

“EQT VI is pleased to welcome the new investors and we see them as strategic business partners. Anticimex will now continue its journey towards becoming the global leader in preventive pest control with further international expansion and investments in the next generation of digital pest control technologies. I see this as yet another great example of EQT’s “future-proving” strategies in action”, says Per Franzén, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT VI.

Jarl Dahlfors, CEO of Anticimex complements: “Anticimex has grown tremendously together with EQT VI and we see attractive opportunities to continue expanding our business. Both through organic and acquisitive growth, as well as continued margin improvements. The ambition is to have revenues of EUR 1 billion with 20% margin within a few years. This is well in line with the historical track record of more than 20% top-line growth annually and a margin uptick of roughly one percentage point per annum. We welcome our new partners and look forward to their support in realizing that goal.”

The transaction is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2017.

Contacts
Per Franzén, Partner at EQT Partners and Investment Advisor to EQT VI, +46 8 506 55 448
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 55 334 

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Anticimex 
Anticimex is a leading global specialist in preventive pest control with operations in 17 counties across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. With its approximately 4,500 employees, Anticimex serves more than 3 million customers across the globe and offers a broad range of preventive pest control solutions, including the digital solution Anticimex SMART and pest insurance. 

More info: www.anticimex.com 

• EQT Real Estate invests in two office buildings comprising about 70,000 square meters in Frankfurt, Germany’s foremost hub for financial services
  
  
• The plan includes an extensive repositioning of the buildings in the rapidly changing Niederrad and Neu-Isenburg submarkets

• The investment represents EQT Real Estate’s fifth investment to date

EQT Real Estate I (“EQT Real Estate” or “the Fund”) has acquired two multi-let office assets in Frankfurt, Germany. The assets form part of the pan-German portfolio Project Mars, acquired by Eurocastle from DWS in 2007, and represents the fund's fifth investment to date and second in Germany.

Frankfurt is well-known as an attractive base for the European banking and financial services sectors, with a rapidly evolving office market with strong demand from tenants but only a small number of new developments. The two buildings are both modern and strategically located in terms of transport links and political initiatives. The largest one, Atricom, comprises 45,600 square meters and is located in Niederrad, while the second building, Le Büro, comprises 23,700 square meters and is located in Neu-Isenburg.

The buildings are set to receive a comprehensive refresh and optimization by further modernizing, upgrading and improving the buildings, both technically and visually, in order to offer future and existing tenants a quality working environment.

Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners and advisor to the Fund, said:

“We are looking forward to EQT Real Estate taking part of the ongoing development in Frankfurt-Niederrad. The area is rapidly changing and the plans for Atricom should make a positive contribution to this part of town.”

Contacts:
Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Real Estate I, +44 20 8432 5404
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 553 34

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About EQT Real Estate I
EQT Real Estate I will seek to make direct and indirect controlling investments in real estate assets, portfolios and operating companies that offer significant potential for value creation through repositioning, redevelopment, refurbishment and active management. The investments will typically range between EUR 50 million and EUR 200 million. The fund is advised by an experienced team from EQT Partners, with extensive knowledge of property investment, development and intensive “hands-on” asset management, and with access to the full EQT network, including 10 European offices and more than 250 industrial advisors.

HTL-Strefa is a fast-growing global med-tech company and pioneer in the medical sharps’ industry. The company is going through an exciting phase - transforming its commercial profile and execution capabilities which has led to higher demand from customers. In order to fulfill the increased demand and to support the implementation of new investments in production, Rick Cook, former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors.

EQT V portfolio company HTL-Strefa is a global leading provider of proprietary capillary blood sampling and hypodermic injection devices. Global demographic megatrends, such as a growing number of insulin users and increasing need for safe point-of-care blood tests, underpin a solid underlying market growth for years to come. During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa has embarked on a transformation journey from being a local manufacturer to a fully-fledged international medical device player.

Since the appointment of CEO Mikkel Danvold in January 2017 and the strengthening of HTL-Strefa’s management team, the top-line growth and earnings trajectory have been reinvigorated. The improved performance is the result of changing the commercial approach ensuring that customers and end-users are at the center of all decision-making. This approach has already led to a large number of new customers, an ongoing repositioning in the value chain, as well as implementation of multiple initiatives to ensure state-of-the-art commercial excellence and product innovation.

To meet the increased demand from both existing and new customers, HTL-Strefa is scaling up its organization and production capacity significantly. To support management in the implementation of the new expansion projects, Rick Cook will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and operations for Intravenous solutions and medical devices at all levels, from floor supervision to global operations leadership.

“As former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, Rick has a long track-record from leading large-scale projects within production and operations in the med-tech industry. Rick brings impressive experience which will be highly valuable to HTL-Strefa’s ongoing transformation. Supporting Mikkel and his team in implementing excellence in quality, service and cost from operations will bring competitive differentiation and enhanced value for customers”, says Gerard Van Odijk, Chairman of the Board of Directors at HTL-Strefa.

“I am honored to be asked to serve on HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. I look forward to helping Mikkel and the Operations team build upon the existing strong foundation and create a manufacturing culture and capability that will serve global customers of HTL with excellence in the exciting years ahead”, says Rick Cook, new Board Member of HTL-Strefa.

With the new commercial agenda being implemented, HTL-Strefa is uniquely positioned to further accelerate execution on the many top-line growth initiatives. The plan includes among other things a rapid channel expansion and launch of numerous new innovative products with distinct end-user benefits.

During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa’s revenues have been growing at high single-digit rates and EBITDA margins have increased. With accelerated investments in product innovation and the implementation of an enhanced commercial strategy, growth has improved further to solid double-digit rates and are expected to continue to rise.

Since EQT Ventures launched in May 2016, the fund has closed 22 investments and the team has grown rapidly - now consisting of 22 people in Stockholm, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and San Francisco, and with part-time advisors in Tel Aviv, Zurich and Munich. Ted Persson, Operating Partner and Investment Advisor at EQT Ventures gives an update on the fund’s recent activities and current market trends.

“AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them”

Earlier this year, Hjalmar Winbladh, Partner and Co-Head at EQT Ventures, stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to take “the next big step” in 2017. Since then, EQT Ventures has made two additional AI-investments – the virtual customer call centre agent, CallDesk and the AI-powered e-health system, Aifloo.

Ted Persson explains: “As always, there are a lot of things buzzing in tech, but the thing that excites me the most right now is that we are starting to see concrete examples of how AI is underpinning entire industries. There are also speculations around whether AI will start replacing jobs in specific sectors or not. Having said that, I think it is important to also emphasize the job creation possibilities that this technology will bring. AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them.”

“One of EQT Ventures’ most recent investments, CallDesk offers an AI-powered virtual agent that works alongside human tele-operators to improve customer experience and lower costs. The virtual AI-agent can autonomously handle simple, repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as scheduling, order management, authentication and call routing. This means less waiting times for customers and more time for the (human) tele-operators to focus their efforts on handling high-value, complex issues”, says Ted Persson

Blurring the lines between the real and digital world

Earlier this fall, EQT Ventures announced its first Mixed Reality (MR) investment in Helsinki-based Varjo – the world’s first human eye resolution platform for virtual reality and augmented reality. Varjo’s proprietary combination of software, hardware and insight into how the brain processes visual information, provides the experience of 70 megapixels per eye. This blurs the lines between the real and digital world.

“We have been excited about AR and VR for a long time, but mass adoption of this technology shift has taken somewhat longer than anticipated. EQT Ventures’ bet is that Mixed Reality has the potential of being “the next smartphone” sooner or later. However, in the meantime, the fund is serving more niche markets where the need of this advanced technology already has arrived”, says Ted Persson.

EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley

It is not only the EQT Ventures portfolio that is growing – the team is also expanding rapidly, with several key recruitments made during the year. This summer, San Francisco-based Alastair Mitchell joined as Partner, with the ambition to grow EQT Ventures’ US presence and making sure that EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley.

“Alastair has an impressive track record of developing companies. He is the Co-Founder and former CEO of enterprise collaboration platform Huddle as well as board member of a number of early-stage B2B internet software companies in Europe and the US. We also welcomed Lucy Wimmer as new Communications Partner, bringing more than 12 years of experience from working with communications in the European and US tech industries”, says Ted Persson.

Ted Persson continues: “Bartosz Jakubowski was recruited to join EQT Ventures straight from a Paris-based VC firm and Reda Bensaid joined the team from a Danish investor. Both are native French speakers and are now our eyes and ears on the French scene, which has become increasingly more well-sophisticated, especially within AI”.

More recently, Axel Bard Bringéus, former Global Head of Markets at Spotify, joined the fund to help identify fast-growing, innovative and tech-enabled companies for support and investment in Germany. Earlier in December, EQT Ventures also welcomed Jo Bertram, former regional general manager for Northern Europe at Uber, as an Executive in Residence.

Read more on www.eqtventures.com

• EQT Credit Opportunities III holds final close at EUR 1.3 billion, exceeding target
  
  
• Continuation of the successful diligence-led investment strategy deployed by the two predecessor funds

• Supported by a blue-chip investor base of pension funds, insurance companies, family offices and foundations in Western Europe, the Americas and Asia
  
  
• Approximately 20% of the fund has already been committed

EQT today announces the successful closing of the EQT Credit Opportunities III fund (the “fund”) with total commitments of EUR 1.3 billion, well exceeding its initial target and its predecessor fund.

The fund focuses on medium-term investment opportunities in complex situations via the secondary market and by providing creative capital solutions to companies that are unable to access the capital markets.

Cyril Tergiman, Partner, Investment Advisor to the fund, comments: “Our focus on local sourcing and diligence, supported by EQT’s network of Industrial Advisors, as well as the fund’s ability to invest in a broad range of situations, has been key to our investment approach over the last ten years”.

Andrew Konopelski, Partner and Head of EQT Credit, Investment Advisor to the fund, adds: “Looking ahead, we are excited by the opportunities in the market and believe they play to EQT Credit’s strengths as a due diligence-focused investor. Thanks to the strong support demonstrated by existing and new investors, EQT Credit is well placed to capitalize on these opportunities over the coming years”.

Investors in the fund include a diverse group of European, Asian, North and South American pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations and family offices.

“The outcome of the EQT Credit Opportunities III fundraising is yet another successful development in the growth of the EQT Credit platform, which covers the full range of risk profiles and investor appetites”, says Jussi Saarinen, Partner and Head of Investor Relations at EQT Partners.

Recognized by Private Equity International and Private Debt Investor as European Lender of the Year 2016, EQT Credit has positioned itself as an integrated capital provider across the credit risk spectrum.

The fundraising for the EQT Credit Opportunities III fund has now closed. As such, the foregoing should in no way be treated as any form of offer or solicitation to subscribe for or make any commitments for or in respect of any securities or other interest or to engage in any other transaction.

Contacts:
Andrew Konopelski, Partner and Head of EQT Credit, Investment Advisor at EQT Partners +44 20 7430 5525
Cyril Tergiman, Partner, Investment Advisor at EQT Partners +44 207 430 5554
Carlota Sanchez-Marco, Managing Director, Investor Relations at EQT Partners +34 674 345 701, carlota.sanchez-marco@eqtpartners.com
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 55 334, press@eqtpartners.com 

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 38 billion in raised capital across 25 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About EQT Credit
The EQT Credit platform, which spans the full risk-reward spectrum investing with three strategies: senior debt, direct lending and credit opportunities, has invested approximately EUR 4.0 billion across approximately 150 companies since inception in 2008.

For more information: www.eqtpartners.com/Investment-Strategies/Credit

• EQT Real Estate invests in two office buildings comprising about 70,000 square meters in Frankfurt, Germany’s foremost hub for financial services
  
  
• The plan includes an extensive repositioning of the buildings in the rapidly changing Niederrad and Neu-Isenburg submarkets

• The investment represents EQT Real Estate’s fifth investment to date

EQT Real Estate I (“EQT Real Estate” or “the Fund”) has acquired two multi-let office assets in Frankfurt, Germany. The assets form part of the pan-German portfolio Project Mars, acquired by Eurocastle from DWS in 2007, and represents the fund's fifth investment to date and second in Germany.

Frankfurt is well-known as an attractive base for the European banking and financial services sectors, with a rapidly evolving office market with strong demand from tenants but only a small number of new developments. The two buildings are both modern and strategically located in terms of transport links and political initiatives. The largest one, Atricom, comprises 45,600 square meters and is located in Niederrad, while the second building, Le Büro, comprises 23,700 square meters and is located in Neu-Isenburg.

The buildings are set to receive a comprehensive refresh and optimization by further modernizing, upgrading and improving the buildings, both technically and visually, in order to offer future and existing tenants a quality working environment.

Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners and advisor to the Fund, said:

“We are looking forward to EQT Real Estate taking part of the ongoing development in Frankfurt-Niederrad. The area is rapidly changing and the plans for Atricom should make a positive contribution to this part of town.”

Contacts:
Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Real Estate I, +44 20 8432 5404
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 553 34

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About EQT Real Estate I
EQT Real Estate I will seek to make direct and indirect controlling investments in real estate assets, portfolios and operating companies that offer significant potential for value creation through repositioning, redevelopment, refurbishment and active management. The investments will typically range between EUR 50 million and EUR 200 million. The fund is advised by an experienced team from EQT Partners, with extensive knowledge of property investment, development and intensive “hands-on” asset management, and with access to the full EQT network, including 10 European offices and more than 250 industrial advisors.

Read the press release here

HTL-Strefa is a fast-growing global med-tech company and pioneer in the medical sharps’ industry. The company is going through an exciting phase - transforming its commercial profile and execution capabilities which has led to higher demand from customers. In order to fulfill the increased demand and to support the implementation of new investments in production, Rick Cook, former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors.

EQT V portfolio company HTL-Strefa is a global leading provider of proprietary capillary blood sampling and hypodermic injection devices. Global demographic megatrends, such as a growing number of insulin users and increasing need for safe point-of-care blood tests, underpin a solid underlying market growth for years to come. During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa has embarked on a transformation journey from being a local manufacturer to a fully-fledged international medical device player.

Since the appointment of CEO Mikkel Danvold in January 2017 and the strengthening of HTL-Strefa’s management team, the top-line growth and earnings trajectory have been reinvigorated. The improved performance is the result of changing the commercial approach ensuring that customers and end-users are at the center of all decision-making. This approach has already led to a large number of new customers, an ongoing repositioning in the value chain, as well as implementation of multiple initiatives to ensure state-of-the-art commercial excellence and product innovation.

To meet the increased demand from both existing and new customers, HTL-Strefa is scaling up its organization and production capacity significantly. To support management in the implementation of the new expansion projects, Rick Cook will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and operations for Intravenous solutions and medical devices at all levels, from floor supervision to global operations leadership.

“As former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, Rick has a long track-record from leading large-scale projects within production and operations in the med-tech industry. Rick brings impressive experience which will be highly valuable to HTL-Strefa’s ongoing transformation. Supporting Mikkel and his team in implementing excellence in quality, service and cost from operations will bring competitive differentiation and enhanced value for customers”, says Gerard Van Odijk, Chairman of the Board of Directors at HTL-Strefa.

“I am honored to be asked to serve on HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. I look forward to helping Mikkel and the Operations team build upon the existing strong foundation and create a manufacturing culture and capability that will serve global customers of HTL with excellence in the exciting years ahead”, says Rick Cook, new Board Member of HTL-Strefa.

With the new commercial agenda being implemented, HTL-Strefa is uniquely positioned to further accelerate execution on the many top-line growth initiatives. The plan includes among other things a rapid channel expansion and launch of numerous new innovative products with distinct end-user benefits.

During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa’s revenues have been growing at high single-digit rates and EBITDA margins have increased. With accelerated investments in product innovation and the implementation of an enhanced commercial strategy, growth has improved further to solid double-digit rates and are expected to continue to rise.

Since EQT Ventures launched in May 2016, the fund has closed 22 investments and the team has grown rapidly - now consisting of 22 people in Stockholm, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and San Francisco, and with part-time advisors in Tel Aviv, Zurich and Munich. Ted Persson, Design/UX/Brand Partner Partner and Investment Advisor at EQT Ventures gives an update on the fund’s recent activities and current market trends.

“AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them”

Earlier this year, Hjalmar Winbladh, Partner and Co-Head at EQT Ventures, stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to take “the next big step” in 2017. Since then, EQT Ventures has made two additional AI-investments – the virtual customer call centre agent, CallDesk and the AI-powered e-health system, Aifloo.

Ted Persson explains: “As always, there are a lot of things buzzing in tech, but the thing that excites me the most right now is that we are starting to see concrete examples of how AI is underpinning entire industries. There are also speculations around whether AI will start replacing jobs in specific sectors or not. Having said that, I think it is important to also emphasize the job creation possibilities that this technology will bring. AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them.”

“One of EQT Ventures’ most recent investments, CallDesk offers an AI-powered virtual agent that works alongside human tele-operators to improve customer experience and lower costs. The virtual AI-agent can autonomously handle simple, repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as scheduling, order management, authentication and call routing. This means less waiting times for customers and more time for the (human) tele-operators to focus their efforts on handling high-value, complex issues”, says Ted Persson

Blurring the lines between the real and digital world

Earlier this fall, EQT Ventures announced its first Mixed Reality (MR) investment in Helsinki-based Varjo – the world’s first human eye resolution platform for virtual reality and augmented reality. Varjo’s proprietary combination of software, hardware and insight into how the brain processes visual information, provides the experience of 70 megapixels per eye. This blurs the lines between the real and digital world.

“We have been excited about AR and VR for a long time, but mass adoption of this technology shift has taken somewhat longer than anticipated. EQT Ventures’ bet is that Mixed Reality has the potential of being “the next smartphone” sooner or later. However, in the meantime, the fund is serving more niche markets where the need of this advanced technology already has arrived”, says Ted Persson.

EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley

It is not only the EQT Ventures portfolio that is growing – the team is also expanding rapidly, with several key recruitments made during the year. This summer, San Francisco-based Alastair Mitchell joined as Partner, with the ambition to grow EQT Ventures’ US presence and making sure that EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley.

“Alastair has an impressive track record of developing companies. He is the Co-Founder and former CEO of enterprise collaboration platform Huddle as well as board member of a number of early-stage B2B internet software companies in Europe and the US. We also welcomed Lucy Wimmer as new Communications Partner, bringing more than 12 years of experience from working with communications in the European and US tech industries”, says Ted Persson.

Ted Persson continues: “Bartosz Jakubowski was recruited to join EQT Ventures straight from a Paris-based VC firm and Reda Bensaid joined the team from a Danish investor. Both are native French speakers and are now our eyes and ears on the French scene, which has become increasingly more well-sophisticated, especially within AI”.

More recently, Axel Bard Bringéus, former Global Head of Markets at Spotify, joined the fund to help identify fast-growing, innovative and tech-enabled companies for support and investment in Germany. Earlier in December, EQT Ventures also welcomed Jo Bertram, former regional general manager for Northern Europe at Uber, as an Executive in Residence.

Read more on www.eqtventures.com

• EQT Credit Opportunities III holds final close at EUR 1.3 billion, exceeding target
  
  
• Continuation of the successful diligence-led investment strategy deployed by the two predecessor funds

• Supported by a blue-chip investor base of pension funds, insurance companies, family offices and foundations in Western Europe, the Americas and Asia
  
  
• Approximately 20% of the fund has already been committed

EQT today announces the successful closing of the EQT Credit Opportunities III fund (the “fund”) with total commitments of EUR 1.3 billion, well exceeding its initial target and its predecessor fund.

The fund focuses on medium-term investment opportunities in complex situations via the secondary market and by providing creative capital solutions to companies that are unable to access the capital markets.

Cyril Tergiman, Partner, Investment Advisor to the fund, comments: “Our focus on local sourcing and diligence, supported by EQT’s network of Industrial Advisors, as well as the fund’s ability to invest in a broad range of situations, has been key to our investment approach over the last ten years”.

Andrew Konopelski, Partner and Head of EQT Credit, Investment Advisor to the fund, adds: “Looking ahead, we are excited by the opportunities in the market and believe they play to EQT Credit’s strengths as a due diligence-focused investor. Thanks to the strong support demonstrated by existing and new investors, EQT Credit is well placed to capitalize on these opportunities over the coming years”.

Investors in the fund include a diverse group of European, Asian, North and South American pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations and family offices.

“The outcome of the EQT Credit Opportunities III fundraising is yet another successful development in the growth of the EQT Credit platform, which covers the full range of risk profiles and investor appetites”, says Jussi Saarinen, Partner and Head of Investor Relations at EQT Partners.

Recognized by Private Equity International and Private Debt Investor as European Lender of the Year 2016, EQT Credit has positioned itself as an integrated capital provider across the credit risk spectrum.

The fundraising for the EQT Credit Opportunities III fund has now closed. As such, the foregoing should in no way be treated as any form of offer or solicitation to subscribe for or make any commitments for or in respect of any securities or other interest or to engage in any other transaction.

Contacts:
Andrew Konopelski, Partner and Head of EQT Credit, Investment Advisor at EQT Partners +44 20 7430 5525
Cyril Tergiman, Partner, Investment Advisor at EQT Partners +44 207 430 5554
Carlota Sanchez-Marco, Managing Director, Investor Relations at EQT Partners +34 674 345 701, carlota.sanchez-marco@eqtpartners.com
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 55 334, press@eqtpartners.com 

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 38 billion in raised capital across 25 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About EQT Credit
The EQT Credit platform, which spans the full risk-reward spectrum investing with three strategies: senior debt, direct lending and credit opportunities, has invested approximately EUR 4.0 billion across approximately 150 companies since inception in 2008.

For more information: www.eqtpartners.com/Investment-Strategies/Credit

• EQT Real Estate invests in two office buildings comprising about 70,000 square meters in Frankfurt, Germany’s foremost hub for financial services
  
  
• The plan includes an extensive repositioning of the buildings in the rapidly changing Niederrad and Neu-Isenburg submarkets

• The investment represents EQT Real Estate’s fifth investment to date

EQT Real Estate I (“EQT Real Estate” or “the Fund”) has acquired two multi-let office assets in Frankfurt, Germany. The assets form part of the pan-German portfolio Project Mars, acquired by Eurocastle from DWS in 2007, and represents the fund's fifth investment to date and second in Germany.

Frankfurt is well-known as an attractive base for the European banking and financial services sectors, with a rapidly evolving office market with strong demand from tenants but only a small number of new developments. The two buildings are both modern and strategically located in terms of transport links and political initiatives. The largest one, Atricom, comprises 45,600 square meters and is located in Niederrad, while the second building, Le Büro, comprises 23,700 square meters and is located in Neu-Isenburg.

The buildings are set to receive a comprehensive refresh and optimization by further modernizing, upgrading and improving the buildings, both technically and visually, in order to offer future and existing tenants a quality working environment.

Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners and advisor to the Fund, said:

“We are looking forward to EQT Real Estate taking part of the ongoing development in Frankfurt-Niederrad. The area is rapidly changing and the plans for Atricom should make a positive contribution to this part of town.”

Contacts:
Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Real Estate I, +44 20 8432 5404
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 553 34

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About EQT Real Estate I
EQT Real Estate I will seek to make direct and indirect controlling investments in real estate assets, portfolios and operating companies that offer significant potential for value creation through repositioning, redevelopment, refurbishment and active management. The investments will typically range between EUR 50 million and EUR 200 million. The fund is advised by an experienced team from EQT Partners, with extensive knowledge of property investment, development and intensive “hands-on” asset management, and with access to the full EQT network, including 10 European offices and more than 250 industrial advisors.

HTL-Strefa is a fast-growing global med-tech company and pioneer in the medical sharps’ industry. The company is going through an exciting phase - transforming its commercial profile and execution capabilities which has led to higher demand from customers. In order to fulfill the increased demand and to support the implementation of new investments in production, Rick Cook, former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors.

EQT V portfolio company HTL-Strefa is a global leading provider of proprietary capillary blood sampling and hypodermic injection devices. Global demographic megatrends, such as a growing number of insulin users and increasing need for safe point-of-care blood tests, underpin a solid underlying market growth for years to come. During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa has embarked on a transformation journey from being a local manufacturer to a fully-fledged international medical device player.

Since the appointment of CEO Mikkel Danvold in January 2017 and the strengthening of HTL-Strefa’s management team, the top-line growth and earnings trajectory have been reinvigorated. The improved performance is the result of changing the commercial approach ensuring that customers and end-users are at the center of all decision-making. This approach has already led to a large number of new customers, an ongoing repositioning in the value chain, as well as implementation of multiple initiatives to ensure state-of-the-art commercial excellence and product innovation.

To meet the increased demand from both existing and new customers, HTL-Strefa is scaling up its organization and production capacity significantly. To support management in the implementation of the new expansion projects, Rick Cook will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and operations for Intravenous solutions and medical devices at all levels, from floor supervision to global operations leadership.

“As former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, Rick has a long track-record from leading large-scale projects within production and operations in the med-tech industry. Rick brings impressive experience which will be highly valuable to HTL-Strefa’s ongoing transformation. Supporting Mikkel and his team in implementing excellence in quality, service and cost from operations will bring competitive differentiation and enhanced value for customers”, says Gerard Van Odijk, Chairman of the Board of Directors at HTL-Strefa.

“I am honored to be asked to serve on HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. I look forward to helping Mikkel and the Operations team build upon the existing strong foundation and create a manufacturing culture and capability that will serve global customers of HTL with excellence in the exciting years ahead”, says Rick Cook, new Board Member of HTL-Strefa.

With the new commercial agenda being implemented, HTL-Strefa is uniquely positioned to further accelerate execution on the many top-line growth initiatives. The plan includes among other things a rapid channel expansion and launch of numerous new innovative products with distinct end-user benefits.

During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa’s revenues have been growing at high single-digit rates and EBITDA margins have increased. With accelerated investments in product innovation and the implementation of an enhanced commercial strategy, growth has improved further to solid double-digit rates and are expected to continue to rise.

Since EQT Ventures launched in May 2016, the fund has closed 22 investments and the team has grown rapidly - now consisting of 22 people in Stockholm, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and San Francisco, and with part-time advisors in Tel Aviv, Zurich and Munich. Ted Persson, Design/UX/Brand Partner Partner and Investment Advisor at EQT Ventures gives an update on the fund’s recent activities and current market trends.

“AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them”

Earlier this year, Hjalmar Winbladh, Partner and Co-Head at EQT Ventures, stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to take “the next big step” in 2017. Since then, EQT Ventures has made two additional AI-investments – the virtual customer call centre agent, CallDesk and the AI-powered e-health system, Aifloo.

Ted Persson explains: “As always, there are a lot of things buzzing in tech, but the thing that excites me the most right now is that we are starting to see concrete examples of how AI is underpinning entire industries. There are also speculations around whether AI will start replacing jobs in specific sectors or not. Having said that, I think it is important to also emphasize the job creation possibilities that this technology will bring. AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them.”

“One of EQT Ventures’ most recent investments, CallDesk offers an AI-powered virtual agent that works alongside human tele-operators to improve customer experience and lower costs. The virtual AI-agent can autonomously handle simple, repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as scheduling, order management, authentication and call routing. This means less waiting times for customers and more time for the (human) tele-operators to focus their efforts on handling high-value, complex issues”, says Ted Persson

Blurring the lines between the real and digital world

Earlier this fall, EQT Ventures announced its first Mixed Reality (MR) investment in Helsinki-based Varjo – the world’s first human eye resolution platform for virtual reality and augmented reality. Varjo’s proprietary combination of software, hardware and insight into how the brain processes visual information, provides the experience of 70 megapixels per eye. This blurs the lines between the real and digital world.

“We have been excited about AR and VR for a long time, but mass adoption of this technology shift has taken somewhat longer than anticipated. EQT Ventures’ bet is that Mixed Reality has the potential of being “the next smartphone” sooner or later. However, in the meantime, the fund is serving more niche markets where the need of this advanced technology already has arrived”, says Ted Persson.

EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley

It is not only the EQT Ventures portfolio that is growing – the team is also expanding rapidly, with several key recruitments made during the year. This summer, San Francisco-based Alastair Mitchell joined as Partner, with the ambition to grow EQT Ventures’ US presence and making sure that EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley.

“Alastair has an impressive track record of developing companies. He is the Co-Founder and former CEO of enterprise collaboration platform Huddle as well as board member of a number of early-stage B2B internet software companies in Europe and the US. We also welcomed Lucy Wimmer as new Communications Partner, bringing more than 12 years of experience from working with communications in the European and US tech industries”, says Ted Persson.

Ted Persson continues: “Bartosz Jakubowski was recruited to join EQT Ventures straight from a Paris-based VC firm and Reda Bensaid joined the team from a Danish investor. Both are native French speakers and are now our eyes and ears on the French scene, which has become increasingly more well-sophisticated, especially within AI”.

More recently, Axel Bard Bringéus, former Global Head of Markets at Spotify, joined the fund to help identify fast-growing, innovative and tech-enabled companies for support and investment in Germany. Earlier in December, EQT Ventures also welcomed Jo Bertram, former regional general manager for Northern Europe at Uber, as an Executive in Residence.

Read more on www.eqtventures.com

• EQT Real Estate invests in two office buildings comprising about 70,000 square meters in Frankfurt, Germany’s foremost hub for financial services
  
  
• The plan includes an extensive repositioning of the buildings in the rapidly changing Niederrad and Neu-Isenburg submarkets

• The investment represents EQT Real Estate’s fifth investment to date

EQT Real Estate I (“EQT Real Estate” or “the Fund”) has acquired two multi-let office assets in Frankfurt, Germany. The assets form part of the pan-German portfolio Project Mars, acquired by Eurocastle from DWS in 2007, and represents the fund's fifth investment to date and second in Germany.

Frankfurt is well-known as an attractive base for the European banking and financial services sectors, with a rapidly evolving office market with strong demand from tenants but only a small number of new developments. The two buildings are both modern and strategically located in terms of transport links and political initiatives. The largest one, Atricom, comprises 45,600 square meters and is located in Niederrad, while the second building, Le Büro, comprises 23,700 square meters and is located in Neu-Isenburg.

The buildings are set to receive a comprehensive refresh and optimization by further modernizing, upgrading and improving the buildings, both technically and visually, in order to offer future and existing tenants a quality working environment.

Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners and advisor to the Fund, said:

“We are looking forward to EQT Real Estate taking part of the ongoing development in Frankfurt-Niederrad. The area is rapidly changing and the plans for Atricom should make a positive contribution to this part of town.”

Contacts:
Frank Forster, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Real Estate I, +44 20 8432 5404
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 553 34

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About EQT Real Estate I
EQT Real Estate I will seek to make direct and indirect controlling investments in real estate assets, portfolios and operating companies that offer significant potential for value creation through repositioning, redevelopment, refurbishment and active management. The investments will typically range between EUR 50 million and EUR 200 million. The fund is advised by an experienced team from EQT Partners, with extensive knowledge of property investment, development and intensive “hands-on” asset management, and with access to the full EQT network, including 10 European offices and more than 250 industrial advisors.

Read the press release here

HTL-Strefa is a fast-growing global med-tech company and pioneer in the medical sharps’ industry. The company is going through an exciting phase - transforming its commercial profile and execution capabilities which has led to higher demand from customers. In order to fulfill the increased demand and to support the implementation of new investments in production, Rick Cook, former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors.

EQT V portfolio company HTL-Strefa is a global leading provider of proprietary capillary blood sampling and hypodermic injection devices. Global demographic megatrends, such as a growing number of insulin users and increasing need for safe point-of-care blood tests, underpin a solid underlying market growth for years to come. During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa has embarked on a transformation journey from being a local manufacturer to a fully-fledged international medical device player.

Since the appointment of CEO Mikkel Danvold in January 2017 and the strengthening of HTL-Strefa’s management team, the top-line growth and earnings trajectory have been reinvigorated. The improved performance is the result of changing the commercial approach ensuring that customers and end-users are at the center of all decision-making. This approach has already led to a large number of new customers, an ongoing repositioning in the value chain, as well as implementation of multiple initiatives to ensure state-of-the-art commercial excellence and product innovation.

To meet the increased demand from both existing and new customers, HTL-Strefa is scaling up its organization and production capacity significantly. To support management in the implementation of the new expansion projects, Rick Cook will join HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. Rick has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and operations for Intravenous solutions and medical devices at all levels, from floor supervision to global operations leadership.

“As former Global Head of Operations at Becton Dickinson, Rick has a long track-record from leading large-scale projects within production and operations in the med-tech industry. Rick brings impressive experience which will be highly valuable to HTL-Strefa’s ongoing transformation. Supporting Mikkel and his team in implementing excellence in quality, service and cost from operations will bring competitive differentiation and enhanced value for customers”, says Gerard Van Odijk, Chairman of the Board of Directors at HTL-Strefa.

“I am honored to be asked to serve on HTL-Strefa’s Board of Directors. I look forward to helping Mikkel and the Operations team build upon the existing strong foundation and create a manufacturing culture and capability that will serve global customers of HTL with excellence in the exciting years ahead”, says Rick Cook, new Board Member of HTL-Strefa.

With the new commercial agenda being implemented, HTL-Strefa is uniquely positioned to further accelerate execution on the many top-line growth initiatives. The plan includes among other things a rapid channel expansion and launch of numerous new innovative products with distinct end-user benefits.

During EQT’s ownership, HTL-Strefa’s revenues have been growing at high single-digit rates and EBITDA margins have increased. With accelerated investments in product innovation and the implementation of an enhanced commercial strategy, growth has improved further to solid double-digit rates and are expected to continue to rise.

Since EQT Ventures launched in May 2016, the fund has closed 22 investments and the team has grown rapidly - now consisting of 22 people in Stockholm, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and San Francisco, and with part-time advisors in Tel Aviv, Zurich and Munich. Ted Persson, Design/UX/Brand Partner Partner and Investment Advisor at EQT Ventures gives an update on the fund’s recent activities and current market trends.

“AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them”

Earlier this year, Hjalmar Winbladh, Partner and Co-Head at EQT Ventures, stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to take “the next big step” in 2017. Since then, EQT Ventures has made two additional AI-investments – the virtual customer call centre agent, CallDesk and the AI-powered e-health system, Aifloo.

Ted Persson explains: “As always, there are a lot of things buzzing in tech, but the thing that excites me the most right now is that we are starting to see concrete examples of how AI is underpinning entire industries. There are also speculations around whether AI will start replacing jobs in specific sectors or not. Having said that, I think it is important to also emphasize the job creation possibilities that this technology will bring. AI is fundamentally about empowering people, not replacing them.”

“One of EQT Ventures’ most recent investments, CallDesk offers an AI-powered virtual agent that works alongside human tele-operators to improve customer experience and lower costs. The virtual AI-agent can autonomously handle simple, repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as scheduling, order management, authentication and call routing. This means less waiting times for customers and more time for the (human) tele-operators to focus their efforts on handling high-value, complex issues”, says Ted Persson

Blurring the lines between the real and digital world

Earlier this fall, EQT Ventures announced its first Mixed Reality (MR) investment in Helsinki-based Varjo – the world’s first human eye resolution platform for virtual reality and augmented reality. Varjo’s proprietary combination of software, hardware and insight into how the brain processes visual information, provides the experience of 70 megapixels per eye. This blurs the lines between the real and digital world.

“We have been excited about AR and VR for a long time, but mass adoption of this technology shift has taken somewhat longer than anticipated. EQT Ventures’ bet is that Mixed Reality has the potential of being “the next smartphone” sooner or later. However, in the meantime, the fund is serving more niche markets where the need of this advanced technology already has arrived”, says Ted Persson.

EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley

It is not only the EQT Ventures portfolio that is growing – the team is also expanding rapidly, with several key recruitments made during the year. This summer, San Francisco-based Alastair Mitchell joined as Partner, with the ambition to grow EQT Ventures’ US presence and making sure that EQT is staying local with the locals in Silicon Valley.

“Alastair has an impressive track record of developing companies. He is the Co-Founder and former CEO of enterprise collaboration platform Huddle as well as board member of a number of early-stage B2B internet software companies in Europe and the US. We also welcomed Lucy Wimmer as new Communications Partner, bringing more than 12 years of experience from working with communications in the European and US tech industries”, says Ted Persson.

Ted Persson continues: “Bartosz Jakubowski was recruited to join EQT Ventures straight from a Paris-based VC firm and Reda Bensaid joined the team from a Danish investor. Both are native French speakers and are now our eyes and ears on the French scene, which has become increasingly more well-sophisticated, especially within AI”.

More recently, Axel Bard Bringéus, former Global Head of Markets at Spotify, joined the fund to help identify fast-growing, innovative and tech-enabled companies for support and investment in Germany. Earlier in December, EQT Ventures also welcomed Jo Bertram, former regional general manager for Northern Europe at Uber, as an Executive in Residence.

Read more on www.eqtventures.com