MoneyGram to be taken private in $1.8bn deal

BY Richard Summerfield

Private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners has agreed to take MoneyGram International private in a deal worth $1.8bn.

Madison Dearborn will acquire all outstanding shares of MoneyGram for $11 per share in an all-cash transaction. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 50 percent to MoneyGram's closing stock price on 14 December 2021, the last trading day prior to media speculation regarding a possible deal.

The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval, will see Madison Dearborn refinance MoneyGram’s outstanding debt, which was $799m as of 31 December 2021. Madison Dearborn has secured committed debt financing for the transaction from Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Barclays.

"We are excited to enter into this transaction with MDP, which will deliver immediate and compelling value to shareholders and enable us to accelerate the advancement of our digital growth strategy,” said Alex Holmes, chairman and chief executive of MoneyGram. “This transaction is the culmination of a thorough process by the MoneyGram Board to enhance shareholder value while positioning our business for continued growth and expansion."

“MoneyGram has undergone a rapid transformation over the last several years to expand our digital capabilities and adapt to the evolving needs of our customers,” he continued. “By partnering with MDP and becoming a private company, we will have greater opportunities to innovate and transform MoneyGram to lead the industry in cross-border payment technology and deliver a more expansive set of digital offerings, while leveraging our global platform for new customers and use cases. This transaction provides exciting opportunities for our dedicated MoneyGram team and partners, and I'm incredibly excited about the path ahead.”

“MoneyGram is a leader in cross-border payments with one of the strongest brands and reputations in the industry, and we are excited to partner with Alex and his leadership team as they continue to lead MoneyGram's digital growth strategy,” said Vahe Dombalagian, a managing director at Madison Dearborn. “We are looking forward to applying our substantial experience growing digital businesses and deep payments knowledge to help MoneyGram further strengthen its market-leading cross-border capabilities and enhance its digital platform.”

MoneyGram was almost acquired in 2017 by China’s Ant Financial but the $1.2bn agreement was blocked by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

News: Buyout firm Madison Dearborn to take MoneyGram private in $1.8 billion deal

Temasek acquires Element in $7bn deal

BY Fraser Tennant

In one of its largest-ever deals, Singapore state-backed investor Temasek has agreed to buy the global leader in testing, inspection and certification (TIC) services Element Materials Technology Group from private equity firm Bridgepoint for an estimated $7bn. 

Element generates annual revenues of around $1bn and has grown at over 20 percent a year over the last 10 years. Temasek has been a minority shareholder in Element since 2019.

Tracing its origins back 190 years, London-based Element now operates a global network of more than 200 laboratories across 30 countries, servicing thousands of customers in life sciences, connected technologies, aerospace, transportation, energy transition, built environment and beyond.

Moreover, the company works with customers across a wide spectrum – from testing the next generation of aircraft and autonomous vehicles, to vaccine component testing in its US pharmaceutical laboratories, and from the certification of smartphones and wearable technologies, to providing cellular carrier approvals and testing connected robots.

“Element has a highly talented management team and exceptional people across our offices and laboratories around the world,” said Allan Leighton, non-executive chair of Element. “This transaction is a testament to their skills and commitment and creates the launchpad for the next exciting horizon of growth for the company.”

Operating in technically demanding and highly regulated sectors, Element is well-positioned to further accelerate its growth as it builds stronger positions in end-markets, such as life sciences and connected technologies.

“We are pleased to continue our relationship with Element as it works with its customers and explores greater opportunities to be part of their decarbonisation and sustainability journeys,” said Uwe Krueger, head of the portfolio management group at Temasek. “As a leading TIC business, Element is at the forefront of enabling innovative solutions across various industries.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

“The acquisition of Element by Temasek is a landmark transaction in the TIC sector, and a critical step in the development of the Group,” concluded Jo Wetz, chief executive of Element. “We are delighted to expand our relationship with Temasek – their intimate understanding of the Group and their track record of enabling businesses with sustainability at their core will help to accelerate the growth of our business in the years ahead.”

News: Temasek buys Bridgepoint's Element Materials in $7 bln deal

KKR-led consortium agrees €1.56bn Accell acquisition

BY Richard Summerfield

A consortium led by private equity giant KKR has agreed to acquire Accell Group in a deal worth €1.56bn.

Under the terms of the deal, the consortium will pay €58 per share for all shares in Accell Group, representing a total consideration of approximately €1.56bn. The offer price represents a premium of 26 percent over the closing price on 21 January 2022, a premium of 42 percent over the last three months volume-weighted average price per share, and a premium of 21 percent to Accell Group’s all-time high closing price of €48 per share.

The group’s two largest shareholders, Teslin and Hoogh Blarick, which hold 10.8 percent and 7.5 percent of shares respectively, said they would support the transaction. The deal is expected to close in late Q2 or early Q3 2022.

Accell Group’s existing board, comprised of chief executive Ton Anbeek, chief financial officer Ruben Baldew and, as of 1 February 2022, chief supply chain officer Francesca Gamboni, will continue to lead the group.

“Today’s announcement marks an important step for Accell Group,” said Mr Anbeek in a statement. “With the Consortium as our new shareholder we will have a financially strong and knowledgeable partner to accelerate the roll-out of our existing strategic roadmap, enhance our global footprint, explore suitable acquisitions and further leverage our scale. As such, the Transaction will enable us to take a leap forward as a group which also brings along enhanced career opportunities for our employees.”

He added: “We continuously strive to be a leader in the bicycle industry by combining smart design and innovative technology with the best value and customer experience. With KKR coming on board as majority shareholder, and with the continued support of Teslin, we would be able to accelerate the execution of our strategic agenda, launch new innovations for green mobility and support to the benefit of people and communities.”

“With Accell Group, the Consortium is committed to further developing the Netherlands as the global capital of cycling by building on the company’s leading position in the European e-bike market and continuing to grow its strong heritage brands,” said Daan Knottenbelt, partner and head of Benelux at KKR. “This investment in Accell Group would build on KKR's significant experience of investing in the Netherlands. KKR has the capabilities to support high quality Dutch businesses to accelerate their domestic and global growth ambitions, and to overcome challenges such as those Accell Group faces in the competitive global bike market.”

News: KKR buys Sparta, Raleigh bike maker Accell for $1.77 bln

Mimecast to be taken private by Permira

BY Richard Summerfield

Email security company Mimecast has agreed to be taken private by funds advised by private equity firm Permira in a deal worth $5.8bn.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was approved and recommended by an independent special committee, and then approved by the Mimecast board of directors, Mimecast shareholders will receive $80 in cash for each ordinary share they own. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 16 percent to Mimecast’s closing stock price on 27 October 2021, the last full trading day prior to rumours of a potential deal appearing in the press.

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Mimecast shareholders and receipt of regulatory approvals. Upon completion of the transaction, Mimecast will become a privately held company and the ordinary shares of Mimecast will no longer be listed on any public market. The deal has a ‘go-shop’ period of 30 days for Mimecast to court other offers.

“Today is an exciting milestone for Mimecast as we begin a new chapter for our company,” said Peter Bauer, chairman and chief executive of Mimecast. “Our team has done an outstanding job growing and expanding our relationships with customers and innovating our platform. Permira has a strong track record of collaboratively supporting companies’ growth ambitions and strategic goals, and we look forward to working together to further strengthen the cybersecurity and resilience of organizations around the world. This is a great outcome for our company and our shareholders.”

 “We have long admired Mimecast, its management team and its talented employees,” said Michail Zekkos and Ryan Lanpher, partners at Permira. “Email is the leading vector for cyberattacks, and phishing and impersonation attempts are continuously evolving. This means there has never been more urgency or need for organizations to protect their critical data and infrastructure. With an innovative platform, world-class security controls and scalable model, Mimecast is ideally positioned to help companies both large and small protect their employees from malicious activity. We look forward to leveraging our experience scaling global technology businesses as we partner with Peter and team on their next phase of growth.”

“Mimecast is widely recognized as an established leader and innovator in the email security space with a strong and growing position in the enterprise market,” said Pierre Pozzo, a principal at Permira. “We share the company’s belief in the significant opportunity ahead in cybersecurity across all collaboration channels, especially as more individuals have transitioned to a remote workplace. We look forward to partnering with the Mimecast team to accelerate the product roadmap and expand the go-to-market organization in order to drive further growth.”

News: Permira to take email security firm Mimecast private in $5.8 bln deal

Record breaker: VC investment in Canada hits $11.8bn, reveals new report

BY Fraser Tennant

Canadian venture capital (VC) investment has hit record levels in 2021, with a year-to-date (YTD) total of CA$11.8bn, according to a new report by the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA).

The YTD total, which includes $3.5bn invested across 174 deals in the third quarter (Q3), propelled 2021 beyond the previous highest annual VC investment of $6.2bn recorded in 2019.

In its report, ‘Q3 2021 Canadian Venture Capital Market Overview’, the CVCA reveals that the average deal size is a record-setting $20.7m – approximately double the $11m recorded in 2019 and the previous highest year on record. Moreover, the average growth-stage investment YTD in Q3 2021 was $129m, which has more than tripled over the last three years.

In addition, investments into later and growth-stage companies have received 63 percent of total VC dollars invested in Q3 2021, a significant increase from prior years (50 percent in 2019 and 49 percent in 2020).

In terms of deal size, there were 55 megadeals ($50m-plus) YTD, accounting for 74 percent of investment in 2021 so far. Notable megadeals in Q3 included Vancouver-based Dapper Labs’ $319m closing, Toronto-based Clearco’s $270m funding and the $265m investment in Montréal-based Blockstream.

“Investment in Canada’s startups has never been stronger,” said Kim Furlong, chief executive of the CVCA. ​“With the recent crop up of new continuation funds and the average growth stage investment rising, we are seeing a willingness to hold with investors as they stay the course in their investments — a testament to the maturing Canadian venture ecosystem.”

Concurrent with its 2021 VC investment analysis, the CVCA has also published a report into private equity investment in Canada over the same period – ‘Q3 2021 Canadian Private Equity Market Overview’ – which reveals a YTD total of $13.2bn invested across 584 deals.

“We are on the journey through post-pandemic recovery,” concluded Ms Furlong. ​“Some of the performance figures we are seeing in Q3 are trending towards pre-covid levels. The consumer and retail sector, for example, has seen some significant investment growth, at almost five times the levels experienced since a low in 2018.”

Report: Q3 2021 Canadian Venture Capital Market Overview