Verdane VIII acquires five companies from family office Ferd

Oslo — Verdane Capital VIII K/S (Verdane VIII) has acquired Norwegian family office Ferd’s ownership in five companies. The sale allows Ferd Capital to focus on investments in larger and more mature companies, while the companies included in the transaction will benefit from Verdane Capital Advisors’ expertise in the software and energy sectors.

Global ambitions

Verdane Capital Advisors’ presence in three Nordic countries, and experience from companies with global client bases, matches the geographic footprint and global ambitions of the companies in the transaction. Among the holdings are Napatech, the Danish manufacturer of network adapters; Eniram, the Finnish provider of software systems that help vessels reduce fuel consumption and Aspiro, which owns the Norwegian music streaming service Wimp.

“The companies acquired have global ambitions and are active in the software and energy sectors. Verdane funds already own more than 20 companies in different niches in those sectors. We will draw on our existing knowledge base and network to help the new holdings reach their full potential” says Lars B. Thoresen, Managing Partner at Verdane Capital Advisors.

The transaction takes place following a strategic decision by Ferd Capital to focus on investments in larger and more mature companies.

 

“This is a classic win-win situation. We know that the companies will benefit from Verdane’s expertise and ability to fund new investments on their continued journey. At the same time, the transaction frees up valuable time and resource for Ferd”, comments Trond Solberg, Investment Director at Ferd Capital.

Verdane and Ferd know each other well, following the joint investment in Nacre, the intelligent hearing systems company. Nacre was sold in 2007 to Bacou-Dalloz and both Verdane and Ferd made significant returns on this joint investment.

“Ferd has built many successful venture companies over the years, such as ShipEquip and of course Nacre. We are very pleased with the outcome and believe this transaction brings good value to all parties” concludes Lars B. Thoresen.

This is a classic win-win situation. We know that the companies will benefit from Verdane’s expertise and ability to fund new investments on their continued journey. At the same time, the transaction frees up valuable time and resource for Ferd.

About Verdane and Verdane Capital Advisors

Verdane Capital Advisors is the Nordic market’s largest and most successful independent manager of secondary direct funds. Verdane funds have more than SEK 6bn in committed capital and are focused on buying Nordic portfolios of direct investments in attractive sectors such as energy, ICT and general industries. The funds will also consider investments directly in selected growth-stage companies.
Since 2003, the funds advised by Verdane Capital Advisors have acquired 22 portfolios with stakes in over 250 companies. Verdane has invested in companies such as Mathem, BytHjul, Resman and Wireless Maingate. Former holdings include Coding Technologies, Chipcon, DIBS, Nacre, Reslink, Reslab and Tradedoubler. For more information, please visit www.verdanecapital.com

 

About Ferd

Ferd is a family-owned Norwegian industrial and financial group that is an active and long-term owner of strong companies with international potential and carries out financial activities through investments in a broad range of asset classes. In addition to the group’s purely commercial activities, Ferd has an extensive involvement in social entrepreneurship.

Press contacts

Lars B. Thoresen, Partner
Verdane Capital
lars.thoresen@verdanecapital.com
+47 957 07 494