Regent Evolution advised Video Streaming Software-as-a- Service platform provider Easel TV Limited on its sale to the Swedish company Accedo Broadband AB
Easel TV Limited has announced its sale to Accedo Broadband AB, a global video solutions provider from Sweden. The acquisition will accelerate Accedo’s OTT product offering and see the Easel TV SaaS platform and the award-winning Accedo One SaaS platform come together under one roof. This move will further strengthen Accedo ‘s ability to deliver on customer requirements. The Easel TV team will join Accedo’s existing London office, enhancing their ability to serve customers both in the UK and internationally.
Founded by media executives Joe Foster and Bill Scott, Easel TV has a long-standing reputation as a trusted technology partner of media companies and TV operators. A streaming video pioneer, Easel TV was instrumental in launching the first streaming apps on Pay TV, the first Pay-Per-View (PPV) streaming service on Amazon Fire TV, and the first same day film streamed to coincide with a cinema release, for which it has received numerous prestigious awards. Easel TV has a reputation for quality engineering with large blue chip broadcast customers including Sky and NBCUniversal, and a strong track record for innovation. Easel TV’s streaming platform includes unique market segmentation features and inbuilt AI Assist tools.
Accedo is a global video solutions provider, powering some of the world’s most impactful video-centric experiences. Through a combination of award-winning products and deep technical expertise, Accedo empowers global industry leaders – such as Deutsche Telekom, NBC Universal, ITV, Globo, Hallmark, Bloomberg and Tata Play – to inspire and entertain people across the world.
Accedo was founded in 2004 and supports businesses at every stage of the video journey, from strategy and design to delivery, maintenance, and post-launch optimisation. Accedo is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has an additional 14 offices spread across all corners of the world.
Joe Foster, CEO, Easel TV, said: “We selected the Regent Evolution team to assist us with our search for a strategic partner, primarily because of their excellent industry knowledge. They arranged meetings with CEOs of broadcast technology firms from Europe, America and the Far East. In the final analysis we selected Accedo as our preferred strategic partner for the next stage of our development.”
Dolf Campman, Partner at Regent Evolution said: “The team at Easel TV led by the founders Joe Foster and Bill Scott has built a world-class OTT streaming platform for blue chip broadcasters and event organisers. It was an absolute pleasure working with the Easel TV team and the combination with Accedo represents a strong strategic fit for both the vendors and Accedo.”
This transaction demonstrates Regent Evolution’s continued expertise and track record in the SaaS and media sectors.
The Regent Evolution team was led by Dolf Campman.
Vantage Health
Regent Assay is pleased to announce that it has acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Vantage Health on its sale to Northgate Public Services. Vantage Health is a UK based business which has developed Rego, an AI-powered solution that transforms the referral process, helping operationalise care pathways, reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes. Rego reduces the GP and dental referral process from 15 to 2 minutes per patient and cuts unnecessary demand on hospital services by up to 40%, ensuring patients get the optimal care pathway they need. Rego reviews all referrals against local criteria and pathways and ensures patients are directed to the right care, first time. Widely implemented across the NHS to support thousands of GPs, dentists and opticians, Rego is proven to support effective outpatient transformation in line with the Long-Term Plan and help the NHS as it looks towards recovery from the pandemic.
Tina Whitley, CEO of NPS, said: “Following the pandemic, healthcare is facing a huge challenge to keep up with the surge in demand for outpatient treatment. Effective solutions are needed to be able to manage resources, save money and secure the best outcomes for patients. Combining Vantage Health’s ability to transform outpatient care with our expertise of managing successful health screening programmes like hearing and diabetic eye screening, means we can give healthcare providers the tools they need to quickly identify patients who need specialist services and then help them direct the patient to the right support service instantly.”
David Ezra, co-founder of Vantage Health, said: “It’s never been more important for the NHS and healthcare services to have efficient solutions that work. Joining forces with NPS is exciting. It brings together a shared vision for transforming the way healthcare is delivered to offer the best care for patients.”
NPS already has a significant presence in this sector, following its acquisition of three EMIS Group plc businesses in 2019. This latest move further strengthens its growing preventative health offering. NPS will become NEC Software Solutions UK from July 2021. The new name brings NPS under the global NEC brand, strengthening the company’s position as a market leader in the development of cutting-edge software and services for the local government, police, health and housing sectors.
National Slimming Clinics
Harwood Private Equity has acquired National Slimming and Cosmetic Clinics (NSC) with a management buy-in of the UK’s largest group of medicated weight-loss treatment centres. NSC has 26 clinics across the UK and will be led by chief executive officer Maurice Kelly, who has worked within the Harwood Private Equity portfolio before and has wide experience of multi-site businesses and the weight-loss sector.
Partner Mike Simson led a team which initiated the transaction and advised Slim Holdings, the parent company of NSC, on the sale of the business to Harwood Private Equity.
CellPath
CellPath was founded by Peter Webber in 1969 as a histology consumables company, eventually expanding into equipment and today is a company that specialises in the manufacture and global supply of cellular pathology products, consumables, and services. The CellPath brand is connected with cutting-edge, well-proven solutions that are made to a high quality. CellPath products support the cellular pathology workflow of leading hospitals and laboratories in the United Kingdom and Europe.
StatLab is a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity and Linden Capital Partners. They teamed up with StatLab in 2020 to launch a global instrumentation and consumable goods business in the life science instruments and diagnostics industries. StatLab Medical Products is a US-based market leader in the development and production of high-quality histology, cytology, and immunohistochemistry diagnostics. It partners with anatomic pathology laboratories to provide convenient access to more than 3,500 high-quality diagnostic equipment at affordable prices, all backed by expert support.
The addition of CellPath to the StatLab family broadens the combined company’s manufacturing capabilities and product portfolio and, in concert with the prior Pyramid acquisition, serves as StatLab’s European beachhead, helping to accelerate international organic growth.
BTCSoftware
BTCSoftware is a multi-award-winning tax software solution which helps accountants to streamline and simplify tax and compliance work. The company launched its SaaS solution, BTCHub in 2018 which enables accountants to comply with Making Tax Digital (MTD) VAT regulations and is integrated with HMRC and Companies House.
Bright is a UK and Ireland-based accounting, practice management and payroll software provider. Bright’s software offers world-class support and comprehensive solutions including BrightPay Payroll Software, Thesaurus Payroll Manager, Surf Accounts Production, AccountancyManager, and now BTCSoftware.
Rob Ellis, CEO of BTCSoftware commented:
“We are delighted with the process of the sale conducted by the Regent Assay team. We have been working closely for the past few years with them. They expertly provided a comprehensive range of consulting services at the outset to help position our business to optimise its value for this sale. The Regent Assay team fully understood the dynamics of the business and we were able to implement their key recommendations prior to our going out to market. They identified a strong shortlist of acquirers and managed the negotiation process expertly and smoothly. We are really pleased with the outcome for all of our shareholders and employees and are looking forward to being part of Bright Group moving forward. We thank the whole team of Pradip, Brett and Olly for all their support throughout the process.”
The Regent Assay team is pleased to have worked with the BTCSoftware team in achieving this milestone having previously undergone the EAP program (now ASSESS) alongside successful fundraise to fuel business growth. This transaction demonstrates Regent Assay’s continued expertise and track record in the technology sector.
DTR Medical
Innovia Medical announced today its partnership with DTR Medical. Based in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, DTR Medical specialises in the design and manufacture of Single-use surgical instruments for general and specialist surgical procedures.
Since their founding in 2005, DTR Medical have established themselves as a multi-award winning manufacturer of quality and innovative single-use instruments. Exporting to over 30 countries they have built their reputation on consistently high product quality alongside their exceptional customer service.
Terry Meredith, Chief Executive Officer of Innovia Medical said: "The strategic acquisition of DTR Medical will further strengthen Innovia’s global position in the ENT and Ophthalmic market; in addition, providing new opportunities in areas such as Gynaecology and General Surgery.
Flagship products include the Rotating Biopsy Punch, Frazier Suction Handle, Tibbs Arterial Cannula and Ear Specula.
We are excited to be partnering with Innovia Medical as this investment will allow us to continue to develop our innovative surgical solutions, whilst bringing our products to a wider global audience.”
Andrew Davidson, Managing Director of DTR Medical said: “The team at DTR Medical are dedicated to providing outstanding customer service, alongside high quality products that deliver clinical value and improved patient outcomes. It was important for us to find a partner who shared and respected the same core values, whilst providing the opportunity to take our vision to new markets.”
Regent Evolution acted for DTR Medical on the transaction.
Pirate Life
AB InBev has acquired Pirate Life, with a $10m ($7.6m USD) investment in a new South Australian boutique brewery kick-starting growth plans for the Adelaide brewer.
Pirate Life was advised by Regent Assay team led by Brett Stacey.
Spargonet Consulting Ltd
CACI Limited, a major provider of information systems and marketing solutions to organisations in both the private and public sectors, with offices in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham, has acquired UK IT services specialist, Spargonet Consulting Limited.
Spargonet has a well-established industry reputation in providing managed services and IT consulting services to brands including Waitrose, John Lewis, BMW and Mastercard.
The deal sees CACI add Spargonet’s extensive capabilities in application management, mobile computing and business intelligence to its offering, establishing a full scope of marketing solutions and IT services.
Venture Information Management Limited
Sword IT Solutions provides Digital Transformation, Information Management and IT Support services to the Energy, Public and Commercial sectors throughout the UK, employing over 220 people across its 3 primary locations in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and London.
Venture Information Management has an excellent reputation in the marketplace and focusing exclusively on the oil and gas industry, they provide expert data and information management advisory, project, support and learning consulting services, helping their customers reduce costs and increase efficiency through effective data management.
This acquisition will further enhance the joint capabilities of both organisations allowing our combined customers to better manage and leverage the value of their information.
Dave Bruce CEO of Sword IT Solutions said: “I’m delighted to welcome the Venture team to the group. This deal reflects our commitment to the Energy Industry and allows us to deliver a more complete Information Management solution to our customers."
We targeted Venture because they are recognized as the market leaders in this area. They show clear synergies in their customer management and offer complementary solutions that will enhance our existing service. We recognize the skills and expertise the Venture team bring to our company and are genuinely excited about what the future now holds for the combined business.
We believe that as part of Sword we can accelerate Ventures’ UK and international growth plans while adding valuable domain expertise to the Group.”
Neil Turner MD of Venture Information Management said: “I am excited by the opportunity that this acquisition presents to our customers and employees. We are delighted to be combining our team of exceptional people with a complementary team of experts at Sword IT Solutions. This will allow us to significantly enhance the world class services that we deliver to our customers and accelerate our innovative approach helping our customers to unlock competitive advantage.”
Dave Bruce added: “From a strategic standpoint, we aim to double the size of our business by 2020 and we are sure this will prove to be another significant step on that journey, adding to the Minttuplip acquisition concluded last month.”
Guidance Marine
The technology group Wärtsilä has acquired Guidance Marine Limited, a privately owned company with offices in the UK, Singapore and the USA. Guidance Marine is recognised as a technology leader in the marine industry for sensor solutions relating to dynamic positioning and other vessel control systems, such as collision avoidance and remote control operations.
Wärtsilä is deeply committed to providing technologies needed to enhance ‘intelligent’ shipping, whereby digital solutions will greatly improve the efficiency, safety and profit earning capabilities of its maritime customers. The acquisition of Guidance Marine will enhance Wärtsilä’s capabilities in the area of situational awareness and near-field measurement, both essential for more intelligent vessel navigation.
“Guidance Marine’s core competences are wide ranging and include the development of sophisticated positional measurement sensors and systems for high accuracy control applications. These competences complement our own activities in the field of radar technology, navigation and dynamic positioning, by joining forces we can certainly further accelerate the introduction of solutions that will take shipping into a new era of efficiency,” says Maik Stoevhase, Director, Automation, Navigation & Communication, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.
“Joining forces with the Wärtsilä Corporation presents an exciting opportunity for Guidance Marine to work alongside a major player in the marine industry. We are committed to continue serving all our customers, whilst at the same time looking forward to bringing them faster access to new products and technologies. This partnership provides a significant step change in developing the future of maritime positioning and navigation where the integration of multi-modal sensor technologies is a key factor in the delivery of ‘intelligent’ vessels,” says Jan Grothusen, CEO at Guidance Marine.
Founded in 1991, Guidance Marine has developed critical in-house capabilities, including a dozen patents for various technologies and a ready portfolio of closely related products. In its research and development activities, the company has also established strong connections with a number of leading UK universities. In 2016, Guidance Marine’s turnover was GBP 6.3m (EUR 7.0m). Guidance Marine employs over 50 people worldwide and is an internationally successful award winning company. It has a strong track record in delivering significant safety and cost benefits by bringing disruptive position measurement technologies to marine markets across several continents.