Acuris acquires Sparkspread

AcurisAcuris, the BC Partners and GIC backed provider of data, research, intelligence and analysis, has acquired SparkSpread, an online news service providing intelligence on M&A and financing in the global energy business. The financial terms were not disclosed.

 

New York-headquartered SparkSpread was founded by journalists Will Ainger and Victor Kremer in 2005. It will become part of Acuris’ Infrastructure division.

“We are excited to welcome the acclaimed SparkSpread team to the growing Acuris family,” said Hamilton Matthews, CEO of Acuris. “We have been considering ways to broaden our energy sector coverage for asset managers, fund investors and advisors alike. We look forward to collaborating with Will and Victor to achieve this.”

 

UK, London & USA, New York, NY

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Bridgepoint Development Capital to acquire Private Equity International

BridgepointBridgepoint Development Capital is to acquire a majority stake in PEI Media – the global provider of insight, market-data and business conferences for professionals active in alternative asset class investment. Details of the transaction were not disclosed. The business is being acquired from its founders, management and minority shareholder, LDC.

PEI Media focuses on private investment markets in real estate, infrastructure, private equity, and private debt – including specialist sector-specific activities within those private asset markets. The group has developed deep connections with international sources of alternative investment capital since its inception in 2001. Clients served include public sector and company pension plans, insurance groups, endowments and family offices – as well as leading private-asset fund managers who raise and deploy capital raise from institutional investors.

PEI was formed following a management buyout from Euromoney Institutional Investor plc. It has grown a diversified portfolio of alternative asset-focused publications, databases and branded events. Headquartered in London with offices in Hong Kong and New York, the company currently employs around 180 people and has clients based in over 80 countries. The company’s publications include PERE, Infrastructure Investor, Private Debt Investor, Private Equity International, Real Estate Capital, Private Funds Management, Agri Investor and Secondaries Investor, amongst others.

BDC Partner Robin Lawson said, “PEI is recognised for its differentiated insight into the worlds of multiple alternative asset classes. As investors look for higher yields, continued inflows into these classes means that there is growing demand for the information, analysis and event-networking opportunities of providers like PEI. Today’s investment by BDC will support the continued international expansion of the business as well as further development of its technology platform and digital product set. Our aim in working with PEI’s management will be to ensure that it remains best-placed to scale its digital offering in a growing market and deliver progressive evolution of its specialist-brand in line with advancing client needs. In this way, we expect that increasingly sophisticated customers, both existing and new, will remain able to access the information and market connections they increasingly need to be successful in their global alternative investment strategies.”

UK, London

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Euromoney Institutional Investor acquires Infrastructure Journal for £12.5M

Euromoney PLCEuromoney Institutional Investor plc, the international online information and events group, is expanding its project finance and infrastructure business with the acquisition of Infrastructure Journal.

Infrastructure Journal is an information source for the international infrastructure markets.  Its business model is centred on premium subscription content that tracks market activity and is delivered in real-time through its online platform which is accessible from desktops, tablets and smartphones.  Infrastructure Journal also runs a portfolio of events which includes conferences, forums and awards attended by senior investment professionals, industry practitioners and advisors.  The Infrastructure Journal Awards are held annually in London.

ij-logoEuromoney is acquiring 100% of the assets of Infrastructure Journal from Top Right Group (“TRG”) for a cash consideration of £12.5 million, funded from its existing committed borrowing facility.  The acquisition is expected to be earnings enhancing for Euromoney in its financial year 2014.  Infrastructure Journal had revenues of £3.1 million for the year to December 2012.  The transaction will complete after the required TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) consultation period, expected to conclude by November 1, 2013.

“Infrastructure Journal is a business we have long admired and we are delighted that it is now part of our stable of global brands,” said Richard Ensor, chairman of Euromoney.  “With an estimated 57 trillion dollars of investment into infrastructure projects required around the world by 2030, we believe this part of the business-to-business information sector offers attractive growth fundamentals.  Euromoney aims to create a comprehensive market-leading infrastructure information provider by combining, under the Infrastructure Journal brand, the deals database and news coverage of Infrastructure Journal and the deals analysis, awards and conferences of Project Finance.”

Duncan Painter, CEO of Top Right Group, said: “Infrastructure Journal is well respected in its sector and delivers valuable insight and expertise to its customers.  The skill of the team, investment in content and the launch of new topical forums each year have kept the brand ahead and we are delighted that the Infrastructure Journal name will continue in the marketplace. We believe Euromoney Institutional Investor will be a good long term home for the brand and we wish the business every success in the future.”

UK, London

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Tarsus Group plc to acquire 51% of Indonesian exhibition organiser PT Infrastructure Asia

TarsusB2B media group Tarsus Group plc is to acquire 51% of Indonesian exhibition organiser PT Infrastructure Asia (PTIA) from PT Event Pro International. The founders and the existing management will continue to run the business post acquisition. The acquisition is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2013. The Consideration will be met from Tarsus’s existing cash resources. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Tarsus will pay an initial cash consideration on completion of $0.5 million for the 51% interest, with estimated total deferred payments of approximately $2.4 million in aggregate during 2014 and 2015.

Tarsus and the PT Event Pro International have conditional put and call options at various points in 2016 and 2017 in respect of the outstanding 49% shareholding in PTIA. The total consideration for 100% of PTIA has been capped at US$23 million.

PTIA currently owns and organises three annual business-to-business exhibitions and one seminar series in Indonesia:

  • IIICE, focused on the development of Indonesia’s infrastructure;
  • IFTS, a series of infrastructure related seminars, that support IIICE;
  • ITMIT, a new launch in November 2013 which will co-locate with IIICE and focus on the Telecommunications, Media and IT sectors; and
  • APSDEX, an event for the security and defence industry.

Douglas Emslie, Tarsus Group Managing Director, said, “PTIA is an excellent fit with our strategic objective of quickening the pace of our earnings by investing in fast growth markets. PTIA has the leading events serving the Indonesian infrastructure sector, which is earmarked to receive an unprecedented $243 billion of investment by 2025.”

UK, London & Indonesia, Jakarta

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