LONDON | NEW YORK | June 09, 2020 - Drake Star Partners is proud to announce 9 transactions during confinement, April and May 2020. The Drake Star team have worked tirelessly with our clients to successfully deliver landmark mid-cap transactions in the fields of digital content, esports, Electric Vehicle (EV) mobility, retail technology as well as industrial and security software. The April and May confinement months were some of our strongest months to date.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
In the midst of this environment, the volume and size of our transactions have both reached record levels in the past weeks:
• 9 deals completed in 8 weeks
• 4 to top tier growth private equity firms, 4 to strategics and 1 private placement
• Transactions across 10 countries – 2 in North American and 7 in Europe
• 7 out of 9 cross-border
• 4 of these transactions in the range of $150m-$350m each
• The largest technology M&A deal in Spain in 2020
• The largest EV transaction in Europe
• One of the largest private equity backed tech M&A transaction in Europe in 2020
• Closed 15 deals since the start of 2020
DRAKE STAR’S OWN VIEW:
Marc Deschamps, Executive Chairman commented “The COVID pandemic is imposing on all of us a hurting. So first, I would like on behalf of Drake’s team to share our best wishes of health and safety to all.
"Our society is hurt as the pandemic and its financial consequences are imposing many changes on us. On the technologies we use and need, many such changes were already underway - or in early stages of adoption, or in midst of full transformation. But now such changes are adopted much quicker than originally planned by any market experts and futurist visionaries.
"We remain bullish on the technology markets - on its financing and M&A activities. Technology changes our world. It is ours to make the technology deliver good. We want to thank all our clients for the faith that they have placed in Drake Star and their continued support.”
“Here at Drake Star, we are pleased to report that our transaction activity has elevated to new heights throughout this unfortunate historic era” added Greg Bedrosian, Drake Star Partners CEO.
“In the midst of this unique public health and macro-economic dislocation, our teams, our clients and counterparties have rapidly adopted the new digital communication and our cloud based business intelligence tools to allow dealmaking to continue. In many ways, our exchanges with the corporate and investor communities have been augmented with these new tools.
“A very good demonstration of our deep sector focus, global reach and team dedication. All because technology, but mostly our clients, the creators, the investors, the teams behind such technologies, matters.”
WHAT OUR CLIENTS AND PARTNERS HAVE SAID:
Victor Englesson partner at EQT who recently acquired a majority stake in Freepik Company said:“In these challenging and unprecedented times many M&A transactions around the world have had to be put on hold. Drake Star’s ability to get the Freepik transaction across the line stands out and is a real tribute to their unwavering commitment, professionalism, and tenacity. As they [Drake Star Partners] have with Freepik Company, we are pleased to see them help their clients deliver on such important company milestone that an M&A transaction brings. In these times, it is more important than ever to work with trusted partners that stand by your side at all times”
Pablo Sanchez Blanes CEO of Freepik said: “This process has taught us an incredible amount about ourselves and our Company. With EQT we have found the right partner to take the business to the next level. Thank you, Drake Star, for all your support and guidance.”
Jussi Uskola Vice President Corporate at Fortum said: “We are excited to start the common journey with Infracapital for providing the outstanding coverage and user experience to Nordic EV drivers. It is easy to build on our common green values and ambitions. We highly appreciate the great work Drake Star Partners did in facilitating this partnering process.”
Travis Witteveen CEO of Avira said: “The Drake Star team has done amazing work in supporting us to get an investor onboard. Their professionalism, detail orientation, business acumen and sales skills have been fundamental to the success of this deal. We simply would not have been as successful without them. However, most important, it is a great pleasure and a lot of fun to work together with the team."
Robbie Douek CEO of Blast said: “Conducting this raise during COVID-19 presented a few challenges, but the round closed due to the long-term outlook for our industry and the strength of our business model. Drake Star Partners’ expertise in the esports and technology space really helped to facilitate this transaction, managing the process throughout and providing invaluable corporate finance expertise to help showcase our attractive.”
Rob McCarthy President of Digital & Design of sgsco said: “The team at Drake Star led us through a strategic, tailored and efficient divestiture process leveraging their deep knowledge of the product content sector and strong relationships with key investors in the industry.”
Wolfgang Ebster CEO of Proleit said: “I would like to thank especially the Drake Star team for their strong support in this transaction. We benefitted strongly from Drake Star’s excellent sector knowledge, global network, and strong execution skills, which enabled us to achieve an outstanding result for us founders, shareholders and our employees.”
For more information and insights into our transaction and sector expertise, please visit our website at www.drakestar.com. Our experienced and sector-focused bankers are here to advise during these challenging times – feel free to reach out to find out more.
From the Drake Star team:
“We hope to reunite with you soon,
until then stay safe and stay connected.”
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