Defibrion announces investment by IK Partners
Amsterdam – CFI is pleased to announce that it acted as the exclusive corporate finance advisor to Defibrion, a portfolio company of Holland Capital, on its investment by IK Partners.
About Defibrion and Holland Capital
Based in Groningen, the Netherlands, Defibrion was founded in 2008. As an expert in the field of AEDs and in-house developed cabinets (ARKY), Defibrion offers a wide range of safety & first-aid products and accompanying services, acting as a one-stop-shop for emergency response needs to more than 6,400 customers globally. These include over 900 resellers in Europe and North America, with the remainder being end-users such as offices, sports clubs and government institutions. Since their acquisition by Holland Capital in 2019, Defibrion has achieved substantial organic growth, expanded globally, acquired DefibSolutions end of 2022, and diversified its product range.
About IK Partners
IK Partners is a European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK Partners has raised more than €17 billion of capital and invested in over 190 European companies. IK Partners supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects.
About the transaction
Following a successful partnership with Holland Capital, during which key strategic initiatives were implemented, Defibrion is now well-positioned to continue its growth trajectory, both organically and inorganically, alongside a new partner. With the support of IK Partners, Defibrion aims to scale its existing platform, leveraging a growing market and increased product awareness, diversifying the offering to directly serve end-customers in new markets and to cross-sell to its existing network. Additionally, the company plans to identify buy-and-build opportunities to accelerate its expansion and drive consolidation in what is currently a fragmented market.
CFI’s role in the process
Holland Capital and CFI have a longstanding professional relationship and have discussed the development of Defibrion during its holding period. CFI has been asked to share thoughts on a potential exit and initiated an auction process in Q1 2024. CFI evaluated a variety of potential partners, offered strategic deal-structuring advice aligned with the goals of the different shareholders of Defibrion, and managed negotiations to secure optimal terms. This approach ultimately led to a transaction with IK Partners as the ideal partner for Defibrion, setting the stage for future growth and collaboration.
Joshua Valkenier, Co-Founder and CEO of Defibrion: “Working with CFI led to a very rewarding outcome. Their personal approach and strategic insights were essential in finding the right partner. As we seek to further strengthen our position as a global player in the AED market and target continued growth in an evolving market, we are confident that with the support of IK Partners – who has proven experience investing in the healthcare sector across various European jurisdictions – we can achieve success and growth for all our customers and stakeholders.”
Ewout Prins, Managing Partner of Holland Capital: “We valued the continuing dialogue with CFI and ultimately selected their team for the exit of Defibrion. We highly appreciated their hard work and continuous drive to find the best partner for Joshua and his team. We look back on a successful process.”
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Transaction details
Defibrion, a leading Dutch distributor of automated external defibrillators and related products, announces investment by IK Partners, a European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK
This transaction was advised by:
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Partner, Managing DirectorRobbert Claassen
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