The Belgian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (BVA) and BNP Paribas Fortis are organising the fourth edition of the prestigious Private Equity Awards. The nine nominated finalists were selected based on criteria such as overall evidence of sustainable growth, authentic leadership and active ownership. The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday 13 October 2021.
Private Equity encompasses the full development cycle of an enterprise. To reflect this properly, three segments are distinguished: Venture, Growth and Buy-out. For each category, the jury selected three companies that are eligible for the award. The winner for each category will be announced during the award ceremony.
“The Private Equity Awards form an integral part of the Belgian private equity landscape. Four years in a row, the jury has selected a list of outstanding nominated companies. Combining excellent management with active ownership pays off. We look forward to thé private equity community event of the year on October 13”, explains Joëlle Starquit, chairwoman of the BVA.
“BNP Paribas Fortis is proud to host and organise with BVA this fourth edition of the Private Equity Awards. Private Equity has proved to be a financing instrument perfectly suited to boost innovation and sustainable growth. This year’s Award edition the jury has once more selected outstanding nominees; companies where management teams – with the support of a private equity investor – have demonstrated a remarkable track record. We look forward to welcoming you in our auditorium and to celebrating the winners”, states Raf Moons, Head of BNPPF Private Equity.
Discover below the candidates for the succession of iStar Medical, Cegeka and Destiny.
The candidates for ‘Venture company of the year 2021’ are:
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Ghent, AgomAb Therapeutics is a biotherapeutics company developing agonistic antibodies for the regeneration of damaged tissue. Its growing pipeline of highly specific monoclonal antibodies is designed to treat a range of acute and chronic conditions that involve inflammatory, metabolic and fibrotic processes. By combining new scientific insights with robust development expertise, it is building a company to lead to the emergence of truly regenerative medicines. (www.agomab.com).
Deliverect is a fast-growing SaaS company that connects third-party delivery platforms and food businesses around the globe. In order to help businesses manage their food delivery and takeout operations more efficiently, Deliverect integrates third-party food ordering platforms into the restaurant’s point-of-sale system, making rekeying orders and the costly errors that come with it a thing of the past. With all online orders centrally managed, businesses can increase operational efficiency. Deliverect was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Ghent. It employs more than 200 people. (www.deliverect.com)
Imcyse is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of a new class of active and specific immunotherapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases. The company’s unique technology platform can address a wide range of autoimmune and immunologic diseases. Imcyse’s approach, sustained over time, helps to prevent and treat diseases with no effective therapeutic alternative and has the potential to cure patients without impairing their immune defenses.
Headquartered in Liège, Imcyse was founded as a spin-off of the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven). (www.imcyse.com).
The companies competing for the ‘Growth company of the year 2021’ award, are:
Odoo is an open-source suite of integrated business applications actively programmed, supported, and organised by Odoo SA. Odoo is similar to many open-source projects where customized programming, support, and other services are provided by an active global community and partners network. The community is comprised of more than 1,500 active members and has contributed more than 4,500 modules to the ongoing enrichment of Odoo. The network of certified partners, established in more than 120 countries, deploys the solution locally. Odoo counts more than 1,100 employees, was set up in 2004 and is headquartered in Grand-Rosière (Brabant Walloon). (www.odoo.com).
UgenTec is a molecular laboratory software provider servicing molecular labs, assay and instrument providers globally across applications in Clinical Molecular Diagnostics, Veterinary health, Crop Science, Breeding and Seed Health.
UgenTec is headquartered in Hasselt, with offices in Boston, MA and its FastFinder platform has a global installed base of over 100 molecular labs and partnerships with leading molecular diagnostics vendors. (www.ugentec.com).
Univercells is a global life sciences company that makes biologics available to all. Leveraging its core strengths in scaling, production and bioprocessing, it builds businesses and finds new ways to support access to medicines and promote sustainability. Through entrepreneurship and technology-driven affordability, the company addresses the needs of the entire health value chain. Univercells is headquartered in Jumet and benefits from the trust of national and international investors. (www.univercells.com).
And last but not least the companies nominated for the ‘Buy-out company of the year 2021’:
Abriso-Jiffy is a leading European manufacturer specialised in the extrusion of sustainable, innovative, protective and insulating materials for the packaging and construction industry. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Anzegem, the group employs c. 1,500 employees and counts 15 production locations in 11 European countries. (www.abrisojiffy.com).
Corialis (Core Innovative Aluminum Integrated Solutions) is a leading Pan-European player in the design and manufacturing of high quality, technologically-advanced aluminum systems for in-wall (windows, doors, sliding elements, roof systems, curtain walls), indoor (partition walls, fire-resistant doors) and outdoor (balustrades, conservatories).
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Lokeren, Corialis employs c. 2,700 employees across eight sites in the UK, Belgium, France, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Serbia and South Africa. (www.corialis-group.com).
ESAS is a high quality, fast growing service provider working for leading clients in the Benelux market including Proximus, VodafoneZiggo and KPN. Established in 2000 and headquartered in Antwerp, ESAS has grown into an important Benelux player in fiber and coax and successfully expanded its service portfolio, client base and geographic coverage. Since the end of 2020 ESAS operates as part of the Circet Group. (www.esas.eu).
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About BVA
The Belgian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVA) is the industry body and public policy advocate for the private equity and venture capital industry in Belgium. The BVA was founded in 1986 and comprises 130 institutions: 75 full members, representing most of the private equity firms active in Belgium and 55 associate members, law and consulting companies as well as banks cooperating with the PE/VC industry. Our aim is to aid public understanding of our members’ activities and to promote our industry to policy makers within government, the EU, media and the general public. For more information please visit www.bva.be.
About BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity
BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity (https://companies.bnpparibasfortis.be/PrivateEquity) is the risk capital company of BNP Paribas Fortis and has been operating in the private equity market in Belgium since the 1980s. BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity currently acquires minority stakes and provides mezzanine financing to high-performance medium-sized companies. BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity also invests in specialised venture capital and private equity funds in the Belgian market. Direct holdings of BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity include Studio 100, JAC, eTheRNA, Novy, Penne, Quality Assistance and PointChaud.
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For more information, please contact Mr. Pierre Demaerel, Secretary-General of the BVA
- Telephone number +32 475 62 80 27
- Email address: pdm@bva.be
[1] The Venture-segment includes young companies backed by a venture capital firm where the investment was mainly to develop an innovative technology product or service. The Growth-segment comprises companies that expand their activities via organic growth and/or acquisitions, backed by a partner with a minority stake. The Buy-out-segment is about the transfer and growth of companies by the management backed by a private equity investor holding a majority stake.