thinkstep, a Stuttgart, Germany based software company that specializes in Corporate Sustainability and Product Stewardship, and Sphera, a global provider of Integrated Risk Management Software and Information Services with a focus on Environmental Health & Safety, Operational Risk and Product Stewardship, announce they have entered into an agreement for Sphera to acquire thinkstep. The deal is pending the standard German regulatory approvals for mergers and acquisitions.
In recent years, thinkstep successfully transformed its business model into a Software-as-a-Service-based solution by following an attractive growth trajectory. Combined with thinkstep’s exceptional client base, this transition allowed it to take a major step forward in the company´s development.
“thinkstep’s cloud-based and on-premise software, data and expertise in the corporate sustainability and product stewardship markets advance our mission of creating a safer, more sustainable and productive world,” said Paul Marushka, Sphera’s president and CEO. “thinkstep’s presence in EMEA and APAC extends our geographic footprint in serving our global customer base.”
thinkstep’s corporate sustainability software, implementation and consulting services simplify enterprise-wide sustainability reporting, risk management, audits, strategy and resource optimization. The company’s product stewardship software and consulting services assist in designing more sustainable products and in managing product compliance across the lifecycle.
“thinkstep offers our clients more than 30 years of experience in the field of sustainability,” said Jan Poulsen, thinkstep’s CEO. “Adding our advanced software solutions, extensive LCA and eco-profile databases and sustainability expertise to Sphera’s Environmental Health & Safety solutions is a very attractive business combination that will allow us to serve our extensive client base more broadly going forward. We are excited to be joining Sphera and thank our former partners Gimv and Next47 for their support over the past 9 years.”
Marks Baughan Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to thinkstep.
For more information on this transaction, please contact:
John Jacobs
+44 207.927.7464
jjacobs@marbau.com
Bill Takeuchi
+1 610.616.3296
wtakeuchi@marbau.com
About Marks Baughan Securities
Marks Baughan provides investment banking services to growth companies. Our clients are software, technology-enabled services and data-intensive companies seeking shareholder liquidity or growth capital. We work tirelessly alongside our clients and excel at defensible positioning and disciplined processes that maximize shareholder value. Our professionals come from senior positions at bulge-bracket firms, giving our clients access to the relationships and experience that come from our years of interaction with the top executives and investors in companies in our fields. Our clients receive top-flight advice throughout any advisory relationship, because our boutique approach allows our senior advisors to stay deeply involved with each client on a continuous basis. No handoffs to junior staff. No preferential client relationships. No conflicts of interest.
For additional information on Marks Baughan, see www.marbau.com.
About thinkstep
thinkstep, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, enables organizations worldwide to succeed sustainably. thinkstep’s software solutions, databases and consulting services help businesses drive operational excellence, exploit product innovation potential, enhance brand values and comply with regulatory issues. With more than 20 locations worldwide, the company has served in excess of 8,000 clients.
For additional information on thinkstep, see www.thinkstep.com.
About Sphera
Sphera is a global provider of Integrated Risk Management software and information services with a focus on Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Operational Risk and Product Stewardship. For more than 30 years, Sphera has advanced Operational Excellence by serving more than 3,000 customers and over 1 million individual users across 70-plus countries to create a safer, more sustainable and productive world.
For additional information on Sphera, see www.sphera.com.
About Gimv
Gimv is a European investment company with nearly 40 years of experience in private equity. Listed on Euronext Brussels, Gimv currently manages around EUR 1.6 billion of investments in about 50 portfolio companies, jointly realising a turnover of EUR 2.5 billion with over 14,000 employees.
As a recognized market leader in selected investment platforms, Gimv identifies entrepreneurial and innovative companies with high-growth potential and supports them in their transformation into market leaders. Gimv’s four investment platforms are: Connected Consumer, Health & Care, Smart Industries and Sustainable Cities. Each of these platforms works with an experienced team across Gimv’s home markets of the Benelux, France and DACH and can count on an extended international network of experts.
For additional information on Gimv, see www.gimv.com.
About Next47
Next47 is a global venture firm created by Siemens that invests in, and partners with, entrepreneurs who think big and build industry-defining companies. With offices in Boston, Beijing, London, Munich, Palo Alto, Paris, Stockholm, and Tel Aviv, Next47 gives start-ups unparalleled access to one of the world’s largest portfolios of customers in the areas of industry, energy and infrastructure as well as domain expertise in the deep technologies that impact those customers.
For additional information on Next47, see www.next47.com.