Hg invests in The Septeo Group

RNS Number : 7937F

HgCapital Trust PLC

19 November 2020

 

Hg, the Manager of HgCapital Trust plc ("HGT"), today announces an investment in The Septeo Group ("Septeo"), a European leader in LegalTech. The terms of the transaction are not disclosed and closing of the transaction is conditional on customary anti-trust approvals.

HgCapital Trust plc will invest approximately £40.3 million in Septeo, with other institutional clients of Hg investing alongside HGT through the Hg Genesis 9 Fund.

HGT, whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange, gives private and institutional investors the opportunity to participate in all Hg's investments.

Note that these figures only relate to HGT's share of Hg's overall investment in Septeo.

HGT's liquid resources available for future deployment (including all announced transactions and the interim dividend paid in October 2020) are estimated to be £188 million (15% of the 30 September 2020 pro-forma NAV of £1.24 billion, including the increase in equity via tap equity issues over the fourth quarter of 2020). In addition, HGT has access to a £200 million standby facility, which is currently undrawn.

The investment will reduce HGT's outstanding commitments to invest in Hg transactions to approximately £633 million (51% of the 30 September 2020 pro-forma NAV).

Hg invests in The Septeo Group

to help continue building a leading LegalTech platform across Europe

Montpellier, France and London, UK. 19 November 2020 - Hg, Europe's leading software investor, today announces an investment in The Septeo Group ("Septeo"), a European leader in LegalTech. Hg will invest alongside founders Philippe Rivière, Jean-Luc Boixel, Hugues Galambrun and the management team, which will continue to be led by Hugues Galambrun.

The terms of the transaction are not disclosed and closing of the transaction is conditional on customary anti-trust approvals.

Septeo is a leading LegalTech provider supporting professions including notaries, law firms, corporate legal departments and real estate property managers in France, Belgium, Canada and the US. Founded in 1988, Septeo now has over 12,000 clients and more than 120,000 users, served by over 1,400 employees.

The investment reinforces Hg's focus on legal and regulatory compliance tech, representing the 11^th investment in this sector across Europe and North America, with over €1.5bn invested in the sector to date.

Hugues Galambrun, CEO at Septeo, said: "This announcement represents a milestone for Septeo. It has been a huge achievement to get the business to this point and we thank all of our incredible colleagues for their hard work over many years. Hg will actively support Septeo's investment in the development of new innovative solutions, helping us to achieve further productivity and efficiency gains for our customers. This partnership with Hg will also help us continue to pursue our growth strategy, enabling us to bring new talent into the business, strengthen our innovation and continue with targeted acquisitions."

Philippe Rivière and Jean-Luc Boixel, added: "Hg is a partner for several technology champions in France and across Europe. We look forward to introducing this experience and network to our business, working alongside the group's existing shareholders and management, to continue to reinforce Septeo's position as a national and European champion in vertical software and IT services."

Jean-Baptiste Brian, Sebastien Briens and Joris Van Gool, Partners at Hg, said: "Hg invests in businesses that demonstrate compelling long-term growth potential, built around strong technology foundations and talented teams. Septeo is an exceptionally high-quality provider of software serving the LegalTech space and there is an exciting opportunity to further scale what is already a great platform, to help drive digitalisation across the legal system and beyond. We're really excited about the potential and look forward to partnering with such a strong and proven team, led by Hugues, Jean-Luc and Philippe."

For further details:

Hg

Laura Dixon  [phone]

Brunswick

Samantha Chiene      [phone]

[e-mail]

About HgCapital Trust plc

HgCapital Trust plc, whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: HGT.L), gives investors exposure through a liquid vehicle to a portfolio of high-growth private companies in the software and services sector. The selection of new investments and creation of value in these businesses are managed by Hg, an experienced and well-resourced private equity firm with a long-term track record of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns for its investors. For further details, please see www.hgcapitaltrust.com .

The contents of the Hg, HgCapital Trust and Septeo's websites are not incorporated into, and do not form part of, this announcement.

 

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