Basque company Erle Robotics, which develops drones and other robotic devices, has just been acquired by Swiss company Acutronic, which will allow it to 'play in a new global league and drive the next generation of robotic solutions for industry' according to its founders.
In the last month we have seen Spanish technology companies in potential niche markets that have decided to count on the support of venture capital to grow and be able to compete internationally. From fintech applications such as Verse, to space imaging companies such as Satlantis.
The French multinational is seeking to enter the Latin American market and strengthen its position in the banking and insurance sector.
17 Spanish companies in the ICT sector received funding from the Cdti in October. Among the subsectors in which they operate, energy and industry 4.0 stand out. The Cdti, which depends on the Ministry of Economy, finances innovation and technological development of Spanish companies, with a budget of 1,792 million euros for 2016.
Tecnocom is a Spanish technology company listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange since 1987. In 2006, Tecnocom began a corporate expansion process with the aim of becoming a leader in the Spanish information technology market. It currently offers consultancy and outsourcing services for the development, maintenance and support of computer applications for different sectors such as banking, insurance, public administration and industry. Although it operates in the international market, 80% of its sales come from national clients.
A month after announcing the closing of its second fund, Ysios has invested in French company CorWave. Thus entering a market that is moving a lot of money, cardiac assistance devices. This round is the first French investment by Ysios, which in addition to Spain has invested in the US, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden.
BBVA continues to believe that a technological renovation of the banking industry is necessary to be able to face the new business models in the financial sector, although for the moment the results of its investees are not being satisfactory. Proof of this is that in February this year it expanded its fund to invest in fintech to $250M, has carried out 4 operations so far this year and has announced that it intends to invest in Latin America in a short period of time.
Nuance, the developer of the voice recognition technology used by the Siri virtual assistant, has acquired Spanish company Agnitio, which focuses on providing solutions for forensic applications as well as fraud prevention.
If you have a company with growth potential, global and scalable in nature, Venture Capital can be your solution to the search for investment. They invest in early stage companies, help the company grow and then disinvest.
The BPO is a highly fragmented industry, where in order to grow and compete in the market, acquisitions must be made. Private equity is aware of this fact and enters BPO companies to provide them with liquidity, grow through acquisitions and then sell at a higher value. Some investors, who entered the sector early, such as Talde or 3i, have already successfully divested. Others like Carlyle and Pai Partners have just invested.
Esprinet is the leading wholesaler of technology products in Southern Europe. The group, which is listed on the Italian stock exchange, had a turnover of €2.7M in 2015. In 2016 it acquired two Spanish companies, making it the leading company in the Italian and Spanish markets and the fourth largest in Europe.
26 funds in 3 different categories: Expansion Capital, Venture Capital and Incubation, participated in the 7th Fondico call. Of these 26 funds, 9 have been selected, three in each category. Fondico will distribute €157M among these funds. Given the multiplier effect generated by this instrument, the funds participating thanks to this call will invest a minimum of €660M in Spain, which is 4.2 times the amount of €157M committed by FOND-ICO Global.