Verdane, the Northern European specialist growth equity investor, has agreed to acquire a significant majority stake in Papirfly AS, a Norway-based brand management software group, to create a global marketing technology leader. Papirfly consists of the companies Papirfly, Brandmaster, and Meriworks and is supported by a group of active investors including Chairman Erik Langaker. Together with the founders and management, Verdane will harness its deep understanding of scaling successful SaaS companies, its international network and in-house team of operating experts to accelerate Papirfly’s global growth. The transaction is set to close in February 2022, subject to subject to approval by the relevant authorities.
Founded in 2000 and based in Oslo, Norway, with offices throughout Europe, Papirfly is a top-3 European leader in its field with over 1,000,000 regular users worldwide. The company provides a cloud-based, modular software platform for brand activation management (“BAM”), helping large companies create, edit, store and distribute their brand assets at record time, lower cost and greater control for in-house and outsourced marketing efforts. Papirfly has seen significant profitable growth in recent years and supports some of the world’s most recognised businesses such as BMW, Helly Hansen, Goldman Sachs, Subway, and Unilever in activating their brands on a global scale. Today, the company serves over 500 brands worldwide and benefits from one of the highest client retention rates in the industry.
The market for brand activation management software is new and experiencing strong underlying growth as global businesses look to increase efficiency by empowering in-house teams to create brand assets and increase brand control to support and accelerate business growth. With Verdane as a partner, Papirfly will look to accelerate product development and client portfolio growth, while expanding its international footprint throughout Europe and North America through organic and inorganic growth. As the preferred growth partner to tech-enabled businesses in Europe, Verdane will leverage its extensive experience backing software companies to support Papirfly in growing its platform and scaling its operations, with the ambition of achieving and maintaining a leading global position in the marketing technology landscape.
I’m delighted to welcome Verdane as our new majority owner. With the most active investor in software growth companies in the Nordics onboard, I am confident that Papirfly is well positioned to become a global leader within brand activation management. In a time of distributed work teams and digitalised workflows, the business need for a single internal destination to communicate brand identity consistently and effectively to global audiences is imperative. Together with Verdane, we will transform how the world engages with brands.”
Karl Fredrik Lund, CEO of Papirfly
Following a comprehensive dual track strategy, contemplating an IPO versus finding an optimal strategic partner, we are more than pleased to welcome Verdane as our new majority shareholder. Verdane demonstrated a deep understanding of Papirfly’s business from early on, and will through its portfolio make it possible for us to learn from and exchange insights with some of the fastest-growing software businesses in Europe to drive our own development. I look forward to collaborating on the board of directors to drive an ambitious organic and inorganic growth agenda to strengthen Papirfly’s position as the undisputed global innovation leader within Brand Activation Management.”
Erik Langaker, Papirfly Chairman of the Board
We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with the Papirfly team and take an active role in its next growth phase. In a time of fierce competition for customer preference, Papirfly offers an innovative brand management toolkit for client-agency interactions, employer branding, retail marketing and corporate communications that promises to disrupt the legacy Digital Asset Management model. We look forward to deploying our deep sector expertise, networks, and operational expert teams to help Papirfly deliver on its promise to create distinct brand experiences that drive growth.”
Joakim Kjemperud, Principal at Verdane
Verdane has a proven track record investing in software companies, having first invested in the sector in 2003. Its current portfolio of Nordic software businesses includes Centra, Freespee, HappyOrNot, inRiver, Papirfly, Trivec, and Voyado.
The investment in Papirfly was made through Verdane Edda II. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the transaction.
For more information, please contact:
Karl Fredrik Lund, CEO Papirfly : +47 951 79 210 / karl.f.lund@papirfly.com
Erik Langaker, Chairman Papirfly : +47 976 94 555 / erik@vestland.com
Joakim Kjemperud, Principal Verdane : +47 916 94 000 / Joakim.kjemperud@verdane.com
About Papirfly
Empowering brands to do more for less for over 20 years, Papirfly provides innovative brand management tools to support businesses in creating 100% consistency at every touchpoint – whilst gaining full control of brand identity. All within one online platform.
About Verdane
Verdane is a specialist growth equity investment firm that partners with tech-enabled and sustainable European businesses to help them reach the next stage of international growth. Verdane can invest as a minority or majority investor, either in single companies or through portfolios of companies, and looks to deploy behind three core themes; the Digital Consumer, Software Everywhere and Sustainable Society. Verdane funds hold €3.6bn in total commitments and have made over 135 investments in fast-growing businesses since 2003. Verdane’s team of over 90 investment professionals and operating experts, based out of Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Oslo and Stockholm, is dedicated to being the preferred growth partner to tech-enabled and sustainable businesses in Europe.
More info: www.verdane.com
Follow Verdane on LinkedIn