William Blair acted as exclusive financial advisor to smaXtec, the world’s leading provider of bolus technology for the dairy industry and AI-powered dairy health management software, in connection with its pending sale to KKR Growth and Highland Europe (Highland). Existing shareholder Sophora Unternehmerkapital (Sophora) retained a minority stake in the business. The transaction is still subject to the approval of the relevant antitrust authorities.
About the Companies
smaXtec provides dairy farmers with the most advanced health monitoring system, designed to prevent diseases in cows, boost milk yields, improve animal welfare, and reduce methane emissions in milk production. By integrating cutting-edge AI technology, such as the TruAdvice™ system, smaXtec detects potential diseases long before they become clinical. This enables farmers to prevent most diseases altogether by applying milder and alternative treatments. The combination of accurate data and intelligent insights helps farmers around the world to optimize their operations, improve the efficiency of daily tasks and reduce antibiotic use. The company is committed to enhancing the stability, sustainability, and profitability of dairy farming globally.
KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. The firm aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. The firm’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries.
Highland invests in exceptional growth-stage technology and consumer companies. Formally launched in 2012, the firm has raised more than €2.75 billion and has invested in companies such as Adjust, AMCS, Camunda, ContentSquare, Deepki, Descartes Underwriting, GetYourGuide, Featurespace, Finbourne, Huel, ME+EM, Nexthink, Nothing, Oritain, PVcase, SoSafe, Supermetrics and Zwift. Highland’s collective history of investments across the US, Europe and China includes, 45-plus IPOs, 150-plus M&A exits and 40 billion-dollar-plus companies.
Sophora, based in Munich, is an independent and owner-managed investment company with a focus on medium-sized companies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The company consists of an interdisciplinary team of entrepreneurs with many years of experience in the investment business and as founders and managing directors of companies. As a value-creating partner of entrepreneurs and management teams of medium-sized companies, Sophora provides strategic and operational know-how as well as a comprehensive network of experts and flexible capital in order to jointly discover and develop potentials.
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