Press release DEWB acquires a share in LemnaTec World’s leading provider of digital analysis systems for automated phenotyping of plants and other research organisms Expansion financing for growth of the pharmaceuticals business division
First issued: 27th May 2013 ©LemnaTec 2013, SS
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Jena, 24 May 2013 – Deutsche Effecten- und Wechsel-Beteiligungsgesellschaft AG (DEWB) has taken a share in LemnaTec GmbH, Aachen, Germany. This initial DEWB share acquisition included the exit of the hither to leading investor S-VC Risikokapitalfonds für die Regionen Aachen, Krefeld und Mönchengladbach GmbH, along with other investors. Since the company was founded in 1998, S-VC provided seed funding for LemnaTec, supporting the development of the company during its first expansion phase. Within the framework of subsequent financing, which, along with DEWB, LemnaTec’s management also participated in, the company will be provided with at least two million Euro of fresh capital. After capital increase, DEWB holds a share of 43.6 percent in LemnaTec. The Aachen-based company LemnaTec is the leading provider of automated high-throughput discovery platfroms for the measurement, and analysis of phenotypes and phenotypical varieties of plants, and other research organisms. Amongst other markets, fields of application can be found in agricultural chemistry, plant cultivation, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research. The product portfolio of LemnaTec comprises both analysis devices for small laboratory-scale applications and large-scale installations for research greenhouses and outdoor research systems. LemnaTec has been recording profitable growth figures since 2004 and achieved a turnover of approx. ten million Euro in 2012. The range of customers comprises renowned international companies such as DuPont-Pioneer, BASF, Bayer Cropscience, and Monsanto, as well as international research institutions and universities. LemnaTec plans on using the financial means provided by this round of financing to extend the product portfolio with development of industry-specific solutions for the pharmaceuticals market and to drive growth within this market niche. “We were impressed by the market position and the clear developmental edge of LemnaTec. With the agricultural industry, LemnaTec is already established in a highly attractive future market. On the one hand, the globally increasing demand for foodstuffs and biomass as energy resource and, on the other hand, climate change, issue huge challenges to the industry. Already today, these challenges could not be addressed without the use of genetic engineering regarding the optimisation of plants. In this respect, LemnaTec provides tailored innovative solutions with a clear growth potential. Furthermore, we believe that there is further significant potential in the development of the pharmaceuticals segment by means of applications for pre-clinical drug discovery and testing,” says Bertram Köhler, chairman of DEWB. “With capital provided by the current financing we can expand our young business division of pharmaceuticals. Building upon the experience provided from some of our analysis systems are already used successfully in the field of drug discovery, we would like to satisfy the demand from the pharmaceutical industry with further industry-specific solutions,” says Dirk Vandenhirtz, managing director and founder of LemnaTec GmbH. “We are very happy that we were able to win DEWB over as an active investor who will energetically support our continued expansion with its technological expertise and its network in the optical industry and in the bio instruments market, as well as in the pharmaceuticals segment.” LemnaTec is the first new engagement of DEWB this year. DEWB plans on completing at least one further investment with a promising company over the course of the year. In so doing, technology-oriented medium-sized companies in the photonics and sensor technology segments, as well as their fields of application in production and automation engineering and adjacent areas are the focus of investment.
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LemnaTec
LemnaTec GmbH · Schumanstr. 18 · 52146 Würselen · Germany Phone: +49 24 05 41 26-15 · info@lemnatec.com
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About LemnaTec LemnaTec GmbH develops and manufactures biomeasurement and image analysis platforms and has emerged as the leading supplier in its field. The focus is on innovative systems for automated high throughput analysis of plant phenomics. The complete solutions of the company include camera and sensor systems, application and analysis software, high-speed data processing components, as well as automation engineering on the basis of the proprietary MovingField system concept for plant handling and growth management. Other discovery platforms such as ScanalyzerHTS and Scanalyzer3D are used globally in agricultural and research facilities. The company was founded in 1998 in Aachen, Germany, and combines biologists, physicians, chemists, bioinformaticians, ecotoxicologists, as well as hardware and software engineers to become an interdisciplinary team with currently, 29 employees. About DEWB Deutsche Effecten- und Wechsel-Beteiligungsgesellschaft AG (DEWB AG, Entry Standard, WKN: 804100 / ISIN: DE0008041005) is an investment company specialising on young and established medium-sized companies. Their investment activities are focused on high-growth companies with the technology focus on photonics and sensor technology, as well as their fields of application in production and automation engineering and adjacent areas. They support these companies by means of equity, expertise in the field of company development, and their industry network. Since 1997, they invested more than 360 million Euro in 56 companies and achieved more than 465 million Euro within the framework of 42 exits, including eight stock market launches. The company is headquartered in Jena, Germany, one of the most successful regions for technology and science in Germany with a long-standing tradition in the field of optical technologies and one of the most important European centres for photonics. Contact: Marco Scheidler DEWB AG Fraunhoferstraße 1 07743 Jena; Germany Phone: +49 (0) 3641 31000 30 Fax: +49 (0) 3641 31000 40 Email: ir@dewb.de www.dewb.de
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LemnaTec
LemnaTec GmbH · Schumanstr. 18 · 52146 Würselen · Germany Phone: +49 24 05 41 26-15 · info@lemnatec.com