A leading Pan-European Technology Corporate Finance Firm

May 2012 – Lorentz, Deschamps & Associates (LD&A), with offices in Paris and London, and Munich-based Jupiter Capital Partners, two leading European technology investment banking boutiques, have announced the combination of their respective businesses to build a leading pan-European technology corporate finance firm serving highly innovative and fast-growing companies and investors across Europe. The two firms will integrate their operations and leverage their sector expertise and customer reach under the common brand name ‘LD&A Jupiter’. With offices in the three largest European markets and reach across the continent, LD&A Jupiter will offer a pan-European coverage, combining cross-border capability with local presence and know-how that is unique in specialised technology corporate finance in Europe. LD&A Jupiter identifies, structures and executes value-creative private and public market transactions for corporations and financial investors. Transactions include build-ups, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures as well as the issuance of equity or debt capital for customers from the Software, IT Services, Telecoms, Internet/Digital Media, Gaming, Customer Care, Electronics and Cleantech industries.

The founding partners of the two companies, Francis Lorentz and Marc Deschamps of LD&A, Ralf Philipp Hofmann and Julian Ostertag of Jupiter, share the same vision with respect to providing corporate finance advisory services to the European technology markets. Creation and growth of innovative technology companies will accelerate in Europe, driven by the ongoing upsurge of technological changes. Cloud computing, mobile internet, data analytics and connected TV are currently fuelling new waves of disruptive innovations comparable to internet innovations in the 1990’s. European technology companies have engineers with an outstanding quality and strive to become global players. Start-ups driven by dedicated entrepreneurs intend to grow internationally, mid-caps will have to consolidate through cross-border mergers or acquisitions, large and mature companies will have to update their portfolio through innovative technologies. This will result in an increasing demand for venture and development financing, for build-up processes and for merger and exit transactions.

LD&A Jupiter is very well positioned in this highly active market in Europe. The technology corporate finance firm with more than 25 professionals based in Munich, Paris and London has a strong track record of domestic and cross-border transactions and a strong global reach, including US coverage (East and West Coast) as well as a reach into India and China via partner investment banking firms. While LD&A Jupiter has the scale and experience to be a European category leader, the firm is highly flexible, creative and close to its clients. Due to its unique blend of industrial and financial expertise LD&A Jupiter has a thorough understanding of both entrepreneurs’ and investors’ needs and can enable their corporate finance strategies.

Since inception in 2004 and 2007, respectively, LD&A and Jupiter Capital Partners have both accomplished numerous international benchmark transactions. The LD&A Jupiter team works closely with a network of more than 250 private equity funds, family offices and corporate ventures in Europe and worldwide. Transactions executed by LD&A Jupiter include:

• Financial advisor to Chillingo (UK),  leading mobile games publisher, on the sale to Electronic Arts (USA)
• Financial advisor to La Poste (F), French national Post, on the launching of a MVNO jointly with the telecom operator SFR, and the acquisition of Debitel
• Financial advisor to Intershop Communications (D) on the sale of existing shares and capital increase with GSI Commerce, Inc. (US)
• Financial advisor to Sohomint (D) on the majority sale to Axel Springer (D)
• Financial advisor to SCM MicroSystems (US/D) on the merger with Bluehill ID (CH) to form Identive Group
• Advisor to DFJ Esprit (UK) on the €20m equity capital increase and secondary investment of DFJ Esprit, Alven Capital and FSI in Qosmos (F),  network intelligence technology
• Financial Advisor of Identive Group (US/D) on the majority acquisition of payment solutions
• Financial advisor to Backelite (F), leading m-commerce and m-media technology provider, on its sale to Prosodie/Capgemini (F)
• Financial advisor to Damilo (F), IT service company, on its sale to Manpower (USA)
• Financial advisor to ProSiebenSat.1 (D) on the sale of billiger.de (D)
• Financial advisor to Mendix (NL), PaaS in the corporate application space, on its private €9m equity placement by Prime Ventures and HENQ Invest
• Financial advisor to adnologies (D) on the equity private placement with ViewPoint Capital Partners (D)