U.S. Chamber releases ninth annual International IP Index as intellectual property (IP) takes center stage in combatting the global pandemic WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) released its ninth annual International IP Index, “Recovery Through Ingenuity,” highlighting the extraordinary role of intellectual property (IP) rights in delivering pandemic-ending solutions. The new report evaluates IP rights in 53 global economies — from patent and copyright policies to commercialization of IP assets and ratification of international treaties. In a year of unprecedented challenges, the U.S., Japanese, and European economies remained atop the global IP rankings, while some emerging markets – including the UAE, China, and Mexico – continued making solid progress. The overall global IP environment also improved in 2020, with positive score increases in 32 of the 53 economies measured by the IP Index. This follows a significant increase for many economies over the last 9 years, including India and Brazil. China’s improved score is due in part to new legislation to strengthen its domestic IP framework, as a result of a trade agreement with the United States. These changes, if implemented effectively, should improve China’s domestic IP regime. However, ongoing market access barriers, uneven enforcement, measures requiring forced technology transfer, and serious deficiencies in the rule of law continue to make the business environment in China highly challenging for rightsholders. “Trade remains critically important to global IP standards,” said Neil Bradley, Chief Policy Officer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Both the U.S.-China 2020 Trade and Economic Agreement and U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement must be fully and faithfully implemented – and built upon – to harness the benefits which effective IP systems provide. Moreover, to achieve the desired effect of stimulating global innovation, countries must implement the spirit as well as the letter of these commitments.” The 2021 Index illustrates that economies with the most effective IP frameworks are more likely to achieve the socio-economic benefits needed to combat COVID-19, including greater access to venture capital, increased private sector investment in research and development, and over 10 times more clinical trial activity. Over the last year, transparent and predictable intellectual property rights have also fostered unprecedented levels of highly successful public-private sector collaborations. “The international IP system gave the innovative scientific community the capacity to respond to the global pandemic,” said David Hirschmann, President and CEO of GIPC. “Countries with the most effective IP ecosystems – as measured by the 2021 Index – become trusted partners in our mission to develop, manufacture, and distribute the solutions needed to defeat COVID-19 in record time. Now is the time to build greater international consensus and capacity on IP, to enable all countries and the next generation to build a sustained economic recovery through ingenuity,” Hirschmann said. IP continues to be a massive economic driver for jobs and investment. In the United States alone, IP supports over $6 trillion in GDP and more than 45 million jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Read the executive summary here. To view the full report, visit uschamber.com/ipindex.
On March 3rd innovative New Zealand company Good Feeding Ltd launched its Go Well infant feeding subscription programme into the lucrative US market with what Trailblazer called "the most significant global baby industry disruption ever seen". Plus they're looking for investors.
Good Feeding ’s 24-week Go Well programme delivers nutrient-dense, chilled infant food and a step-by-step feeding guide, plus expert advice, to parents introducing babies to solid foods. The programme is designed to form healthy eating habits by exposing infants to different tastes and textures and limiting natural sugars.
“Go Well is a multi-pronged approach to infant nutrition. Its value proposition is more than just food, its empowerment. We use an innovative suite of technology and exclusive cooking processes to create the world ’s best baby food – with superior colour, taste and texture to anything else on the market. We couple that with a science-backed step-by-step feeding programme packed with all the advice and guidance overwhelmed and under-informed new parents are crying out for,” says Good Feeding Co-Founder and CEO Phil McGrath.
The result is a unique proposition within the $7.6 billion US baby food market. Conservative figures from Good Feeding ’s State-side research show that 28 percent of parents surveyed intend to purchase Go Well when it is available.
With over 1000 parents visiting its site daily for advice and hundreds that signed up to be part of its pilot launch, Good Feeding currently projects it will capture a 2 percent market share in the States, growing their revenue from a projected NZ$6.3 million this year to NZ$85 million in five years, delivering projected EBITDA of approximately $17m by 2026.
Good Feeding was founded in 2018 after Phil and Frances McGrath saw a gap in the market and the opportunity to create positive change and address the rapidly rising rates of child obesity, early onset diabetes and other life-long health complaints by supporting parents to set up healthy eating habits right from the beginning.
“The baby food market is dominated by high-sugar, nutrient-poor baby food that sets children up to crave the wrong foods and overeat. Go Well counters that via education and advice for parents and flavour training and better food for infants,” says McGrath.
McGrath has a successful background in food innovation. He co-founded the popular Rafferty ’s Garden Baby Food brand that was immediately ranged in every Australian Coles and Woolworths supermarket store, rapidly taking over a 1/3 of the Australian market and was the Food Entrepreneur in Residence at Massey University ’s world-class research, teaching and business development facility, Riddet Innovation.
He was instrumental in commercialising the exclusive thermal processing technology suite used by Go Well to rapidly but gently cook vegetables, preserving nutrients, colour and flavour while killing dangerous bacteria.
Co-founder Frances McGrath is Director of Product Design at Good Feeding. She has a background in applied science and sports research and has spent years researching paediatric nutrition and food acceptance.
She says the goal is to establish healthy habits from the very first taste via Go Well ’s guided Flavour Training programme that teaches parents the right way to introduce foods. She says Go Well is designed to foster healthy confident eaters who have a positive relationship with food to take them into adulthood, potentially minimising the risks of obesity, diabetes and other lifestyle related conditions.
Investors who are looking to invest $1-5m-plus wanting to explore this opportunity can find more information at www.GoodFeeding.com.
Iconic New Zealand winery, Villa Maria Estate has announced Winebow Imports as its new exclusive import representative in the United States.
Villa Maria says it’s vision is to be one of the world’s great wine companies and the partnership with Winebow Imports further supports the company’s global growth strategy.
“Following a rigorous selection process, we are thrilled to partner with the Winebow Imports team,” says Matthew Deller MW, Villa Maria’s chief global sales and marketing officer. “Their knowledge, enthusiasm, and professionalism are unparalleled, making them perfectly positioned to realise Villa Maria’s full potential in the US.”
Winebow is a recognised leader in the US wine industry and has extensive experience working with wine brands that are dedicated to unique regions.
“We are honoured to partner with Villa Maria Estate. Their well-documented achievements and category leadership have earned them an outstanding reputation as pioneers in New Zealand wine,” said Ian Downey, executive vice president of Winebow Imports.
“Villa Maria’s guiding principles are always pointing toward positive change. Their longstanding commitment to the relationship between responsible stewardship, community, and quality, resonates strongly in today’s market. We look forward to growing this renowned brand.”
Villa Maria is the number one NZ brand in the UK, New Zealand’s largest market by volume. Despite that success, the company has historically under-indexed in the US market, this country’s largest market by value. The shift to Winebow Imports is part of the Villa Maria’s overall strategy to reach its potential in the United States.
Winebow Imports will relaunch Villa Maria throughout the US this month with a coordinated sales and marketing program to generate excitement and build awareness throughout the country. This will be closely followed by the launch of Villa Maria EarthGarden, a 100 percent Biogro-certified organic range.
Source: https://exportertoday.co.nz/
To Advance Environmental Resilience by “Deepening” Infrastructure Digital Twins!
EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with investors led by Accel-KKR to acquire Seequent—a leader in software for geological and geophysical modeling, geotechnical stability, and cloud services for geodata management, visibility, and collaboration—for $900 million in cash, subject to adjustment, plus 3,141,361 BSY Class B shares. The acquisition of Seequent is expected to initially add approximately 10% to each of Bentley Systems’ key financial metrics (ARR, annual revenue, and EBITDA) and is expected to be measurably accretive to Bentley’s organic growth rate. Most significantly, the combination will deepen the potential of infrastructure digital twins to help understand and mitigate environmental risks, advancing resilience and sustainability.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including New Zealand Overseas Investment Act consent as well as clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Upon closing, Seequent will operate as a stand-alone Bentley subsidiary, with Seequent’s current Chief Operating Officer Graham Grant, succeeding its retiring CEO Shaun Maloney, reporting to Bentley’s Chief Product Officer Nicholas Cumins.
Seequent, founded and headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand, has more than 430 colleagues in 16 office locations, serving geologists, hydrogeologists, geophysicists, geotechnical engineers, and civil engineers in over 100 countries, and the world’s top mining companies. Its established presence in mineral-intensive geographies such as South America and southern Africa is expected to accelerate Bentley’s overall opportunities in these regions with significant infrastructure requirements. In turn, Bentley’s established presence in China, and its mainstay reach across civil engineering sectors, is expected to accelerate Seequent’s expansion in new markets.
Subsurface conditions comprise the “infrastructure of our infrastructure” and literally underlie the earth’s major environmental risks. Bentley’s current offerings enable digital twins to incorporate what’s constructed “near surface,” including foundations, drainage facilities, buried utilities, tunnels, and subsea structures. The addition of Seequent will now make it possible for infrastructure digital twins to reach full subsurface depths, augmenting environmental resilience against flood, seismic, climate, and water security threats.
Seequent first applied implicit modeling technology to geological science more than 15 years ago, using mathematical tools to derive and visualize 3D geological models from measured data and user interpretation. This software advancement caused a “leapfrogging” paradigm shift in the understanding of the earth’s subsurface and has been increasingly adopted by geoscientists and researchers around the world to uncover and visualize valuable insights about environmental conditions and challenges.
Seequent’s products include Leapfrog, its leading product for 3D geological modeling and visualization, Geosoft for 3D earth modeling and geoscience data management, and GeoStudio for geotechnical slope stability and deformation modeling. Bentley’s complementary geotechnical engineering software portfolio, including PLAXIS, gINT, and OpenGround, will be integrated in due course to support open digital workflows from borehole and drillhole data to geological models and geotechnical analysis applications.
The mining industry, with its economic sensitivity and environmental responsibilities, was the first and fastest to adopt 3D earth modeling, superseding traditional 2D processes to speed and improve decision cycles. A mine is at once a never-ending and continuously changing infrastructure construction project, and a valuable and environmentally critical infrastructure asset. Seequent recognized the potential, for ALL major infrastructure engineering projects and assets, to likewise “leapfrog” traditional 2D subsurface modeling and simulation processes. Leapfrog’s usage, often in conjunction with Bentley’s software offerings, has been growing consistently in civil infrastructure sectors.
The integration of Bentley’s and Seequent’s solutions, for deeper infrastructure digital twins, can contribute a multiplied “ESG handprint” to improve the world’s environment while improving the world’s economies. While Seequent’s products aren’t appreciably used in oil and gas exploration or production—which is served by its own dedicated industry of specialized geophysical software—imperatives for energy transition present new opportunities, even beyond the expansion of mining to produce the materials needed for widespread electrification. Seequent is a leader in 3D modeling for geothermal energy sources, and its software and cloud services provide the important geosciences context for water resources simulations and environmental engineering.
Bentley’s CEO Greg Bentley said, “We can be very confident about Seequent’s contribution to our shared future not only because of our product synergies, but because we recognize in Seequent’s trajectory an echo of the playbook that made Bentley Systems successful—except they have grown faster! They have made farsighted decisions to benefit the future at every stage: identifying and then laser-focusing on the 3D “vertical” opportunity in earth modeling, institutionalizing a subscription commercial model from the outset, directly populating the appropriate global markets, acquiring and consolidating the best software for adjacent disciplines, and bringing it all together with cloud services, ready for digital twins advancement together. I can think of no greater compliment than our determination to leave intact Seequent, as a Bentley Company, entrusting its management with greater responsibilities to continue their dynamic momentum. I congratulate retiring CEO Shaun Maloney on the quality of the business and the team he has developed, and we will warmly welcome his established successor Graham Grant, and all Seequent colleagues, to our shared values and endeavors in advancing infrastructure.”
Tom Barnds, co-managing partner at Accel-KKR and Seequent board member, said, “We had been looking forward to Seequent’s IPO this year, but we are so convinced of the logic of this combination that we are glad to anticipate instead becoming BSY shareholders. The Seequent board congratulates and thanks Shaun Maloney for his long service and remarkably consistent success in growing this great business, its great management team, and this great outcome for Seequent investors and colleagues.”
Shaun Maloney, chief executive officer of Seequent, said, “By ‘leapfrogging ahead’ with Bentley to align geosciences with infrastructure engineering through deeper digital twins, Seequent underscores our conviction that better understanding of the earth creates a better world for all. Users and accounts of Seequent, as a Bentley Company, can expect business as usual, with many product and commercial synergies eventually forthcoming. For my Seequent colleagues, I am confident that the future is in safe hands with like-minded Bentley Systems and our COO Graham Grant, so this presents a timely moment for me to announce my planned retirement. For all, our new larger scope presents a great opportunity for shared advancement.”
Bentley’s CFO David Hollister said, “The transaction is expected to close in Q2, with the cash consideration settled via a combination of cash on hand and availability under our undrawn $850 million revolving credit facility. We expect Seequent to contribute in excess of $80 million to our ARR during this year. Seequent impressively has a historical and current organic revenue growth rate which, coupled with an operating margin profile similar to ours, makes Seequent accretive to our financial model. Our financing of this transaction is facilitated by having issued, earlier this year, $690 million in convertible debt, due 2026. Our deleveraging target—to reduce our total net leverage multiple of Adjusted EBITDA from under 4.0x post-closing, to about 2.5x over the next two years—could be accelerated by any future equity offerings.”
Advisors
BofA Securities is serving as financial advisor, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Bell Gully are acting as legal counsel, to Bentley Systems. Goldman Sachs is serving as financial advisor and DLA Piper is acting as legal counsel to Seequent.
Seequent is a world leader in the development of 3D geological modelling and visual data software for understanding subsurface geoscience and engineering design solutions.
Our solutions enable people to analyze complex data, manage risk and ultimately make better decisions about earth, environment, and energy challenges.
Seequent software is used on large-scale projects globally, including road and rail tunnel construction, groundwater detection and management, geothermal exploration, subsea infrastructure mapping, resource evaluation and subterranean storage of spent nuclear fuel.
Seequent’s global footprint includes its Christchurch-based HQ and R&D center, and a network of offices across Asia/Pacific, Africa, South America, North America and Europe servicing blue chip companies and customers with leading subsurface solutions in over 100 countries.
https://www.seequent.com
About Bentley SystemsBentley Systems (Nasdaq: BSY) is the infrastructure engineering software company. We provide innovative software to advance the world’s infrastructure – sustaining both the global economy and environment. Our industry-leading software solutions are used by professionals, and organizations of every size, for the design, construction, and operations of roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, and industrial facilities. Our offerings include MicroStation-based applications for modeling and simulation, ProjectWise for project delivery, AssetWise for asset and network performance, and the iTwin platform for infrastructure digital twins. Bentley Systems employs more than 4,000 colleagues and generates annualized revenues of more than $800 million in 172 countries. www.bentley.com
MEA Drives Growth for International Retailers With Customer Experience Innovation
Digital agency and app developer MEA today announced the release of its photo printing apps for Apple’s new M1 Mac. The new apps help customers order photo prints and gifts from Apple’s new Macs that are powered by Apple Silicon, the first ever chip designed by Apple for desktop computers.
MEA’s award winning photo printing apps, including Photo Prints+, Photo Prints Now and Printicular, are already available on iPhone and iPad. With the new Mac apps, customers can order photo prints & gifts directly from their desktop with all of the same features as the mobile apps.
MEA has partnered with major retailers including in the USA, UK, Japan and New Zealand and provides optimised purchasing experiences for customers seeking local pick up & home delivery of photo gifts & products. Using the apps customers can place orders at more than 25,000 stores worldwide. MEA drives growth for its retail partners through innovative customer experiences and targeted customer acquisition.
The new M1 Macs are predicted to make an impact on the industry with their lower costs and higher performance. M1 Macs have been forecast to make up 7% of all laptop sales by July 2021.
‘Releasing our existing iPad apps for Apple’s M1 Mac has opened up a whole new market and endless possibilities’ said Sacha Penny, Chief Marketing Officer at MEA. She added 'MEA is again working at the forefront of technology to find new ways to activate customers for our retail partners.'
For more information contact us / +6492803209 / info@we-are-mea.com.
The agency’s Chair, Andrew Ferrier, and Chief Executive, Peter Chrisp, recently appeared before the Select Committee for Economic Development, Science and Innovation.
“I certainly don’t need to tell you all that it has been a tough and challenging year, but it also has been a year of opportunity," said Ferrier. “We have been part of the Government’s Trade Recovery Strategy, along with MFAT, MPI, MBIE, Regional Business Partners and other key government departments and agencies. This has been the most comprehensive NZ Inc effort that we have ever been involved with.
“Within this broader effort, our focus at NZTE has been to do everything we can to support exporters to stay connected to international markets, through the most turbulent time that any of us can remember.”
Chrisp detailed NZTE’s use of an extra $216 million over the next four years, allocated as part of the Government’s Trade Recovery Strategy. He said the additional funds were focused on three areas.
“First, Intensity, which means we have doubled the number of high focus export companies, who receive the most intense services, from 700 to 1400.
“Secondly, Reach, whereby we support all of New Zealand’s 12,000 export companies. We have done this by launching our new digital portal – myNZTE; by developing digital training and coaching; by ramping up access to private-sector advisers; and by significantly increasing the investment in the Regional Business Partner voucher system, with more than 11,000 companies receiving these services.
“And, thirdly, Scale, which has meant employing 37 more people to support customers directly, most of them in overseas posts, to help exporters when they can’t travel to market themselves. We have also increased the amount of co-investment with companies by doubling the International Growth Fund, to a total of $60 million available to be approved this year.
“In each of these areas, we have a particular focus on supporting Māori companies and investors, and have continued to grow and develop our internal Maori Team, Te Pora Maori.”
Today America’s Brewers Association released its highly anticipated 2021 Beer Style Guidelines which have included two completely new styles recognising New Zealand hops:
The guidelines set the scene for brewers, beer judges and competition organisers all around the world. New Zealand hops have been recognised for their unique profile, providing flavours and aromas like no other hops. The Association has particularly noted the strength of New Zealand hop varieties; Nelson Sauvin™, Moutere™, Wakatu™, Rakau™ and Motueka™. Use of these hops and others from the portfolio of New Zealand grown hops, will help define the features of these New Zealand-Style Pale Ales. The new beer styles will be part of the upcoming Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the largest annual blind tasting competition in the USA and the new categories are expected to draw a lot of entries. “This recognition of the unique style of New Zealand grown hops catapults our industry onto the world stage” says Craig Orr, CEO of NZ Hops. “It honours our Growers, many have been growing hops here in Tasman for years, and our partners Plant and Food Research with whom we share a long term program on innovation for new varieties. Plus it acknowledges craft brewers everywhere for “creating” this category by continuing to innovate and push boundaries with our varietals. It is just phenomenal news.” The news comes as New Zealand hop growers are kicking off the annual harvest, the busiest time of the year when growers work around the clock to harvest and dry the precious cones. This year they can do so knowing these hops might find their way into beers around the globe with “NZ” proudly on the label. The two new beer styles join only two others in the new guidelines; Kentucky Common Beer and Belgium-Style Session Ale.
https://nzhops.co.nz/
New Zealand universities will be the first to benefit from a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and global space and data analytics company Maxar Technologies .
Maxar and MBIE have agreed on potential areas of collaboration, including use of advanced Earth observation satellites and data analytics, space technologies and science-technology-engineering and mathematics (STEM) education programmes.
The MOU with Maxar is an excellent example of the work of MBIE’s Innovative Partnerships Programme and New Zealand Space Agency in forging partnerships with world-leading firms that can help drive innovation in New Zealand.
Maxar Technologies is a trusted partner and has a history of providing timely, high-resolution satellite imagery to the New Zealand government, and establishing an MOU is an important step in enabling collaboration between our organisations.
This agreement will provide important opportunities for New Zealand organisations to partner with a top innovator in Earth observation and Space Infrastructure.
The first project between MBIE and Maxar, TakiWaehere – The Geospatial Hackathon, will take place over the weekend of 17-18 April 2021. Maxar will grant New Zealand university students access to portions of its vast imagery archive of high-resolution Earth observation data, which includes full coverage over New Zealand dating back almost 20 years. Access to this data will enable the students to learn from and analyse economic, health and environmental challenges, and create innovative solutions to real world cases.
We’re looking forward to hosting the first of several projects with Maxar, and to further collaboration that will better position New Zealand to address its economic, social and environmental challenges.
The MOU was signed virtually today from MBIE in Wellington and Maxar Technologies at their headquarters in Westminster, Colorado, USA.
www.maxar.com
READOUT - OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON - JANUARY 29, 2021
The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister affirmed our close partnership, and the Secretary noted the outstanding example New Zealand has set in successfully combating COVID-19. The ministers promised close cooperation to fight climate change, strengthen multilateral organizations, support Pacific Island countries, and promote human rights, the rule of law, and regional stability. The Secretary pledged the United States’ support for New Zealand’s APEC host year. Together the United States and New Zealand will continue to tackle the greatest challenges confronting our world in order to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Translation technology acquisition will provide Straker with key connector technology, offer new enterprise translation relationships with major corporates, materially grow Straker’s revenue and is forecast to be EBITDA break-even in
FY22. ACQUISITION HIGHLIGHTS:
• Binding agreement to acquire Lingotek business and assets for US$6.47 million (NZ$9.1 million1 ), comprising US$5.27 million in cash and US$1.2 million in shares at transaction completion plus deferred consideration. • Extends and consolidates Straker’s presence in the multi-billion-dollar US translation market; • Establishes new relationships with 20 enterprise customers and partners, including Oracle, Nike, and Acquia; • Adds strategic translation connector technology onto Straker’s RAY Ai-powered technology platform; • Lingotek generated US$7.9m (NZ$11.2m) revenue in CY202 ; • The acquisition is expected to be EBITDA break-even in FY22; • Lingotek’s management team, including its founder/CEO to be aligned with acquisition success via a performance-linked earn-out structure and will continue to drive the business. • Competitively priced acquisition with a material component of SaaS revenue; and • Acquisition funded through a combination of new debt facility, equity and Straker’s cash reserves. Auckland, New Zealand – Straker Translations (ASX: STG), a leading global technology-driven translation services platform, today announces it has entered into a binding agreement with Lingotek, Inc to acquire (through a Straker US subsidiary) 100% of the ‘Lingotek’ business and all business assets from Lingotek, Inc for a combination of cash and share consideration. Lingotek, which is based in Lehi, Utah and was founded in 2006, provides translation technology, website and software localisation, consultancy and document management. Lingotek has 51 employees. Lingotek has developed a suite of advanced translation connectors, the software interfaces that allow customers to connect their systems with its translation management system. In the year ending December 31, 2020 Lingotek generated NZ$11.2 million (US$7.9m), of which around 40% is subscription-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) revenue. The asset purchase agreement was signed on 21 January 2021 and is expected to be completed on 1 February 2021. Completion of the transaction is not subject to any conditions precedent. Strategic benefits The acquisition consolidates and extends Straker’s presence in the multi-billion-dollar US translation market, establishing new relationships with 20 global enterprises, including Oracle Nike, and Acquia. It also offers Straker acquisition synergies, including the gains that will come from the integration of the RAY Ai-powered translation platform into Lingotek. The transaction will materially boost Straker’s revenue and is expected to be EBITDA break-even in FY22. Founder and Chief Executive Grant Straker said regarding the proposed acquisition: “We are delighted to have reached this agreement to acquire Lingotek. A key element of our strategy is to accelerate growth through the acquisition of companies that have relationships with global enterprises and/or key technology complimentary to our RAY Ai powered translation platform. We then realise the latent value in these relationships by upselling these companies on the gains that come with our global reach and our advanced RAY platform. This transaction is consistent with that long standing growth strategy. “Our approach was most recently validated by the transformative agreement we struck with IBM in November, when that Fortune 500 company agreed to make Straker its strategic translation provider. That agreement emerged out of a relationship between IBM and Spain’s MSS, which we acquired in 2018. “Lingotek offers similar potential. It represents a fantastic opportunity to acquire enterprise customers, SaaS revenue, a US-based team of enterprise salespeople and an in-market tech team. “Meanwhile the Lingotek’s technology offers strong synergies with Straker’s RAY platform with minimal overlap. Notably, over several years Lingotek has invested and innovated in advanced translation connector technology. “These connectors will position us with the most advanced technology in the industry and represent a strategic capability for Straker. They will dramatically increase the number of companies around the world to which we can seamlessly connect our RAY translation platform. “We are also delighted Lingotek’s founder and CEO Jeff Labrum has agreed to join Straker Translations and realise the considerable potential we see in combining our businesses, our technologies and leveraging Straker’s global reach,” Mr Straker said. Founder and Chief Executive of Lingotek, Jeff Labrum, stated: “It is with great anticipation that Lingotek joins Straker Translations. Lingotek’s suite of advanced translation technology will dovetail into Straker’s world-leading RAY Ai-powered translation platform, ensuring RAY remains the most advanced technology platform in the industry. Combining our technology and strategic customer relationships with RAY, as well as Straker’s global service offering, will help underpin Straker’s ongoing growth, particularly in the US. Combining with Straker will give us a truely global channel for our SaaS platform and innovative technology, which is a really exciting prospect. Lingotek customers will also benefit from having a global supplier with productivity enhancing technology, great people and a world leading service offering. Personally, I am very pleased to be joining the Straker team, as are my key senior colleagues, as Straker becomes a major player in the global translation sector providing the industry’s best Ai driven solutions and processes for the benefit of our customers.”
Transaction detail Straker has agreed to an upfront payment on completion of US$6.47 million (NZ$9.1m3 ) for Lingotek, comprising US$5.27 million in cash and US$1.2 million in Straker ordinary shares at an issue price of AU$1.59 per share 4 The new shares will be issued under the Company’s 15% placement capacity under Listing Rule 7.1. Following completion it will also provide an additional US$0.71 million of working capital to drive growth from the Lingotek platform connectors across the Straker Group. In addition, Straker has agreed to pay earn-out consideration to the Lingotek vendors of up to an additional US$3.13m in cash over two years contingent on hitting revenue growth targets. The Company believes this structure strongly aligns the vendors with the ongoing success of the transaction. The acquisition is to be funded via a mix of equity, debt and cash reserves: § NZ$1.7m (US$1.2m) in new Straker shares issued to Lingotek vendors at AU$1.59 per share as initial upfront consideration; 5 § NZ$7.4m (US$5.27m) via a new debt facility, as initial upfront consideration; and § remaining NZ$4.4m (US$3.13) cash earn out consideration to be paid over the two year earnout period if the full earn-out is achieved, presently expected to be funded by Straker’s existing cash reserves at the relevant time. Lingotek’s management team, including its founder/CEO, will continue with the Lingotek business after acquisition and will continue to manage Lingotek operations from Lingotek’s US-based head office. New debt facility terms Straker has entered into two new debt facilities for a total committed amount of NZ$8.0m as follows: • a secured simple term debt facility of NZ$6.5 million, provided by a syndicate of high-net-worth investors, some of whom were early Straker investors, with an interest rate of 10.50% p.a.; and • a second unsecured simple term debt facility of NZ$1.5 million, provided by an entity associated with Steve Donovan, a Straker non-executive director, with an interest rate of 11.50 p.a.; • both facilities have a 12-month maturity and are otherwise on the same terms, with the exception of the security arrangements and interest rate; • both facilities will be fully drawn at transaction completion to fund the initial cash consideration and initial Lingotek working capital. Following completion of the acquisition, Straker’s balance sheet will remain strong with expected pro-forma gearing of approximately 1% on a net debt to net debt plus equity basis.
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