The investment will be made through the acquisition of shares from existing shareholders and a rights issue of NOK 22m. After the transaction, Summa will own 69% of the shares while Viking Venture retains 23%. The remaining 8% is owned by management and employees.
Partner in Summa Equity, Christian Melby, has already managed to become familiar with EcoOnline and its customers’ challenges.
"Nearly all sectors use chemicals and are thereby required to comply with universal legislation and ensure health and safety for employees. Many companies are not adequately and safely managing their chemicals today and we believe EcoOnline’s purpose-built software helps solve this problem. EcoOnline is the best software solution on the Nordic market and we are impressed with the management team and their ability to develop and grow this business. We will continue to expand in the Nordics as well as selected other geographical markets," says Melby.
Unique platform
Since inception, EcoOnline has developed into a state of the art SaaS provider with high recurring revenues from a large and diverse customer base comprising more than 4,000 customers in all relevant industries and public sectors in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
EcoOnline’s platform ensures compliance against European legislation across the safety data sheet chain, from producers to end-users, offering strong benefits for customers in both ends of the spectrum. EcoOnline’s software solution also provides companies with chemical risk assessments and documents to conduct preventative measures.
A global tailwind
EcoOnline is expected to benefit from global tailwinds such as increasing regulatory requirements for chemical management and rise in environmentally focused companies.
Øyvind Robert Thorsen, CEO of EcoOnline, believes the time has come to expand to the European market.
"Thanks to Summa Equity’s and Viking Venture´s funding and commitment to EcoOnline, we can continue with our growth strategy and bring our services to a market which holds large potential for software adoption. Our goal is to become the European health, safety and environment thought leader, and help companies understand their chemical exposure and how to reduce harmful substances", says Thorsen.
EcoOnline has 85 employees and is headquartered in Tønsberg, Norway, with offices in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. EcoOnline is in an expansive growth phase and saw revenues grow 30% to NOK 88m in 2016.
About Summa Equity
Summa Equity was formed in 2016 by partners with a shared vision of building a leading specialised private equity firm in the Nordic lower mid-market, positioned to capture the investment opportunity provided by the thematic megatrends expected to drive growth over the long term. The firm focuses on sectors related to four megatrend-driven themes: resource scarcity, energy efficiency, changing demographics and tech-enabled businesses. Summa Equity closed its first fund in February 2017 with commitments of SEK 4.5 billion
About Viking Venture
Viking Venture is a leading Nordic venture fund focused on B2B software companies with a recurring revenue business model. Viking Venture has invested in more than 40 companies and has more than 1.7 billion NOK under management. The company is located in Trondheim, Norway and London. More information on www.vikingventure.com.