Advance Capital Partners Raised EUR 223m

Ljubljana, 5th July 2024 - Advance Capital Partners has successfully raised additional EUR 52m in the second round of fundraising for its first private equity fund. The total commitments of investors for the special investment fund Advance Capital Partners SIS (ACP SIS) thus reached EUR 173m, making ACP SIS the largest private equity fund in the entire Adriatic region. In total 67 private and institutional investors have committed to invest EUR 223m across both funds, managed by Advance Capital Partners.

"In the second round, we exceeded our ambitious plans by almost double. The third and final round of fundraising, in which potential investors can still join the ACP SIS fund, will be completed in the autumn. Based on the extraordinary response from investors, I believe that after the end of the registration period we will manage around a quarter of a billion EUR in assets. This further confirms the assessment of region’s urgent need for a private equity fund capable of executing larger and more high-profile acquisitions, transforming companies into leading players in the Adriatic region," said CEO of Advance Capital Partners, Aleš Škerlak.

In the first months of operation, ACP SIS already carried out three acquisitions in Slovenia and Croatia. Following the fulfillment of the suspension conditions, the fund recently became a 60% stakeholder of Solvis, largest Croatian manufacturer and developer of integrated photovoltaic systems and solar panels. Solvis has thus far installed over 350 solar power plants, with most of its panel production being exported to European markets. The goal is to develop Solvis into a leading provider of energy solutions in the entire Adriatic region and a globally recognized player in the field of advanced building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). The successful Croatian company will continue to develop its own solar power plant projects and plans to build at least 500 MW of additional capacity in the region in the next 5 years.

ACP SIS also owns the majority equity stake in Margis, a leading Slovenian company specializing in business digitalization. Margis solutions have been implemented by more than 140 different companies and organizations, that via company's solutions completely digitally manage more than 100 million documents, on which they perform over 100,000 actions and digital signatures daily.

ACP SIS also entered in its first investment in the field of specialized trade, acquiring an 80% stake in the largest Slovenian specialized bicycle and e-bike retailer A2U. With the planned opening of new branches in major Slovenian cities and penetration in the Adriatic region, A2U aims to become the leading regional provider of bicycles, e-bikes and cycling equipment with annual revenues of more than EUR 50m.

Advance Capital Partners d.d., SIS, k.d. (ACP SIS) has the status of a special investment fund and is subject to the supervision of Securities Market Agency. The fund will invest in up to 12 companies, developing them into leading players in the Adriatic region, which has a total population of 20 million. The fund's target industries are IT, energy solutions, mobility/logistics, specialized trade/e-commerce, healthcare, industrial technologies and other special opportunities, with each investment generally ranging between EUR 10m and EUR 30m. The key investor in the fund is Adventura Investments d.o.o.. In the process of establishment is also the second fund, Advance Capital Partners d.d., AIS II, k.d., (ACP AIS II), with a target size of EUR 50m, that will be intended exclusively for professional investors. Investment policy of the ACP AIS II fund will be focused on managing and finding complementary investments to Big Bang Group. After fulfillment of suspensive conditions Adventura Investments will transfer its majority stake in the company Bidigital d.o.o. to ACP AIS II.

This message is informative in nature and is intended only to inform the public about the activities of Advance Capital Partners d.d.. This message is not intended for (pre)marketing of units of the specialized or alternative investment fund Advance Capital Partners II, SIS, k.d. or Advance Capital Partners d.d., AIS II, k.d.. Alternative investments fund Advance Capital Partners AIS II is currently in the phase of registration at ATVP for registration of alternative investment fund. Adventura Investments d.o.o. will transfer its 56,73% equity stake in Bidigital d.o.o., that owns majority equity stake in Big Bang d.o.o., to Advance Capital Partners d.d., AIS II, k.d. as in-kind contribution. The transfer of the investment is subject to obtaining all regulatory approvals and completion of suspensive conditions. The investment is currently still owned by Adventura Investments d.o.o..