Verdane Capital acquires portfolio with shares in six Internet companies

Private equity fund manager Verdane acquires shares in six companies; Mathem, OutNet, SwedOffice, WebForum, StoryTel and BabyShop from Aggregate Media. Initially Verdane purchases 10-20 percent of the shares and will also provide follow-on capital to ensure continued strong growth within the companies.

Verdane already has extensive experience in the field of e-commerce through portfolio companies; LensOn, EasyArt, TradeDoubler, BytHjul and Dibs. The deal with Aggregate Media allows Verdane Capital to strengthen its x position in the Nordic "second-hand market" for investments in portfolios of unlisted companies, which simultaneously increases the liquidity of the private equity and venture capital markets. Since 2003 Verdane has made 13 portfolio transactions and this is their second acquisition from Aggregate Media.

The companies involved in the deal with Aggregate Media provide e-commerce services in the areas of food, outdoor and travel products, office supplies, web-based project management, audio books and children's clothing. After this acquisition Verdane Capital holds shares in approximately 100 companies operating in various industries and becomes the private equity company holding the most e-commerce companies in Sweden.

”The companies we have acquired are rapidly growing and have positive cash flow, so, along with each company's management, we plan to further develop them to become leaders in their respective market segments,” says Staffan Mörndal, Investment Manager at Verdane Capital.

Verdane intends to make follow-on investments in several companies in the coming months to further enhance the companies’ operations and strengthen their market positions.

”We are very happy to have Verdane backing us as an investor, they really understand e-partnerships and will help MatHem to become the obvious choice for consumers wanting to buy groceries online,” says Tomas Kull, CEO, MatHem.

Company information:
www.Mathem.se - has quickly made its way to the very top of the list of operators selling foodstuffs online evidenced by the company's award as ”Site of the month” by Internetworld, one of Sweden's top Internet publications. The customer has access to a large grocery store on the web in combination with a large number of recipes, and all of this is delivered directly to their home at their specified time.

www.Outnet.se - Outnet is an online store for products in the area of outdoor activities and travel. The company is based on the Scandinavian brands that stand for functionality, quality and good design.

www.SwedOffice.se - sells office supplies online in Sweden. The company's mission is to offer companies and organizations a wide range of high quality office products at reasonable prices.

www.WebForum.se - offers a web based service that facilitates project work and collaborations. The service is offered as rental service on the Internet, known as Software as a Service (SaaS). WebForum has around 700 customers and over 50 000 users in 20 countries.

www.StoryTel.se - is a new way to listen to audio books directly from your computer, home stereo or mobile phone. The company offers 1000's of titles written by major authors.

www.BabyShop.se. - Sells baby and children's clothing online and features brands such as Molo, Skip Hop and Nova Star. The company also operates babyshop.com with customers in over 20 countries.

For further information, contact:
Staffan Mörndal, Investment Manager Verdane Capital Advisors.Tel +46 709 31 52 35,
e-mail: staffan.morndal@verdanecapital.com

Tomas Kull, CEO, MatHem.Tel: + 46 8 622 62 50,
e-mail: tomas@mathem.se