Verdane buys five companies from Ferd family office

Verdane Capital Advisors has acquired five companies from Norwegian family office Ferd Capital, according to a statement.

The portfolio companies include Aspiro, which owns Norwegian music streaming service Wimp; Napatech, a Danish network adapter manufacturer; and Eniram, a Finnish maritime energy software company.

“The companies acquired have global ambitions and are active in the software and energy sectors. Verdane funds already own more than 20 companies in different niches in those sectors,” Verdane managing partner Lars Thoresen said in the statement.

Ferd sold the companies in an effort to focus on investments in larger and more mature companies.

“The transaction frees up valuable time and resource for Ferd,” Trond Solberg, an investment director at Ferd said in the statement.

Verdane acquired the companies using its Verdane VIII, which closed last month on SEK 2 billion (€220 million; $300 million). The fund sealed its first exit last week, selling its 20 percent stake in domestic appliance e-commerce company WhiteAway to a company owned by Danish fashion mogul Anders Holch Povlsen, Secondaries Investor reported.

Verdane is based in Oslo, Norway and has offices in Stockholm and Helsinki. The firm makes direct secondary investments and focuses on Nordic portfolios in the energy, information and communications technology and general industries.

Verdane and Ferd previously worked together on a joint venture in hearing systems company Nacre, which was sold to personal protection equipment company Bacou-Dalloz in 2007, according to the statement.