Alla inlägg av andreasberonius

Greening pensions with AP7

This year, our team recieved commitment for Alder’s Fund III, with significant investor interest in our sustainability-focused strategy. One investor, AP7, has supported Alder from the beginning, investing in all three funds. As a Swedish government agency overseeing premium pension funds, AP7 has investments in over 3,000 companies globally, prioritising capital for ESG solutions. We spoke with AP7’s Johan Florén, Chief ESG & Communication Officer, and Per Olofsson, Deputy CIO and Head of Alternatives, to gain insight into their commitment to financing the green transition.

Johan Florén

Per Olofsson

Can you tell us about the background of AP7’s focus on sustainable investments and how you started working with Alder?

PO: Public equity markets have led the charge in sustainability, while private equity, our realm, took a bit longer to catch up. But in 2007, we decided to allocate a portion of our capital to what was then called “cleantech”. Not long after, we connected with Alder who was raising capital for their first fund. The industry didn’t use terms like ESG as much then, and impact measures were pretty underdeveloped. A lot has changed, but even then, we recognised the significance of investing in companies tackling environmental issues.


How do you stay ahead and relevant in terms of innovative investments?

JF: Sustainable finance is in a state of constant and rapid change, and the competition is fierce, which makes it hard to remain unique. Staying ahead demands continuous effort and a proactive and adaptive approach – it requires an organisation and management team that’s on board for constant evolution. You also need to be curious and good at filtering and absorbing information about new technologies, regulations and breakthroughs.


And how do you see AP7’s role, or the financial sector’s in general, in the green transition?

JF: We know that if we want to be part of the solution, ownership is the key. We focus on supporting smaller, innovative enterprises in their growth phase, providing the continuous capital they need to scale. Our selection criteria prioritise companies with significant sustainability impact and we actively contribute to their journey towards maturity and addressing global challenges. This unique opportunity isn’t feasible in the listed market, where investors merely trade stocks.

PO: To add to that, our role is to put pressure on companies that are lagging in their sustainability progress. While challenging to measure, pushing the transition model forward with companies lacking a specific climate focus could have a substantial impact as they raise their standards. However, this commitment must come from within the organisation, embraced by top management and boards, and integrated into the overall business strategy. External pressure, whether from us or others, is insufficient without internal commitment.


What is your process for ensuring that you invest in impactful companies and where do you draw the line for blacklisting sectors or companies?

PO: The AP7 method, which we’ve had since the fund launched, uses a norms-based screening built on the UN Global Compact principles of human rights, environment, labour rights and anti-corruption. We apply it to all our assets, impact investment or otherwise. When we started investing in impact prospects, the bar for goals like net zero was still quite low, but as companies have become more ambitious, we have increased our requirements correspondingly. Of course, we draw a line for companies we can’t invest in if they don’t meet our standards. But you can’t take that decision lightly because if you strike off too many sectors, you lose the ability to influence what’s going on. So it’s a final step that we consider carefully.

JF: In terms of our focus, we’ve been working with the climate transition for several years, and now we are also engaged in the TNFD – the Task Force for Nature-related Financial Disclosure. So, our efforts are moving more into biodiversity and ecosystem preservation.


Many new standards and regulations are coming up now, particularly regarding financing the green transition, with the EU Taxonomy, TCFD, CSRD and so on. How will these frameworks impact your work?

JF: If there is no evidence of alignment with required standards or reporting on progress and impact, it’s a bad sign for an investor. However, while all the new frameworks are helping to create a global reference for progress, one must be mindful that reporting itself doesn’t change anything. If we want change, companies need to ensure that all their time and energy doesn’t get diverted into the administration of meeting standards and that they have enough resources left to get on with the action and create positive impact.

Alder säljer Aidon – en ledande leverantör av smarta mätlösningar

Alder divests Aidon – a leading provider of smart metering solutions

Alder Fund I AB (“Alder”) and the minority shareholders of Aidon Oy (“Aidon” or the “Company”) have agreed on a sale of the Company to Gridspertise S.r.l (“Gridspertise”), a global technological company supporting Distribution System Operators worldwide with digital transformation of electricity grids. Gridspertise is jointly owned and controlled by CVC Capital Partners and Enel Group, and is headquartered in Italy.

Aidon is a leading provider in the Nordics of solutions for the smart grid and for smart metering. Its systems provide value to customers by enabling reliable metering and distribution of energy as well as efficient maintenance processes of distribution networks. Aidon is headquartered in Finland and has branches in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

Alder invested in Aidon in August 2013. During Alder’s ownership, Aidon has grown from a position as a local Finnish company to a strong Nordic platform with a leading technology base. The Company has transformed from a focused hardware supplier to provide solutions including hardware, software, and services. Substantial investments have been made in developing the technology offering, the organisation, and in building strong partnerships with customers.

Smart grids are critical to the energy transition, enabling visibility, optimization of networks and integration of renewable energy production. Aidon’s technology is in use in about five million energy metering points across the Nordic countries.

“We are proud of Aidon’s transformation during our ownership, where Aidon has developed into the leading Nordic company in its field of advanced solutions for smart metering and smart grids. We believe that Aidon, with support of its new owner, has strong potential to become the foremost player in Europe in this domain.”, says Dag Broman, Partner at Alder.

The transaction was closed in November 2023.


For more information, please contact:

Dag Broman
Partner at Alder
Tel. +46 705 16 40 18
dag.broman@alder.se

Henrik Flygar
Partner at Alder
Tel. +46 706 66 07 79
henrik.flygar@alder.se

About Alder

Alder is a Nordic investment fund with the goal of creating the best possible conditions for long-term development of environmentally sustainable technology and services companies. With a mix of industrial and financial expertise and with the interest in entrepreneurship as a driving force, Alder creates profitable growth in close companionship with our companies.

Alder investerar i Insort, en ledande aktör inom optisk sortering av livsmedel

Alder invests in Insort, a leader in advanced machine vision solutions for food processing applications

Alder, a Nordic investment fund focusing on developing environmentally sustainable companies, has closed an investment in Insort GmbH (“Insort” or the “Company”). Alder has, as a new majority owner of Insort, partnered with the founder and management to support the growth journey of the Company.

Insort, established in 2011, pioneered the adoption of the Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) technology within the food processing industry and has stayed at the forefront of developing solutions for food sorting and inspection. The advanced HSI-technology provides detailed chemical profiles of products and offers a depth of information beyond that of traditional visual sensors. Over the past decade, Insort has developed several HSI-based product solutions catering to various food types and the Company has continuously gained market share. Insort is headquartered in Kirchberg an der Raab, Austria, and has operations in Europe and North America. Insort has a track record of profitable organic growth and generated over 15 MEUR in revenues in 2022.

Insort operates in a growing market, supported by structural growth drivers such as automation and increasing requirements for food safety and efficiency. Insort supports environmental sustainability through reducing food waste and its solutions promote improved food quality and food safety for consumers. As the new majority owner, Alder will support Insort in continuing its growth journey within current and new applications and geographies, both organically and through acquisitions.


“We are very happy to announce this investment for Alder in Insort, which provides customers with a unique and highly capable technology that generates improved food safety, reduced food waste and efficient production processes. Insort is a an exciting investment for Alder with strong organic growth potential and it will be a strong platform for further acquisitions.”

says Dag Broman, Partner at Alder

“Since foundation in 2011, we at Insort have achieved great success in establishing ourselves as a leading player with new technology in the sorting and inspection markets. After growing into several food segments and geographies, we are now ready to take a major next step in our growth journey by partnering with Alder for further expansion.”

says Matthias Jeindl, Founder and CEO of Insort


For more information, please contact:

Dag Broman
Partner at Alder
Tel. +46 705 16 40 18
dag.broman@alder.se

Matthias Jeindl
CEO of Insort
Tel. +43 3115 21 786
matthias.jeindl@insort.at

About Insort GmbH

Founded in 2011, Insort GmbH is one of the global technology leaders in vision solutions for the food industry. Insort GmbH focuses on the development, manufacturing and marketing of digital sorting and control systems based on their proprietary Chemical Imaging Technology (CIT®). CIT® is a hyperspectral imaging technology designed for maximum performance, which enables the classification of food products based on their chemical composition and is used inline and in real time.

In a very short time, Insort has managed to establish itself globally in the highly competitive digital sorting market with its successful machine series under the name Sherlock. The company currently employs ~60 people at 3 locations (Austria, USA, Canada).

For more information, visit insort.at

About Alder

Alder is a Nordic investment fund with the goal of creating the best possible conditions for long-term development of environmentally sustainable technology and services companies. With a mix of industrial and financial expertise and with the interest in entrepreneurship as a driving force, Alder creates profitable growth in close companionship with our companies.

Är du Alders nya CFO?

Alder har rest sin tredje fond, med en internationell investerarbas och söker en CFO som kan utveckla bolagets finansfunktion och som vill bidra till en mer hållbar framtid.

Som CFO leder du och utvecklar finansfunktionen tillsammans med bolaget. Du kommer ha en central roll med nära samarbete med partnergruppen och övriga investeringsorganisationen samt med externa parter såsom Alders externa fondadministratör, revisorer, jurister och investerare. Rollen spänner över många områden från redovisning och fondrapportering till legala frågor och skatt. Du rapporterar till partnerteamet och tjänsten är placerad i centrala Stockholm.

Mer information och ansökan

Alder investerar i EWGroup, en ledande leverantör av mark- och marksaneringstjänster

Alder invests in EWGroup, a leading provider of land and soil remediation services

Stockholm – September 13th, 2023 – Alder, a Nordic investment fund focusing on the development of sustainable companies, has closed an investment in EWGroup AB (“EWGroup” or the “Company”). Alder will become majority owner of EWGroup and will partner with management to continue the growth journey of the Company.

EWGroup, founded in 2013, is a one-stop-shop for the full treatment cycle of contaminated materials. The Company focuses on land and soil remediation, primarily treating borrow material generated by the construction industry. The Company is headquartered in Norrköping, Sweden with 45 employees and has a track record of profitable organic growth, achieving revenues of 200+ mSEK in 2022.

EWG operates in a growing and resilient market with strong support from industry and macro trends and increased environmental awareness for sustainable business practices. Demand for recycling services for construction waste and its residual products extensively exceeds current supply. The environmental benefits are related to increased treatment and recycling rate of inbound waste to minimize the use of scarce and finite resources.

As the new majority owner, Alder will provide capital, experience, and support to enable EWGroup to continue its growth journey through geographical expansion and further developments of the company’s capabilities to address existing and new treatment technologies to increase circularity and reuse.


“Since the first meeting, the EWGroup team has impressed us with their strong company culture, advanced offering, and novel thinking around circularity in a traditional industry. Construction and renovation are sectors accounting for most of the GHG emissions in the world. We look forward to growing the Company in partnership with management, building on the strong foundation accomplished so far”

says Arash Raisse, Partner at Alder

“Partnering with Alder will allow us to work with a partner that shares our values and can help us reach EWGroup’s full potential. We have built a close relationship with Alder during the process and were impressed by their industry insight and previous company development experience. For us it was key to have a partner with a shared vision for what we aim to achieve”

says Max Lindqvist, CEO and minority owner and Per Lindqvist, founder of EWGroup


For more information, please contact:

Arash Raisse
Partner at Alder
Tel. +46 725 00 62 55
arash.raisse@alder.se

Max Lindqvist
CEO of EWGroup
Tel. +46 735 32 26 01
mli@ewgroup.se

About EWGroup

EWGroup started as a family-owned company established in 2013 with headquarters in Norrköping focusing on land and soil remediation, primarily treating borrow material generated by the construction industry being a one stop shop for the full treatment cycle. Operates through 4 strategically located facilities near urban centres and infrastructure projects and employs ~45 employees. Customers are municipals, commercial end users and transportation operators.

For more information, visit EWGroup.se

About Alder

Alder is a Nordic investment fund with the goal of creating the best possible conditions for long-term development of sustainable technology and services companies. With a mix of industrial and financial expertise and with the interest in entrepreneurship as a driving force, Alder creates profitable growth in close companionship with our companies.

Alder divests Satel – a leader in mission critical connectivity solutions

Alder Fund I AB (“Alder”) and the minority shareholders of Satel Oy (“Satel” or the “Company”) have agreed on a sale of the Company to Topcon Positioning Systems (“Topcon”), a global designer, manufacturer and distributor of precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial and agriculture markets. Topcon Positioning Systems is headquartered in California, USA.

Satel is a Finnish global radio technology company at the forefront of developing and manufacturing a variety of mission-critical multi-technology connectivity modules for industrial and sustainable autonomous systems. Its radio frequency technologies are relied on by precision positioning, environmental monitoring, smart farming and land-surveying ecosystems, amongst other demanding industries.

Alder invested in Satel in November 2014. During Alder’s ownership, Satel has focused its growth efforts on applications and customers with the highest requirements for reliability, accuracy and security. Substantial investments have been made to develop the technology offering, the organisation and to build strong partnerships with a global customer base through designed-in, modularised connectivity solutions. As a result, Satel has developed strongly, strategically and financially, since 2014. Satel’s contributions to the enabling of low carbon technologies have had far-reaching environmental benefits. With a taxonomy eligibility of 97% of turnover, Satel’s positive environmental handprint has developed in tandem with its growth.

“We are proud of the leading position that Satel has built in the field of communication technology, the strong team in Salo (Finland) and the excellent relations with the Company’s global network of specialist value-added distributors and OEM customers. It has been a privilege to work with this management team and Board, and Satel can now, with Topcon as its new owner, accelerate the implementation of the Company’s vision of mission critical connectivity, tightly integrated and tailored to the most demanding applications and conditions”,

says Henrik Blomé, Partner at Alder.

The transaction was closed in June 2023.

For more information, please contact:

Henrik Blomé
Partner, Alder
+46 706 380 130

About Alder

Alder is a Nordic investment fund with the goal of creating the right conditions for sustainable technology companies to accelerate growth and strategic development. All our companies deliver an environmental benefit. Our investment focus is on established companies with profitable growth and sales of between 100 and 750 million SEK. Alder invests primarily as majority owner in companies that are established in the Nordic countries but can also invest selectively in the rest of Europe, especially in the German speaking countries.

Navigating the world of reporting regulations

An interview with Alder Sustainability Manager, Eva Normell

Eva Normell joined the Alder team as Sustainability Manager in 2021. Here we talk to Eva about how she keeps on top of the ever-changing field of sustainability reporting regulations and ask what companies need to consider when working with them.

Can you tell us about your role at Alder?

Eva: My role as Sustainability Manager is to support the Alder team with the knowledge and tools to find companies that are aligned with our values and ambitions. I also work closely with our portfolio companies to help them integrate sustainability into strategy and leverage their positive impact while also reducing the environmental footprint of operations. We want to be part of driving the European Green Deal and be a role model for what’s needed to make business part of a resilient future.

What are some of the new and forthcoming EU sustainability reporting policies and regulations that companies like Alder need to be aware of?

Eva: Over the last couple of years, the EU has released several new sustainable finance regulations in line with the EU Green Deal. The SFDR and the EU Taxonomy lie at the cornerstone of this effort, and they are both super ambitious and are changing the dynamics of sustainable finance.

How do you prepare Alder and its companies to comply with these regulations?

Eva: We prepare in many ways. The first step is to keep track of how the regulations and guidelines evolve. We are aligned with the SFDR from January 2023, as required, but the regulations are so new that they are a bit like a moving target.

Since 2021 we have been working on our companies’ EU Taxonomy journey – understanding and adapting to determine their eligibility and alignment and to describe the contribution they make to sustainability using this new language. We have performed a thorough GHG inventory to become serious participants in the “race to zero” and learn more about our emissions throughout the entire value chain, including scope 3. We also track data across all our companies to regulary report on Principle Adverse Impacts (PAI).

New for this year, we have chosen to implement a common Sustainability Management platform that automates the collection, processing and visualisation of sustainability data using SustainLab’s tools, which will make things much easier to access understand and track in the coming years.

”Focus on value creation and what you want to achieve!”

What are the main challenges of regulation alignment?

Eva: For many companies, the obvious challenges are usability, lack of availability of ESG data, data gathering problems, and inconsistent use of terminology. But I see the bigger challenge being that we can get so caught up in the details of data gathering and number crunching that we forget what’s important. We fail to focus on improving how we work, reducing and improving resource use, cutting emissions and leveraging and supporting companies with positive environmental impact to take faster and bigger steps.

Other challenges are securing enough in-house ESG expertise, awareness and training, and integration of sustainability into business models and strategies. One particular challenge for Alder with the EU Taxonomy is that it is trying to definitively define sustainability, but it is actually not comprehensive. At Alder, we look deeper into the mechanics of a sustainable economy and find companies playing critical roles in monitoring, communicating and controlling resource use, efficiency and safety. Many of these areas are not yet included in the taxonomy, but they are important to enable their customers to be sustainable. We hope that the taxonomy will not limit the definition of sustainability so that we don’t see the economy in all its richness and inventiveness because it is just this that we really need for the transition.

All these new requirements may seem daunting to many companies, but what are the benefits or opportunities they pose?

Eva: They are a great way to create trust. For example, since all our funds are categorised as Article 9 according to SFDR, our investors have a guarantee that we are serious and that sustainable investments are our main objective. When it comes to the Green Deal, there is an opportunity to be part of a unified language and approach, which will hopefully create a whole new level of understanding. These more transparent ways of measuring sustainable activities, aim to avoid greenwashing, so that investors can be sure they are contributing to real change.

Do you have any advice for other companies about how to keep on top of new directives and regulations?

Eva: Focus on value creation and what you want to achieve! You can’t avoid the groundwork, so do it in a way that you can manage moving forward. Start measuring, even if it is not perfect, so you have a baseline. And perhaps most importantly, be brave! Don’t let the regulations put you off, we need to make bold changes to create a resilient future. The regulations provide a valuable framework for sustainability efforts, but they should just strengthen your work and not dictate what you want to achieve.


Internship! Sex månaders heltidstjänst, vår eller höst 2023?

SIX MONTH FULL-TIME POSITION SPRING OR FALL 2023

Stockholm-based internship at private equity firm Alder, focusing on the development of environmentally sustainable companies with high growth potential.

About Alder

Alder is a Stockholm-based private equity firm with the goal of creating opportunities for environmentally sustainable companies to accelerate growth. Sustainability is a core part of Alder’s investment thesis and values, and we invest in companies that create both economic profit and environmental benefit. Alder invests in small- and mid-cap Nordic companies with established businesses models and high growth potential.

Alder has €250m in assets under management, has made sixteen platform investments and more than fifty add-on acquisitions to date, in industries such as smart energy metering, water treatment and intelligent transportation.

At Alder, we value diversity and believe that different backgrounds contribute to making our team stronger. Our team works closely together with inclusive and transparent decision-making. We mix industrial and financial expertise and believe in entrepreneurship as a driving force.

The Role

Alder is a flat organisation consisting of a small and tight-knit team. As a part of the team, you will gain experience from all stages of the private equity investment process and be given significant responsibility, including but not limited to:

  • Screening for new investment opportunities
  • Company valuations and close participation in investment processes
  • Strategic and financial analysis of markets and companies
  • Supporting the Alder team and portfolio company management in value creation initiatives

We are looking for an ambitious individual, fluent in Swedish and English, to join our team in Stockholm for a full-time internship during spring or fall 2023.

You are likely pursuing a degree in a relevant MSc program, e.g. Finance, Accounting or Industrial Engineering. Relevant work experience is a great plus. You are an analytical individual with a strong interest in finance and business development. You are open-minded and look forward to working in an environment characterised by Alder’s values: Development, Collaboration, Persistence and Sustainability in all aspects.

The spring position commences in January 2023 and the fall position in August 2023. Each internship lasts up to six months, depending on personal preferences.

How to apply

Please send your application including a curriculum vitae, cover letter and grade transcript to erika.ankarberg@alder.se, on the 15th of October 2022 at the latest. We encourage you to send your application as soon as possible as we will start interviewing candidates prior to the deadline. For more information, please contact Erika Ankarberg by email.

Tillbaka på jobbet!

Vi hoppas att du känner dig utvilad, inspirerad och redo för vad resten av året har att erbjuda.

Hösten är den perfekta tiden för nytänkande och sätta nya intentioner och mål. Precis så vill vi ta chansen att inspirera dig med ett kort videoklipp från vår Executive Training in Resilience Thinking som vi höll tillsammans med våra portföljbolag och Stockholm Resilience Center under två intensiva och intressanta dagar i maj. Under dessa två dagar fick våra portföljbolag möjlighet att ytterligare stärka den långsiktiga hållbarheten och konkurrenskraften i sina strategier genom att lyssna på framstående talare och diskutera sätt att ytterligare förbättra deras genomslag i en serie workshops.