HIGHLAND-EUROPE
Highland Europe has strengthened its industry-renowned team with the promotion of Jean Tardy-Joubert, Gajan Rajanathan and Ronan Shally to Partner. Tardy-Joubert and Rajanathan joined Highland in 2017/18 from Qatalyst, the San Francisco-based boutique investment bank serving the global tech sector, while Shally has been with the firm since 2014 and is Highland’s Chief Financial Officer. By promoting Gajan, Jean and Ronan, Highland Europe is better positioned than ever to help the founders it backs to achieve their ambitions. Highland Europe is differentiated by a high-touch, collaborative approach to helping companies scale globally.
Highland Europe also announces today that it closed its fourth fund, raising €700M to double-down on its strategy of backing the continent’s most outstanding founder-led teams in software and internet businesses.
Building on a track record of investing in consumer tech brands and software companies such as AMCS, Brandwatch, ContentSquare, Featurespace, GetYourGuide, Huel, Jellysmack, MatchesFashion, Nexthink, PhotoBox, WeTransfer, Zwift and Wolt, the new fund takes Highland Europe’s assets under management to €1.8bn.
Over the past 12 months, the firm has backed seven exceptional founding teams investing nearly €200M in Alkemics, Cobalt, DominoDatalab, Farewill, Meditopia, Modulr and Supermetrics as well as the existing portfolio. Highland Europe’s portfolio companies attracted exceptional external investment appetite with €730M follow-on investment in the last 12 months, some of which fueled seven M&A transactions completed by portfolio companies. Last but not least, the team helped two founder-led teams (Spot and Smartly.io) navigate strategic and private equity interest, resulting in substantial liquidity events.
Just as mission-critical tech and innovation have been instrumental in enabling businesses and individuals to continue functioning during the pandemic, technology looks set to play a key role in an eventual economic recovery. Reflecting this, Highland saw significant commitment from investors, resulting in an oversubscribed €700M fund.
Fergal Mullen, co-founder and partner at Highland Europe, said: “During 2020 we have seen 10-year trends in tech adoption compressed into one year across both consumer and business segments. Software has gone mainstream and it is mission-critical. The opportunity at the growth stage in Europe has never been more evident or more urgent. Highland Europe’s role is to bring capital, our deep network and scaling expertise to companies that can make it all the way to IPO. We have the track record, the team and a highly selective and focused strategy to help Europe’s most promising tech businesses become global leaders.”
‘Growth funding deficit’
Scaling software businesses to become global leaders requires expertise, insight and capital. Europe’s tech companies are proliferating at Seed and Series A, but remain starved of funding at growth stage. Figures from Dealroom.co show that European companies raised 38% of global venture capital at Seed, but this figure dropped to 21% at Series B and 14% at Series C (rounds of €40-100M). Until this is fixed, Europe will not reach its full potential, let alone challenge the dominance of the American and Asian tech giants.
Without good European sources of capital, many promising tech companies will struggle to raise the funds needed to fuel international success. According to one estimate, just one in eight European companies reach scale, compared with one in four in America. Highland Europe is determined to address this massive opportunity with a continued focus on mission-critical growth stage software and consumer technology companies, which have demonstrated compelling market traction and global ambition.
--ENDS--
About Highland Europe
Highland Europe invests in exceptional growth-stage software and internet companies. Active in Europe since 2003 as Highland Capital Partners and formally launched in 2012, Highland Europe has raised over €1.8 billion and has invested in companies such as Adjust, AMCS, Camunda, ContentSquare, Featurespace, GetYourGuide, Huel, Jellysmack, Malwarebytes, MatchesFashion, NewVoiceMedia, Nexthink, Spot, Supermetrics, WeTransfer, Wolt and Zwift. Highland’s collective history of investments across the US, Europe and China includes 46 IPOs and 19 billion-dollar-plus companies.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201206005032/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Andersen Consulting samarbejder med Mercurial Minds om at forbedre mulighederne inden for digital transformation4.7.2025 01:10:00 CEST | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting udvider sit udbud af teknologidrevne løsninger med tilføjelsen af samarbejdsfirmaet Mercurial Minds (M.M.), et konsulentfirma inden for digital transformation, AI og IT med base i Pakistan. M.M. blev grundlagt i 2013 og tilbyder en række tjenester, der er designet til at hjælpe organisationer med at udvikle sig og skalere, herunder i forbindelse med deres digitale transformationsstrategi, AI-tjenester, it-rådgivning og udvikling af robuste mobil- og webbrugeroplevelser. Firmaet leverer end-to-end-løsninger – udformning af datadrevne køreplaner, udvikling af intelligent automatisering og levering af sikre mobil- og weboplevelser, der kan skaleres – skræddersyet til virksomheder, der ønsker at forbedre sine forbindelsesmulighederne og opnå indsigter i realtid. M.M. betjener en bred vifte af brancher med fokus på finans, telekommunikation og andre dataintensive sektorer. "Dette samarbejde er en katalysator," siger Nabeel Saiyer, administrerende direktør for M.M. "Vores
Global Tourism Surging Ahead of Economic Growth, With Visits to Hit 30 Billion by 20344.7.2025 01:00:00 CEST | Press release
The World Economic Forum report, in collaboration with Kearney and the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia, predicts a significant uptick in tourist trips across the globeThe tourism sector will contribute $16 trillion to global GDP (more than 11% of the global economy) by 2034, according to World Travel & Tourism Council estimates (WTTC)India and China will be responsible for more than 25% of all outbound travel by 2030 The World Economic Forum has today published a new report forecasting that the travel and tourism industry is projected to serve 30 billion tourist trips by 2034. Travel and Tourism at a Turning Point: Principles for Transformative Growth, produced in collaboration with Kearney and the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia, reveals a projected $16 trillion contribution to global GDP by the same year—representing more than 11% of the total world economy, according to World Travel & Tourism Council estimates. The report also found that the sector is expanding 1.5 times faster th
The 2025-2026 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition Honouring Leading Pet and Animal Brands Globally3.7.2025 21:00:00 CEST | Press release
The 2025-2026 World Branding Awards Animalis Edition marked its fifth instalment, bringing together leading pet and animal brands from all around the world. These brands were celebrated for their outstanding achievements, earning recognition as National, Regional, and Global Winners. The awards ceremony, held at Vienna's prestigious Hofburg Palace, welcomed winners across diverse categories, including pet food, retail, wellness, pet exhibitions, and aquatic products. Mounia Berrada-Gouzi expertly hosted the evening, which culminated in a grand celebration of brand excellence. “The Animalis Edition of the World Branding Awards recognises brands that have achieved the highest distinction—genuine recognition in the hearts and minds of consumers. Tonight, we honour those whose names resonate globally, whose values inspire loyalty, and whose presence defines excellence in the pet and animal industry,” said Richard Rowles, Chairman of the World Branding Forum. Out of over 950 brands nominate
Venture Global Announces 20-Year Sales and Purchase Agreement with PETRONAS3.7.2025 14:59:00 CEST | Press release
Today, Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE: VG) announced the execution of a new 20-year Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with PETRONAS LNG Ltd. (PLL), a subsidiary of the Malaysian state-owned oil and gas company, PETRONAS. Under the terms of the SPA, PETRONAS will purchase 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Venture Global’s third facility, CP2 LNG, for 20 years. This builds upon Venture Global’s existing agreement with PETRONAS for 1 MTPA of LNG supply from Plaquemines LNG. PETRONAS, a world-class partner in the LNG industry, joins other CP2 LNG customers in Europe, Asia and the rest of the world in a strategically important project to global energy supply and security. To date, approximately 10.75 MTPA of the 14.4 MTPA nameplate capacity for CP2 Phase One has been sold. About Venture Global Venture Global is a long-term, low-cost provider of U.S. LNG sourced from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global’s business includes assets ac
Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Novotech as 2025 Global Biotech CRO Company of the Year3.7.2025 14:05:00 CEST | Press release
In recognition of its innovation, client-focused delivery, and global impact, Novotech has been awarded the 2025 Global Biotechnology Contract Research Organization (CRO) Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250703950144/en/ Novotech Wins Global CRO Award Novotech is a globally recognized full-service clinical CRO and scientific advisory firm, trusted by biotech and small- to mid-sized pharmaceutical companies to advance their drug development programs at every phase. With a global footprint spanning Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe, Novotech supports over 5,000 clinical trial sites and a distributed team of experts delivering seamless, end-to-end solutions across geographies. “Novotech is redefining biotech-focused clinical research through AI-driven innovation, global expansion, and a client-embedded partnership model. With a clear vision to be the CRO of choice for
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom