Only have 1 minute? Here are 3 key takeaways from the piece:
• Growth equity investment firm BlackPeak Capital will invest up to €40 million in Croatia over the investment period of its Southeast Europe Growth Equity Fund.
• The €126M Southeast Europe Growth Equity Fund is backed by the European Investment Fund, the EBRD, the IFC, and other European private institutional investors.
• Senior investment associate Mateo Žokalj to oversee BlackPeak’s investment activities in the country.
As BlackPeak outlines, their investment plans in Croatia emphasize their commitment to supporting innovative and successful companies that are making a positive economic, social, and environmental impact in the region.
The firm’s investment strategy includes collaborating with founders that seek to team up with a minority private equity partner to support their business growth, for a €5-15M ticket size.
Past successful investments include Slovenian biotech GenePlanet and Bulgarian e-commerce euShipments. In addition, BlackPeak has invested in Sofia-headquartered Telelink Infra Services, a provider of infrastructure and digitalization solutions for the UK and German markets, and Verdino Green Foods, a Romanian plant-based meat and fish alternatives company.
“We are very excited to be able to invest in the Croatian market as we meet outstanding entrepreneurs, who are not afraid to compete against their global peers. We are already in discussion with a number of potential investees and hope to be able to complete our first deal in Croatia in 2024,’’ said Rossen Ivanov, managing partner at BlackPeak Capital.
BlackPeak’s associate in charge for Croatia, Mateo Žokalj highlighted BlackPeak’s stance that there are many prospective companies in Croatia across fast-growing sectors that have the potential to become regional and European leaders in their industries.
“By teaming up with ambitious founders, we are confident in providing value to companies by leveraging on our know-how, experience, network, and past successes. BlackPeak’s regional presence enables us to support our investees in a faster regional and global scale-up, both organically and through acquisitions,” Žokalj noted.
Established in 2014, BlackPeak targets growth equity investments in fast-growing SMEs in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. Earlier this year, the fund also announced its intention to invest up to €40 million in Romania.
