Impact Investor Quadia backs Helveta
08 May 2012
Oxford, UK, 8th May 2012 – Helveta, the provider of sustainable supply chain software, announced today an investment by Quadia SA Impact Finance, a leading impact investor based in Switzerland. Quadia participated in a £4.1m funding round also supported by John O’Connell (Chairman), Karim Peer (Chief Executive Officer) and existing investors Albion Ventures, the Carbon Trust, Oxford Capital Partners, and Succès Europe.
Recent winners of the Environment award at last month’s FT ArcelorMittal ‘Boldness in Business’ Awards, Helveta provides technology solutions to the public and private sector to track and trace natural resources, typically extracted in the developing world. Helveta’s technology enables organisations to operate more sustainable and efficient supply chains and comply with evolving certification and legislation. Helveta has to date deployed its solutions in Africa, South America and South East Asia.
Kostis Tselenis, Head Investment Director at Quadia said of the investment: “Helveta is an excellent addition to Quadia’s investment portfolio due to its high positive impact on environment, thanks to its proprietary methods of combating illegal logging, but also due to its social impact, through the creation of better governance in the tropical timber sector that subsequently benefits the indigenous forest communities, who rely on the forests for their livelihoods.”
Karim Peer, CEO of Helveta commented: “The funding increases Helveta’s working capital reserves to drive continued growth of our traceability technology in the forestry sector as well as new markets, such as biofuels, where we are seeing significant demand for transparency and traceability through the chain of custody as a result of powerful regulatory, economic and certification drivers”.
John O’Connell, Chairman of the Board stated: “This latest funding round demonstrates the confidence and opportunity that the institutional investors and myself recognize in Helveta’s new strategy and new management team, led by Karim Peer”.
About Quadia
Quadia SA Impact Finance is a leading impact investor, specializing in asset wealth management. It invests globally through tailored-made discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management mandates. Quadia manages today over 25 investments in the areas of energy efficiency technologies, renewable energy generation, responsible goods, sustainable agriculture, brown field remediation, reforestation, sustainable banking and microfinance among others. Quadia also co-manages two specialized investment funds in the areas of SME debt financing and reforestation.
www.quadia.ch