Dejero closes $60M minority recap led by Vertu Capital

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By CPE News

CPE News (4/21/2021) – Dejero has completed a $60 million minority recapitalization led by Vertu Capital with participation of Ubicom Ventures Ltd., a special purpose investment entity in partnership with Dejero management.

Founded by Bogdan Frusina in 2008 and led by CEO Bruce Anderson, Waterloo, Ontario based Dejero is an innovator in resilient connectivity for critical communications, with offices in the US and UK, and a global distribution network. Dejero’s live video and real-time data transmission solutions are used by leading broadcasters, production companies, public safety and government agencies, along with enterprise customers around the globe who need uninterrupted connectivity for their critical applications.

In November 2017, Dejero secured $28 million growth equity financing from Kayne Partners and Intelsat S.A. with two representatives from Kayne and one from Intelsat joining Dejero board of directors.

Plaza Ventures invested in Dejero in 2018 in a secondary transaction buying out of existing private investors in the company.

Dejero did not disclosed if any or all three investors has/have been bought out.

Vertu Capital is a private equity firm that invests in high potential Canadian headquartered technology companies. Dejero will be the first investment in Vertu’s inaugural fund, Vertu Partners Fund I.

Ubicom Ventures Ltd. is a special purpose investment fund established in 2020. Managed by veteran investors Terry Thib, Neil Maruoka, and Gajan Kulasingam, and in partnership with Frusina and Anderson, Ubicom was created with the sole purpose of participating in recapitalization of Dejero.

photo credit: Dejero

News Release

Dejero Announces Successful Recapitalization to Accelerate Growth

Vertu Capital and Ubicom Ventures partnered to complete transaction

WATERLOO, ON, April 21, 2021 /CNW/ – Dejero, an innovator in resilient connectivity for critical communications, today announced a $60 million minority recapitalization of the business, led by Vertu Capital. Vertu partnered with Ubicom Ventures, a special purpose investment entity in partnership with Dejero management, to complete the transaction and pave the way for accelerating the company’s growth.

Founded by Bogdan Frusina in 2008, and led by Bruce Anderson, CEO, Dejero is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, one of Canada’s top tech hubs, with offices in the US and UK, and a global distribution network. The company’s live video and real-time data transmission solutions are used by leading broadcasters, production companies, public safety and government agencies, along with enterprise customers around the globe who need uninterrupted connectivity for their critical applications.

“Canada’s technology ecosystem is thriving, and we are excited to be playing a vital role by actively partnering with premier companies that are at critical points of inflection in their growth and scale,” said Lisa Melchior, founder and managing partner of Vertu. “Dejero exemplifies a Vertu investment; the company has an established world-leading technology solution and is accelerating its expansion into multiple global markets. We are thrilled to be partnering with Bruce, Bogdan and the entire Dejero management team on this exciting new chapter for the company.”

“Vertu is the perfect partner for us. They bring deep software sector expertise and decades of experience investing in large, global tech businesses, so they understand where Dejero is heading,” said Mr. Anderson. “We are excited to collaborate with the Vertu team on our plans to accelerate our growth and achieve our strategic goals.”

“We are thrilled about the opportunity that Dejero brings to our investors,” said Ubicom managing director Terry Thib. “Our mission is to identify disruptive technologies that can be deployed on a global scale. Through our partnership with Bruce and Bogdan, we are excited to play a critical role in the evolution of Dejero as it continues to tackle burgeoning critical connectivity markets that will benefit from its cutting-edge technology.”

About Vertu Capital

Established in 2017 by veteran technology private equity investor Lisa Melchior, Vertu Capital is a private equity firm that invests in high potential Canadian headquartered technology companies. Vertu seeks to partner with management teams of market leading and scaling companies that are looking for an experienced investor and thought partner to actively collaborate with them to achieve great things at a rapid pace. Vertu’s partners have decades of global tech private equity experience with deep domain expertise in software and software enabled business models. We are focused on the achievement of a company’s long-term goals, offering extensive knowledge valuable through all phases of growth. Dejero will be the first investment in Vertu’s inaugural fund, Vertu Partners Fund I. For more information, please visit www.vertucapital.ca

About Ubicom Ventures

Ubicom Ventures Ltd. is a special purpose investment fund established in 2020. Managed by veteran investors Terry Thib, Neil Maruoka, and Gajan Kulasingam, and in partnership with Dejero founder Bogdan Frusina and CEO Bruce Anderson, Ubicom was created with the sole purpose of participating in recapitalization of Dejero. Terry, Neil, and Gajan have decades of capital markets experience investing across the entire capital spectrum including both private and public debt, and equities.

About Dejero

Driven by its vision of reliable connectivity anywhere, Dejero aggregates diverse connectivity paths including LTE and 5G cellular, satellite and broadband into a virtual ‘network of networks’ to deliver enhanced reliability, expanded coverage, and greater bandwidth using cloud-based technology. A two-time technical Emmy® Award winner, Dejero is trusted to solve the mission-critical live video transport and real-time data transfer challenges of organizations around the world. Founded in 2008, privately-held Dejero is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit www.dejero.com.

SOURCE Dejero

For further information: Dejero Contact: Aislynn Cooper, Tel: +1 519 772 4824, x1651, Email: aislynn.cooper@dejero.com; PR Agency Contact: Meriam Khan, MKM Marketing Communications, Tel: +44 (0) 7768 022162, Email: meriam@mkm-marcomms.com