3 February 2017
Paragon invests in future growth of IP service provider Novagraaf
Novagraaf announced today its collaboration with Paragon, a Munich-based private equity company, that is investing into Novagraaf by taking a majority stake from current investor Gilde Buy-Out Partners. This investment represents a major endorsement of Novagraaf’s plans to grow its business by investing further into its people, services and technologies, while meeting the changing needs of its global customer base.
Founded in 1888, Novagraaf is the world’s largest trademark filer and a major patent filer, managing more than one million intellectual property (IP) assets on behalf of customers, and representing many of the world’s major patent and trademark owners. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with offices throughout Europe, including London, Brussels, Paris and Geneva. Novagraaf also opened sales operations in China, Japan and the US in 2016.
Novagraaf works for some of the world’s leading IP owners, from ambitious start-ups to household names. Paragon will invest significantly into the continued expansion of the business and its input and expertise will further strengthen the organisation.
“This investment endorses our strategy to meet ever-changing market requirements by investing in our people and technology to provide world-class IP services”, comments Novagraaf CEO Lutgarde Liezenberg. “We are proud that Paragon supports our vision for growth, and we look forward to working with them to continue to deliver value-added innovative services across the entire IP life cycle to all our customers. Liezenberg adds: “We would also like to thank Gilde for being a very reliable and loyal partner to Novagraaf. Thanks to their professional contribution, we have been able to build a truly unique, leading IP services platform in Europe.”
Commenting on the new investment, Krischan von Moeller, managing partner at Paragon says: “Novagraaf has developed a diverse, strong and loyal customer base due to its focus on high-quality services and innovative technology. We look forward to working with them to realise further growth potential. Our investment in people, processes and technology will make sure the company continues to outperform on customer expectations.”
About Novagraaf
Headquartered in the Netherlands, Novagraaf has offices throughout Europe in IP hotspots such as Amsterdam, Brussels, Geneva, London and Paris. Novagraaf is among the top five service providers in the field of IP in Europe. It currently employs more than 350 dedicated professionals and staff members throughout its 16 offices (including representative offices in US, Hong Kong and Japan), and offers a wide range of advisory and management services in the IP field. Its services span the full life-cycle of patent, trademark, design and domain name services from domestic registrations to management of complex global portfolios. It offers clients innovative tools for analysis and decision making. IP rights monitoring, anti-counterfeiting and IP valuation. For more information visit: www.novagraaf.com.
About Paragon
Paragon is one of the leading independent private equity firms in Europe with approx. €650 million of equity under management. Paragon works closely with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth and operational excellence. The investment portfolio covers various industries and currently comprises 9 companies. Paragon was founded in 2004 and is based in Munich, Germany. For further information please refer to www.paragon.de.