LONDON & FRANKFURT, 24 July 2018 – Hampleton Partners, the international mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance advisory firm for technology companies, advised VI-grade GmbH, a leading provider of best-in-class turnkey solutions for system level simulation, on its acquisition by Spectris Plc., supplier of productivity-enhancing instrumentation and controls. This is the third automotive tech transaction completed by Hampleton Partners in the last 12 months.

“Hampleton helped us find a great partner, whose reputation, experience and product portfolio will enable VI-grade to achieve its global growth and continue to deliver complete system-level simulation to clients globally,” says Jürgen Fett, Co-Founder & CEO of VI-grade. “We are very excited to join the Spectris team and lead the charge together, creating collaboration between simulation, instrumentation and proving grounds.”

The transaction offers Spectris an outstanding opportunity to provide its current and new clients with a complete turnkey simulation solution including hardware, software and services.

David Riemenschneider, Hampleton Director and seasoned automotive veteran, who has worked and completed deals in the automotive industry for over three decades, commented:

“We are very pleased to have found the best possible partner for VI-grade, who will continue to grow the company to its fullest potential. It has been a great pleasure advising the VI-grade executive team, whose strong motivation, tenacity, incredible talent and experience in vehicle simulation has enabled them to create a market-leading simulation solution.

“We are proud to have advised on this transaction, where we have found the partner that fits the team seamlessly but also offered the best value to the shareholders. I look forward to witnessing VI-grade’s continued growth in the future.”

Hampleton Partners’ Principal Partner and Founder, Miro Parizek, commented:

“As Hampleton Partners’ third automotive technology transaction in 12 months, VI-grade’s successful sale to Spectris by our experienced industry team adds yet more evidence to our statement that strategic and in-depth understanding of the automotive industry, technology and financial markets leads to game-changing transactions.”

The engagement was led by David Riemenschneider with Anton Røthe leading the analyst resources for Hampleton.

ENDS

Hampleton Partners Contact:

David Riemenschneider
Director
davidr (at) hampletonpartners.com
+44 7590 476702

Anton A Røthe
Associate
anton (at) hampletonpartners.com
+44 7490 195842

Media Contact – Hampleton Partners

Jane Henry
jane (at) marylebonemarketing.com
+44 789 666 8155

Hampleton Partners is at the forefront of international Mergers and Acquisitions advisory for companies with technology at their core. https://www.hampletonpartners.com

Hampleton’s experienced deal makers have built, bought and sold over 100 fast-growing tech businesses and provide hands-on expertise and unrivalled international advice to tech entrepreneurs and the companies who are looking to accelerate growth and maximise value. The team has substantial experience with transactions in the automotive technology space, underscoring our understanding of the industry drivers and market dynamics.

With offices in London, Frankfurt and San Francisco, Hampleton offers a global perspective with regional and sector expertise in: Automotive Tech, IoT, AI, FinTech, High-Tech Industrials, Cybersecurity, VR/AR, HealthTech, Digital Marketing, Enterprise Software, IT Services, SaaS & Cloud, E-commerce.

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VI-grade is the leading provider of best-in-class software products, hardware simulators and services for advanced applications in the field of system level simulation.

Established in 2005, VI-grade provides revolutionary turn-key solutions for static and dynamic driving simulation to streamline the development process from concept to sign-off in the transportation industry, mainly automotive, aerospace, motorcycle, motorsports and railways. With office locations in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, UK, Switzerland, Japan, China, and the USA, and a worldwide channel network of more than 20 trusted partners, VI-grade is a dynamic and growing company with a highly skilled technical team.

Further information about VI-grade is available at www.vi-grade.com & www.driverinmotion.co

Spectris is a leading supplier of productivity-enhancing instrumentation and controls. Spectris is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol – SXS) and is a member of techMARK, the London Stock Exchange’s index for technology companies, and the FTSE4Good index of socially-responsible companies.

Spectris provides complete solutions combining hardware, software and related services for some of the most technically-demanding industrial applications. Its innovative solutions are designed to enhance customers’ productivity, yielding clear benefits by helping them to work better, faster and more efficiently.

Further information about Spectris is available at www.spectris.com/