CAPZA acquires minority stake in LuxCarta

Submitted 20/05/2021 - 4:01pm

CAPZA, an independent management company and leading player in private investments in European SMEs, has acquired a minority stake in LuxCarta, a specialist in the creation and delivery of digital maps to the global telecom, simulation & training and other vertical markets. CAPZA’s investment in LuxCarta will occur through its CAPZA Transition fund. Its goal is to support the growth strategy of the company set by LuxCarta’s founding directors and existing investor BNP Paribas Développement. 

LuxCarta is the leading producer of high-resolution geospatial models derived from earth observation imagery to the telecom industry and supports more than 150 operators around the world. Its products are used by RF engineers to plan and optimise wireless networks. LuxCarta’s track record of innovation includes the creation of new types of geodata for this vertical market, such as 2.5D clutter heights, population maps and 3D tree models for 5G mmWave planning. Recent investments in artificial intelligence (AI) to automate production processes now also allows for greater accuracy, product consistency and rapid delivery. 

The CAPZA Transition fund investment replaces a previous LuxCarta investor that is exiting the business, CM-CIC Investissement. As part of the transaction, existing investor BNP Paribas Développement reinvests part of its proceeds, together with the three founders, Albéric Maumy (CEO), Justin Hyland, PhD (Head of Innovation) and Lionel Laurore (Head of R&D), to enable new growth initiatives.  

"CAPZA is thrilled to support LuxCarta and its high-quality team. The company is at a stage where it can pursue profitable growth while bringing its top-notch R&D capabilities to new markets. CAPZA intends to take an active role, alongside its founders and BNP Paribas Développement, in the governance of the company and will help to seize any external growth opportunities that could reinforce LuxCarta’s strong base," says Benoit Franchet, Partner of CAPZA Transition SAS3. 

“We’re excited to have a partner like CAPZA joining us to support our corporate growth at a very strategic time for LuxCarta,” adds Albéric Maumy, CEO of LuxCarta. “Building on investments we’ve already made in R&D to automate our production chain, we’re enthusiastic about the next chapter of our corporate story.”  

This is the fifth investment of the CAPZA Transition fund, which invests to support companies at strategic turning points. 

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