GCA expands its sector and geographic footprint via acquisition of Stella EOC

GCA Corporation, a leading global investment bank, has today announced that it will acquire Stella EOC, a leading technology and media investment banking boutique with coverage in the Nordics, the UK and continental Europe. This combination, which sees Stella EOC adopting the brand of GCA’s European business, GCA Altium, expands GCA’s coverage into further key strategic markets including Benelux and the Nordics, strengthening its already leading technology practice and adding expertise in the media and global entertainment space.

Upon the completion of the transaction, GCA will employ more than 500 people, including 400 bankers, and operate across 25 locations in 14 countries. In 2019 the two companies generated $250m revenues and advised on a combined completed 188 deals.

Together, GCA and Stella EOC will continue to focus on high-growth sectors, particularly in media and technology. The substantial opportunities for synergies between the businesses are expected to boost revenue growth through extended global coverage and increased cross-border capabilities. GCA will continue to provide its clients, ranging from the world’s largest conglomerates and corporates to the top financial sponsors and growth companies, with a broad offering of investment banking advisory services including M&A, debt and equity capital markets.

“We are pleased to announce our acquisition of Stella EOC. GCA and Stella EOC are a great fit in that we can expand our coverage even further into the Nordics and Benelux, where we have to date not had a presence and where we see exciting opportunities for our clients across the globe,” said Phil Adams, GCA Board Member and CEO of GCA Altium.

John Lambros, GCA Board Member and President of GCA’s US entity GCA Advisors, added: “Local access to the Nordics in particular is critical for a tech-focused firm like GCA. We are excited to welcome Stella EOC to the team. Their leadership in the technology and media M&A space across the Nordics, UK and continental Europe complements our strong technology and digital media focus and will no doubt benefit our clients.”

Fredrik Malmberg, Managing Partner at Stella EOC, added: “This combination with GCA marks a new chapter for Stella EOC. After a sustained period of growth and having delivered landmark tech and media transactions across Europe, we’re delighted to embark on this next phase, extending our expertise to the US and Asia and delivering a wider range of services to our clients and stakeholders.”

Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both GCA and Stella EOC, GCA will purchase 100% of Stella EOC via an all share acquisition. The transaction is expected to close in April 2020.

Key recent deals by both firms include:

• The sale of CrowdTwist, a leading cloud-native customer loyalty solution to empower brands to offer personalized customer experiences, to Oracle
• The acquisition by Aptiv, a global technology company enabling the future of mobility, of gabocom, a leading provider of highly engineered, high-quality cable management and protection solutions for the telecommunications industry
• The acquisition of Dataxu, a demand-side video ad campaign platform, by Roku
• The public-to-private acquisition of data management leader Cxense by Piano Software, a leading provider of digital content monetization and audience intelligence software
• The majority investment in premier kitchen and home brand Food52 by TCG Capital Management
• RR-energy’s sale of a preferred equity stake in TAE Technologies, the world’s leading developer of innovative clean nuclear fusion energy
• The partnership investment in Mediatonic, the UK’s leading independent mobile live games developer, by Synova Capital
• The sale by Marlin Equity of a majority stake in Qualitest, the world’s largest pure-play outsourced software testing and quality assurance specialist, to Bridgepoint
• The investment in Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection software, by Goldman Sachs
• The strategic partnership of General Atlantic with Powercloud, a fast-growing provider of comprehensive cloud solutions for the energy sector
• The sale of high-growth D2C e-commerce company iDeal to Altor Equity Partners
• The sale of SaaS leader Usabilla to SurveyMonkey
• The launch of Sister, which saw Freelands, Elisabeth Murdoch’s investment vehicle, partnering with Emmy Award-winning Sister Pictures and creating a new, leading global indie production company

About GCA

GCA Advisors is the US business of GCA Corporation (GCA), a global investment bank that provides strategic M&A and capital markets advisory services to growth companies and market leaders. Following the merger with Stella EOC, GCA offers worldwide coverage with over 500 professionals in 25 locations across America, Asia and Europe. Built by the people that run the business, GCA is a firm of experts who focus on deals that require commitment, original perspective, skill and exceptional networks.

For further information about GCA, please visit www.gcaglobal.com

About Stella EOC
Stella EOC is a leading European technology and media investment banking boutique. Since inception they have worked alongside some of the world’s most successful companies, entrepreneurs and investors, helping them reach their full potential. Their team’s unrivalled expertise has seen them advise on over 230 mid-market transactions to date, from mergers, trade and financial sales, carve-outs and leveraged buy-outs to acquisitions, fund raises, debt advisory, strategic advising and more.