Day: September 22, 2021

Stockholm, Sweden – September 22, 2021 – Sinch AB (publ), a global leader in cloud communications for mobile customer engagement, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MessengerPeople, a leading German software-as-as-service platform for conversational messaging. Sinch will pay a total enterprise value of EUR 48 million, with a total cash consideration of EUR 33.6 million and EUR 14.4 million paid in the form of new shares in Sinch. Using yesterday’s EUR/SEK exchange rate of 10.18, this corresponds to an enterprise value of SEK 489 million.

Founded in Munich in 2015, MessengerPeople offers a cloud-based software suite that makes it easy for businesses to engage with their customers via messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Apple Business Chat (iMessage). A pioneer in its field, MessengerPeople was amongst the very first innovators to recognize the potential of next generation messaging channels and build software tools for businesses to leverage these capabilities. More than 700 businesses use MessengerPeople applications to engage with their customers, and around 80% of these businesses are based in the DACH region.

“I’m very impressed with the MessengerPeople team and their success in bringing innovative products to market. Most businesses have yet to discover the benefits of conversational messaging, and together we are superbly placed to win in this market as uptake now begins to accelerate”, comments Oscar Werner, CEO of Sinch.

With easy-to-use applications that are designed for business users, MessengerPeople complements Sinch’s API-based offering for larger enterprises and channel partners. The MessengerPeople platform is particularly well-suited for pre-sales and customer care, which accounts for around 85 percent of current volumes. Monetization is based primarily on subscriptions and monthly active users, through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, rather than on transaction volumes.

MessengerPeople serves businesses across a broad range of verticals such as eCommerce, Automotive, Public Authorities, and Media. Current customers include travel & tourism leader TUI, e-commerce specialist Women’s Best, and the state government of Telangana, India. In the year ending December 2021, MessengerPeople is expected to generate revenues of EUR 5.1 million, Gross Profit of EUR 4.5 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of EUR 0.6 million. Underlying revenue growth compared to the previous year is expected to reach 35 percent. The company has around 40 employees and is based in Munich, Germany.

The acquisition builds on Sinch’s ongoing organic investments and previous acquisitions in next-generation, conversational messaging. Integration cost is estimated to SEK 16 million over 12 months, with targets centered on cross-sales, accelerated geographic expansion, and product integration with Sinch’s communication APIs and related Sinch applications.

“Mobile messaging is simple, quick and interactive – and used by people all over the world. Empowering businesses to use messaging is a tremendous market opportunity, and teaming up with Sinch gives us the size to pursue it on a global scale”, comments Franz Buchenberger, founder & CEO of MessengerPeople.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter 2021 and will be financed with a combination of new Sinch shares and Sinch’s available cash at hand. Sinch has a financial target to maintain net debt/adjusted EBITDA below 3.5x over time. As of Q2 2021, the company had a net cash position, with net debt/adjusted EBITDA of -9.6x, in anticipation of upcoming transactions. Taking into consideration the expected, upcoming payment for Inteliquent and MessageMedia, pro forma Net debt/Adj EBITDA is 2.6x. All else equal, the acquisition of MessengerPeople increases Sinch’s pro forma net debt/EBITDA by 0.1x to 2.7x.

Webcast

A conference call for analysts and investors will take place today, September 22, at 14.00 CEST. The live webcast will be available at investors.sinch.com/webcast, where it will also be possible to ask questions. To participate by phone, please dial in a few minutes before the call to ensure that you are connected.

Sweden:           +46 8 506 92 180
Germany:          +49 692 443 7351
UK:                   +44 2071 928 000
US:                   +1 631 510 7495

Access code:     52 99 499#

Presentation materials are available at https://investors.sinch.com.

For further information, please contact

Thomas Heath
Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Investor Relations
Mobile: +46 722 45 50 55
E-mail: investors@sinch.com

Ola Elmeland
Investor Relations
Mobile: +46 721 43 34 59
E-mail: investors@sinch.com

About Sinch

Sinch brings businesses and people closer with tools enabling personal engagement. Its leading cloud communications platform lets businesses reach every mobile phone on the planet, in seconds or less, through mobile messaging, voice and video. Sinch is a trusted software provider to mobile operators, and its platform powers business-critical communications for many of the world’s largest companies. Sinch has been profitable and fast-growing since its foundation in 2008. It is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has local presence in more than 40 countries. Shares are traded at NASDAQ Stockholm: XSTO:SINCH. Visit us at sinch.com.

About MessengerPeople

MessengerPeople is one of the pioneers in the field of messaging services and a leading software-as-a-service provider for communication via messaging apps. The innovative Messenger Communication Platform enables companies to communicate professionally with customers via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Messaging, Apple Business Chat, Telegram, Viber, Notify, and Webchat. With the MessengerPeople solution, over 700 companies worldwide – and over 20 million end users – have already taken advantage of messaging platforms as a means of communication between companies and customers. Find out more at messengerpeople.com.

Advisors

Handelsbanken Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor and K&L Gates LLP as legal advisor to Sinch in the transaction.

Important information

This communication may contain certain forward-looking statements. Such statements are all statements that do not relate to historical facts and include expressions such as “believe”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “assume”, “predict”, “intend”, “may”, “presuppose”, “should” or similar. The forward-looking statements in this release are based on various estimates and assumptions that in several cases are based on additional assumptions. Although Sinch believes these assumptions were reasonable when made, such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that are difficult or impossible to predict and that are beyond Sinch’s control. Such risks, uncertainties and important factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from the results expressly or implicitly indicated in this communication through the forward-looking statements. The information, perceptions and the forward-looking statements in this release apply only as of the date of this release and may change without notice.

This information is information that Sinch AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the contact person set out above, at 07:30 CEST on September 22, 2021.

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CHICAGO, Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The unique technology that this mineral-based feed additive brings to the Indonesian animal protein industry has been recognized with Oil-Dri Corporation of America (NYSE: ODC) as the inventor. Oil-Dri, a leading manufacturer of sorbent minerals, announces today that the Indonesian Directorate General of Intellectual Property has issued Patent IDP-000071991, titled “Clay Product and Uses Thereof.” The patent protects the novel, mineral-based formulation used in Amlan’s existing natural feed additives, Varium^® for poultry and NeoPrime^® for swine, that provides animal protein producers with natural solutions to maintain intestinal health and optimize production efficiency. The products are sold and marketed in international markets by Amlan International, the animal health business of Oil-Dri, trading in Indonesia as PT Amlan Perdagangan Internasional.

“Advancements in feed additive research and formulation are helping to transform animal protein production by providing proven and reliable alternatives to in-feed antibiotics used to promote growth and productivity,” says Dan Jaffee, President and CEO, Oil-Dri Corporation of America. Jaffee now also serves as President and General Manager of Amlan. “With Varium and NeoPrime, our team of experts have leveraged Oil-Dri’s 80 years of mineral science experience to develop a synergistic formulation of ingredients that help promote intestinal health and function in poultry and swine. The Indonesia patent is further recognition of the value that our unique mineral-based products bring to producers.”

With the world’s fourth-largest population, the demand for animal protein in Indonesia is rapidly increasing. Concomitantly there is an increased need for antibiotic-free feed additives that can support poultry and livestock health and production, due to the restriction on the use of antibiotic growth promoters and ionophores that was implemented in Indonesia in early 2020. To meet these demands, Indonesian animal protein producers need natural solutions that can maintain poultry and livestock health while ensuring economical production.

Amlan previously recognized the value their natural mineral-based products could offer Indonesian producers and opened PT Amlan Perdagangan Internasional in 2018. The subsidiary enables the Amlan team to partner directly with large-scale producers to address their production challenges. Amlan is also strategically focused on the expansion of its sales and technical service team, which together with the issuance of the patent, will allow them to better support Indonesian producers, helping them to achieve their production goals and meet the demand for high-quality animal protein.

“The Indonesian patent emphasizes Amlan’s commitment to transform animal protein production as the country knows it,” says Fred Kao, Vice President of Global Sales, Amlan International. “Feedback on Varium and NeoPrime from industry partners has been incredibly positive, making it a reliable antibiotic-free alternative for producers.”

Mineral-Based Technology

The patent provides a methodology for using a natural, mineral-based formulation to mitigate the effects of exposure to pathogenic bacteria and the disease-causing toxins they produce, which damage gut health and function. The United States, China, Korea and the EU have issued similar patents for the formulation featured in Varium and NeoPrime.

Unlike antibiotics, which are designed to kill bacteria, the patented technology includes a synergistic formula of three ingredients with distinct modes of action: (1) a thermally processed mineral that facilitates binding of pathogenic intestinal bacteria and the disease-causing toxins they produce, (2) an immunomodulator that stimulates an animal’s innate immune system to naturally defend against disease and (3) an energy source for the replenishment of intestinal epithelial cells that are essential for healthy gut function. Upon inclusion of this patented technology in animal feed, current producers have effectively eliminated the use of antibiotics to promote growth and have experienced equivalent or better outcomes.

Company Information
Amlan is the animal health business of Oil-Dri Corporation of America, leading global manufacturer and marketer of sorbent minerals. Oil-Dri leverages over 80 years of expertise in mineral science to selectively mine and process their unique mineral for consumer and business-to-business markets. Oil-Dri Corporation of America doing business as “Amlan International” is a publicly traded stock on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ODC). Amlan International sells feed additives across the world. Product availability may vary by country, associated claims do not constitute medical claims and may differ based on government requirements.

Reagan Culbertson
Media Contact
press@amlan.com

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — David Steinman, the American economist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and who has strongly criticized World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom, issued a statement today warning against the WHO chief’s re-nomination. Read the full statement here: https://moneybloodandconscience.com/statement-on-tedros-adhanoms-re-nomination-as-who-director-general.

The statement by Steinman, a former senior foreign adviser to Ethiopia’s democracy movement, responds to news reported by Reuters that Tedros will run unopposed for a second term. Nominations end Sept. 23 and the election is May 22, 2022. Candidates are usually announced at the end of October.

Steinman, who authored a historical novel about Ethiopia’s Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front dictatorship, said “the odds of another pandemic during the next director-general’s term are roughly one in six— the same as Russian Roulette.”

About David Steinman

David Steinman was a consulting expert to the U.S. National Security Council regarding the overthrow of Haiti’s notorious “Baby Doc” Duvalier and helped shape U.S. democracy promotion policy during the Reagan administration to include right wing as well as Communist dictators. He later coordinated private support for Southeast Asian anti-communist resistance movements.

Mr. Steinman served as senior foreign adviser to Ethiopia’s democracy movement for 27 years until its 2018 victory. He co-planned Ethiopia’s 2005 civil resistance and election campaign, voted that year’s “Most Important African Event” in a BBC poll, which inspired his novel about the TPLF dictatorship, Money, Blood and Conscience.

Mr. Steinman revealed the TPLF’s human rights abuses, theft of billions from famine victims and hidden genocide in the Washington Post and Forbes. He has been quoted on Ethiopian politics in the Daily Mail, The National Review, De Telegraaf, and hundreds of traditional and online media outlets.

Last December, Mr. Steinman filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom. The news was featured on the London Times’ front page and created a global media sensation.

David Steinman has a degree in Economics from the Wharton School. He was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

Contact:
Ms. Mahlet Shenkute
pr@gpethiopia.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gpethiopia

Related Images

Image 1

Tedros Adhanom. Photo Credit: This image was originally posted to Flickr by Women Deliver at https://flickr.com/photos/45488291@N06/27101455410 and licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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