Risk Management Leader Forward Global and Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC) Enter Exclusive Equity Negotiations

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Forward Global

11 Apr, 2024, 12:00 GMT

Minority stake to accelerate the risk management firm's international growth and development.

PARIS, April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Forward Global, one of the leading risk management companies, has entered exclusive negotiations with the investment fund Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC) to become a minority stake shareholder of the Paris, France headquartered group. BDC, the midcap investment vehicle of Bridgepoint, one of the world's leading private asset growth investors, will join the group's management and historical investors, RAISE Invest and Rives Croissance, in a deal that values the group at over €200 million (USD228 million, GBP180 million). 

Forward Global designs, develops, and manages services and technologies dedicated to mitigating and managing complex digital and economic risks for clients worldwide. The Forward Global team consists of over 450 staff in Washington DC, London, Brussels, Paris and other cities across Europe and Africa supporting more than 1,200 global clients in mitigating and managing complex digital, economic and information risks across industries, geographies, and jurisdictions. In 2024, the group's turnover will exceed €100 million (USD108 million, GBP84 million). 

BDC's new investment, along with organic growth, will further strengthen the group's financial capabilities to accelerate its international development strategy, particularly in North America and Europe, with a target of €150 million (USD162 million, GBP128 million) in strategic acquisitions within the next three years. 

Matthieu Creux, President of Forward Global said: "Forward Global are particularly proud to be able to partner with Bridgepoint Development Capital and to continue our entrepreneurial relationship with RAISE Invest and Rives Croissance. Our roadmap is very clear: continue to improve and multiply our technological tools and expand our international footprint as a leader in the risk management market, with the goal of scaling up."

Jean-Baptiste Salvin, Partner at BDC, added, "Forward Global has emerged as a key player in corporate risk and reputation management, experiencing significant expansion in recent years. With deep and recognised technological expertise, a tailored client approach, and operations spanning Europe, North America, and Africa, Forward Global offers a unique proposition with significant opportunities for further growth. We look forward to joining forces with the team, leveraging our international network and expertise in working with high-end and tech-focused advisory businesses to unlock Forward Global's ambitious new growth phase."

RAISE Invest and Rives Croissance are renewing their commitment to the group's development strategy by continuing their minority stakes. Alexandra Dupont, Co-Head of RAISE Invest, commented: "We have been an investment partner with Forward Global for just over four years, and we have seen the group transform to become a benchmark player in its market. We have helped them structure, to evolve their governance to support their international growth, and supported their many acquisitions, in France and abroad. We are happy to continue to provide our support to Matthieu Creux and the group's employees as they continue to write this beautiful entrepreneurial story." 

The closing of the investment is subject to the necessary administrative approvals and is expected to take place over the summer of 2024. 

Bridgepoint Development Capital is advised by Proskauer Rose, Arsene Taxand and DLA Piper (legal & structuring), BCG (strategic audit), KPMG (financial audit), PWC (legal, tax, social, and ESG audits) and Clearwater (M&A and financing). Forward Global and its management are advised by Hogan Lovells, Axipiter, Schoups, Sheppard Mullin (legal), LEK (strategic audit), Oderis (financial audit), Indefi (ESG), Natixis Partners (M&A and financing) and Callisto (management).

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Forward Global

Bridgepoint Development Capital

About Forward Global

Forward Global is an international group, with its historic headquarters in France, boasting four main offices in Paris, Brussels, London, and Washington. Technical teams are also located in Lyon, Toulouse, La Roche-sur-Yon, Geneva, Abidjan, Dakar, Tunis, and Mauritius. As a leading player in risk management with over 450 employees, Forward Global offers an integrated approach across the three major risks: digital, economic, and informational.

  • Digital risk management: This sector works both on risk prevention (audits, continuous evaluation, threat anticipation, data leak detection, etc.) and incident response (investigations, data recovery, remediation, and restoration). It also plays a strategic role in study missions and support (risk mapping, threat analysis, crisis exercise organization, etc.). It includes brands such as Lexfo, Databack, Ambionics, Ubik Academy, Lexhunt, CEIS, Calypt, and Uncovery, as well as the inCyber Forum, which gathers tens of thousands of visitors annually for its European editions (in Lille, France) or North American (in Montreal, Canada), making it the most significant event for cybersecurity professionals and digital trust actors. With a team of over 150 people, mainly engineers and cybersecurity specialists, this sector offers an integrated solution to all digital risks.

  • Economic risk management: This sector encompasses investigation activities in pre-litigation (litigation support), pre-contractual (business ethics and compliance), or pre-investment (M&A Intelligence) contexts, the country risk study center (notably the Observatory of Arab Countries), and all activities related to fighting fraud, illicit markets (counterfeiting, content piracy), and organized crime. It operates under brands like Leakid, Rivendell, OPA, Forward Risk & Intelligence, CEIS, and Brod Global Intelligence. It brings together more than 90 employees in France, Brussels, the USA, Canada, and Africa.

  • Informational risk management: This sector includes the group's public relations activities for around a hundred companies and institutions. It combines high-level teams in strategic communication, digital communication, public affairs, and judicial communication. Beyond the cases operated under the Forward Global brand, it includes brands such as DGM Conseil, 35°Nord, and CEIS. This sector, with nearly 180 people, operates in France, the USA, Great Britain, Brussels, and Africa.

About Bridgepoint

Bridgepoint Group plc is a listed international alternative asset manager focused on middle-market companies. With over €41 billion of assets under management, the company has nearly 200 investment professionals in Europe, North America and Asia. We combine global scale with local market insight and sector expertise, consistently delivering strong returns through cycles. Bridgepoint invests with four distinct strategies: Mid-cap, Smid-cap, Growth and Credit. The Group has been present in France for over 35 years, where it has one of the largest investment teams and a track record of landmark deals.

With a team of 36 investment professionals in Europe (including 13 in Paris), Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC), Bridgepoint's Smid-cap activity, is one of the few medium-sized investors capable of supporting the international development of small and medium-sized enterprises through its nine investment offices and its operational teams based in New York, San Francisco, and Shanghai. BDC invests between 40 million euros and 150 million euros per company through its latest fund, BDC IV, which was raised in 2020. The BDC portfolio in France consists of 10 companies to date: Sotralu (2014), Anaveo (2015), Sportscape Group (formerly PrivateSportShop – 2018), Cyrus and Brevo (2020), PluginDigital (2021), Cast and Cegos (2022), Equativ and Sinari (2023).

About RAISE 

Founded in 2013 by Clara Gaymard and Gonzague de Blignières, and with 2 billion euros under management, the RAISE Group is a pioneer in committed finance. As a mission-driven company with a unique model of sharing success to serve entrepreneurs, RAISE is organized around three activity sectors: an investment platform consisting of 7 strategies addressing companies and assets of all sizes and sectors, innovation spaces, and a foundation dedicated to startups.

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