What do high-tension pylons, submarines, oil and gas platforms and bridges have in common? One – they are capital-intensive; two – they are usually made of steel; and three – they regularly require durable maintenance. And that is exactly what Venko does. This undaunted company, based in Hoogeveen, has built up a strong position since the 1970s as a specialist in maintaining steel structures – especially ones that are difficult to access. Venko is proud to ensure that the service life of these structures is considerably prolonged. The company has also been serving the offshore industry and this has helped it to make some enormous leaps forward. Mentha’s investment has now laid the basis for further expansion, including expansion abroad. Not bad for a business that started out as a local painting firm.
Mentha Capital is an independent private equity firm active in the lower end of the mid-market in the Netherlands and Flanders. We invest in established, mid-sized and profitable companies with clear opportunities for growth along multiple avenues, such as organic growth, expansion in new markets or a buy-and-build approach. We have a significant amount of capital under management from a solid base of wealthy individuals and families and institutional investors with a long-term investment horizon. The entrepreneurial team of investment professionals, with solid financial and corporate business experience, likes to team up with management to jointly realize ambitious business plans.
Founded in 2006, the strategy of Mentha Capital is to develop portfolio companies into stronger and larger companies with distinct strategic value. We pursue a generalist investment strategy and invest in a variety of established and traditional sectors with favorable growth and business development dynamics. Our portfolio companies and target companies hold sustainable positions in their value chain. We aim to take controlling stakes.
Investments fluctuate between 5 and 20 million euro equity per transaction in companies with EBITDA ranging from 2.5 to 10 million euro. Our companies have their head offices in the Netherlands or Flanders with branches in all regions of the world. Our deals are typically succession transactions of family businesses, corporate spin-offs or, incidentally, secondary transactions in management buy-out or management buy-in situations.
Mentha Capital aspires to be actively involved with the portfolio companies, acting as a pragmatic and involved partner to support management teams in executing ambitious business plans. We aim to build close partnerships between management and shareholder(s) by encouraging members of the management team to co-invest in the business. The team has gained significant insight and experience in many different industries and has access to an extensive network of industry experts. We endeavor to invest in non-discriminatory and equal opportunity companies and to exclude companies that do not strive to comply with responsible industry standards. We pursue responsible behavior in our portfolio companies, demanding management to develop strategies that incorporate social responsibility objectives.
We support:
The Mentha Capital team consists of nine investment professionals. The team members have complementary skills, disciplines and backgrounds, contributing a high level of entrepreneurship and experience in various relevant fields, including operational and financial management, business development, consumer goods, health care, banking and corporate finance. Together, the team is committed to operating in a down-to-earth, accountable, energetic and transparent way.
Our portfolio of investments consists of a range of companies in different life cycles across multiple industries.
Mentha Capital draws inspiration from the conviction that ‘We didn’t inherit the Earth from our parents, but we borrow it from our children.’
As an investment company, it is our ambition to build and expand portfolio companies in a sustainable way, meaning that we include the environment, social effects and responsible governance (ESG) in our investment decisions, growth plans and processes. Mentha Capital believes that an integrated ESG approach contributes to improved portfolio performance, appropriate mitigation of risks and stakeholder satisfaction.
In association with the Dutch foundation Trees for All (www.treesforall.nl) we compensate for our CO2 footprint in sustainable forest projects to guarantee our climate-neutrality in 2017.
