Opening of GO! Formations' shareholding to Activa

Activa announces its investment in GO! Formations, the leader in professional risk prevention training in the Grand Est region. In this operation, Activa becomes the reference shareholder alongside the four Managing Partners and the Institut Lorrain de Participation, coinvestor in the project. This operation also marks the 7th transaction of Activa Fund IV.

Founded in 2004 by Thierry Mangin, GO! Formations is a major regional operator in the French professional training market. Since inception, the company has grown exclusively organically and benefits from a solid leadership position in the CACES industry, with unrivalled geographical coverage, industrial facilities and production capacity in the Grand Est region. With its regulatory and businessspecific training courses, GO! Formations targets industrial, construction and transport-logistics sectors and trains more than 38,000 trainees a year, within 12 different centers. Driven by a deep, fragmented and dynamic market, in line with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements, the company is now generating a €15 million turnover and has enjoyed continuous and profitable organic growth since its creation.

Backed by Activa, GO! Formations intends to become a leading national player by leveraging on its geographical footprint and on the expansion of its offering, both through organic growth and through a selective acquisition policy. This primary LBO also enables the two regional directors, Julien Matter and Mathieu Piquard, to increase their stake in the company’s equity. Known as a specialist of primary transactions in French SMEs in the services sector, this is Activa's 7 th transaction of its latest vehicle, Activa Fund IV. Activa will provide all its expertise to help structure and support GO! Formations in its growth.

Thierry Mangin and Sébastien Picard, Chairman and Managing Director of GO! Formations, declared: « We have just achieved a key milestone in GO! Formations’ management transition. On this occasion, our association with Activa is essential to support our ambitious growth project. We have high expectations regarding this partnership. »

Christophe Parier and Alexandre Masson, Managing Partners of Activa, added: « Positioned as a regional leader, GO! Formations has the right assets to become a leading consolidator at a multiregional level, able to bring together a large number of players both locally and beyond. External growth is an area in which Activa has developed a real expertise and can play an active role. Today, we are proud to support Thierry Mangin, Sébastien Picard and their partners in this major entrepreneurial success story. »

Contributors

• Go ! Formations: Thierry Mangin, Sebastien Picard, Julien Matter, Mathieu Piquard

• Activa: Alexandre Masson, Christophe Parier, Frédéric Singer, Camille Emin, Valentine Loyer

• Institut Lorrain de Participation: Benoit Voinot

• Banque Populaire (senior debt): Clément Zecchin

Management Advisors

• M&A advisor: Adviso Partners (Michaël Chicheportiche, Laurence Cornet, Nathan Hellio, Capucine Pochon)

• Financial advisor: Exelmans (Stéphane Dahan, Thibault Gérald, Pierrick Fructus)

• Corporate legal advisor: Fidal (Brice Voillequin, Nicolas Soukatchoff)

Buyer Advisors

• Strategic due diligence: Edacto (Rémi de Guilhermier, David Mark, Florence Royer)

• Financial due diligence: Eight Advisory (Boris Bignon, Gilles Bessieres, Xavier Bethencourt)

• Corporate due diligence: Hogan Lovells (Stephane Huten, Ali Chegra, Maximilien Roland, Shanna Hodara)

• Corporate lawyer: Hogan Lovells (Stephane Huten, Ali Chegra, Maximilien Roland, Shanna Hodara)

• Fiscal lawyer: Hogan Lovells (Ludovic Geneston, Olivia Berdugo)

• Legal advisor on buyer financing: McDermot Will & Emery (Shirin Deyhim, Elizabeth Amzallag, Camille Judas)

• Legal advisor on bank financing: Agilys Avocats (Fredericque Milotic)