New York, NY – Kinderhook Industries, LLC (“Kinderhook”) announced today the acquisition of CSDVRS, LLC (“CSDVRS” or the “Company”) from M/C Partners, Providence Equity Partners and Communication Service for the Deaf. CSDVRS is the first platform investment from Kinderhook Capital Fund IV, a private equity fund raised in 2014 with $500 million of limited partner capital. The transaction represents Kinderhook’s eighth healthcare platform investment and twenty-first transaction in the healthcare sector. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Headquartered in Clearwater, FL, CSDVRS operates two business segments, ZVRS (“Z-Video”) and Stratus Video Interpreting (“Stratus”), both of which leverage the Company’s expertise in video conferencing to provide interpretation services. Z-Video provides video relay services to the deaf and hard of hearing, allowing them to connect with hearing individuals over video telephones or similar devices such as iPads, via American Sign Language interpreters. Stratus provides video remote interpretation services to the healthcare, legal and enterprise markets – providing Limited English Proficiency individuals the ability to communicate in these settings with the assistance of interpreters via video conference on-demand.
Sean Belanger, CEO of CSDVRS, said, “We are excited about our partnership with Kinderhook. Our vision is to continue to provide world-class video translation services to the deaf and hard of hearing population in the U.S. and the necessary tools to let the world hear the voice of the deaf community. Kinderhook’s extensive healthcare experience will enable us to pursue our next stage of growth.”
“Sean and his management team have built Z-Video into a nationally recognized provider of video relay services,” said Chris Michalik, Managing Director at Kinderhook, “which enable deaf and hard of hearing individuals to communicate with hearing people worldwide. Further, Stratus’ market leading position, technology and best-in-class service provide a unique value proposition to the hospital and legal market. Stratus offers hospitals and courtrooms all the benefits of face-to-face translation services at a fraction of the cost of a full-time interpreter. Kinderhook is looking forward to partnering with accomplished industry veterans to continue to build a leading company in the healthcare information technology industry.”
Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Kinderhook. Financing for the transaction was provided by GE Capital.
About Kinderhook Industries
Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Industries is a private equity firm with over $1.25 billion of committed capital and an investment philosophy based on combining senior management and operating experience in a variety of industries with the financial and investment know-how of private equity professionals. Kinderhook primarily makes control investments in companies with transaction values of $25-$150 million in which the firm believes it can achieve significant financial, operational and growth improvements. The firm targets orphaned non-core subsidiaries of corporate parents, existing small capitalization public companies lacking institutional support and management-led recapitalizations of entrepreneur-owned companies. By providing access to capital, strategic advice and an extensive network of relationships, Kinderhook has a history of successfully building privately held firms in partnership with management. For more information please visit:www.kinderhook.com.
About CSDVRS
CSDVRS is a nationally recognized provider of VRS services that enable deaf and hard of hearing individuals to communicate with hearing people worldwide. Through its ZVRS business unit, the Company provides videophone hardware, software and accessories designed to enable a real-time video connection with qualified ASL interpreters who relay conversations between parties. The Company’s Stratus business unit provides interpretation services to the healthcare, legal and enterprise markets – connecting clients with interpreters in over 180 spoken and signed languages on an on-demand basis. For more information please visit: www.csdvrs.com
Originally posted on http://www.kinderhook.com/news/2.9.15.html