Stout announced that Kongsberg Digital has acquired COACH Solutions Aps (“COACH”), a business-to-business (B2B) software company providing leading digital solutions to the shipping industry. Stout served as the exclusive financial advisor to COACH's parent company, Clipper Group, in this transaction.

Launched in 2016, COACH has grown rapidly since its inception. The company supplies vessel operators, owners, pool managers, and technical managers with a suite of tools for vessel performance, weather routing, and noon reporting, assisting them in making large economic and environmental savings from their operations. COACH’s vessel performance-monitoring system was developed by Danish shipping company Clipper Group.

Kongsberg (OSE-ticker: KOG), is an international, knowledge-based group delivering high-technology systems and solutions to clients within the oil and gas industry, subsea, merchant marine, defense, and aerospace. Kongsberg has 11,000 employees located in more than 40 countries.

“Joining Kongsberg Digital is a fantastic step forward for COACH, so we can continue delivering business value to our clients,” said Anders Bruun, CEO of COACH Solutions. “Kongsberg Digital has an unrivalled ability to unlock the value of digital data with its Kognifai infrastructure. We at COACH very much look forward to joining the Kongsberg family and being part of the journey of digitalizing the world fleet.”

“COACH’s software tools are a natural fit with Kongsberg Digital’s maritime portfolio, and the addition of Kongsberg Digital’s resources and global network will accelerate COACH’s growth. It will complement Kongsberg’s Vessel Insight data infrastructure solution and the Kognifai Maritime Ecosystem,“ said Stout Vice President Sven Garås, who leads the firm’s coverage of shipping software companies and advised on the transaction. "The industry has seen many situations where shipping companies try to be software developers, but very few succeed in making customers out of their competitors. Thus, the winners in the marketplace are those who manage to create truly independent offerings, using independent and open platform structures that allow for collaboration.”

Stout Managing Director Aran Williams, who also advised on the sale, added, “We see a wave of consolidation in the Shiptech segment as the industry matures, and customers realize the necessity of digitalizing their operations. We therefore expect to see more transactions like this where an established maritime services provider acquires a successful early-stage shiptech business.”

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Stout Park Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Sturgeon Ventures LLP who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN # 452811.