Private equity fund Active Capital Company (ACC) has acquired a majority stake in Technobis, an Alkmaar-based group selling fiber-optic sensing equipment, among other things. Daan Koppen de Neve assumes the CEO position, while Technobis founder and former CEO Pim Kat will continue as CTO. Kat retains a stake in the company.
Technobis consists of three business units: crystallization equipment, product development for medical, life science and high tech applications, and integrated photonic sensing. The latter activity has drawn the most attention recently. Technobis’ sensors have been qualified by a major aerospace company for force measurements in landing gear, and the company is seen as a key player in the budding Dutch integrated photonics ecosystem. Unsurprisingly, ACC’s investment is aimed at accelerating the roll-out of the integrated photonics solutions.
ACC has a history of investing in Dutch high tech companies. Previously, it had a stake in thermal equipment manufacturer Smit Ovens and food processing equipment manufacturer FTNON.