Thanks to SOPEF’s entry, Symborg strengthens its shareholding structure and obtains financial support as part of its strategic growth and expansion plan.
Madrid, October 13th, 2020 – Spain Oman Private Equity Fund (“SOPEF”), the investment fund managed by MCH Private Equity has completed its fourth transaction through the investment in Symborg.
Symborg was established in Murcia in 2009 and is a leading company specialised in biotechnology research and development with agricultural innovation, providing farmers innovative solutions that optimize their crops and ensure the conservation of their habitats and ecosystems. Symborg has established itself as a world reference in the development of biostimulants based on microorganisms whereby the applications to agricultural uses are patent protected.
Over the last years, the Company has evolved from its first products based on mycorrhizal fungi to the development of biofertilizers such as BlueN, which allows the plant to naturally nourish itself with nitrogen, reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizers through a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution.
In this new stage, SOPEF and Symborg’s shareholders aim to promote and consolidate the international growth strategy of the Company, taking advantage of the industry trends which are evolving towards sustainable solutions. The objective is to meet the food demand of a growing population facing the challenges that climate change will present in the coming years.
As a result of the agreement, Symborg reinforces its shareholding structure by a strategic partner who adds a markable contributions to continue supporting the company’s expansion plan. The expansion plan includes the construction of a production plant in Alhama de Murcia to incorporate new products into the existing portfolio. This will facilitate the international consolidation to key agricultural markets such as the United States and Latin America.
According to Jesús Juárez, founding partner and CEO of Symborg, “Our objectives of growth, professionalism and leadership find in the SOPEF Fund a great ally. The commitment of this prestigious fund with Symborg reinforces our strategic plan, which will consolidate us as international leaders in agricultural biotechnology in the coming years.”
According to Jose Manuel de Bartolome, Partner of SOPEF, “Symborg meets all the requirements that are sought in private equity investments. It is a growth project, born purely from an entrepreneurship consolidated by development of proprietary technology. The market presents great opportunities in the coming years and the Company has a top-level management team who have in mind a very defined business plan to undertake”.
About SOPEF
Spain Oman Private Equity Fund – SOPEF was constituted in 2018 with the ultimate objective of supporting the international development of Spanish companies through the acquisition of temporary minority stakes. The fund’s investors are COFIDES, FIEX and the Oman Investment Authority and count with a total capital commitment of 200 million euros. The fund is managed by MCH Private Equity Investments, one of the leading Iberian private equity firms focused on mid-sized companies.
The Compañía Española de Financiación al Desarrollo (“COFIDES”) is a state-owned company which offers financial support to Spanish companies investing abroad. It is the exclusive manager of FIEX and FONPYME funds on behalf of the Secretariat of State for Trade attached to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. Shareholders include Banco Santander, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Banco Sabadell and CAF-Development Bank of Latin America.
Oman Investment Authority (OIA) was established in June 2020 by merging the ‘State General Reserve Fund’ and ‘Oman Investment Fund’, under the Royal Decree No. 61/2020. OIA is the sovereign wealth fund of Oman which invests locally and internationally to achieve financial stability and diversity for the Sultanates economy. OIA aims to be a substantial resource that provides financial stability and diversity to the country’s economy while ensuring the continued development of the country by investing in a diversified portfolio of asset types in about 35 countries worldwide.
About Symborg
Founded in Murcia in 2009 by Jesús Juárez and Félix Fernández, both with vast professional careers in the fields of research and agriculture, Symborg has consolidated itself as a leading company in the sector of biotechnology and agricultural innovation with presence in more than 50 countries.
Symborg produces and markets exclusive fertilizers based on natural biological processes that strengthen the roots of plants and improve their physiological activity, increasing the production and quality of the crops. Based on natural processes, Symborg’s products are 100% sustainable and benefit the environment.
