Polaris has entered into an agreement with the owner of Contour Design to acquire a majority shareholding in the company.
Contour Design is a pioneer in ergonomic mouse and keyboard solutions with patented products such as the RollerMouse, Unimouse and Balance Keyboard. Contour Design was founded in 1995 and has since provided premium ergonomic input devices that eliminate harmful movements and help form safer working habits.
”Contour Design has established a market leading position in the Nordics and USA based on unique, patented solutions that alleviate pain and prevents injury for many computer users. We are especially impressed by the exceptional customer feedback and loyal customer base that further emphasizes the value that Contour Design’s products bring to end-customers. We see great potential in expanding the geographical coverage and offering Contour Design’s innovative products to new regions as ergonomic maturity increases in the rest of Europe and USA”, says Niels Worning, Partner at Polaris.
The market for ergonomic input devices is well-developed in the Nordic countries due to the high ergonomic awareness and focus on employee well-being. The growth of Contour Design is expected to increasingly come from other geographies as the markets outside the Nordics mature with positive ergonomic sentiment and supported by legislation on employee well-being.
“We have established a strong market position in our current geographies. Based on our expertise in ergonomic pointing devices, coupled with Polaris’ extensive experience, resources and track record in supporting management teams in taking regional market leaders on an international growth journey, we are excited for the future of Contour Design”, says Kenneth Schach, Managing Director EMEA.
Polaris will form a partnership with the management team and founder, Steven Wang, who will also be a significant shareholder after the transaction, with the intention of building further awareness on the benefits of ergonomic pointing devices in the Nordics, rest of Europe and USA. The ownership change does not entail changes to existing collaboration agreements or customer relationships.
“I am pleased to hand over the majority shareholding of Contour Design to a well-reputed owner such as Polaris. We have a shared vision of making high quality ergonomic products available for more computer users that today do not have proper solutions for pain-relief and preventive purposes”, says Steven Wang, founder of Contour Design.
The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction is subject to certain conditions being fulfilled.
For further information:
Niels Worning, Partner at Polaris, +45 23 44 45 76
Kenneth Schach, Managing Director EMEA, +45 22 45 72 52
About Polaris
Polaris is a Nordic private equity firm headquartered in Copenhagen, which invests in well-established medium-sized companies in the Nordics. Since 1998, Polaris has raised five funds and obtained capital commitment of EUR ~1.7bn. Polaris’ focus is to invest in companies with growth and development potential. To date, Polaris has invested in 43 companies and completed more than 80 add-on investments. Polaris currently owns 13 companies with a total revenue of EUR +1bn and 5,000 employees. Contour Design will be the first investment in Polaris V.
www.polarisequity.dk