Capstone Strategic, Inc. (Capstone) announced that Kaneka Corporation (Kaneka) of Tokyo, Japan and AB-Biotics, S.A. (ABB) of Barcelona, Spain have signed a licensing agreement which grants Kaneka the exclusive right to manufacture and offer certain ABB products in Japan and North America (USA and Canada). As part of the agreement, Kaneka has acquired 34.8% of ABB’s shares and has committed to investing in developing the company’s products. Capstone advised Kaneka on this deal.
This transaction allows Kaneka to execute its strategy to expand its line of research-based, specialized nutritional ingredients for customers in North America and Japan.
Kaneka is a diversified manufacturer with businesses in chemicals, plastics, foodstuffs, life sciences, and electronics among others. In the business portfolio, Kaneka provides high-quality and unique nutritional ingredients for the dietary supplement, nutraceutical, cosmetic and food & beverage industries. The company is the sole manufacturer of Ubiquinol globally and the only producer of CoQ10 in the United States and Japan.
ABB is a biotechnology company that researches and develops functional ingredients from a robust strains bank of probiotics with applications in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets. Founded in 2004 by Miguel Angel Bonachera and Sergi Audivert, the company is traded on the Spanish Alternative Stock Market (MAB: ABB).
In line with Kaneka’s strategy, Capstone researched key growth areas to identify a robust pipeline of acquisition prospects, identifying ABB as a top candidate. Capstone guided Kaneka during negotiations, signing the letter of intent, due diligence, and closing.
“With this agreement, Kaneka accelerates its growth in key markets by adding ABB’s probiotic technology and expertise to the Kaneka product portfolio. We are honored to have been a part of this journey and are looking forward to their continued success,” said David Braun, CEO of Capstone.