IFM Investors’ new private equity Growth Fund has made its first transaction, taking a significant minority interest in Zuuse, a global provider of construction payment management Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions to the USD1 trillion global construction and building operations sector. Zuuse is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and operates under the Payapps brand in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and GCPay in North America.
Co-founded by Lincoln Easton and Geoff Tarrant, the company commercially launched Payapps in Australia in 2016. Zuuse now has more than 70 employees and over 21,000 clients around the world.
The company has grown strongly during the Covid-19 pandemic as the construction industry continues to move away from hard copy paperwork processes to digital claims management solutions.
The software promotes a transparent, accurate and timely progress claim and approval process to sub-contractors helping to support a fair work environment and greater regulatory compliance. The take-up of its products is also now saving an estimated 13 tonnes of paper globally per year.
The investment of approximately AUD50 million and was led by Adrian Kerley and Jeremy Larkin from IFM Investors, both of whom will join the Zuuse Board as Non-Executive Directors.
Leigh Jasper will co-invest alongside IFM and will also join the Zuuse Board as a Non-Executive Director. Mr Jasper has 20 years of leadership experience in the construction and engineering software industry, as co-founder and CEO of Aconex.
IFM’s investment in Zuuse is the second deal for IFM’s newly formed direct private equity team. It is the first investment which combines IFM’s new private equity Growth Fund and a single client mandate to invest in mid-market growth companies.
The team is led by Stuart Wardman-Browne, a former CHAMP Ventures executive. Senior team members include David Odgers, formerly from Bain Capital, Kerley, recruited from Commonwealth Super Corporation, and Larkin, who joined from JPMorgan.
The new team made its first investment in July 2019 in My Plan Manager, a provider of plan management services to clients in the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
IFM Investors CEO David Neal says: “Private equity is a key growth area for IFM and we see this investment as one that will continue to help IFM deliver on its purpose to protect and grow the retirement savings of working people.”
IFM Investors Global Head of Private Equity Stuart Wardman-Browne says: ”Zuuse is an exciting investment for IFM Investors and an ideal fit for our mid-market growth strategy, given its compelling, actionable growth plan and resilient business model.”
Zuuse Executive Chairman Geoff Tarrant says: “It’s great to partner with IFM – the investment will fund a number of clearly identified growth initiatives and help cement our position as a global industry leader in construction and building operations software.”
