Investment will further strengthen eCOGRA’s ability to deliver global coverage for gaming testing and certification, while maintaining its signature Quality | Speed | Service proposition. This will expand choice for customers and regulators alike - helping keep even more players safe.

NEW YORK & LONDON: The Visualize Group (“Visualize”), a private investment firm focused on investing in mission-critical, services-based companies, today announced that it has agreed to acquire eCOGRA (“eCOGRA”), a globally recognized provider of testing, inspection, certification, and compliance (“TICC”) services for the gaming industry, from Hanover Investors Management LLP (“Hanover”). eCOGRA will continue to operate under its existing leadership with Will Shuckburgh, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), continuing to lead the business. eCOGRA represents Visualize’s second investment in the gaming TICC space, after BMM Testlabs (“BMM”), which closed earlier this year.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in London, United Kingdom, eCOGRA is a widely trusted compliance and certification provider for iGaming customers globally, serving gaming software suppliers, platform operators, and online gaming regulators in more than 50 jurisdictions worldwide. The organization is recognized for the rigor and integrity of its certification standards, which help protect players, safeguard the fairness and integrity of gaming, and support operators in meeting their regulatory obligations.

The market for regulated gaming TICC services is large and growing, served by numerous providers worldwide. Regulators require gaming products to be independently tested and certified before they reach the market - and again as those products are updated - creating recurring, regulation-driven demand that expands further as new jurisdictions open, regulatory standards advance, and artificial intelligence drives greater game complexity. BMM and eCOGRA bring complementary strengths to this market: BMM’s expertise spans the full testing and certification spectrum, while eCOGRA’s is focused on the digital gaming segment. Visualize intends to expand capacity, offer customers a broader licensing umbrella, accelerate turnaround times, and widen the range of high-quality options available to all stakeholders. Each company continues to operate as an independently accredited business, maintaining its own standards, methodologies and decision-making.

As part of the transaction, Visualize intends to extend its broad-based employee ownership program to eCOGRA’s employees, allowing them to participate in the value-creation plan for the business.

Will Shuckburgh, CEO of eCOGRA, said, “For more than two decades, eCOGRA’s mission has been to ensure that players can trust the games they play and that operators can meet the highest standards of compliance. As regulated gaming expands into new markets around the world, the demand for fast, rigorous, and reliable certification has never been greater. Partnering with Visualize gives us the resources to serve our customers better - to invest in our people, our technology, and our capacity - while continuing to operate with the independence and integrity that our accreditation partners and customers expect.”

C. C. Melvin Ike, Founder and Managing Partner of Visualize, said, “As high-conviction thematic investors, we back exceptional businesses and management teams providing mission-critical services in growing markets, and we build deep expertise in the sectors to which we commit. Building on our experience in regulated gaming, the independent testing and certification that both eCOGRA and BMM provide is fundamental to protecting players and sustaining the trust of regulators, and the two businesses bring distinct capabilities across online and land-based gaming. With eCOGRA, our intention is straightforward: to build eCOGRA into a generational business that can deliver faster, more responsive, and more innovative service to a fast-growing market that needs more high-quality service. We’re thrilled to partner with Will and the entire eCOGRA team.”

David Cowan, Managing Partner at Hanover Investors, said: “We invested in eCOGRA because it was a high-quality business operating in an attractive market, with a well-earned reputation that had been built over many years. Since then, the team has continued to strengthen the business, expanding its global reach, investing in its capabilities and reinforcing its position as a trusted partner to regulators and operators around the world. We are proud of what has been achieved during our ownership and grateful for the commitment and hard work of Will and the wider eCOGRA team. We believe Visualize is the right partner to support the next phase of growth and are excited to see eCOGRA continue to develop in the years ahead.”

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and clearances.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Greenberg Traurig acted as legal advisors for Visualize. Macquarie Capital acted as financial advisor for Hanover and eCOGRA. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP acted as legal advisor for Hanover and eCOGRA.

About The Visualize Group

Visualize is a private investment firm that makes concentrated investments in mission-critical companies, many of which operate in regulated markets. Visualize pursues a thematic strategy, targeting businesses that have yet to find their natural owner - regulatory transitions, corporate carve-outs, take-privates, and founder successions in sectors where a focused, operationally engaged specialist can unlock significant value. The firm’s role is not simply to provide capital, but to serve as an operational and strategic partner.

Founded in 2023 and headquartered in New York, Visualize is led by senior investment and operationally engaged professionals from Blackstone, Veritas Capital, and Golden Gate Capital. The firm is backed by a distinguished group of institutional investors, including university endowments, foundations, and prominent family offices. Learn more at www.visualizegroup.com.

About Hanover Investors Management

Hanover Investors is an alternative investment firm founded in 2002 focused on high-quality, small-cap businesses at points of strategic transition. Hanover unlocks sustainable value by supporting evolution of ownership, operating model or strategy, drawing on over two decades of hands-on partnership with our companies, and strong in-house operating capabilities. For more information, visit www.hanoverinvestors.com.

Fonte: Business Wire