CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FRX Polymers Inc. (“FRX” or the “Company”) announced today that it has closed its Series B financing for $26.7 million. On June 6, 2011, the Company announced that it had completed its Series B $15.7MM round, but kept the round open due to significant interest from new investors. The second close was led by DB Masdar Fund (DBM) and BASF Venture Capital. Also participating in this second closing were investors from Series A and the first close of Series B, Capricorn Cleantech Fund and Israel Cleantech Ventures (ICV). The funds will be used to partially finance FRX’s first commercial scale production facility, scheduled to come on stream during Q4 2013 in Antwerp, Belgium, as well as to expand its Swiss pilot facility, build out its team, and complete its global product registration process.
FRX is the manufacturer and marketer of a new, environmentally friendly family of inherently flame retardant plastic. Currently in the growth phase of commercializing its unique family of polyphosphonate homopolymers, copolymers, and oligomers, FRX produces plastics that are tough, transparent, and possess high melt flow. FRX’s products are being sold in consumer electronic, building and construction, and transportation markets as polymeric flame retardant additives, flame retardant engineering plastics, and as reactive flame retardant additives for thermosetting resins.
FRX’s portfolio includes an extensive and growing patent estate. To date, FRX has 20 granted patents and 58 patent applications. FRX was the 2008 recipient of Frost and Sullivan’s “Innovation of the Year” award for flame retardant materials and received the first-place award in the Clean Technology Business Forum. FRX was also featured in The Economic Report, which aired on CNN and Fox Business News in 2009. FRX operates two pilot facilities in Chelmsford, MA and a third larger polymer pilot plant in Switzerland.
Dr. Jos B. Peeters, Managing Partner of Capricorn Venture Partners said, “As a leading European Venture Capital firm with headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, we are delighted to be supporting FRX and especially excited to have played a key role in helping the company locate its first commercial plant in Antwerp, Belgium”. We have been a major investor in FRX since mid 2009 and we have witnessed, first- hand, the company’s progress. It bodes well for the chemistry cluster in Antwerp to have attracted this dynamic young company into its fold.”
“We are extremely pleased to make this investment in FRX and to work alongside management in helping build a world class company” said Alex O’Cinneide, Partner DB Masdar Clean Tech Fund and General Manager Masdar Investments LLC. “Along with being at the cutting edge of the environmentally clean flame retardant additive market, it has a strong patent portfolio, proven products, a scalable process, an impressive list of industrial partners, and a strong management team. This investment demonstrates our strong belief in FRX and its future.”
Dr. Oliver Guthmann, Investment Manager at BASF Venture Capital, said, “FRX is a great match for us. The company has an experienced management team, a strong technology, and based on our own evaluations, we have concluded that its products meet a clear and urgent market need. We have followed FRX’s progress since 2008 and we are excited to take part in its series B round of financing.”
“We are delighted to welcome our new investors, DBM and BASF Ventures, and are grateful for the continued commitment and support from our existing investors, Capricorn Cleantech Fund, ICV, SAM Private Equity, our Western Canadian Private Investors, North Sky Capital, and our Founders and Employees,” said Marc Lebel, President and CEO of FRX Polymers. “We have been able to attract sophisticated investors to our Company, all of which believe in the long term potential of FRX. Being backed by such a strong investor group, will allow FRX to fully capitalize on its potential.”
About FRX Polymers
FRX Polymers, Inc. was founded in 2007 following over five years of intensive research and development in the field of inherently flame retardant plastics. The company operates two pilot plants in Chelmsford MA and a polymer pilot plant in Switzerland. FRX is in the growth phase of its evolution and is commercializing a novel family of non-halogen, transparent, high melt flowing, fire resistant plastics. FRX Polymers is headquartered in Chelmsford MA. For more information, please visit www.frxpolymers.com.
About Capricorn Venture Partners
Capricorn Venture Partners is a pan-European manager of venture capital funds seeking to invest in technology-based growth companies. Capricorn is investing out of its Capricorn Cleantech Fund , its Capricorn Health-tech Fund and is managing Quest for Growth, a cross-over fund quoted on EuroNext Brussels and advising the Luxembourg based Quest Cleantech Sicav. The Capricorn Cleantech Fund invests in European growth companies developing innovative breakthrough technologies in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency, water purification and re-use, bio-based material conversion and bio-refinery platforms, clean air, climate change, green chemistry and advanced materials, materials recovery and recycling. The investment team of Capricorn is composed of experienced investment managers with deep technology expertise and a broad industrial experience. The Capricorn Cleantech Fund benefits from an investment by the European Investment Fund through the "Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program" of the European Union. For more information, please visit www.capricorn.be.
About DB Masdar Clean Tech Fund, L.P.
DB Masdar Clean Tech Fund, L.P. is co-managed by Masdar Capital, the private equity and venture capital arm of the Abu Dhabi based Masdar Initiative, and DB Climate Change Advisors, a unit of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division. The DB Masdar Clean Tech Fund seeks to build a diversified private equity portfolio that includes some of the world's most promising and pioneering clean tech and renewable energy companies. For more information, please visit www.masdar.ae and www.db.com.
About Israel Cleantech Ventures
Established in 2006, Israel Cleantech Ventures (ICV) is the largest venture capital firm dedicated to providing value added growth capital to exceptional entrepreneurs building Israel's leading energy, water and environmental companies. The firm has over $130M under management to date in two funds and has completed 13 investments across diverse cleantech sectors, including clean materials, waste water treatment, alternative energy generation, energy storage & efficiency, green building, smart grid and in technologies that enable existing industries to work in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner. ICV funds are backed by leading institutional investors and notable family offices in Europe, the US and Israel. For more information, please visit www.israelcleantech.com.
About SAM Private Equity
SAM is an investment boutique focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing. The firm’s offering comprises asset management, indexes and clean tech private equity. SAM partners with Dow Jones Indexes in the publication and development of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI).
Founded in 1995, SAM today has more than 100 employees and belongs to Robeco, a subsidiary of the Dutch Rabobank Group, which has the highest credit rating of all privately owned banks. As of December 31, 2011, SAM’s total assets amount to USD: USD 11.4 billion. For more information, please visit www.sam-group.com.
About BASF Venture Capital
BASF Venture Capital is the corporate venture capital company of BASF Group. BASF invests globally in promising start-up companies and funds. BASF’s investments focus on innovative technologies with a high growth potential where chemistry plays an important role, as well as new materials and substances with significant market opportunities. BASF Venture Capital's team is set-apart by a unique combination of technical, scientific and financial expertise. BASF’s portfolio includes exceptional start-up companies, who enrich the marketplace with innovative materials, methods or products. For more information, please visit www.basf-vc.de.