DigitalBridge Credit Announces $220 Million Debt Investment to Support Everstream

NEW YORK--()--DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG) today announced that, its Digital Credit division (“DigitalBridge Credit”), in partnership with CPPIB Credit Investments III Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPP Investments”), it has invested $220 million in the form of a holding company term loan to support the continued growth of Everstream Solutions, LLC (“Everstream”).

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Everstream delivers a business-only, enterprise-grade fiber network with the speed, reliability, scale and performance that today’s enterprises demand. The Company serves large and mid-sized enterprises with over 27,000 route miles of fiber, speeds up to 100 Gbps, and robust business fiber services, including low-latency dedicated internet, WAN and dark fiber.

Brett Lindsey, Everstream’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We selected DigitalBridge Credit as our partner because of its unsurpassed sector expertise, leading credit structuring capabilities and ability to execute on an accelerated timeline. We look forward to benefitting from the team’s deep industry knowledge as we move forward with additional financial flexibility to continue growing our business-only fiber network, expand into new markets, serve more customers and create value for all Everstream stakeholders.”

DigitalBridge Credit provides senior and junior debt financing solutions for borrowers in the digital infrastructure ecosystem across North America and Europe. The firm supports companies with strong management teams, stable and defensible business models, and exposure to macrotrends of the digital economy.

“DigitalBridge Credit invests in digital infrastructure companies where we can utilize our deep history of operating and investing expertise to add tangible value,” said Chris Moon, Managing Director at DigitalBridge Credit. “We are delighted to partner with Everstream on this innovative capital structure that provides the investment and structural flexibility essential to the growth of its mission-critical, enterprise-only network. We are also pleased to partner with CPP Investments, one of the most sophisticated infrastructure investors globally, on this transaction as we continue to access unique opportunities across the digital ecosystem and grow our investment platform.”

“We are excited to partner with DigitalBridge Credit at a time when digital infrastructure is experiencing rapid growth and the associated credit market is delivering compelling risk-adjusted returns,” said Geoffrey Souter, Head of Real Assets Credit at CPP Investments. “Everstream is a premier digital infrastructure company well-positioned for long-term growth, making it an ideal business in which to invest on behalf of CPP’s contributors and beneficiaries.”

About Everstream®

Everstream has raised the bar for business connectivity, delivering a business-only fiber network with the speed, reliability, scale and performance that today’s enterprises demand. With more than 27,000 route miles of fiber and speeds up to 100 Gbps, Everstream’s enterprise-grade network delivers robust business fiber services, including internet, WAN, data center connectivity and dark fiber. Through its “Do What You Say You Will Do” approach, Everstream is a valued partner dedicated to the success of business customers. For more information, visit everstream.net.

About CPP Investments

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments™) is a professional investment management organization that manages the Fund in the best interest of the 21 million contributors and beneficiaries of the Canada Pension Plan. In order to build diversified portfolios of assets, investments are made around the world in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, São Paulo and Sydney, CPP Investments is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At December 31, 2021, the Fund totaled C$550.4 billion. For more information, please visit www.cppinvestments.com.

About DigitalBridge

DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) is a leading global digital infrastructure REIT. With a heritage of over 25 years investing in and operating businesses across the digital ecosystem including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure, the DigitalBridge team manages a $45 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and shareholders. Headquartered in Boca Raton, DigitalBridge has key offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore. For more information, visit: www.digitalbridge.com.

Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or “potential” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Additional information about these and other factors can be found in DigitalBridge’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and its other reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). All forward-looking statements reflect DigitalBridge’s good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. DigitalBridge cautions investors not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. DigitalBridge is under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this press release, nor to conform prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and DigitalBridge does not intend to do so.

Contacts

Public Investors:
Severin White
Managing Director, Head of Public Investor Relations
severin.white@digitalbridge.com
(212) 547-2777

Media:
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Jon Keehner / Aura Reinhard
(212) 355-4449
DBRG-jf@joelefrank.com

Contacts

Public Investors:
Severin White
Managing Director, Head of Public Investor Relations
severin.white@digitalbridge.com
(212) 547-2777

Media:
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Jon Keehner / Aura Reinhard
(212) 355-4449
DBRG-jf@joelefrank.com