Bruin Capital takes major stake in SGL

Image: SGL

Bruin Capital has agreed a deal to become the majority shareholder of sports grass growth technology company SGL’s holding company Playgreen.

SGL said that this strategic decision, which also includes its technology development sister company Alva, marks a significant milestone, strengthening our commitment to growth and innovation in the industry.

Over the last 20 years, SGL has developed sustainable and data driven turfgrass technologies for the biggest sports clubs, stadiums and governing bodies worldwide.

These include Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Green Bay Packers and LAFC, to name a few.

SGL supplies a range of products including grass grow lighting technology, data monitoring tools and grass disease management products.

SGL said that driven by its dedication to always look forward, innovate and improve, the company last year started to explore opportunities for a partner that could support its vision.

Mark Trübenbacher, CEO of Playgreen, said, “We sought a partner with the resources and expertise to help us grow globally, particularly in North America, while staying true to our core values and qualities that have been crucial for our leading position in the market.

“Through a thorough evaluation process, we found Bruin Capital to be the ideal partner. Not only because of their track record for helping digital and technology companies to expand into the U.S., but we also found Bruin to be unique in that they feel genuinely responsible for creating value in the sports industry.”

Founded in 2015 by George Pyne, Bruin is an investment/operating company specializing in global sports. Their collective operations include more than 5,000 employees across five continents. Their work impacts billions of sports fans on behalf of virtually every major sports league, media company, federation, and rights holder.

Bruin is an investment and operating company that specializes in working with capital partners and management teams to build best-in-class, global sports, media, entertainment, marketing, technology companies.

Pyne said: “SGL is a perfect example of how technology has disrupted the sports business. A team of visionary entrepreneurs developed a suite of proprietary products and services to become leaders in a sector that never existed, but is now crucial to the commercial ecosystem of our industry. We are extremely happy to become a part of it and support SGL in their mission.”

SGL stressed that while the ownership structure evolves, leadership will stay in place to secure continuity and make sure the integrity of the company and business culture remains intact.

Frank Van Beusekom, Managing Director of SGL, said: “We’re very proud of how far we’ve come as a company and as a team since our first customer in 2004. Our success comes from our passion for sports, our drive to innovate and our long lasting and warm customer relationships.

“With Bruin Capital as our majority shareholder, we believe we can not only continue building on this foundation but also elevate it to the next level.

“With our mission to guarantee the highest performing playing surfaces by leading the way in sustainable turfgrass solutions, Bruin’s support enables us to innovate and introduce even more advanced technologies and bring value to a larger demographic.”

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