ARENDAL: Arendals Fossekompani, a green-tech investment company, has signed an agreement to buy a 71 percent stake in Kontali Analyse, a news release noted.

“We are excited to have Arendals Fossekompani become the majority shareholder. Supported by the digital competence and financial capabilities of AFK, Kontali will be able to accelerate the digital transformation of the company and strengthen an already leading position within aquaculture and fisheries,” says Lars Liabø, founder and Chairman of Kontali.

Founded in Kristiansund, Norway, in 1987, Kontali has served as the leading knowledge-based consultancy and data provider for the Norwegian fish farming industry, collecting production data, establishing the first production and market simulation models, and developing the salmon database.

Today, Kontali is widely regarded as a leading competence center on aquaculture and fisheries with a strong global presence systemizing the world of fisheries and aquaculture.

“Kontali is a well-run company with dedicated professionals, who have built a leading position over three decades. In a global and increasingly data-savvy market, it is vital that Kontali accelerates the technology shift to capitalize on the expertise within the company. Arendals Fossekompani is a perfect match, with a proven track-record of developing data-driven companies through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model that facilitates fast global growth. This is what we did with Volue”, says Morten Henriksen, Executive Vice President of Arendals Fossekompani.

Big data analytics, advanced product development and an extended offering on species and geographies, have been identified as key areas for realizing the potential of Kontali.

“In addition to strengthening our global position in systemizing the world of fisheries and aquaculture, we are looking forward to creating and building a new data infrastructure that will speed up product development and offer a seamless link to our customers. This allows for a higher level of recurring revenues through subscriptions, based upon a SaaS business model. We expect a higher growth rate going forward,” says Thomas Aas, CEO of Kontali.

The world of fisheries and aquaculture is dominated by local and regional players. Many small companies with unique domain knowledge and expertise lack the necessary resources and competence to scale up and make the transition to a digital platform. Kontali will be set up to consolidate the market, and the first step has already been taken by the acquisition of Seafood TIP in the Netherlands.

The acquisition of Kontali fits perfectly in a larger strategic move by Arendals Fossekompani (AFK). AFK has established the new company Alytic, initially wholly owned by AFK, to transform a wide range of data-driven companies that offers key decision support to their respective industries. Capitalizing on the experience from transforming similar businesses, Alytic will serve as a new growth arena for AFK.

Kontali is the first company in the Alytic portfolio.

“We are looking to invest in data-driven businesses in need of transformation and scale. We have already identified a number of companies with products relevant to global markets in targeted segments and industries,” says Morten Henriksen.

Kontali is a leading competence center for aquaculture and fisheries. For more than 30 years, Kontali has contributed with data, competence and analyses, which has advanced the industry in Norway and internationally. The Kontali headquarters are located in Kristiansund, Norway. www.kontali.no

Arendals Fossekompani (AFK) is a green-tech investment company that owns energy- and technology-related companies which enable the transition to a green economy. Established in 1896, AFK has been a proud producer of renewable hydro power for more than 100 years. The company is headquartered in Arendal, Norway and listed at the Oslo Stock Exchange. www.arendalsfossekompani.no