Investment
AIIM Secures Growth Investment from Vegvisir Capital – Canada NewsWire
TORONTO, May 10, 2022 /CNW/ – Avant Imaging & Integrated Media Inc. (“AIIM” or the “Company”), a leading provider of omni-channel marketing communications solutions, has secured a majority growth investment from Vegvisir Capital (“Vegvisir”), a firm that invests in growing B2B technology companies. The investment will support the Company’s expansion plans which includes augmenting its product offering and service capabilities, accelerating go-to-market initiatives, adding talent, and M&A.
Founded in 1990, AIIM has developed an outstanding “client first” reputation along with an extensive set of innovative digital marketing communication solutions including highly personalized direct marketing capabilities, data-driven relationship marketing programs, and print management services. The company’s platform serves over 150 enterprise customers including leading financial services, insurance, retail, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. AIIM helps its clients attract, acquire, and retain customers through a unified offering of digital and physical solutions.
“This investment will enable the Company to accelerate our omni-channel platform vision and fuel its future growth. As both Frank and I approach our retirement, we have been thinking how we could deliver on this vision with the company we built for over 30 years. And just as importantly, how to ensure that our employees and customers are protected and expertly serviced into the future. After considering several different options over the past few years, we are convinced that we are putting our employees, our customers, partners, and our vision in great hands with the Vegvisir team,” said AIIM co-founder Mario Giorgio.
Post-close the transaction, both Mario and Frank Giorgio will continue as active advisors to the Company. To ensure a smooth leadership transition, Vegvisir has partnered with Patrick Masset to be the leader of the organization moving forward and acting CEO. He brings robust industry knowledge and proven go-to-market leadership experience to the Company. The Company will continue to operate out of its Aurora, Ontario headquarters.
“AIIM’s exceptional service and quality reputation, broad offering and employee expertise provide the foundational elements for us to rapidly become a platform leader in customer acquisition communication management. With accelerated investments in our platform, we will further enable our valued customers to acquire new clients, while driving organic growth and improving the retention rate of existing customers in both a digital and printed communication environment. We will do so with relentless focus on customer experience, ease of use, automation, and sustainability. The team is excited about the future.” added Patrick Masset AIIM’s acting CEO.
This will be the second platform company for Vegvisir and builds upon its prior investment in Royal Alliances Inc., the leading provider of SaaS-based postage discount identification, mail tracking, and payment software solutions to the US mailing industry.
“AIIM has consistently invested in technology solutions to better serve its customers and has built an innovative, omni-channel marketing communication platform that serves a $40+ billion market,” said Kyle Reesing, Founder and Managing Partner at Vegvisir. “When we were introduced to Mario, Frank, and the team, we were impressed by the company’s robust solution offering, and outstanding customer service reputation. We look forward to working with the entire AIIM team moving forward.”
About AIIM
Founded in 1990, AIIM has developed an outstanding “client first” reputation along with an extensive set of innovative digital solutions, highly personalize direct marketing offering, data-driven relationship marketing programs, and print management services. The platform helps create, automate, and deliver critical marketing communications. The company’s solutions enable hundreds of customers including leading financial services, insurance, retail, non-for-profit organizations, and government agencies to attract, acquire, and retain customers through a unified offering. For more information, please visit www.aiim.com
About Vegvisir Capital
Vegvisir Capital invests in growing B2B software and services companies at an inflection point. Vegvisir looks for established core products in large markets that sit at the intersection of software, data, and payments. This business model focus enables deal structure flexibility, aids in the value creation process, and builds strong founder, executive and industry relationships. For more information, please visit www.vegvisircapital.com
SOURCE Avant Imaging and Integrated Media ULC
For further information: Patrick Masset, CEO, [email protected]; Kyle Reesing, Managing Partner, [email protected]
Investment
Tense diplomatic relations may not impact trade, investment ties between India, Canada: Experts
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NEW DELHI: The tense diplomatic relations between India and Canada are unlikely to impact trade and investments between the two countries as economic ties are driven by commercial considerations, according to experts. Both India and Canada trade in complementary products and do not compete on similar products.
“Hence, the trade relationship will continue to grow and not be affected by day-to-day events,” Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) Co-Founder Ajay Srivastava said.
Certain political developments have led to a pause in negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two countries.
On September 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau India’s strong concerns about the continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada that were promoting secessionism, inciting violence against its diplomats and threatening the Indian community there.
India on Tuesday announced the expulsion of a Canadian diplomat hours after Canada asked an Indian official to leave that country, citing a “potential” Indian link to the killing of a Khalistani separatist leader in June.
Srivastava said these recent events are unlikely to affect the deep-rooted people-to-people connections, trade, and economic ties between the two nations.
Bilateral trade between India and Canada has grown significantly in recent years, reaching USD 8.16 billion in 2022-23.
India’s exports (USD 4.1 billion) to Canada include pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, textiles, and machinery, while Canada’s exports to India (USD 4.06 billion) include pulses, timber, pulp and paper, and mining products.
On investments, he said that Canadian pension funds will continue investing in India on grounds of India’s large market and good return on money invested.
Canadian pension funds, by the end of 2022, had invested over USD 45 billion in India, making it the fourth-largest recipient of Canadian FDI in the world.
The top sectors for Canadian pension fund investment in India include infrastructure, renewable energy, technology, and financial services.
Mumbai-based exporter and Chairman of Technocraft Industries Sharad Kumar Saraf said the present frosty relations between India and Canada are certainly a cause for concern.
“However, the bilateral trade is entirely driven by commercial considerations. Political turmoil is of a temporary nature and should not be a reason to affect trade relations,” Saraf said.
He added that even with China, India has acrimonious relations but bilateral trade continues to remain healthy.
“In fact, bilateral trade is an effective tool to improve political relations. India must make special efforts to increase our bilateral trade with Canada,” Saraf said.
India and Canada have a strong education partnership. There are over 200 educational partnerships between Indian and Canadian institutions.
In addition, over 3,19,000 Indian students are enrolled in Canadian institutions, making them the largest international student cohort in Canada, according to GTRI.
According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), Indian students contributed USD 4.9 billion to the Canadian economy in 2021.
Indian students are the largest international student group in Canada, accounting for 20 per cent of all international students in 2021.
Benefits of educational partnerships are mutual and hence the current situation may have no impact on the relationship, Srivastava said.





Investment
Apple supplier Foxconn aims to double India jobs and investment


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Apple supplier Foxconn aims to double its workforce and investment in India by next year, a company executive said on Sunday.
Taiwan-based Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics, has rapidly expanded its presence in India by investing in manufacturing facilities in the south of the country as the company seeks to move away from China.
V Lee, Foxconn’s representative in India, in a LinkedIn post to mark Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 73rd birthday, said the company was “aiming for another doubling of employment, FDI (foreign direct investment), and business size in India” by this time next year.
He did not give more details.
Foxconn already has an iPhone factory employing 40,000 people in the state of Tamil Nadu.
In August, the state of Karnataka said the firm will invest US$600 million for two projects to make casing components for iPhones and chip-making equipment.
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The company’s Chairman Liu Young-way said in an earnings briefing last month that he sees a lot of potential in India, adding: “several billion dollars in investment is only a beginning”.
Taiwan election: Foxconn’s Terry Gou taps star-powered running mate
Last month, Foxconn’s billionaire founder Terry Gou said he would run for the Taiwanese presidency in next year’s election, as an independent candidate.
He said the ruling and independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was unable to offer a bright future for the island and left Foxconn’s board following his decision to run.
The firm operates the world’s largest iPhone plant, in the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province.





Investment
Foxconn to double workforce, investment in India by ‘this time next year’

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Foxconn, Taiwan-based Apple supplier, has said that they are planning to double their investment and workforce in India within the next twelve months, according to V Lee’s LinkedIn post on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 73rd birthday.
Taiwan-based Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics, has rapidly expanded its presence in India by investing in manufacturing facilities in the south of the country as the company seeks to move away from China.
Notably, Foxconn already has an iPhone factory in the state of Tamil Nadu, which employs 40,000 people.
V Lee, Foxconn‘s representative in India, in a LinkedIn post to mark Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 73rd birthday, said the company was “aiming for another doubling of employment, FDI (foreign direct investment), and business size in India” by this time next year.
In August this year, Karnataka governments had said that Foxconn has planned to invest $600 million for two projects in the state to make casing components for iPhones and chip-making equipment.
Earlier this month, Young Liu, Chairman and CEO of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) had said, ‘India will be an important country in terms of manufacturing in future’.
In the past, it took 30 years to build the entire supply chain ecosystem in China, he noted, adding that while it will take an “appropriate amount of time in India” and the process will be shorter given the experience. The environment too is not quite the same, he said pointing to the advent of new technologies like AI and generative AI.
Meanwhile, Apple Inc. has announced plans to make the India-built iPhone 15 available in the South Asian country and some other regions on the global sales debut day, according to a Bloomberg report.
While the vast majority of iPhone 15s will come from China, that would be the first time a latest generation, India-assembled device is available on the first day of sale, they said, asking not to be identified as the matter is private.
Apple introduced the iPhone 15, updated watches and AirPods at a gala event at its US headquarters. Sales of new products begin typically around 10 days after the unveiling.





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