Krafton acquires controlling stake in Indian gaming studio Nautilus Mobile for $14M

Krafton, South Korea’s gaming giant known for titles including PUBG: Battlegrounds and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), has acquired a controlling stake in 12-year-old Indian gaming studio Nautilus Mobile for $14 million in an all-cash deal.

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The South Korean gaming company confirmed to TechCrunch that it has acquired a “north of 75% stake” in Nautilus, the gaming studio popular for its cricket enthusiast-focused Real Cricket franchise. The Pune-based studio will continue to operate independently after the deal, which is expected to close by the end of the March 2025, with all its 45 employees remaining on Nautilus’ payroll, Krafton told TechCrunch.

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Founded in 2013, Nautilus has garnered millions of downloads for its Real Cricket franchise, which currently has five titles, including Real Cricket 24 and Real Cricket Premier League. Krafton aims to strengthen Nautilus’ “core competence” in mobile cricket games — where demand is high in cricket-loving India — by refining its existing titles in the short term and exploring new genres in the long term, Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO at Krafton India, said in an interview.

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“Our development capability in Nautilus will help Krafton double down on its India gaming strategy, and together, we can probably build more games, more genres, both for the Indian market and global market going forward,” Nautilus CEO Anuj Mankar told TechCrunch.

 

Hotel booking platform Safara raises $14M, acquires rival Skipper  

Doug Schuessler has always been a founder. This passion, which has been with him since childhood, saw him launch two startups, move to San Francisco, and take a job at Square to see what a “real rocket shop looked like.” He later became chief revenue officer at restaurant booking platform Resy, before becoming a founder once again.

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After Resy sold to AMEX, Schuessler said he started studying the hospitality technology industry more and found himself hooked on hotels.

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“Independent hotels really need the help,” he told TechCrunch.

He said decades ago most of the hotels in the country were independently owned, but hotel chains have started to buy up these smaller properties, leaving the remaining independent hotels with more competition. 

Schuessler and his co-founder, Cody Rose, who also worked at Resy, decided to create Safara, a business that lets customers book nearly every hotel in the world — whether it’s a chain or independent.

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Safara acquired the company Skipper, an online booking engine used by independent hotels. With the additional funding, Safara has raised $14 million in funding to date.

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Safara will use the fresh capital to scale product development and the number of hotels using its product. 

“Our focus of 2025 and beyond is really to empower independent hotels with the same technology and network advantages as chain hotels,” Schuessler said. “If we get this right, not only do we help these hotels succeed, but the types of experiences that will unlock for guests are things that frankly don’t exist right now. And if we accomplish both of those things, the sky is the limit for Safara as a company.” 

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Tilray to acquire four craft beer brands from Molson Coors

Cannabis and consumer packaged goods company Tilray Brands will acquire Hop Valley Brewing Company, Terrapin Beer Co, Revolver Brewing and Atwater Brewery.

 

With the pending acquisition of these breweries, Tilray's portfolio will expand across key beer markets adding 30% new beer buying accounts. Through the acquisition, Tilray's beer business is expected to grow 15 millions cases annually, cementing Tilray Beverages as the #1 craft brewer in the Pacific Northwest and #1 in Georgia. It will also anchor Tilray's craft brands in two key beer states, Texas and Michigan

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Once thought of as a pioneering cannabis company with operations across medical and recreational cannabis, Tilray has been growing its beverage alcohol portfolio with a focus on craft beer and spirits. The company's beverage alcohol net revenue reached $202m in FY 2024.

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Riverside’s Investment in Oberon Company

The Riverside Company, a global private investor focused on the smaller end of the middle market, has invested in Oberon Company, a leading designer and manufacturer of Arc Flash personal protective equipment (PPE) used to protect workers from electrical and gas hazards, as an add-on to its portfolio company, SureWerx, a leading global provider of safety products, tools and equipment. 

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Oberon is one of the largest independent manufacturers of Arc Flash PPE products and has been recognized as a category leader and innovator for over 40 years. The company introduced the industry’s first Arc Flash face shield and suit set in 1985 as a way to protect electric utility meter installers against arc flash burns. Since then, Oberon has become a premier brand in the industry, providing comprehensive safety products for professionals serving electric and gas utilities, oil and gas companies, industrial manufacturers, government and military markets. 

 

The investment in Oberon is the latest example of Riverside’s commitment to investing in businesses in the Specialty Manufacturing and Distribution Sector, and specifically its interest in businesses focused on workplace and employee health and safety. 

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Kent Watersports rebrands to Kent Outdoors, acquires BOTE and Kona Bicycles

Seawall Capital, the private equity owner of Kent Watersports, announced the company’s rebranding to Kent Outdoors and the acquisition of BOTE and Kona Bicycles. It said the rebranding and acquisitions would help the company better serve America’s growing interest in the great outdoors on and off the water.

 

The addition of BOTE and Kona Bicycles adds to its existing portfolio of 20 watersports brands. BOTE, based in Walton Beach, FL, was initially known for its stand-up paddleboards but expanded to inflatable kayaks, floating dock systems and more in the watersports category. Headquartered in Ferndale, WA, Kona Bicycles has spent 34 years building bikes for cycling enthusiasts. The two companies have revenues approaching $500 million.

 

Both cycling and boating industries are expected to see continued growth in the coming years. The global bicycle market is projected to grow from $54.7 billion in 2020 to $78 billion by 2026. The U.S. market was estimated at $9.5 billion in 2021. The global recreational boating industry was valued at $26 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow around 5% per year on average to $35 billion by 2026. North America is the fastest-growing market.

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Cork's BPE acquired by US firm Unispace in multi-million euro deal

Unispace has a strong track record of designing and delivering office space for the life sciences industry. Current clients include Boston Scientific, Abbott and Merck. The acquisition of BPE, which will become BPE, A Unispace Life Sciences Company, gives Unispace additional technical capabilities to lead additional project types including laboratory, research and manufacturing facilities. The acquisition will also support the firm's expansion in this sector globally, including key markets in Europe, Asia and North America.

 

Based in Mahon in Cork, BPE designs and delivers lab, research, and manufacturing facilities for pharmaceutical and life sciences companies around the world. In the last two years, the company has delivered projects in Ireland, Europe and China with a value of €250m. Last year it completed more than €150m in projects, many of which were for Covid-19 medication manufacturing sites.

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The company’s co-founder and managing director stated the deal ensures that BPE has "the resources, infrastructure and investment to expand globally and rapidly, while continuing to lead with the talent and expertise that we have built in Ireland.”

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Great Day Improvements, LLC, one of nation’s largest remodelers, acquires Apex Energy Solutions

Great Day Improvements, LLC, one of the nation’s largest residential remodeling companies, best known for its popular sunroom and window brands Patio Enclosures and Stanek Windows, acquired Apex Energy Solutions. Apex, a highly differentiated and innovative home remodeling provider of energy efficient replacement windows and patio doors has been on a mission to revolutionize the replacement window industry with their technology-centered process. The 20-year old Indianapolis, IN based company has 19 metropolitan area locations nationwide. 

 

The company's President & CEO reported that “Apex’s innovative business model and unique approach to the home improvement process combined with their use of cutting-edge technology, strong team and vibrant culture was extremely appealing to us. Plus, Apex’s geographical footprint is complementary to ours, opening up additional growth and expansion possibilities nationwide."

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WineDepot acquires 100% of Kaddy for $34.3m

WineDepot has dramatically strengthened its position at the forefront of the digital alcoholic beverages market, announcing the acquisition of Kaddy and the merger of the two businesses to form Australia’s largest alcohol-focused cloud-based logistics and marketplace platform. 

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The CEO of WineDepot reported by uniting with another leading innovator that strongly complements the business would substantially accelerate WineDepot’s growth trajectory and create an unrivalled offering for the $17 billion Australian wholesale liquor market.

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Both companies enjoy rapid growth trajectories. Together, the combined operation will immediately account for over 1,900 buyers across the on and off-premise segments, along with over 1,000 suppliers of alcoholic beverages accounting for more than 10,000 products.

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Tucker Powersports to acquire Kuryakyn

Tucker Powersports, a leading distributor of powersports products for motorcycles, ATV/UTV's, snowmobiles, personal watercraft as well as a range of electric bikes and scooters has acquired Kuryakyn Holdings LLC. Tucker will incorporate the Kuryakyn product offering and product development into the Tucker organization.

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The acquisition will move Kuryakyn into the Tucker organization, rather than Kuryakyn operating as a separate business unit. All Kuryakyn operations, assets, and R&D programs will move from Somerset WI to Tucker's headquarters in Fort Worth.