Bure is in a strong position for next year

- Bure is in a strong position for next year "As far as we can judge, next year will be a crucial year for many companies in the private equity market. A clear focus, a strong portfolio of companies that make money, industrial competence and financial muscle will be needed to be among the winners. In the light of this, I think you could say that Bure is in a dream position," said Roger Holtback, President and CEO of Bure Equity at the Capital Market Day in Gothenburg. Roger Holtback also said that: * The year 2000 will be the best year ever for Bure and that as a result Bure's value has increased six fold since the start in 1992. * The year's intensive structural work aimed at focusing the portfolio and the strategy on unlisted holdings in the TIME sector, adapting the capital base, and gather capital and competence for investments during 2001, has now been implemented according to plan. * Against the background of the current stockmarket climate, Bure intends to float Citat and Dimension during 2001 and distribute the remaining holding in Observer to Bure's shareholders after Bure's Annual General Meeting in April. * The criteria for success in accordance with Bure's business model are a focus in the operations, active ownership and a professional organisation. With the implementation of the structural work during the year and with the recruitment of the new investment teams, these criteria are in place. * Bure Equity's aim is to be the most shareholder-friendly private equity company in Sweden. This requires continued delivery of successful exits, flotations and value creation in combination with aggressive investments. "In all these respects I see excellent opportunities for Bure Equity in the coming year," said Roger Holtback. Björn Boldt-Christmas, Head of Bure Equity's IT investments stated that: * Bure has so far operated successfully within the segments created by the Internet wave. These segments remain interesting. * Wireless communications in all its dimensions will generate new business opportunities which will demand that there are companies which are able to deliver services and products within the segment. This is also where Bure will operate. Sven-Åke Lewin, Head of the e-knowledge segment in Bure Equity said that: * The year's ambition has been, through the development of new products and concepts, to create criteria for long-term growth in the existing holdings: Mercuri, Informator and Vittra. * A gradual focusing on the broader term, e-knowledge, can create additional interesting investment opportunities for Bure. * An anticipated increased focusing on human resources and supply of competence will strengthen Bure's investment within e-knowledge. Hans Ljungkvist, Head of Bure Equity's indirect investments made comparisons with the development in the ven-cap sector in the USA. He felt that the structural capital that has been accumulated in Bure's different funds over several years, including regular and professional working methods, industrialised processes, extensive support knowledge to the companies and, not least, an extensive international contact network, will now pay in the form of continued high value development in the portfolio companies with very good exit results in 2001 and in the years ahead. During the Capital Market Day, Per- Henrik Berthelius, Head of Strategy in Bure Equity reviewed the development of the private equity market and Bure's evaluations. He noted that: * Only the qualitatively leading private equity companies have delivered sustainable yield. * Several international private equity markets are overheated and we will see eliminations. * The private equity sector will enter a new development stage in which industrial competence and strategic positioning will be crucial. Whereas it was previously sufficient to find value, it is now vital to possess the competence to create value. In addition, Göran Marby, President of Cygate, Sven Uthorn, President of Dimension, Staffan Truvé, President of CR&T and Staffan Ingeborn, President of InnovationsKapital made presentations of their companies and operations. A selection of the slides shown during the Capital Market Day will shortly be available on Bure's website www.bure.se. Gothenburg, 21 November 2000 Bure Equity AB (publ) For further information, please contact: Knut Leman, Head of Corporate Communications +46 31-335 76 75, 0705-11 76 75 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/21/20001121BIT01240/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/21/20001121BIT01240/bit0002.pdf