June 13 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian private equity firm BlackPeak Capital has earmarked 30 to 40 million euro ($43.2 million) to inject in fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Croatia, a country that it sees as one of its target markets in the Southeast Europe (SEE) region, a senior company official told SeeNews on Tuesday.
"BlackPeak's investment theme covers IT, healthcare, e-commerce, professional services, niche manufacturing, energy efficiency and waste management," Mateo Zokalj, Zagreb-based senior investment associate at BlackPeak Capital, told SeeNews in an emailed statement.
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With a traditionally buoyant tourism sector, Croatia's highly-skilled and educated labour force is seen to accelerate entrepreneurship and the development of high value-added services, he added. Croatia's recent accession to the eurozone and the Schengen passport-free travel area is expected to further underpin the EU member state's economic growth, according to Zokalj.
"With our unique investment proposition, we are confident in making a tangible economic impact in the region and turning rising national stars into regional and/or European leaders," Zokalj also said.
The comments were made after BlackPeak Capital announced that it has joined the Croatian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (CVCA).
In May, the Bulgarian growth equity investor said it will commit up to 40 million euro to support innovative Romanian SMEs by 2026.
Last year, BlackPeak Capital reached final close of its Southeast Europe Growth Equity Fund at 126 million euro. The company said at the time that it plans to invest between 5 and 15 million euro to help scale up businesses from Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria.
Zokalj joined BlackPeak Capital as Croatia-based senior investment associate in March, according to his social media profile.
($ = 0.9262 euro)