10 August 2022  |  New York

DIF CIF II portfolio company Joink has signed an agreement to acquire CTI

DIF Capital Partners is pleased to announce that its DIF CIF II portfolio company Joink, LLC, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Computer Techniques, Inc. (CTI). This acquisition will provide additional management and capital resources to support the current CTI team and significantly increase the speed of CTI’s fiber-to-the-home deployment in Central Illinois. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.

CTI co-founders Adam Vocks and Billy Williams founded the company in 1998. Over the years the company has transformed from a computer sales and service business into a facilities-based provider that now exclusively services its connectivity customers with fiber optics. The CTI network passes over 12,000 homes across Christian County and Montgomery County, supported by staff from its offices in Taylorville and Hillsboro in Illinois. CTI provides internet, voice, and video to residential customers and internet, voice, and private transport data solutions to business customers.

“We are very pleased to see Joink executing on the growth plan and adding new markets in Illinois, through the acquisition of CTI,” stated Willem Jansonius, Partner and Head of Investments for the DIF CIF strategy. “The strategic rationale of the CTI acquisition is fully aligned with our fiber-to-the-home roll out strategy to ensure that the residents in Indiana and Illinois have reliable high-speed internet access. This highly complementary acquisition by Joink will allow it to serve customers better and continue to further bridge the digital divide.”

“We look forward to integrating CTI’s operations and team led by Bobbie Dean, CTI’s CEO, who will be part of the senior leadership team of Joink, after the transaction closes. Central Illinois had a great day today as we announce our plans to accelerate the expansion of CTI’s fiber network.” stated Josh Zuerner, President and CEO of Joink. “We recognize the importance of high-quality broadband and look forward to providing a best-in-class fiber-optic connectivity experience to end users in Illinois and Indiana.”

Pinpoint Capital Advisors served as financial advisor to CTI. Agentis Capital served as financial advisor to Joink and DIF.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent investment manager, with ca. EUR 14 billion in assets under management across eleven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in infrastructure companies and assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australia through two complementary strategies:

  • Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure VI is the latest vintage, target core infrastructure equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and energy transition projects (incl. renewable energy).
  • DIF CIF funds, of which DIF CIF III is the latest vintage, target equity investments in small to mid-sized core-plus infrastructure companies in the telecom, energy transition, and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 190 professionals, based in eleven offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit www.dif.eu.

Contact: Thijs Verburg, t.verburg@dif.eu.