Option and Danlaw enter into strategic partnership

Option and Danlaw enter into strategic partnership

Option, the company Connecting Things to the Cloud, and Danlaw Inc. (Danlaw), a global provider of telematics and connected vehicle solutions, today announced a corporate partnership through Danlaw’s investment in Option of up to € 10 million.

Mr. Raju Dandu, Founder and CEO of Danlaw also joins Option’s Board of Directors. The partnership will enable new ways of combining the engineering expertise and strengthen both companies in offering solutions for the market of Internet of Things (IoT).
The partnership marks a milestone for both companies signaling a collaborative model where companies join forces to complement each others strengths for achieving breakthrough solutions.

Raju Dandu, Founder and CEO of Danlaw said:
“This cooperation between two highly compatible companies with complementary strategic priorities, product and service offerings will deliver significant value for both organizations.”

“We see numerous opportunities to enhance our growth profile by offering integrated solutions that leverage Option’s superb design and engineering capabilities to deliver a more robust set of Connected Car and IoT solutions.”

Jan Callewaert, Founder and Executive Chairman of Option further commented:
“Entering in strategic partnerships is a unanimous decision of our Board of Directors. We are honored to be partnering with Danlaw, the clear technology and market leader in its segment. Both our companies highly regard creativity and excellence and we are looking forward to sharing our technical expertise and paving the way for innovations in the IoT market.”

Danlaw is a fast growing company with over 31 years of experience in networked vehicle electronics, telematics and infotainment systems. Danlaw’s specialty areas include Connected Car solutions, Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and Cloud based SaaS applications. Danlaw’s customers include automotive OEM’s, Tier-1 Suppliers, Insurance Companies and Fleet Management Companies, worldwide. Danlaw also works with Departments of Transportation to develop and finalize connected car device specifications, test procedures and test suites. Danlaw is the #1 telematics provider for OBD (On Board Diagnostics) devices in North America.

Option and Danlaw will closely work together in the development of synergies for the CloudGate platform and engineering projects, by establishing joint sales and marketing channels and in developing new solutions for Connected Cars, smart housing, smart cities and new industrial M2M solutions.

Under the terms of the agreement Danlaw invests up to € 10 million in Option by means of a private placement in two phases. Initially via a Convertible Bond loan of € 6 million at an accrued interest of 5% yearly as agreed by the Board on November 6, 2015 within the context of the authorized capital. The Convertible Bond loan has a term of 5 years and will expire on November 5, 2020 and can be converted in maximum 32.894.736 shares of Option at a conversion price of € 0.228 per share, interest included, taxes excluded. The conversion price is set at 30 days average stock price before issue in accordance with Article 598 of the Code of Companies.

In addition to the Bond loan, Danlaw has the possibility to invest an amount of € 4 million through warrants to be issued by an Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting to be convened shortly by the Board of Directors. The special reports of the Board of Directors and the auditor of the transaction can be found on Option’s website http://www.option.com/about/.

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