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FE International Advises HappyOrNot, Verdane, Northzone, AirTree Ventures and Management on Verdane’s Move to Majority Ownership

NEW YORK, USAThe transaction marks the change of control to the company’s longest-standing institutional backer, and clears the way for HappyOrNot’s move from customer feedback into real-time operational intelligence.

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The transaction marks the change of control to the company's longest-standing institutional backer, and clears the way for HappyOrNot's move from customer feedback into real-time operational intelligence.

FE International, Inc., the global market leader in technology mergers and acquisitions, advised HappyOrNot, the Finnish company behind the Smiley feedback terminals, and separately advised the Company’s selling shareholders, including existing investors; Verdane, Northzone and AirTree Ventures, and members of the Company’s management team and employee shareholders, on the sale of their respective holdings to Verdane, the European specialist growth buyout firm. Verdane, an existing minority investor since 2019, has increased its position to a majority stake in the business.

 

image 34 1 FE International Advises HappyOrNot, Verdane, Northzone, AirTree Ventures and Management on Verdane's Move to Majority Ownership

 

HappyOrNot started with a bad afternoon in an electronics shop. Heikki Väänänen was a teenager, got poor service, and found there was no way to tell anyone about it. Two decades later he and Ville Levaniemi founded the company in Tampere, Finland, in 2009, around a device with four buttons and four faces. They started with two buttons. Customers told them four worked better. A Finnish supermarket group signed first, Heathrow Airport followed, and the terminal went on to become one of the most recognised customer feedback solutions across retail and other customer-facing environments.

The business that sold in 2026 is not the hardware company it began as. Smiley Terminal™, Smiley Touch™, Smiley Digital™ and Smiley Sign™ create a continuous stream of in-the-moment operational data, turning customer experience into signals that can be analysed, activated and integrated into the systems and workflows organisations use to run their operations. More than 4,000 brands across 135 countries run on it, including Amazon, Sodexo , Heathrow Airport and Aramark. Over two billion feedback responses have been collected in the moment and at the point of experience, rather than through traditional retrospective surveys.

Fifteen years also produces a complicated shareholder register. HappyOrNot raised across several rounds, including a $14.5 million Series A in 2017 backed by Northzone and AirTree Ventures, and a $25 million growth round led by Verdane in 2019.

FE International ran the process on behalf of the Company and its selling shareholders, resulting in a simplified ownership structure with Verdane, already a shareholder since 2019, now a controlling majority owner alongside the company’s management team going forward.

“HappyOrNot is a rare asset. It is a category-defining business with a physical footprint no pure software company can replicate, sitting on a proprietary dataset that gets more valuable every year two billion responses collected at the point of service is not something a competitor can buy or scrape. Running a process for the Company and coordinating multiple selling shareholders with an existing investor moving to control is not trivial, and it’s why we structured separate advisory workstreams for each party to get to one clean signing,” said Max Alderman, Partner at FE International.

HappyOrNot owns one of the largest datasets of its kind and gathers it in places that are difficult to reach any other way, including airport terminals, supermarket exits, hospital corridors and bank branches. Erling Amble, board member at HappyOrNot and investor at Verdane, has described the same shift, pointing to demand moving away from retrospective online feedback and towards real-time data embedded directly in operational systems.

The transaction landed alongside a change at the top. Tim Waterton, Chief Revenue Officer since 2021, stepped up to Chief Executive Officer, and Carl Holmquist took over as Chairman. Waterton has spent more than 30 years in enterprise software, including a business he co-founded that was later acquired by BMC Software, plus senior roles at M-Files and RainStor and earlier positions at the London Stock Exchange and Accenture. His plan is to push HappyOrNot beyond measurement and into real-time operational intelligence, closing the last mile of customer experience by turning continuous microfeedback into activated data, integrated directly into the operational flow of organisations so frontline teams can act while there is still time to make a difference.

About HappyOrNot

HappyOrNot is a Finnish customer experience and operational intelligence technology company founded in 2009 by Heikki Väänänen and Ville Levaniemi. Headquartered in Tampere with a US office and a global reseller network, it captures in-the-moment microfeedback through its Smiley touchpoints and turns those signals into real-time operational intelligence, helping organisations understand performance, identify issues and improve customer experiences. HappyOrNot works with more than 4,000 organisations across 135 countries in retail, healthcare, transport, hospitality and public services.

About Verdane

Verdane is a specialist growth buyout investment firm backing tech-enabled and sustainable businesses across Europe. Verdane funds have raised €10 billion and made more than 200 investments since 2003, with over 180 investment professionals and operating experts across Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Helsinki, Munich, Oslo and Stockholm. Verdane is a certified B Corporation and invests as a majority or minority holder, in single companies or in portfolios.

About FE International

Founded in 2010, FE International is an award-winning strategic advisor for technology businesses. FE’s team has completed over 1,500 transactions with a combined value of over $50 billion. FE International was named one of The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies from 2020 to 2024 by the Financial Times and is also a seven-time Inc. 5000 company.

For more information, visit www.feinternational.com.

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Gaj Tanwar
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Timothy A. Sawyer Delivers a Gripping Tale of Revenge and Redemption in New Thriller Nick’s Blunder

CRESTVIEW HILLS, KYAuthor Timothy A. Sawyer announces the release of Nick’s Blunder, a fast-paced crime thriller that weaves together a decades-old promise, a ruthless drug cartel, and one man’s relentless quest for justice. This debut novel introduces readers to a world where loyalty is tested, secrets run deep, and one wrong move can cost everything.     The […]

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Author Timothy A. Sawyer announces the release of Nick’s Blunder, a fast-paced crime thriller that weaves together a decades-old promise, a ruthless drug cartel, and one man’s relentless quest for justice. This debut novel introduces readers to a world where loyalty is tested, secrets run deep, and one wrong move can cost everything.

 

timothy a sawyer delivers a gripping tale of revenge and redemption in new thriller nicks blunder Timothy A. Sawyer Delivers a Gripping Tale of Revenge and Redemption in New Thriller Nick's Blunder

 

The story begins five years ago in Central California, where a drug raid gone wrong at a suspected meth lab ends in a devastating explosion. The blast takes the lives of an innocent woman and her young daughter, leaving behind her grieving husband, Jesse Schild, and police officer Frank Price. Determined to see justice done, Price vows to keep pursuing the man responsible Kirill Nikitin, leader of a sprawling international drug operation until he is brought down.

Today, Frank leads a handpicked task force to dismantle Nikitin’s empire. A brave undercover officer, a lucky break, and an unlikely alliance with Jesse bring him closer to his target. But Nikitin is no faceless kingpin: he’s a ruthless tactician who tolerates no failure and eliminates liabilities. As bodies pile up and loyalties shift, Frank and Jesse face a deadly game of cat and mouse, with their loved ones at risk.

Nick’s Blunder explores more than crime and punishment: officers’ loyalty, ordinary people’s courage in extraordinary circumstances, and the healing power of second chances. Drawing on his IT background and lifelong love of storytelling, Sawyer creates an emotionally resonant, suspenseful narrative.

The novel also pays tribute to the author’s late companion, Wendy, a faithful four-legged friend who showed him what unconditional love is all about, and to his readers and Facebook friends who continue to inspire his work. With its sharp dialogue, intricate plotting, and unforgettable characters, Nick’s Blunder marks the arrival of a compelling new voice in crime fiction.

Nick’s Blunder is available now on Amazon in eBook, Paperback, and Hardcover formats.

About the Author

Timothy A. Sawyer is an independent author based in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. After a career in information technology, he discovered a passion for writing and has since authored three self-help books along with his debut novel, Nick’s Blunder. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Northern Kentucky University. He is a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda and Delta Mu Delta honor societies and can often be found over a chessboard when he isn’t writing.

Author Name: Timothy A. Sawyer 
Book Title:
Nick’s Blunder  
Published By:
Global Author Publishing

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EASE Automations Completes Multi-Year TDM Modernization Initiative Across 300+ Collocations

CHICAGO, IL, October 14, 2026EASE Automations supported a multi-year telecommunications modernization initiative targeting approximately $60 million in annual recurring leased transport cost reductions.

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EASE Automations supported a multi-year telecommunications modernization initiative targeting approximately $60 million in annual recurring leased transport cost reductions.

EASE Automations, a strategic telecommunications workforce, network transformation, and managed-services partner, announced the completion of its multi-year engagement supporting a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) Emulation initiative for a leading wholesale voice and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider.

image 8 1 EASE Automations Completes Multi-Year TDM Modernization Initiative Across 300+ Collocations

The initiative began in 2023 and gained significant momentum in 2024 as EASE Automations expanded its role and team. From 2023 through 2025, the company deployed a specialized team that grew to approximately 35–40 telecommunications professionals, supporting network provisioning, circuit design, implementation, carrier coordination, validation, and legacy transport retirement.

The initiative was designed to eliminate approximately $5 million per month in leased TDM transport expenses, representing a targeted reduction of approximately $60 million in annual recurring costs. According to EASE Automations, these figures reflect the program’s cost-reduction objectives rather than independently verified realized savings.

Across more than 300 collocation environments, EASE-supported professionals designed and provisioned the IP and TDM connectivity required to bring interconnections closer to the carrier edge, backhaul traffic over IP, and support the retirement of leased TDM transport.

“Modernizing a carrier network is not simply about installing new technology,” said Stan Scott, Managing Director of EASE Automations. “The real work is making every interconnection, carrier order, provisioning dependency, activation, and cutover line up without disrupting the business. EASE Automations built and sustained a team that could operate in that complexity at scale.”

Throughout the engagement, EASE professionals collaborated with carrier organizations, internal engineering teams, vendors, and network operations personnel to move locations from design through activation. The team provided specialized expertise in carrier-scale network provisioning, circuit design and order management, TDM-to-IP enablement, implementation coordination, network validation, and legacy transport retirement.

A key component of the initiative was maintaining operational continuity throughout the transformation process. As EASE Automations’ responsibilities expanded, its professionals developed institutional knowledge of the client’s network infrastructure, provisioning processes, carrier relationships, and operational dependencies. Retaining this expertise helped sustain project execution as the modernization effort progressed.

The completed engagement highlights EASE Automations’ role in supporting large-scale telecommunications modernization through specialized workforce deployment and operational coordination. By assembling and sustaining dedicated telecommunications teams, the company supported complex network transformation activities while helping maintain the technical knowledge, coordination, and operational continuity necessary for implementation.

About EASE Automations

EASE Automations is a Chicago-based telecommunications workforce, network transformation, and managed-services partner specializing in complex network modernization projects. The company combines carrier-domain expertise with dedicated technical teams to help telecommunications organizations modernize infrastructure while maintaining operational continuity. Its capabilities include network provisioning, circuit design, implementation coordination, carrier management, TDM-to-IP enablement, network validation, and legacy transport retirement.

For more information, visit https://easeautomations.com/.

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Stan Scott, Managing Director
EASE Automations
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COLLAPSE OF THE SECRET DOMINION SETS A $200 BILLION HEIR AGAINST A GLOBAL NETWORK OF WEALTH ABUSERS

NEW YORK, NYCraig Hickman’s thriller pairs international espionage with a rebellion against financial exploitation, corruption and concealed power.

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Craig Hickman’s thriller pairs international espionage with a rebellion against financial exploitation, corruption and concealed power.

An heir to a $200 billion empire becomes an adversary of elites bent on controlling humanity in Craig Hickman’s Collapse of the Secret Dominion. Centered on Wilson Fielder and his wife, Emily, the thriller brings a family under attack into a global struggle against the Divitiae, also known as the Wealth Abusers. Its central conflict connects extraordinary private wealth with the danger of unchecked public influence.

3 9 COLLAPSE OF THE SECRET DOMINION SETS A $200 BILLION HEIR AGAINST A GLOBAL NETWORK OF WEALTH ABUSERS

Missile strikes shatter Wilson and Emily’s life on a Greek isle. The attack compounds an already grave family crisis: Wilson’s father lies in a coma after an assassination attempt, and Emily has narrowly escaped abduction. Facing a conspiracy whose ambitions extend far beyond their own lives, the couple gathers revolutionaries from around the world into a resistance group, the Mundi Liberatores. Their mission takes them into bastions of European wealth, the hidden dimensions of Sino-Russian-Indian ambitions, and the complex relationships of the United States and its neighboring countries. Infiltration and investigation bring global espionage together with financial manipulation. As the group uncovers the consequences of abused wealth, power and influence, its campaign becomes a race to stop the Divitiae before society reaches a point of irreversible decay.

Wilson’s inheritance gives the confrontation a distinctive tension. The figure challenging the Wealth Abusers is himself the heir to an immense fortune, rather than someone remote from the world of concentrated wealth. That juxtaposition places privilege and resistance within the same central character. The premise sets the scale of his family’s resources beside a wider question about how wealth becomes an instrument of domination.

For readers drawn to conspiracy thrillers, the book offers an opposition that operates through both hidden networks and financial leverage. Its international scope extends the threat beyond a single government or location, while the attacks on Wilson’s family give that broad conflict a personal point of entry. The combination makes money and influence central to the danger, alongside the violence directed at those caught in the conspiracy.

The novel’s framing also gives its rebellion an explicitly ethical focus: rejecting oppressive control, resisting predatory exploitation and exposing calculated deceit. These concerns distinguish the struggle from a pursuit of one enemy alone. The Divitiae embodies abuses that reach across borders, and the Mundi Liberatores represents an effort to confront those abuses through an equally international alliance. Beyond survival and exposure, the resistance seeks the restoration of justice, equity and trust. Those aims establish what is at stake in the book’s vision of a world damaged by avarice and corruption.

Collapse of the Secret Dominion ties its thriller premise to the unresolved question of whether organized resistance can loosen entrenched power’s grip before the damage becomes irreversible.

Craig Hickman spent forty-five years inside the rooms where power operates, advising CEOs and Senior Executives of the world’s most powerful institutions as a New York Times bestselling author, Harvard MBA, and former CEO. He wrote twenty books trying to capture what he witnessed: Empowerment vs. Control; Reciprocity vs. Exploitation; Integrity vs. Deceit, revealing the full spectrum of leadership at the highest levels.

Eventually he realized that nonfiction couldn’t tell the whole truth. Fiction could, and, in his view, only fiction could do it without restraint. His shift from business books to political thrillers led to The Insiders Universe, which channels decades of insider experience into fiction. Collapse of the Secret Dominion explores how wealth, influence and concealed power can be used to dominate, and how resistance can form in response.

Available now. Get your copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966074387

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