Milestone Systems Receives US$27 Million in Growth Stage Investment From Index Ventures

COPENHAGEN , July 10 /PRNewswire/ --

- Milestone Systems, a Leading Global Manufacturer of IP Video Surveillance Software, Takes First External Investment From Leading European Venture Capital Firm.

Milestone Systems, a global developer of open platform IP video management software for surveillance systems, today announced US$27 (EUR17) million in growth stage funding from Index Ventures, one of Europe's top venture capital firms. This is the first ever external investment into Milestone, after nearly a decade in business, and marks the latest investment from Index Ventures' EUR400 million growth fund, which closed in January 2007 .

Milestone Systems has sales offices in nine countries with plans to open additional locations to support a number of significant partnerships. Milestone will also use the funding to continue development of its technology platform and spearhead new business initiatives.

"Milestone has consistently grown 40-60% per year and we are optimistic about the IP video surveillance market as the security sector continues to move from analog to network technology," says Lars Thinggaard, President & CEO of Milestone Systems. "The funding from Index supports our expansion plans and allows us to further assert our position as a leader in the open platform IP video surveillance industry."

IP video solutions are now being deployed across all business sectors, and IMS Research forecasts the total worldwide market for video surveillance to be approximately US$12 billion by 2012, of which one third will be digital offerings, at anticipated annual growth rates in excess of 40% per annum.

Index Ventures partner Giuseppe Zocco said, "For growth stage investments, we look for companies that have demonstrated leadership within an exciting and growing market. Milestone's team, technology and the rapid growth that the company has experienced makes them a perfect candidate and we look forward to working with the company to help them get to the next level."

Milestone has been at the forefront in developing a truly open platform for IP video management. Available in 15 languages and supporting more than 400 models of network cameras, Milestone offers best-of-breed solutions and a rich application interface for value-adding integrations. Milestone partners include thousands of security and IT professionals who have been trained and certified in the top-of-the-line software.

About Milestone

Milestone Systems is a global developer of open platform IP video management software. XProtect(TM) gives users a powerful surveillance solution that is easy to manage, reliable and proven in more than 35,000 customer installations. With support for the industry's widest choice in network hardware and integration with other systems, XProtect provides best-of-breed solutions to "video enable" organizations - reducing costs, optimizing processes, and protecting assets. Milestone software is sold through authorized partners in 90 countries. Lean more at http://www.milestonesys.com.

About Index Ventures

Index Ventures is a leading European venture capital firm active in technology venture investing since 1996. The firm is dedicated to helping top entrepreneurial teams in the Information Technology and Life Science sectors build their companies into market defining global leaders. The firm has offices in Geneva , London and Jersey and focuses on investments from seed through growth stage companies. Recent exits include Skype (the pioneering communications company acquired by eBay); MySQL (the world's most popular open source database recently acquired by Sun), Last.fm (the world's largest social music platform, recently acquired by CBS) and BioXell (BIOX, floated on the SWX in 2007).

Index Ventures Growth I L.P. is a EUR400 million fund and is the first of its kind raised by a European venture capital firm. It was formed to address the market opportunity created by the maturation of Europe's start-up industry and complements the firm's venture capital fund, Index Ventures IV L.P., which will continue to focus primarily on seed and early-stage investments. Index Ventures Growth I makes investments of between EUR20 million and EUR50 million, primarily in European-based companies. For more information, please visit http://www.indexventures.com.

For more information contact:

Lars Thinggaard, President & CEO, Milestone Systems at +45-88-300-300.

SOURCE Milestone Systems A/S