The Carlyle Group Invests in Nature Delivered, online retailer of health foods

Carlyle and DFJ Esprit join Octopus and founders
as investors in a snacks-by-post business 

London– Global Alternative Asset Manager The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) today announced that it has invested in Nature Delivered, a UK-based online retailer of health foods.

This investment was made by Carlyle Europe Technology Partners II (CETP), the pan-European growth capital and buyout fund.

The transaction closed on 30 November 2012 and further details were not disclosed.

Nature Delivered was advised on the transaction by Torch Partners. Investec provided debt financing for the transaction.

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About Nature Delivered
Nature Delivered is a UK-based company started in 2008 to provide office workers with healthy snacks.  The company operates using an online subscription model, delivering hand-picked boxes of snacks direct to customers through the Royal Mail.

About The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $156 billion of assets under management in 99 funds and 63 fund of fund vehicles as of June 30, 2012. Carlyle's purpose is to invest wisely and create value. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Market Strategies and Fund of Funds Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,300 people in 32 offices across six continents. For more information visit:  www.carlyle.com.

About Octopus Investments
Octopus Investments, founded in 2000, is a leading investment specialist. We offer innovative core and satellite investment solutions to UK investors, and a wide range of funding options for exceptional companies. We currently have more than £2.7 billion in assets under management. The ventures team at Octopus are straight talking human investors that back talented people rather than specific sectors. We focus on identifying fast growth businesses which can scale explosively to create, transform or dominate an industry. Supported by our Octopus Venture Partners, a network of approximately 100 outstanding business leaders and entrepreneurs, Octopus has helped many great companies across several sectors thrive in recent years, including Calastone; LoveFiLM; Zoopla; SwiftKey; and, Secret Escapes.  For more information, please visit www.octopusinvestments.com

About DFJ Esprit
DFJ Esprit is a leading cross-stage venture capital firm that invests from seed to late stage in European technology and media companies. Members of the DFJ Esprit team have experience of investing in over 200 companies and generating strong returns for investors through building valuable companies alongside the founders and management teams. DFJ Esprit is the exclusive European partner for Silicon Valley-based VC, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which has $7 billion under management and offices in over 30 cities around the world.  www.dfjesprit.com

About Investec Growth & Acquisition Finance
Investec Growth & Acquisition Finance is part of Investec Specialist Bank. It works with entrepreneurs, management teams and private equity houses to provide finance to UK mid-market companies. Their flexible solutions cover the entire capital structure offering asset based and cash flow senior lending, mezzanine finance and minority equity on either a standalone or integrated basis. They are a single, empowered and responsive team focussed on making deals happen and building strong relationships with clients.

About Torch Partners
Founded in 2003, Torch Partners is one of Europe’s leading independent providers of investment banking services to growth oriented sectors.  Its clients range from entrepreneurs to industry leaders and from specialist investors to globally recognised equity capital providers. Torch Partners caters to high growth businesses, both early in their life cycle and as they develop into recognised market leaders, intervening at the critical inflection points in a company’s life - fundraising, buyouts, spinouts, M&A, IPOs.

Media Contacts:

The Carlyle Group
Catherine Armstrong
+44 20 7894 1632
Catherine.Armstrong@carlyle.com

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