COMPANY HISTORY
Over the past 20 years, the Nova Ventures management team has created five globally recognized instrumentation businesses by combining and fostering the growth of premium quality test, measurement, and sensor companies into cohesive platforms that have achieved market leadership in their respective segments. Nova Ventures management has decades of direct design, engineering, global sales and distribution, finance, executive management and acquisitions experience at some of the leading instrumentation groups. They bring this wealth of experience, as well as strong financial resources, to its portfolio companies. At the same time, the companies under the Nova Ventures umbrella operate autonomously, retaining their existing brands and management teams, but benefit from a strong, experienced parent that can enable each company to achieve its full potential.
Nova Analytics was formed in 2003 and became a leading developer and manufacturer of premium quality laboratory, field, and online analytical instruments for the water, environmental, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, and industrial markets.
Nova Technologies was formed in 2006 and was recognized as a leading developer and supplier of technology-based flow monitoring products and services for the water, wastewater, and hydroelectric markets.
Nova Metrix was formed in 2009 and is the world’s leading provider of geotechnical, environmental, and materials testing instruments, sensors, software, and consumables serving the structural health, construction, civil engineering, energy, and medical markets.
Nova Instruments was formed in 2010 and is a premium quality provider of high-tech analytical instrumentation for a broad range of scientific and industrial applications serving the Aerospace, Automotive, Oil and Gas, and Renewable Energy markets among others. Nova Instruments’ established brands design, develop, and manufacture industry-leading test and measurement systems that reliably gather mission-critical data across numerous applications such as Experimental Fluid Mechanics; Spray, Gas and Combustion Diagnostics; Strain/Stress and Non-Destructive Testing.
Founded in 2019, Nova Measurements is the leading provider of world-class materials testing equipment serving the construction, geotechnical and civil engineering industries. With over 50 years of industry experience, Nova Measurements’ established brands offer advanced R&D, expert industry knowledge, and an unparalleled commitment to ensuring the highest standards in manufacturing excellence, quality control, and customer service are achieved
In addition to supporting the continued growth of its existing platforms, Nova Ventures has substantial committed capital at its disposal and is seeking attractive instrumentation businesses that could form the nucleus of a fifth strategic platform.
Nova Analytics Corporation was formed in March 2003, was a world leader in the multi-billion-dollar electrochemistry and water quality instrumentation market. The Company manufactured premium quality meters, sensors, analyzers, and related consumables used in industry, research institutions, and governments to analyze and control the quality and characteristics of water and wastewater, food & beverage, pharmaceutical and medical products, among others.
As of January 2010, Nova Analytics owned nine operating companies with more than 750 employees in eight different countries worldwide. All Nova Analytics’ brands were recognized for superior quality and industry leading products with applications ranging from electrochemistry, optical measurement, temperature measurement, respirometry, and viscometry.
The platform began with Nova Analytics’s acquisition of Corning’s electrochemistry product line, re-branded as the ‘Pinnacle’ line upon acquisition in 2003. Following the Corning product line acquisition, In the same year, Nova Analytics further grew by acquiring two leaders in the premium analytical instrumentation: WTW Wissenschaftliche-Technische Werkstätten GmbH (WTW), Germany’s leading manufacturer of laboratory and water & wastewater instrumentation; and Schott Geräte GmbH (initially rebranded ‘Schott Instruments’ then ultimately ‘SI Analytics’), Germany’s premier manufacturer of electrochemistry instrumentation.
With three well-respected brands anchoring Nova Analytics’ portfolio, 2004 marked a year of integration and operational improvements. In February 2005, Nova Analytics bought Secomam SA a spectrophotometer business in France. Nova Analytics remained active in 2006 by acquiring two highly reputable German businesses: Sensortechnik Meinsberg GmbH (STM), an electrochemistry business developing electrodes; and Ebro Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, a supplier of temperature meters, electrodes and accessories for the food, clinical, pharmaceutical, and industrial markets. In 2007, Nova Analytics acquired UK-based Bellingham + Stanley Ltd. (B+S), and US-based Global Water Instrumentation, Inc. (GWI). B+S manufactures a range of digital refractometers and polarimeters and GWI supplies instrumentation for measuring ground and surface-water parameters such as quality, level, and flow.
Nova Analytics’ final acquisition occurred in December of 2009, when it purchased Norway-based Aanderaa Data Instruments AS (Aanderaa), a provider of sensors, instruments, and systems for measuring and monitoring in the most demanding environments.
On February 17, 2010 Nova Analytics was sold to ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT), an engineering and manufacturing company engaged in water and fluids management, global defense, and security and motion and flow control. After Nova Analytics was acquired by ITT Corporation, the business was spun out into what is today known as Xylem, Inc., a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water challenges.
Nova Technologies Corporation, formed in June of 2006, was a leading provider of turnkey products and services designed to increase the efficiency in water and wastewater transportation systems. With over 325 employees, Nova Technologies was a leading developer and supplier of technology-based products for the water, wastewater, and hydroelectric markets.
Nova Technologies operated three independent businesses: ADS Environmental Services, Accusonic Technologies and Hydra-Stop. The Nova Technologies brands developed, manufactured, and integrated specialized instrumentation and proprietary software solutions enabling municipalities, industry, and government agencies to measure and analyze the capacity, quality, and integrity of water and wastewater systems infrastructure.
Nova Technologies’ foundation business, ADS Environmental Services, completed two horizontal acquisitions in 2006, which strengthened and anchored the platform. The Company first acquired Severn Trent Pipeline Services allowing Nova Technologies to significantly grow its footprint in the water services market, penetrate the pipeline maintenance market through its Hydra-Stop brand and re-enter the Closed Circuit Television Video (CCTV) market. The acquisition of DWC Technologies, which was tucked under ADS Environmental Services, strengthened the Company’s geographical footprint in the Southeastern U.S. and allowed Nova Technologies to enter the utility location/mapping industry.
Simultaneously, Nova Technologies supplemented its manufactured products with a comprehensive suite of software solutions, field services, and data reporting services for the municipal water and wastewater infrastructure industries. By 2008, Nova Technologies and its associated brands had completed over 5,000 flow measurement projects and provided equipment and services to customers in more than 40 countries.
On January 3, 2008, Nova Technologies was sold to IDEX Corporation (NYSE: IEX), a global provider of fluid-handling devices and other engineered equipment.