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Carlos Fernandez, with solid expertise in M&A and Private Equity, launched Vesta Capital Partners in 2019. Despite part of his search being impacted by Covid, he successfully acquired Salvavidas Cardio (Anek S3) at the beginning of 2021, with the support of prestigious investors such as Alza Capital, Istria Capital, JB46, Pacific Lake, Juergen Rilling, among others.
Founded in 2009 by Ruben Campo, the company has evolved in recent years into a scalable “Cardio-as-a-Service” platform, with tech-enabled Automated External Defibrillator (AED) services and training at its core. Through an integrated, easy-to-manage solution, Salvavidas Cardio empowers thousands of organizations to protect what matters most: lives. Its customer base includes educational centers, sports facilities and gyms, dental clinics, senior residences and nursing homes, residential communities, shopping centers and malls, transportation companies and hubs, hotels, and public sector entities. A substantial portion of the business is subscription-based, offering device monitoring and maintenance services to enhance customer safety and security. Over the past four years, the company has generated annual revenues of €5–6M, with EBITDA margins of around 20–25% between 2022 and 2023, showing strong growth momentum.
After four years at the helm, the shareholders of Salvavidas Cardio have sold the company to Swedish-based Safe Life, a leading global provider of public access life-saving solutions, founded in 2019. Although terms were not disclosed, the exit was successful.
“We have for a long time had our eyes on Spain; it is a large and dynamic market in Europe and I’m extremely happy we’re now able to partner with one of the leading forces in it, and one that has truly shown market-shaping leadership.” said Jimmy Eriksson, CEO of Safe Life. “Carlos has led a seasoned team on a transformation journey, and along with the whole Safe Life team I am very much looking forward to working together to further the Group’s market presence in Spain and to exchange best practices with the rest of our companies in Europe and beyond.”
Carlos Fernandez, Managing Director of Salvavidas, added: “When I first met Jimmy and Alex, the founders of Safe Life, I immediately felt that joining them had to be the right route to go. My team and I have, I feel, done well to transform our business in the Spanish market, and with the capabilities available within a focused Group like Safe Life, we are ready to do more and to grow faster and further. It is fully clear to me that our customers stand to gain from this partnership, and for our entire team it’s a great opportunity to now be part of a global organization determined to save more lives. I also want to extend my gratitude to our previous investors, for how they supported our journey to this point.”
The acquisition forms part of Safe Life’s ambitious and accelerated growth strategy. With rising demand for AEDs and public safety equipment, Safe Life continues to pursue strategic opportunities to expand its reach and impact. The Group’s strategy combines the strength of its platform and broad product offering with the power of local entrepreneurship and market expertise.
