SONEPAR

Hearing loss affects over 1.5 billion people worldwide, isolating them from conversations, connections, and the full experience of life. Sonova exists to change that reality - pioneering innovative hearing care solutions that restore the vital human sense of hearing and enable people to live without limitations. Since 1947, the company has grown from a Swiss startup into a global leader, developing cutting-edge hearing aids, cochlear implants, wireless communication systems, and audiological care services that transform millions of lives annually. Operating through four strategic business segments - Hearing Instruments, Audiological Care, Consumer Hearing, and Cochlear Implants - Sonova reaches customers in over 100 countries through its house of brands including Phonak, Unitron, AudioNova, Sennheiser (under license), and Advanced Bionics. The company's 18,000+ employees drive this mission forward, backed by over 1,800 patents and design rights. In the 2024/25 financial year, Sonova generated CHF 3.9 billion in sales with a net profit of CHF 547 million, demonstrating both strong business performance and unwavering commitment to its vision: a world where everyone enjoys the delight of hearing.

In 2016, two wood industry leaders - Sonae Indústria and Arauco - came together to form Sonae Arauco, a partnership born from a shared vision: to create inspirational wood-based solutions that would transform how people live and build. This alliance combined decades of expertise from Sonae Indústria (founded in 1959 in Maia, Portugal) with Arauco's global forestry resources, creating one of the world's largest wood-based solutions players. The company emerged from a recognition that wood - the most natural, renewable, and recyclable raw material - held the key to more sustainable construction and design. Today, Sonae Arauco operates 23 industrial and commercial units across 9 countries on two continents, employing approximately 2,600 people from 37 different nationalities. With a production capacity of 3.9 million m³ of wood solutions, the company serves customers in 68 countries through its versatile portfolio spanning Innovus® decorative products, Core & Technical® solutions, and AGEPAN® construction systems. The company's commitment to sustainability runs deep: 100% of wood used comes from sustainable, certified, or controlled sources, and their products retain an average of 3 million tons of CO2 annually. Sonae Arauco isn't just manufacturing wood panels - they're pioneering a circular bioeconomic model, integrating recycled wood into their processes, and leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies including big data and AI to create the factory of the future.

In 2019, Xepelin was born from a simple but powerful observation: Latin America's small and medium businesses were being left behind by traditional banking, with over 70% closing before their fifth year due to lack of access to capital and proper financial tools. Co-founders Sebastian Kreis and Nicolas de Camino recognized that these companies, representing over 60% of the region's GDP with more than $10 trillion in unmet financial needs, deserved better. So they built Xepelin - a comprehensive fintech platform designed to be the "digital CFO" for businesses that traditional banks had overlooked. What started as a bold idea has rapidly transformed into a movement serving over 60,000 companies across Chile and Mexico, with more than $5 billion in financing deployed. Xepelin's platform combines the simplicity of a SaaS tool with powerful embedded financial services, enabling businesses to organize their financial information in real-time, automate payments to suppliers, and access working capital with just three clicks. The company has raised over $567 million from leading investors including Kaszek, Avenir Growth Capital, and Goldman Sachs, cementing its position as one of Latin America's fastest-growing fintechs. Now employing hundreds across the region, Xepelin continues to expand its mission of democratizing financial services, leveraging AI and data analytics to assess risk more accurately and help businesses thrive in markets where they had previously struggled to survive.

In 2017, Brent Frei - already a successful tech entrepreneur who co-founded Smartsheet and led Onyx Software - recognized a persistent, costly problem in agriculture that technology had yet to solve. Rock picking remained one of farming's most labor-intensive, dangerous, and inefficient tasks. Farmers spent countless hours manually removing rocks from their fields, risking equipment damage and losing valuable time that could be spent on higher-value farming activities. Frei saw an opportunity to apply his expertise in automation and AI to transform this age-old agricultural challenge. From that insight, TerraClear was born to deliver end-to-end rock management solutions through the power of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and robotics. The company developed AI-powered rock mapping technology that converts high-resolution imagery into precise maps identifying the size and location of rocks across every acre. Combined with autonomous rock picking equipment and professional services, TerraClear enables farmers to find rocks three times faster and remove them more efficiently, ultimately saving labor, reducing equipment damage risks, and freeing growers to focus on what matters most: producing more food with fewer resources.

In 2016, Velstar was founded with a clear mission: to build an eCommerce agency that would help brands thrive in an increasingly complex digital landscape. The company emerged from a realization that businesses needed more than just development work - they needed a partner who could combine strategic thinking, sharp design, disciplined engineering, and ongoing growth support. What started as a focused Shopify agency has evolved through strategic acquisitions and natural growth into a multi-division powerhouse with Commerce, Enterprise, and Performance divisions operating as one unified team. Today, Velstar operates from hubs across the UK and North America, bringing 21+ years of combined eCommerce heritage to every client partnership. As a Shopify Platinum Partner, the agency has strengthened its capabilities through strategic acquisitions of specialists like We Influence (performance marketing), WeTeachCRO (conversion optimization), Yatter (paid social), and 9xb (complex B2B eCommerce). The team of strategists, designers, engineers, and marketers work collaboratively to deliver transformational growth for ambitious D2C and B2B brands, from storefront builds to complex integrations and headless solutions. Trusted by global enterprises and high-growth companies alike, Velstar has earned recognition including Large eCommerce Agency of the Year 2024 and ranking among the Top 50 Digital Agencies in 2025.

In 2005, our founder Amy Porter recognized a critical gap in the professional services market: lawyers, accountants, and association leaders were struggling with outdated payment systems that couldn't meet their unique compliance and operational needs. She founded AffiniPay with a clear mission - to deliver secure, efficient payment solutions specifically designed for professionals. What started as a focused payment processor has evolved into something far greater. Today, AffiniPay operates as 8am, a comprehensive professional business platform that serves over 260,000 professionals across legal, accounting, and association sectors, trusted by more than 175 bar and professional associations. Over two decades, we've transformed from a payment processing company into a complete ecosystem that empowers professionals to run stronger, more profitable businesses. Our portfolio of solutions - including LawPay, MyCase, CasePeer, DocketWise, CPACharge, and ClientPay - integrates payments with practice management, case management, compliance tools, and client communication platforms. Recognized as one of Inc 5000's fastest-growing companies for 13 consecutive years, we continue to innovate because we believe that when professionals have the right tools, they can focus on what truly matters: their clients, their calling, and their impact. The future is bright at 8am, and we're just getting started.