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Bucharest, September 20^th 2022 – Agista, the first Romanian investment fund, currently under authorization, which invests in local SMEs with the purpose of listing them on the stock exchange and to make them perform on the capital market, has purchased an additional share package in Bittnet, a Romanian group of IT companies, listed on the Main Market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange. By increasing its ownership interest to nearly 7%, Agista is validating Bittnet Group's position as a strategic player in education and IT solutions integration on the Romanian market, and acknowledges the company's capacity to contribute to the digital transformation of companies in Romania.

Bittnet is one of the best examples where Agista can perform its strategic role of contributing to the company's accelerated increase, continuing to build on the founders’ foundations and vision. All our common efforts from now on will be focused on transforming Bittnet into a regional player, in this extremely competitive sector.

I strongly believe that this company's potential is above the current estimated market level. And the next period will prove the value that Agista and Bittnet can create together, said Nicolae Kovacs, Agista CEO.

The Bittnet investment follows Agista's lines of investment thesis and business philosophy. This is the sixth IT&C investment in Agista's portfolio.

Throughout Bittnet's history, we have enjoyed the support of a series of visionary investors, who have believed in our long-term potential for development. The road to excellence has no final destination. Agista sees this, as a partner with whom we share the same vision about Bittnet's future, one based on consolidating the IT&C services market, as well as on accelerated growth, both organic, and through acquisitions.

Together, we believe that M&A development will continue to provide medium and long-term value and will increase the Group's footprint, considering the success of previous purchasing projects. We thank our colleagues at Agista for their trust and we are delighted that the fund has become one of the Group's main shareholders, said Cristian Logofătu, Bittnet Group co-founder.

Agista wishes to provide know-how and capital to support companies whose products are or become essential for society. The Agista fund, currently under authorisation, acts as an anchor investor, with minority holdings, but with a strategic role, with a representative in the Board of Directors.

The moment that the Romanian capital market is crossing is a difficult one, and I believe the role of institutional or anchor investors can prove to be crucial. Unfortunately, the local specificity seems to be trading in a small number of blue chip securities, which leads to a liquidity void in promising smaller companies. My philosophy is that the entire ecosystem of capital providers should also invest in potential. This is the only way we will have a new generation of blue chips, Nicolae Kovacs, Agista CEO, also added.

Since its launch in March, Agista has entered the shareholding structure of companies such as FORT (previously Global Resolution Experts), Eplus Smart Energy, Chromosome Dynamics, Dendrio, and others. Its plan for the next two years is to achieve over 20 investments in promising local companies, with a well-defined product, an increasing market and the internal capacity for development. Agista wishes to accelerate companies whose turnover is EUR 3-15 million, and the value of an investment is EUR 0.5-2 million.

Bittnet Group is the first IT company in Romania listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange and the only one on the Regulated Market. Currently, the group consists of companies providing investors with exposure to the entire IT&C industry in Romania, in various fields of activity, such as education, infrastructure and cloud, cybersecurity, business apps, software development. Over the first six months of the current year, Bittnet Group reported a consolidated income worth RON 70 million, an 45% increase from the same period in 2021.