Open Navigation

Wetzlar, January 28, 2025 – Elovade, one of Europe’s leading value-added distributors, and private equity investors HQ Equita and Verdane have announced their acquisition of Avangate. By acquiring the Italian security distributor, the Elovade Group is expanding its portfolio of IT security solutions while supplementing the existing infrastructure expertise of Elovade Italia (formerly ACHAB). In 2021, HQ Equita already supported the company with the establishment of a branch in Switzerland and the integration of the German IT security distributor 8Soft; further successful M&A projects followed with the acquisitions of Italian MSP distributor ACHAB and Swedish VAD Innosoft in 2022, as well as the most recent acquisition of Swedish distributor Inuit AB last year.

Security Expertise from Avangate
Milan-based VAD Avangate has established itself on the Italian market with premium security solutions from manufacturers such as Bitdefender, Acronis, Kaspersky, and AVD Avast. As a competence center for IT security, the company provides its services with a team of twelve experts and a network of over 2,500 active partners in Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, and the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Avangate supports international companies, public administrations, and SMEs with their IT security requirements. With a strong focus on partner qualification and consulting expertise, the company has succeeded in consolidating its position as the leading security distributor in the region in recent years.

Acquisition Bolsters Growth Course
The acquisition of Avangate will allow Elovade to almost double its Italian business in terms of revenue, while making efficient use of its resources. Elovade partners will also be able to access to an even broader and more solution-oriented IT portfolio that intelligently combines infrastructure and security solutions. The Milan site will act as the strategic base for the further development of the Italian distribution business.

Philip Weber, CEO of Elovade, explains: “The acquisition of Avangate is a strategic milestone for our growth strategy on the Italian market. We will be able to offer an even more comprehensive solution portfolio in the future by combining our existing strengths in IT security and IT infrastructure with Avangate’s leading position in the Italian security segment.”

Claude Sarkis, Co-CEO of Avangate Security, states: “For us and our team at Avangate, this step is not just a strategic decision, but also a moment of pride. In recent years, we have shown passion in developing a strong partner network and establishing the name of Avangate as a reliable IT security partner in the region. Thanks to this merger, we will be significantly expanding our position as the leading value-added distributor in Italy.”

Riccardo Ottolina, Co-CEO of Avangate Security, adds: “By combining the expertise of both companies, our goal will be to create a unique IT security offering for our partners. The merger with Elovade now opens new opportunities for us to strengthen this base still further and offer our partners even more value. Together we will drive the channel in Italy forward with innovative solutions and combined expertise.”

History: HQ Equita and Verdane
HQ Equita has been a part of the Elovade success story since 2019. In Verdane, the value-added distributor obtained another financially strong and experienced partner at the beginning of 2024. Together with these two investors, Elovade Managing Directors Philip Weber and Marcus Zeidler are continuing to pursue the Group’s proven growth strategy.

Transaction Advisors Involved
HQ Equita and Elovade were advised on the Avangate transaction by the law firms Watson Farley & Williams (legal and TDD), Singular Group AG (CDD), and BDO (FDD).

About Elovade
Elovade is one of the leading value-added software distributors in Europe, with a particular focus on IT security and cloud services. With 150 experts in Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland, Elovade supports thousands of IT service providers and system houses throughout Europe in selling and implementing software. Partners benefit from a comprehensive range of services, which covers everything from training courses, workshops, and a digital learning platform to audits and on-site integration in collaboration with our partners. In addition, Elovade supports software providers in launching new products in Europe with appropriate marketing and distribution strategies and therefore ensures consistently growing brand familiarity in the channel.

www.elovade.com I www.elovade.com/de-ch I www.elovade.it I www.elovade.com/sv | www.inuit.se

Press Contact

riba:businesstalk GmbH
Julia Griebel
Klostergut Besselich
56182 Urbar – Koblenz, Germany
Tel.: +49 (261) 96 37 57-12
Email: jgriebel@riba.eu
Web: www.riba.eu

ELOVADE Deutschland GmbH
Alexander Hassel
Garbenheimer Str. 36
35578 Wetzlar, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)6441 67118-398
Email: alexander.hassel@elovade.com
Web: www.elovade.com

Wetzlar, Germany, September 10th, 2024 – The value-added software distributor Elovade, which has been in business for almost 30 years, and its investors HQ Equita and Verdane have announced the acquisition of Swedish distributors Inuit AB. The acquisition of Inuit AB will enable the Elovade Group to grow its current product portfolio by adding further interesting solutions in the core segments of IT security and infrastructure software. Back in 2021, HQ Equita assisted the company set up a branch office in Switzerland and integrate the German IT security distributor 8Soft; further successful M&A projects followed in 2022 with the acquisition of Italian MSP distributors ACHAB and the Swedish VAD Innosoft.

Participatory interest of HQ Equita and Verdane
The experienced private equity investor HQ Equita has been part of Elovade’s success story since 2019. And at the start of 2024, the VAD joined forces with another financially robust and experienced partner in the form of private equity investor Verdane, specializing in sustainable growth and value creation. Hand in hand with the two investors, the directors of the corporate group, Philip Weber and Marcus Zeidler, are driving forward Elovade’s proven growth strategy.

Thus, since HQ Equita came on board in 2019, Group revenue and EBITDA have grown more than three and a half times and the workforce has more than doubled in size (as of 2024), testament to the excellent scalability of the business model. The Group currently employs around 150 people in five European offices. At the same time, it has been possible to significantly expand the partnership landscape, too. Together with its national subsidiaries, Elovade currently supports more than 11,000 active MSPs and reseller partners across Europe, and has access to some 60 percent of the relevant market in the respective regions.

The next chapter in the VAD’s success story
The latest acquisition of Inuit coupled with a robust network, financial stability and the wide-ranging expertise of its investors are helping Elovade further cement itself as a leading force in the European VAD business. One of the Group’s stated aims is to secure market shares in both existing and new regions through organic growth and targeted acquisitions, while positioning itself demonstrably as a provider of added value.

“With the expansion of the Nordic region, we are consistently pursuing our objective of expanding our VAD Group across Europe. With a product portfolio geared to ITSM and a focus on larger MSPs in the Nordics, Inuit is the perfect addition to the Elovade family,” says CEO Philip Weber.

Thorir Eggertsson, CEO of Inuit, adds: “We’re really happy to be part of the dynamically expanding Elovade Group and have the opportunity to work with new colleagues in Europe, share know-how, and learn from one another. Together with the teams in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the existing team in Sweden, we want to significantly expand the range of products available to our channel in the Nordics.”

Strengthening the new brand
Until recently, the VAD Group had been operating under the original names of its national companies, i.e. EBERTLANG, ACHAB, and Innosoft. However, the introduction of the international Elovade brand in June this year saw the subsidiaries consolidated under a single roof. Initially, the latest addition to the Elovade Group will continue to operate under its name Inuit with an additional reference to Elovade. In the medium term, the plan is to integrate Inuit into Elovade’s Nordics structure.

Focus on international growth
“The acquisitions will help generate synergies that will allow us to tailor our product portfolio even more specifically to the needs of our partner segments. What’s more, our joint focus on security solutions will ensure clear positioning and strong, sustainable growth for the Group in the future,” says Elovade CFO/COO Marcus Zeidler. “But our focus will remain the same despite – or even because of – this targeted growth. We will continue to focus on providing our partners with personalized support: in future, our partners will benefit even more from our expert advice, strong technical support and extensive event and academy offerings, even across international borders.” Weber adds: “In the Nordic countries, Inuit has established itself primarily as an ITSM expert; with its outstanding range of services and expertise, it will be a valuable asset for Elovade – not only in the Nordics, but in all the other markets too.”

Transaction advisory
HQ Equita and Elovade received advice on the transaction from the law firms Watson Farley & Williams and MAQS Advokatbyrå AB (legal), Singular Group AG (CDD), Deloitte (FDD and TDD) and MSLAW (loan agreement)

About Inuit
Specializing in products for IT operations and IT security, software distributors Inuit offer efficient IT solutions that aim to simplify the everyday lives of its customers. The company focuses on creating concrete customer benefits by increasing productivity and providing secure IT platforms. The portfolio covers areas such as ITSM help desk, ticket management, management of clients and mobile devices, network and server monitoring, cloud services, IT security, IT analytics, Identity Access Management and Active Directory. Among the distributor’s key clients are international software manufacturers ManageEngine and Finnish security specialists WithSecure.

www.inuit.se

About Elovade
Elovade is one of Europe’s leading value-added software distributors specializing in IT security and cloud services. 150 experts at locations in Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland support thousands of IT service providers and system houses across Europe in the distribution and implementation of software. Partners benefit from a comprehensive range of services, from training courses, workshops and a digital learning base to audits and on-site integrations carried out in collaboration with partners. Elovade also deploys appropriate marketing and sales strategies to support software providers when launching new products in Europe, thus ensuring steady growth in brand awareness in the channel.

www.elovade.com I www.elovade.com/de-ch I www.elovade.it I www.elovade.com/sv

Press contact

riba:businesstalk GmbH
Julia Griebel
Klostergut Besselich
D-56182 Urbar, Koblenz, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)261 963757-12
Email: jgriebel@riba.eu
Web: www.riba.eu

ELOVADE Deutschland GmbH
Alexander Hassel
Garbenheimer Str. 36
D-35578 Wetzlar, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)6441 67118-398
Email: alexander.hassel@elovade.com
Web: www.elovade.com

Wetzlar, Germany, June 11th, 2024 EBERTLANG, the value-added distributor that specializes in IT security and cloud services, is changing its name. With subsidiaries in Switzerland, Italy and Sweden, the company’s international growth strategy will see it operate under the name ELOVADE moving forward. Derived from the word “elevate”, the new brand primarily represents an important core area of the current and future corporate philosophy: to support partners, IT services and vendors in a value-adding and proactive manner while further developing their business models. To emphasize what the value-added distributor offers its partners, the term VAD is now also an integral part of the new brand. The “EL” in Elovade shows that the distributor is staying true to its roots and focusing on the core values it provides: expertise, partnership and commitment.

Envisioning “a leading European value-added software distributor”

The EBERTLANG Group has impressively demonstrated in recent years that the chosen path has led to sustainable success for both partners and vendors. Since the acquisition by HQ Equita in 2019, revenue has more than tripled, whilst the number of employees has more than doubled. EBERTLANG invested heavily in Technical Support, Sales and Key Account Management, as well as in their own Cloud Services development. The group currently employs around 150 people in four European branches.

Since 2019, HQ Equita has been accompanying this success story. As of early 2024, the private equity investor Verdane has joined Elovade as an additional strong partner. The involvements from HQ Equita and Verdane stand for continuity and support in all growth matters and will continue to positively drive the company’s success and expansion in the future.

By changing its name to Elovade, the Group is now clearly substantiating its claim to position itself as a leading force in the VAD business in Europe. The objective is to gain market share through further organic growth and additional acquisitions in both existing and new regions, clearly positioning itself through the offered added values.

Updating its public image

A key step in the course of the rebranding is the company’s new image. In addition to the website, the company’s own partner portal will also have a new look and feel in the near future. With the new partner portal (including store, account and license management), Elovade is also taking the first step towards a comprehensive cloud services platform that will gradually be made available to partners by the middle of next year.

New products and solutions

Elovade will also continue to expand its range of vendor solutions and cloud services. In addition to numerous carefully selected products in the areas of IT infrastructure, security and managed services, the VAD already offers its own cloud solutions such as EL storage and EL mailarchive and recently launched its backup solution “EL cloud2cloud” onto the market. It enables data stored in common SaaS applications such as M365 to be backed up in a simple, cost-effective manner.

Continuity in leadership and strategic direction

Philip Weber and Marcus Zeidler, the two managing directors of the Elovade Group, will continue to pursue their growth strategy. At the same time, Elovade is sticking to the value system that has been foundational to the distributor’s almost 30-year success story.

“Our approach as a VAD is to remain hands-on, service-oriented and grounded towards our partners. We will maintain our roots and continue to build on them—so we can take our collaboration with our partners to the next level,” explains Philip Weber, CEO of Elovade.

Marcus Zeidler, CFO/COO of Elovade, adds: “Despite the strong growth, our direction remains the same. We will continue to focus on providing personal and individual support for our partners—from offering expert advice and strong technical support to extensive event and academy options and Marketing and Sales support.”

Background

With Philip Weber and Marcus Zeidler taking over company management at the beginning of 2021, the distributor, which has been on the market for almost 30 years, has embarked on a new path. The founders and namesakes, Steffen Ebert and Volker Lang, passed the torch after more than two decades. International expansion followed under the new management, including the establishment of a branch in Switzerland and the acquisition of the Italian MSP VAD Achab and the Swedish VAD Innosoft. This further development of the Group also made it necessary to introduce a new, global brand.

Bad Homburg / Reichelsheim im Odw. / Ruvo di Puglia, 20/10/2022. HQ Equita, a trusted equity partner for medium-sized companies in the DACH region for almost three decades, announces the first add-on acquisition by its portfolio company MUEGGE (www.muegge-group.com), the world’s leading manufacturer of microwave and plasma technology. With the acquisition of LEANFA, the Italian specialist for solid-state microwave and high-frequency generators, MUEGGE is complementing its product portfolio.

Following the successful acquisition of Gerling Applied Engineering, based in Modesto, California, USA in 2015, the leap into Italy is the next milestone in the MUEGGE Group’s international growth strategy, which the company is consistently pursuing under the leadership of Dr. Klaus Baumgärtner, CEO and Markus Dingeldein, President.

The expansion of the product portfolio of the MUEGGE Group is an elementary component of the growth strategy.

LEANFA has been a successful and established player in the field of solid-state radio frequency technology for more than 8 years, providing technology partners and international manufacturing companies with customized solutions in the field of microwave and plasma technology based on semiconductor solutions.

LEANFA’s microwave and RF modules form the high-tech core of the new product line “Electromedical Devices (MedTech)” for different innovative applications based on hyperthermia. LEANFA technology meets the constantly growing demands of modern clinical diagnosis and therapy. The acquisition of LEANFA also forms the promising step from MUEGGE into the attractive healthcare market.

Through the newly formed connection, customers will now benefit from the MUEGGE Group’s complemented product portfolio.

“LEANFA is the perfect addition to our group of companies. Nicola di Modugno, Managing Director and Marco Fiore, Business Development Manager of LEANFA follow a portfolio strategy complementary to MUEGGE, so there are huge synergies. At the same time, we also share the same quality standards, the same values and our enthusiasm for our work. “Together, we can efficiently implement major topics such as the use of solid-state high-power generators in the industrial sector and thus further develop our vision of a modern, sustainable and global player in the high-frequency world,” explains Dr. Klaus Baumgärtner, CEO of the MUEGGE Group.

Nicola di Modugno and Marco Fiore are also enthusiastic about the merger of the companies: “We have known and appreciated the MUEGGE team for many years. It is important for us to be able to preserve our values, to further develop our expertise and focus areas as a team, and to jointly leverage synergies from which our customers worldwide will benefit. We are looking forward to the future cooperation with our new colleagues.”

Markus Dingeldein, President of the MUEGGE Group explains the next steps: “LEANFA will continue to operate independently as part of our group of companies and under the same brand name. Our medium-term goal is to develop a Competence Center for Solid-State High Frequency Technology at the Ruvo di Puglia site in order to perfectly respond to the market-specific and individual needs of our customers worldwide and to continue to live our shared values that our customers & employees hold so dear today.”

 

Advisor credentials of the transaction
HQ Equita and MUEGGE were advised on the transaction by law the firm Gleiss Lutz (legal and tax) and Warth & Klein Grant Thornton (FDD).

 

About LEANFA
LEANFA is a company founded in 2014 and develops, manufactures and distributes state-of-the-art OEM semiconductor microwave and radio frequency generators and power amplifiers, especially for industrial, scientific and medical applications. With its customized and sustainable solutions, LEANFA represents a technological reference partner for international manufacturing companies. Based in Ruvo the Puglia, Italy, the company employs a highly qualified team of 10 people and has always followed an approach focused on innovation to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.

www.leanfa.com

 

About MUEGGE
The MUEGGE Group is the leading manufacturer and supplier of function-critical industrial microwave components, systems and plasma sources with a strong global presence. Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Reichelsheim im Odw., Germany, the company employs approximately 160 people and provides solutions for a range of industrial applications, including food processing, production of lab-grown diamonds and semiconductor components, drying processes, molecular extraction in chemistry, and hydrogen production for customers in more than 40 countries.

www.muegge-group.com

 

About HQ Equita
The HQ Equita team primarily supports owner-managed medium-sized companies in the strategic orientation and growth of their business. Since 1992, HQ Equita has developed into an established and trustworthy partner for medium-sized businesses. Around 1 billion euros have been invested in 37 small and medium-sized enterprises in German-speaking countries during this time.

www.hqequita.com

 

Deal-Team HQ Equita
Hans J. Moock – Partner | Managing Director
Adrian von Puttkamer – Senior Investment Manager

 

Contact HQ Equita:
Jan Herwig
Partner I Legal & Investor Relations
+49 6172 9441 227
jan.herwig@hqequita.com
www.hqequita.com

Bad Homburg/Wetzlar/Stockholm, 06/09/2022. HQ Equita, a trusted equity partner for medium-sized companies in the DACH region for almost three decades, announces a further add-on acquisition by its portfolio company EBERTLANG (www.ebertlang.com) with the takeover of the Swedish managed service provider (MSP) distributor Innosoft AB (www.innosoft.se). With this acquisition, EBERTLANG is once again expanding its sphere of influence and is now entering the Nordic region in addition to its own domestic market and Italy.

With its acquisition of the Swedish distributor Innosoft AB, the EBERTLANG Group is bringing a highly specialized team of MSP experts on board who use their specialist knowledge of RMM and PSA solutions to serve IT service providers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.

Following the foundation of a branch in Switzerland and the successful acquisition of 8Soft GmbH – both in autumn of 2021 – as well as the acquisition of Italian distributor ACHAB in May 2022, this constitutes the next step of EBERTLANG’s international growth strategy. EBERTLANG is consistently implementing this strategy under the leadership of the two managing directors Philip Weber and Marcus Zeidler.

“Innosoft is an excellent addition to the EBERTLANG Group both geographically and with regard to the focus on MSPs. Now that we have four regional subsidiaries, we have taken a huge step toward achieving our goal of creating a pan-European VAD group under one roof,” explains Philip Weber, CEO of EBERTLANG.

Erik Kuhlmann, CEO of Innosoft says, “We are very happy that with Innosoft now being part of the EBERTLANG Group, we have the opportunity to work together with new colleagues in Europe, to exchange ideas with them and to learn from one another. We look forward to working with the teams in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy to take the MSP offering for resellers to the next level.”

“We are pleased that with the Innosoft team we were once again able to gain the trust of the company’s founders, who see teaming up with our very dynamically growing portfolio company EBERTLANG as the most attractive option for the further development of their company,” commented Florian Wiemken, Partner and Managing Director at HQ Equita, also with a view to the acquisition of the likewise owner-managed distributor ACHAB in Milan, Italy.
 

Transnational focus on managed services

“In the wake of the synergies our acquisitions have created, our goal is clear: to leverage our respective strengths so as to further optimize our offering and portfolio to meet the individual needs of each channel. In addition, our common focus regarding infrastructure and security solutions with a concentration on MSPs will continue to be a guarantee for clear positioning and strong, sustainable growth of the group in the future,” says EBERTLANG CFO/COO Marcus Zeidler.

“Innosoft has made a name for itself in the Nordic region, primarily as a pronounced MSP specialist, and will be a huge asset to all our other companies and markets due to its outstanding service and expertise regarding MSP business processes and automation,” adds Weber.

 

Advisor credentials of the transaction

HQ Equita and EBERTLANG were advised on the transaction by law firms Watson Farley & Williams and Setterwalls (legal, tax, structuring), CA Strategy Consultants (CDD), Alvarez & Marsal (FDD), Skeppsbron Skatt (TDD) and MSLAW (financing documentation).

 

About Innosoft

Innosoft AB is one of the leading value-added distributors of software solutions for MSPs and system providers in the Nordic region. Innosoft works closely with its partners, utilizing its expertise as well as innovative technologies to help them become more efficient and thus more profitable, with operations, monitoring, automation, and security being their main focus. Founded in 2011, Innosoft is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and serves approximately 350 partners throughout the Nordic region.

www.innosoft.se

 

About EBERTLANG

EBERTLANG has focused on software distribution for IT professionals since its foundation in 1995. Today, the company is one of the leading value-added specialist distributors in Europe. In addition to providing traditional distribution services and access to around 25,000 specialized IT professionals, of which around 19,000 are located in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and approximately 6,000 in Italy, EBERTLANG also offers support to software manufacturers for new product launches, software localization, and the development of accompanying marketing and distribution strategies. This helps to ensure constant growth in brand awareness and corresponding sales growth for manufacturers. EBERTLANG’s comprehensive service offering ranges from training for resellers and users to audits and on-site integration, which are also carried out in cooperation with the company’s own partners in each respective channel.

www.ebertlang.com I www.ebertlang.ch I www.achab.it

 

About HQ Equita

The HQ Equita team primarily supports owner-managed medium-sized companies in the strategic orientation and growth of their business. Since 1992, HQ Equita has developed into an established and trustworthy partner for medium-sized businesses. Around 1 billion euros have been invested in 37 small and medium-sized enterprises in German-speaking countries during this time. HQ Equita is holding a majority stake in EBERTLANG since 2019.

www.hqequita.com

 

Deal-Team HQ Equita
Florian Wiemken – Partner | Managing Director
Christine Weiß – Partner | Managing Director
Vincenz Heidenreich – Investment Associate

 

Contact HQ Equita:
Jan Herwig
Partner I Recht und Investor Relations
+49 6172 9441 227
jan.herwig@hqequita.com
www.hqequita.com

 

Contact EBERTLANG:
Philip Weber
CEO
+49 6441 67118 600
philip.weber@ebertlang.com
www.ebertlang.com

Wetzlar/Milan, 8th June 2022. With the acquisition of the Milan-based VAD Achab (www.achab.it), a specialist for IT-infrastructure and security software for MSP’s, the award-winning German VAD EBERTLANG (www.ebertlang.com) expands its business engagement across Europe. By joining forces with Achab, the Wetzlar-based specialist distributor EBERTLANG is sharpening its MSP-portfolio and focus and furthermore is now engaging itself for the first time ever outside of the DACH region.

Following the establishment of a Swiss subsidiary and the successful acquisition of 8Soft Distribution GmbH, both in autumn of 2021, the move to Italy is the next milestone in EBERTLANG’s international growth strategy, which the company has consistently been following under the leadership of its two managing directors Philip Weber and Marcus Zeidler.

“The company’s pan-European expansion, also significantly beyond the DACH region, is one key component of our growth strategy. With our acquisition in Italy, we are targeting another European market for the first time, which, in terms of market- and partner-structure, shows significant parallels to the DACH region. This allows us to fully exploit our known strengths.” explains Philip Weber, CEO of EBERTLANG.

Expansion across Europe is and will remain one key component of the EBERTLANG growth strategy in the future.

Achab has been a successful and well-established player in the Italian distribution landscape for more than 25 years, offering IT service providers and system houses with a clear MSP focus, well-fitting fitting solutions in the fields of infrastructure and security. Achab, very much like EBERTLANG, has positioned itself very early and spot on regarding the topic of MSP and MSP-transformation. Through this newly formed connection, customers in the DACH-region and Italy will strongly benefit from the combined know-how of the teams in Wetzlar, Milan and Pfäffikon (CH) soon.

“Achab is the perfect addition to the already existing group of companies. Andrea Veca, Managing Director of Achab S.p.A., and his team of experienced and qualified employees not only pursue an almost identical portfolio strategy as EBERTLANG, but also share with us the same quality standards, the same values and our enthusiasm for working in the channel. Together we can efficiently improve major topics, such as advanced automation or implement additional cloud services, and thus further develop our vision of a modern value-added distributor,” Weber continues.

Andrea Veca is also enthusiastic about the merger of the companies: “We have known and appreciated the EBERTLANG team for many years. It is important for us to be able to preserve our values, whilst we can further develop our expertise and focus areas as a team in order to leverage synergies together, from which specialist IT-resellers and service providers in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland will benefit. We are looking forward to the future cooperation with our new colleagues.”

Marcus Zeidler explains the next steps: “Achab will continue to operate autonomously as part of our group of companies and, for the time being, also under the same brand name. Our long-term goal, however, is to develop a European VAD-group under a common corporate roof. This roof will provide as much freedom as necessary for the individual country companies to be able to continue to work and respond individually to the market-specific needs of their customers. We want each member of the group to offer the best service possible in their markets, without telling them how to achieve this, whilst at the same time we share the values that everyone – our partners, our vendors and our employees – appreciates so much today.”

 

About EBERTLANG

Since its founding in 1995, EBERTLANG has focused on the wholesale of software for IT professionals and is today one of the leading value-added specialized distributors in German-speaking Europe. In addition to classic sales work and access to over 19,000 IT specialists, EBERTLANG also offers software vendors support with the market launch of new products, the localization of software and corresponding sales strategies, and ensures a steadily growing brand awareness. The comprehensive range of services extends from training courses for resellers and users to audits and on-site integration, which are also carried out in cooperation with the company’s own channel partners.

www.ebertlang.com

www.ebertlang.ch

 

About Achab

Achab was founded in 1994 as a software house and since 2006 has specialized as a value-added distributor in the sale of software solutions for system houses (VAR, ISV, MSP). Over the years, the company has developed into a One-Stop-Shop for the entire ICT infrastructure of SMEs. Its offering covers messaging, security, disaster recovery & business continuity, network management, backup and documentation. Achab works in the Italian market with a network of over 1,800 qualified resellers. The company consists of 30 employees working in the Milan office and has always followed an approach focused on innovation to ensure maximum customer satisfaction.

www.achab.it

 

Deal-Team HQ Equita
Florian Wiemken – Partner | Managing Director
Christine Weiß – Partner | Managing Director
Kurt Weise – Senior Investment Manager
Vincenz Heidenreich – Investment Associate

Wetzlar/Bad Homburg – October 19, 2021. EBERTLANG, software specialist distributor and portfolio company of HQ Equita, continues its growth course and acquires a majority stake in Würzburg-based IT specialist 8Soft. Like EBERTLANG, 8Soft is a value-added software distributor (VAD) with a focus on cybersecurity solutions. The acquisition includes 100% of the shares of the security specialist 8Soft, the complete portfolio as well as all long-term employees.

The acquisition creates one of the largest German specialist distributors for software with a focus on IT security, data protection and MSP. The channel partners will benefit from a broader portfolio without having to forego the usual high quality of advice, service and support. The acquisition of 8Soft is an important milestone in EBERTLANG’s buy-and-build strategy, which is supported by HQ Equita. A complete integration of 8Soft into EBERTLANG is planned for January 1, 2022.

With the acquisition of the Würzburg-based VAD 8Soft, EBERTLANG is already taking its second important expansion step in the DACH region within a short period of time. Only recently, the Wetzlar-based company announced its intensified partner support and the consistent expansion of its business in the DACH region with the establishment of its own office in Switzerland.

Philip Weber, CEO of EBERTLANG: “It is a special honor to be able to announce two milestones in our company history in such a short time. 8Soft combines an outstanding security portfolio with a core of highly specialized colleagues who will make their know-how available to the specialized trade as part of the EBERTLANG team in the future.”

“With the acquisition of 8Soft and the internationalization, EBERTLANG is consistently continuing its growth course,” said Florian Wiemken, Partner at HQ Equita. “The planned merger of EBERTLANG and 8Soft creates one of the most innovative value-added distributors with a focus on cybersecurity and data protection software solutions in the German-speaking region. We are pleased to support the group in its further expansion.”

EBERTLANG looks back on a successful year and intends to expand its market position in the DACH region in the coming year. 8Soft is the 3rd add-on investment made for HQ Equita’s portfolio companies within its 5th fund generation (HQ Equita V) in the last 12 months. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

EBERTLANG was advised on the transaction by Warth & Klein Grant Thornton (Finance) and Watson Farley & Williams (Legal and Tax).

 

About HQ Equita
HQ Equita is part of the Harald Quandt-Group, based in Bad Homburg. Around 10 investment professionals support primarily owner-managed SMEs in strategically developing and growing their business. HQ Equita has become an established and trusted partner for SMEs since 1992, with around EUR 1 billion invested in over 37 small and medium-sized companies in German-speaking countries.
www.hqequita.com

 

About EBERTLANG
Since its foundation in 1995, EBERTLANG has focused on the electronic distribution of software for IT professionals and is now one of the leading value-added specialist distributors in German-speaking Europe. In addition to classic sales work and access to more than 19,000 specialized IT experts in the channel, EBERTLANG also offers software vendors support with the market launch of new products, the localization of software and corresponding sales strategies, and ensures a constantly growing brand awareness. The comprehensive range of services extends from training courses for resellers and users to audits and on-site integration, which are also carried out in cooperation with the company’s own channel partners.
www.ebertlang.com

 

About 8Soft
8Soft is a value-added distributor focused on cybersecurity solutions. The portfolio consists of explicitly selected solutions that have passed the 8Soft practice test. Under the motto: “IT Security, that’s us.” the 8Soft team maintains a very close relationship with its resellers. Fixed contact persons, partner program, MDF funds, but also networking among the resellers are a matter of course at 8Soft. 8Soft GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the system house bitbone AG in Würzburg. It was spun off as an independent company in 2008 from bitbone’s “Distribution” business unit, which had previously existed for five years.
www.8soft.de

 

Media contact:
Ulrich von Rotenhan
Head of Communications & Investor Relations HQ Capital
+49 6172 401 818
press@hqcapital.com
www.hqcapital.com

 

Contact EBERTLANG:
Alexander Hassel
Team Lead Marketing
Tel: +49 (6441) 67118-398
alexander.hassel@ebertlang.com
www.ebertlang.de

 

Investor contact:
Jan Herwig
Head of investor relations HQ Equita
+49 6172 9441-227
Jan.Herwig@hqequita.com

Flensburg, 28.09.2021

Closer to the Customers
Flemming Kær, CEO of the r2p Group commented “the teams at r2p and TGBA have been working closely together since 2016, and in that time, we have formed a close and productive working relationship. The acquisition of TGBA extends that relationship with multiple benefits for both parties and their respective customers”.

With a direct foothold in North America, the r2p CEO expects a closer contact to regional customers, intensifying mutual support and cooperation with clients. With the acquisition r2p also increases its approach towards local sourcing requirements such as ‘Buy America’ and Canadian Content. The company is based in Vaughan, Canada – just north of Toronto, with an existing subsidiary in the US.

“TGBA yields in-depth knowledge of the r2p product range, competitive advantage, and value proposition”, says Flemming Kær, who considers the acquisition to be a natural extension of r2p Groups operational sphere along established channels.

To New Heights
In the Canadian market the r2p NetSpire™ solution has developed into a de facto standard for transit passenger information systems, thanks to the efforts of TGBA. Many features of the NetSpire solution implemented in recent years are based on market feedback via the team from Vaughan. Going forward their involvement will be extended further, driving NetSpire innovation and product development in line with market demands to new heights.

Brian Andrew and Sean Coster, Directors of TGBA will continue as executives in r2p, joining r2p’s global management team. The integration of the companies will take place over the next weeks. Operationally the Canadian based company will extend the Groups presence from Europe, Asia, Asia-Pacific, South America to include North America now also.


About T.G. Baker Americas Inc.
T.G. Baker Americas Inc. (TGBA) are leaders in transit passenger information systems. The company provides and supports distributed IP-based intelligent technology systems with the highest quality standards for the transportation sector. TGBA supplies scalable, Integrated Passenger Information Systems for Transit Operators that include Public Address, Passenger Assistance Intercoms, Passenger Information Displays & Passenger Information Display Management, VoIP System Integration, Signalling System Integration, Transportation Sub-Systems Integration, Distributed Acoustic Sensing, On-Board CCTV & Fleet Management Systems for Fixed Infrastructure, Rolling Stock & Buses. TGBA’s mission is to create passenger information systems that provide safe, informative, and immersive travel experience for passengers and transit system operators.

About r2p
The r2p Group enables Smart City Transportation by designing and developing intelligent technology systems with the highest quality standards for the mobile transport sector: CCTV, Automatic Passenger Counting, Passenger Information Systems and network audio solutions with real-time data transfer for rail, road vehicles, as well as solutions for fixed infrastructure like platforms and stations. The rapidly growing r2p Group, headquartered in Flensburg, Germany, operates internationally in 45 countries with competence centres in Australia, Malaysia, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. With additional subsidiaries and sales offices in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Brazil, r2p takes pride in being a truly global company. As of July 2018, HQ Equita acquired r2p to build a leading player in the fast-growing market for intelligent and safe digital public transport solutions. For more information visit www.r2p.com

About HQ Equita
HQ Equita is part of the Harald Quandt-Group, based in Bad Homburg. Around 10 investment professionals support primarily owner-managed SMEs in strategically developing and growing their business. HQ Equita has become an established and trusted partner for SMEs since 1992, with around EUR 1 billion invested in over 37 small and medium-sized companies in German-speaking countries.

 

Bad Homburg, August 10, 2021. — HQ Equita, trusted partner of SMEs in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for almost three decades, has acquired a majority stake in the IT security specialist indevis. The two founders Wolfgang Kurz and Andreas Mayer remain significantly invested and active in their current roles as managing directors.

indevis, headquartered in Munich, is a leading managed security service provider for customers from the upper midmarket with the core sectors of healthcare, law firms and management consultancies, financial service providers and public administration in the German-speaking region of Europe. Since its founding in 1999, the company has focused exclusively on the topic of IT security and has been expanding its managed security service business with double-digit growth rates for several years. indevis positions itself with an integrated end-to-end security offering to holistically secure the diverse attack vectors on customers’ IT infrastructures.

“IT security will remain one of the global megatrends in the future, gaining further momentum in Europe due to the demand for continental European solutions. In a digitalised world, IT security is a key component that every company needs and can rarely fully provide itself,” says Florian Wiemken, Partner at HQ Equita. “indevis already has significant managed service revenues, long-standing customer relationships and certified process structures, which are reflected in the high SLA loyalty and customer satisfaction. We believe indevis is ideally positioned to benefit disproportionately from managed security service growth and look forward to expanding the business through suitable acquisitions in the coming years,” adds Kurt Weise, Senior Investment Manager at HQ Equita.

indevis is a leading managed security service provider in Germany with a focus on securing commercial and public computer networks around the IT perimeter. The customer networks are secured along three business areas with technically sophisticated services and solutions. indevis supports customers by taking over the complete responsibility for the IT security infrastructure (Managed Security Service) as well as with integrated IT security solutions for the customer’s operation on premise and with comprehensive IT security consulting services. In addition to the headquarters in Munich, there is another office location in Hamburg as well as two modern data centres; indevis employs a total of around 80 people.

“We are facing a boom – in view of new threats to IT security every day – and we can only meet these challenges together with a strong partner. Due to the personal relationship with HQ Equita, the deep technical understanding of the Equita team as well as the clear added value, we have decided in favour of HQ Equita and are looking forward to the cooperation”, explains Wolfgang Kurz, founder and CEO of indevis. “With the support of HQ Equita, we want to further accelerate our strong growth. In addition to expanding the service portfolio in the area of Managed Detection and Response (MDR), with the help of HQ Equita we will also push ahead with the upcoming national and international expansion – also through acquisitions,” adds Andreas Mayer, second founder and responsible for business development. Talks with possible acquisition targets are already underway.

The indevis MBO is the second investment in the IT sector by HQE Fund V, which invests in medium-sized companies across all sectors – primarily in German-speaking countries. HQ Equita thus plans to continue to steadily expand its involvement in the IT sector – both via new platform investments and with suitable add-ons. In 2019, HQ Equita already completed the fund’s first transaction in the IT sector with the MBO of EBERTLANG, the leading value-added software distributor for data protection and infrastructure software in the SME segment. In the current fund, HQ Equita is increasingly focusing on buy & build. The Packaging Group (TPG), for example, already combines three companies; at r2p, two add-ons have been made since the entry, and another is to be announced in the coming weeks.

HQ Equita was advised by wdp (commercial due diligence), Deloitte (financial due diligence), Watson Farley & Williams (legal and tax), MRH Trowe (insurance), GCA Altium (financing), Shearman & Sterling (loan agreement). The acquisition financing is structured through a syndicate consisting of Sparkasse Rhein-Nahe and Volksbank eG/Gestalterbank. The managing partners of indevis were legally advised by Brownstone Partners.

 

About HQ Equita

HQ Equita is part of the Harald Quandt-Group, based in Bad Homburg. Around 10 investment professionals support primarily owner-managed SMEs in strategically developing and growing their business. HQ Equita has become an established and trusted partner for SMEs since 1992, with around EUR 1 billion invested in over 36 small and medium-sized companies in German-speaking countries.

 

About indevis

indevis IT Consulting and Solutions GmbH, certified according to the international standard ISO/IEC 27001, is one of Germany’s leading Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP). The company has been setting security standards in information technology for more than 20 years and offers customers of all sizes and from all sectors suitable IT security, network and data centre solutions. With state-of-the-art data centres and a redundant infrastructure, indevis offers the best possible protection against IT security risks and ensures security in a networked world. Flanked by professional consulting, management and support services, indevis’ products and managed security services protect customers’ digital business processes and meet the requirements of both business and public institutions, such as public authorities and universities.

 

Media contact:
Ulrich von Rotenhan
Head of Communications & Investor Relations HQ Capital
+49 6172 401 818
press@hqcapital.com
www.hqcapital.com

 

Contact indevis:
Lisa-Marie Wittmann
Senior Marketing & PR Manager
Tel: +49 (89) 45 24 24-161
presse@indevis.de
www.indevis.de

 

Investor contact:
Jan Herwig
Head of investor relations HQ Equita
+49 6172 9441-227
Jan.Herwig@hqequita.com

 

Bad Homburg – 2nd of June, 2021. HQ Equita, a trusted partner for medium-sized companies in the DACH region for almost three decades, is further expanding its Industrial Advisory Board. With the addition of three high-caliber industry experts, the HQ Equita Industrial Advisory Board now consists of nine members.

The Industrial Advisory Board members support on strategic topics, in deal situations and in the assessment of value creation potential. Their extensive and diverse experience allows for situational use depending on the topic and project.

New to the Industrial Advisory Board are Maria-Johanna Schaecher, Kamy Niroumand and Kay-Ingo Greve, who join HQ Equita alongside the existing members.

“We are pleased to welcome the new top-class experts to the team complementing our excellent Industrial Advisory Board. Ms. Schaecher will actively support us with many years of experience in the healthcare sector. Messrs. Niroumand and Greve have gained extensive professional experience in the strategic direction and scaling of digital and software-driven business models at renowned companies,” says Matthias Tabbert, Partner at HQ Equita.

Currently, HQ Equita supports six medium-sized companies in the growth and internationalization as well as digitalization of their business models. The members of the Industrial Advisory Board comprehensively contribute their expertise, experience and network on their behalf.

 

The HQ Equita Industrial Advisory Board (industry focus)

Maria-Johanna Schaecher Healthcare, food, agricultural products
Kay-Ingo Greve Enterprise software, digital business models
Kamy Niroumand Information and communication technology, enterprise software
Robert Fellner-Feldegg Industrial and consumer goods
Friedbert Klefenz Mechanical engineering and packaging industry
Helmut Kraft Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics
Dr. Jürgen Onasch Industrial goods, mechanical engineering
Prof. Dr. Peter Pleus Automotive, mechanical engineering
Thomas Weiß OTC pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, trade

 

Further information and the profiles of the Industrial Advisory Board members at: www.hqequita.com/en/company/industrialadvisors

 

About HQ Equita

HQ Equita is part of the Harald Quandt Group based in Bad Homburg. Around 20 experts support medium-sized, mostly owner-managed companies in the strategic development and growth of their businesses. Since 1992, HQ Equita has developed into an established and trusted partner for medium-sized companies, with around EUR 1 billion invested in over 30 small and medium-sized companies in German-speaking countries.

www.hqequita.com

 

Contact Media | Ulrich v. Rotenhan – Head of Communications & Investor Relations HQ Capital | press@hqcapital.com

Contact Investors | Jan Herwig – Head of Legal & Investor Relations HQ Equita | jan.herwig@hqequita.com