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2022-12-20
IK Partners and Keensight Capital to agree on the sale of Quanos
Leading pan-European private equity house IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap II Fund (“IK SC II”) has signed an agreement to sell Quanos Solutions GmbH (“Quanos” or “the Company”), a leading developer of software and technology solutions for smart information, to Keensight Capital (“Keensight”), one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout[1] investments.
Headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany, Quanos is the global leader for industrial aftersales and digital technical documentation software. The Company offers a comprehensive product portfolio that enables customers to realise substantial cost and time savings, increase operational efficiency, drive profits of aftersales and service activities and enable customers to digitise aftersales services and offerings.
The Company has more than 1,000 customers worldwide who place their trust in Quanos’ software solutions and are served by 270 employees. Quanos’ software offering is focused on original equipment manufacturers and operators, thereby catering to a diversified customer base ranging from global champions to small to medium-sized enterprises.
The Company has recently launched its next-generation cloud platform (InfoTwin), bringing together the power of content and service solutions in one place. The integrated, modular software solutions enable customers to take a 360° view on their products to optimise service processes and efficiency, offer new service models and ultimately to increase customer satisfaction.
IK invested in Quanos in November 2018. Through M&A, three leading software companies were combined to create a market-leading platform for software and technology solutions for smart information. The Quanos brand was launched in 2020 with support from IK’s Operations team.
Keensight Capital will support Quanos’ team, led by Nikolaus Scholz, in its next phase of growth. The Company is well-positioned to further digitise the aftersales market, with massive potential to expand its solutions and services offering, market penetration and international reach, both organically and through acquisitions.
Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed.
Nikolaus Scholz, CEO at Quanos, said: “With IK’s support, we have been able to achieve a lot in a short period of time. From the brand and vision building to operational initiatives to the design of a product roadmap, we have a solid foundation on which we can grow further. We thank Nils and the team at IK for their invaluable support over the last few years and look forward to partnering with Keensight as we embark on the next phase of our journey.”
Nils Pohlmann, Partner and Advisor to the IK SC II Fund, said: “It has been fantastic to work with Nikolaus and his team to create Quanos and develop the platform into a market-leading software and solutions provider. The Company’s value proposition and vision are fully aligned with key trends. Quanos is in a prime position to shape the ongoing digitalisation wave in industrial aftersales and services. We wish Nikolaus and the team every success for the future.”
Stanislas de Tinguy, Partner at Keensight, said: “We have been very impressed with Quanos’ journey to date and the way in which it has undergone significant transformation to become a software powerhouse. Under Nikolaus’ leadership, the Company has gone from strength to strength, and we look forward to building on this and exploring new growth strategies.”
Completion of the transaction is subject to relevant legal and regulatory approvals.
PR Contacts
IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Phone: +44 (0) 7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com
Keensight Capital
Tim Lee
Phone: +44 (0) 7785 345 250
tlee@keensightcapital.com
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Yoann Besse
Phone: +33 6 63 03 84 91
yoann.besse@citigatedewerogerson.com
[1]Growth Buyout: investment in profitable, private companies experiencing strong growth, in minority or majority positions, with or without leverage, using a flexible approach tailored to the needs of individual entrepreneurs, in order to finance organic growth projects, acquisition strategies or provide historic shareholders with liquidity.
About Quanos
Quanos - that is the association of software experts who develop unique software products and solutions for aftersales, service and technical documentation. More than 1000 customers worldwide trust in the innovative, successful and sustainable technology of Quanos. Our 270 employees have more than 20 years of market experience and contribute to the uniqueness of Quanos: We work closely together, complement each other and benefit from each other's know-how. True to our motto "Passion for smart information", we live our mission every day: we help people understand machines better. For more information, visit www.quanos.com
About IK Partners
IK Partners (“IK”) is a European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €14 billion of capital and invested in over 170 European companies. IK supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects. For more information, visit www.ikpartners.com
About Keensight
Keensight Capital (“Keensight”), one of the leading European Growth Buyout firms, is committed to supporting entrepreneurs as they implement their growth strategies. For over 20 years, Keensight Capital’s team of seasoned professionals has leveraged their knowledge of investment and growth industries to invest for the long term in profitable companies with high growth potential and revenues in the range of €10 million to €400 million. Drawing on its expertise in the Technology and Healthcare sectors, Keensight identifies the best investment opportunities in Europe and works closely with management teams to develop and achieve their strategic vision. Keensight Capital's success has also earned it a Gold Award from the Private Equity Exchange & Awards each year for the last six consecutive years, and in particular, the Best European Growth Private Equity Fund. www.keensightcapital.com
