Press & News
Private Equity Fund EMERAM invests in newly founded diva-e Digital Value Enterprise, a leading German e-commerce service provider
Funds advised by Munich-based EMERAM Capital Partners GmbH (“EMERAM”) signed an agreement on 23 December 2015 to acquire diva-e Digital Value Enterprise GmbH (“diva-e”). diva-e unites six leading e-commerce service providers that are being acquired simultaneously in the transaction with funding provided by EMERAM and the sellers. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction remains subject to approval by antitrust authorities.
Today, diva-e is already among the top 10 service providers in the e-commerce and digital agency sector. The six companies that make up diva-e will record a consolidated turnover of approximately 45 million euros in 2015 and have around 380 employees. Customers of diva-e include Deutsche Bank, E.ON, dm drogeriemarkt and Zalando. diva-e brings together a broad range of expertise at every stage of the digital value creation chain:
- Strategic brand consulting and multi-channel marketing (kom)
- Development of e-commerce and content management platforms (Netpioneer)
- Implementation and operation of e-business systems with back-end and SAP integration (Ageto)
- Front-end design, implementation and UX optimisation of online projects and mobile apps (zeros+ones)
- Performance and content marketing (Textprovider)
- Hosting and infrastructure services (First Colo)
Axel Jahn, CEO of diva-e Digital Value Enterprise GmbH, said: “Under the diva-e umbrella, we offer our customers an extensive product portfolio allowing them to implement their digital strategies from a single source. Having bundled all our competences, we are now able to complete even larger and more attractive projects. In EMERAM, diva-e has found a capable partner to integrate the six firms and drive their joint development going forward. Due to the expertise, network and commitment of the founding partners, EMERAM was quickly identified as our partner of choice.”
The portfolio of solutions offered by diva-e covers all services from strategic brand consulting to digital platforms and data hosting. The range of services, sector expertise and customer base of the individual companies complement each other and offer significant growth potential, including from up/cross-selling synergies. diva-e companies will retain their current corporate structure. The long-term goal is to become one of the top three providers of e-commerce and digital services in German-speaking Europe.
Dr. Kai Obring, Founding Partner of EMERAM Capital Partners, said: “With its comprehensive service portfolio, diva-e is active in a veritable future market with great growth potential. The unique service portfolio of diva-e also opens up diverse expansion opportunities in the full service spectrum, opportunities that we intend to exploit in partnership with the diva-e management by pursuing a buy-and-build strategy. With diva-e we have the chance to play an active role in the consolidation of the digital agency market.”
Co-CEO Tilman Au, responsible for integrating the companies, emphasised: “We are in the process of uniting six highly successful industry specialists, all considered experts in different fields, and forming a single company. By doing so, we are unlocking huge potential, including for our employees. From e-commerce, content and digital marketing services to retail competences – corporate clients of diva-e receive services in all major disciplines of e-business within the network of one umbrella company.
The equity for this transaction was provided by EMERAM Private Equity Fund I. EMERAM Capital Partners was advised by Pöllath & Partners (legal, tax), Alvarez & Marsal (financial), Rautenberg & Co (commercial), Luther (tax due diligence) and Willis (insurance).
The Swiss high-tech company Xovis is the leading developer of 3D sensors and associated disruptive software solutions for counting and managing flows of people and waiting times at airports, in retail and in public transport. Xovis products stand out by virtue of their proprietary multi-sensor technology, precision, reliability, versatility, AI-based functions, and conformity with data protection requirements.
EMERAM Capital Partners is a leading equity investment company for SMEs in German-speaking countries. As a business development partner, we foster the long-term growth of our portfolio companies with capital and expertise.
The funds advised by EMERAM invest in the consumer, technology/software and service sectors. Their total volume currently stands at EUR 400 million. In general, the funds acquire a significant stake in the company and give the respective management team an opportunity to invest, too.