Press Release
Private Equity: Grouplink strengthens portfolio
IT service provider GROUPLINK Holding GmbH, held by the Patrimonium Private Equity Fund, Wille Finance and the management, is growing by a strong member: MEKO-S GmbH (“MEKOS”), from Bremen, joins the group with immediate effect. GROUPLINK already includes Netzlink Informationstechnik GmbH, Grouplink GmbH and the joint venture Netzlink Polska sp.Z.o.o in Poland.
MEKOS, founded in 1998 and with over 70 employees today, has positioned itself as a successful IT service provider on the German market. The company specialises in managed services, IT consulting, IT outsourcing and cloud consulting for IT infrastructure and IT security.
The acquisition of MEKOS is part of GROUPLINK’s active growth strategy and already the second acquisition of the holding. The group’s almost 200 highly specialised employees enable it to serve a larger spectrum of customer needs and to acquire broader projects.
Current managing directors Luigi Argentato and Matthias Thom will remain sole managing directors of MEKOS and also become shareholders and managing directors of GROUPLINK.
GROUPLINK was created as a platform for IT service companies at the beginning of 2022 with the acquisition of Netzlink Informationstechnik GmbH by growth investors Patrimonium Private Equity Advisors and Wille Finance.
According to industry association Bitkom, the German market for IT services is expected to grow at an above-average rate of 5.3% to EUR 43.6 billion in 2022. Comparable growth is also expected for 2023. Following the digital workplace – phenomenon in recent years, cyber security and the digitalisation of business models are seen as future market drivers. In 2020, a total of 89,502 companies were active in the Software & IT Services segment in Germany, of which 2,676 had sales of between EUR 5 and 50 million.
“It is primarily our customers who benefit from MEKOS joining GROUPLINK, as we are placing our portfolio and range of services on an even broader footing and also offer our employees the best possible opportunities,” says MEKOS Managing Director Luigi Argentato.
“We are very pleased that we were able to convince Luigi Argentato and Matthias Thom of our growth and acquisition strategy,” adds Ulrich Mogwitz, Senior Director in Patrimonium’s Private Equity Team. “The service spectrums of GROUPLINK and MEKOS are very similar and allow us to also participate in large tenders. Apart from that, Matthias and Luigi perfectly complement GROUPLINK’s management team.”
The activities in the IT sector around GROUPLINK complement the actively managed portfolio of the Patrimonium Private Equity Fund, which additionally consists of HübnerKTB (surface technology), Octo Actuators (electrical drive systems), Roth Gruppe (building insulation and fire protection) and B+G Switzerland (gardening and landscaping).
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Patrimonium Private Equity
Patrimonium Private Equity Fund SCSp is advised by Patrimonium Private Equity Advisors AG, a subsidiary of Patrimonium Asset Management AG (“Patrimonium”), a Swiss, FINMA regulated private markets fund management company that operates across the real estate, private debt, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. The firm is characterized by a direct and responsible investment approach and operates primarily in Switzerland, Germany and neighboring countries. Patrimonium Asset Management AG manages assets in the amount of CHF 4 billion. With offices in Lausanne, Zurich and Zug, the firm employs over 70 people.
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Wille Finance AG
Wille Finance AG is a family office and was founded in 2007. With a team of more than 20 people, it invests in private equity, real estate, digital media and listed companies. Within private equity, Wille invests in growth companies and buy-out transactions with a focus on software and life science companies. The geographical focus is on Europe and Israel. As a family office, Wille Finance AG is a long-term investor and reliable partner for entrepreneurs. The portfolio currently comprises more than 35 companies, 18 of which are in the software sector. www.willefinance.com
Netzlink Information Technology GmbH
Netzlink Informationstechnik GmbH was founded in 1997 and has its headquarters in Braunschweig as well as additional locations in Germany and Poland. It offers ICT solutions for B2B customers with special demands on functionality, security and data protection. The demands of companies – from individual specifications to KRITIS – are met by Netzlink with certified solutions such as the Nubo Cloud, the Helplink service organisation and other own developments. With specialist teams for data protection and IT security, Netzlink ensures the implementation of these topics in all ICT areas. Netzlink’s headquarters, the IT Campus Westbahnhof, is an expression of the company’s philosophy of networked and open cooperation aimed at sharing knowledge and experience. It is here, under the umbrella of Grouplink GmbH, which is a 100% subsidiary of Netzlink, that a strategic and sustainable cooperation with selected renowned ICT companies from Germany, Switzerland and Poland has developed. On this basis, Netzlink is an outstanding and efficient partner for all digitalisation projects, whether cloud, container, communication, operational or service solutions. http://www.netzlink.com
MEKO-S GmbH
MEKO-S GmbH, based in Bremen, has been growing steadily since it was founded in 1998. The more than 70 employees focus on the holistic and individual optimisation of their customers’ IT. The range of services includes transparent consulting on IT security, IT infrastructure and the cloud, the identification and development of solutions for optimising and modernising IT systems, the implementation and operation of hardware, software and IT services through managed services and IT outsourcing, and customer care through a helpdesk and IT support. MEKOS also offers a powerful and modern software solution for the energy sector.
The company has many years of market and project experience and attaches great importance to a broad, easily customisable range of products and services, relying on consistent partnerships with market leaders in hardware, software and services. www.mekos.de. To be named in continuous text: “MEKOS” or “MEKO-S GmbH”.
