Capvis invests in Austrian systems house ACP
Capvis, the leading Swiss private equity firm, is the new financial partner of ACP, a systems house with operations in Austria and Germany. The new partnership will enable ACP to continue to grow via targeted acquisitions of companies in Germany and Switzerland, and clears the way for an initial public offering in the medium term.
Vienna-based ACP Holding GmbH had been owned by the company’s founders and senior employees. The Capvis Equity II LP Fund, advised by Capvis Equity Partner AG, Zurich, is assuming 60% of the shares, subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities. The previous 98 shareholders will retain the remaining 40%. Capvis’s goal is to help ACP continue to grow and to launch its initial public offering in the medium term.
Systems house ACP offers companies a complete range of IT products and services, from hardware through software to sector solutions, services and financing. Its products and services are geared to small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as international companies. The ACP Group has 4 offices in Germany and 23 in Austria. It employs a total of 650 people. According to provisional figures, it generated revenues of EUR 280 million in 2005 and grew by 10%.
Until now, Vienna-based ACP Holding GmbH has regularly acquired smaller systems houses and converted them into local offices. This new partnership ensures faster expansion via company acquisitions outside its domestic market.
Capvis is the leading private equity firm in Switzerland. It has equity capital of more than CHF 800 million. Capvis invests in attractive companies and uses its management skills to realize additional entrepreneurial potential. Since 1990, the Capvis team has conducted more than 30 transactions with a total transaction volume of more than CHF 3 billion. Its current portfolio consists of 9 companies with total revenues of approximately CHF 1.7 billion and more than 7,000 employees. Capvis has been awarded "Best Private Equity Firm in Switzerland" by Private Equity International four times.