DPE Deutsche Private Equity GmbH closes Fund III with capital commitments of €575 million

Jan 18, 2017

  • Funds will be used to invest in and actively support “Mittelstand” growth companies in German speaking Europe
  • Demand exceeded self-imposed hard cap
  • DPE broadens investor base to a global level

Munich, Germany, 11 January 2017. DPE Deutsche Private Equity (DPE), a leading Munich‐based private equity firm, announced today the closing of its third fund, DPE Deutschland III. Fund III was in the market for less than six months and closed at the Fund’s institutional hard cap of €575 million; excluding the investment of the DPE team and its business network. The demand for Fund III significantly exceeded the Firm’s self‐imposed hard cap. Fund III will continue DPE’s strategy of making growth investments in small and medium sized enterprises in the DACH region.

DPE has a successful track record of investing in small and medium businesses (“Mittelstand”) in the DACH region. DPE supports these companies to successfully unlock their growth potential by financing important growth initiatives as well as providing extensive management expertise and strategic backing. On average DPE portfolio companies accomplish an increase of their annual turnover by 15-20%. Since inception, DPE portfolio companies created about 2,000 new jobs. Major transactions in 2016 included the acquisition of Elatec GmbH (RFID readers), the sale of Availon Holding GmbH (operation & maintenance provider for wind farms) to Vestas A/S, the sale of INTERSCHALT maritime systems AG (maritime software and service) to Cargotec Corp., the sale of Westfalia Automotive Holding GmbH (towing, trailering, cargo management) to Horizon Global Corp as well as the acquisition of the Fischer surface technologies group (plastic injection moulding and electroplating for the automotive industry amongst others).

Demand for Fund III exceeded cap

Fund III received strong support from DPE’s existing investors. The firm selectively added new and diverse groups of investors including endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions and family offices. The demand for Fund III significantly exceeded the Firm’s self‐imposed hard cap, therefore the fund was closed after less than 6 months in the market. “We appreciate and value the trust both our existing and new investors have shown us,” said Marc Thiery, Managing Partner of DPE. “The successful fundraising underscores both the strength of our team and our investors’ enthusiasm for our investment approach. We look forward to investing Fund III on behalf of all our investors.”

Global investor base for “Mittelstand”

DPE collaborated with Monument Group, a leading independent private fund placement agent with offices in Boston, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, thus successfully broadening the investor base for “Mittelstand” companies in the DACH region to a global level. “The significant interest from investors in Europe, North America, and Asia is a testament to the DPE team’s depth and breadth of experience. Further, it underpins DPE’s differentiation in the DACH region in terms of proprietary deal sourcing and focus on growth companies” said Laurence Zage, Managing Director at Monument Group.

P+P Pöllath & Partners acted again as legal counsel on the Fund III capital raise.