Press Release | December 5, 2023
Keensight Capital and CVC to jointly lead Sogelink through its next phase of growth
CVC Capital Partners (“CVC”), a global private markets manager focused on private equity, secondaries and credit and Keensight Capital (“Keensight”), one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout[1] investments, are pleased to announce they have entered into an exclusivity agreement to invest[2] together in Sogelink (“the Company”), a leading European provider of software solutions for infrastructure, construction, and property management professionals.
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Lyon, Sogelink is a software, cloud and mobile solutions provider and has driven the digitalization of its ecosystem over two decades. The Company responds to mission-critical needs of all stakeholders across the value chain by addressing specific industry pain points, delivering tangible value. Sogelink’s comprehensive software offering digitizes each step of the construction process: infrastructure design, pre-build checks, construction management, and post-build risk. Employing over 600 people across six countries, the Company generates more than €120m of revenues and €50m of EBITDA, serves over 18,000 blue chip clients and 220,000 users, and is extremely well-placed to further strengthen its position as a leader of the Construction Tech market in Europe.
Since Keensight’s majority investment in 2019 alongside Naxicap Partners, the Company has reinforced its position in the Construction Tech space through sustained innovation, continuous product development, and geographic expansion. Its position as a pan-European champion has translated into a path of robust double-digit revenue growth. In addition to its strong organic performance, the Company also continued its European consolidation efforts through, amongst others, the acquisition of Locatiqs, Geodesial, and Focus Software.
Fatima Berral, CEO of Sogelink, says, “After four years of productive and successful partnership with Keensight Capital, that made Sogelink an undisputed European leader in the Construction Tech industry, I am delighted to open a new chapter in the group’s development with a partnership between CVC and Keensight, whose capabilities will surely reinforce our growth ambition.”
John Clark and Jean-Christophe Germani, Managing Partners at CVC, comment: “We have been tracking Sogelink closely for several years and have been very impressed with its capabilities and business model. The Company’s leading position and pan-European reach set it up well for further organic and non-organic growth and we look forward to working closely with Fatima and her high quality team, as well as Keensight, to accelerate Sogelink’s growth, while continuing to focus on delivering best-in-class solutions to its existing valued client base.”
Jean-Michel Beghin, Managing Partner of Keensight Capital, and Arjan Hannink, Partner, add: “We are delighted to announce our continued partnership with Sogelink through this strategic re-investment. Over the past four years, our collaboration, particularly with the dynamic leadership of Fatima and the rest of the management team, has been pivotal in driving the Company’s international expansion and enlarging its offering. As we embark on this next phase of growth, we are excited to join forces with CVC and we look toward this renewed partnership with Management to drive forward the Company’s success in the coming years.”
[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.
[2] Subject to regulatory clearances and employees representative bodies opinion.
About Keensight Capital
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 seven consecutive years, and in particular, the Best European Growth Private Equity Fund. keensight.com
About Sogelink
Sogelink is a software, cloud and mobile solutions provider for the construction sector and has driven the digitalization of its ecosystem over two decades. Sogelink aims to make construction simple for everyone and everywhere. They support every stakeholder (e.g. civil engineers, land surveyors, contractors, network owners, engineering design offices and public authorities) involved in the infrastructure, building sites and urban resource management ecosystems, offering an innovative and efficient approach to digital transition, building information and city information modelling. Sogelink is a leader of the Construction Tech market in Europe serving over 18,000 clients and 220,000 users ensuring continuity of data from field to office, across the entire value chain. www.sogelink.com
About CVC
CVC is a leading global private markets manager with a network of 29 offices throughout EMEA, the Americas, and Asia, with approximately €177 billion of assets under management. CVC has seven complementary strategies across private equity, secondaries, credit and infrastructure, for which CVC funds have secured commitments in excess of €200 billion from some of the world’s leading pension funds and other institutional investors. Funds managed or advised by CVC’s private equity strategy are invested in over 125 companies worldwide, which have combined annual sales of approximately €130 billion and employ more than 450,000 people. For further information about CVC please visit: www.cvc.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.
All figures as of 30 June 2023, and adjusted to reflect the agreed acquisition of DIF Capital Partners announced in September 2023 (closing of which is subject to regulatory approvals), unless otherwise indicated.
Press contacts
Keensight Capital
Investor relations – communication@keensight.com +33 (0)1 83 79 97 15
H/Advisors for Keensight Capital
David Stürken – david.sturken@h-advisors.global +44 (0) 799 059 5913
Havas for CVC
Sarah Duparc – sarah.duparc@havas.com +33 (6) 46 72 39 99
CVC Capital Partners
Nick Board – nboard@cvc.com +44 (0) 207 420 4200
La Nouvelle Agence for Sogelink
Seyitin Apithy – seyitin@lanouvelle-agence.com +33 (0) 6 64 04 71 84
