CONET Technologies AG has been sold to H.I.G. Capital

Lincoln International (“Lincoln”), a leading global mid-market investment bank, is pleased to announce that a single family office advised by Lincoln International has sold a majority stake in CONET Technologies AG (“CONET”) to H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”). CONET is a leading IT consulting, systems integration and software development company headquartered in Hennef, Germany. Lincoln International supported its client in this transaction as an M&A advisor organizing a structured, international bidding process within a deliberately tight timeframe. The parties have agreed not to disclose further details of the transaction.

Lincoln International succeeded in developing a credible equity story positioning CONET – with its strong foothold in the German public sector – as a leading IT system and consulting firm for SAP, infrastructure, communications, software and experts to become a platform for future international growth. The equity story focused on CONET’s proprietary UC Radio Suite – a powerful communications solution for command and control centers – as the key growth driver, because this solution addresses a number of innovative market trends such as cyber security, cloud computing and big data in modern communication scenarios.

H.I.G will support CONET to continue its impressive growth in its core markets in Germany and Austria, to further strengthen its technological innovation capabilities and to expand into other European markets with the UC Radio Suite.

Dr. Holger Kleingarn, Managing Director at H.I.G.: “With a dedicated focus on the public sector, CONET has demonstrated impressive growth in recent years, leveraging its unrivalled customer relationships and market-leading expertise in a multitude of highly innovative areas. H.I.G. will support CONET through its role in the advisory board in continuing to increase its share in the fast-growing IT services market by both, organic growth and selected acquisitions. H.I.G. is looking forward to the partnership with Ms. Höfer and her team.”

Anke Höfer, CEO of CONET: “On the basis of our strong historical track record, we strive to continue our growth trajectory over the coming years backed by an investor that fully supports our strategy. We are delighted to partner with H.I.G. in implementing this growth strategy. Through the partnership, CONET will benefit not only from the financial resources of H.I.G., but also from its substantial experience in the IT services and IT consulting sectors, in the development of new markets and in corporate M&A, including successfully executing buy-and-build strategies.”

CONET has been a reliable and highly competent IT partner for SAP, infrastructure, communications and software since 1987. According to the latest surveys by leading German IT publication Computerwoche, CONET ranks among the best medium-sized German IT systems and consulting companies. Customers from industry and commerce, the public as well as defense and security sectors alike value CONET‘s commitment to quality. CONET product solutions for Critical Control Room Communications, Customer Collaboration, Enterprise Content Management and Business Process Management are in use worldwide. CONET currently employs more than 400 business and IT specialists at eight locations throughout Germany and Austria.

H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with more than Euro 20 billion of equity capital under management. Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of Euro 28 billion.

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