Verdane bolsters Northern European strategy with Berlin office

Verdane has made nine investments in the German market since 2016, including re-commerce company momox and online intermediary of loans, smava. The team will provide direct support to these companies, whilst also making new investments in German businesses looking to establish international market leadership.

Verdane will harness its uniquely flexible investment mandate to pursue portfolio investment opportunities in Germany, in addition to single company investments and acquisitions. Since launch in 2003, Verdane has completed 40 portfolio transactions across the consumer internet, software, energy technology and industrial sectors, including transactions with GMPVC, Bauer Media Group and Neuhaus Partners in Germany. The Verdane investment team will continue to locally source investment opportunities varying from EUR 10 to 150 million and above.

Staffan Mörndal, who has relocated to Berlin for one year to lead the establishment of the office, commented: “We’re proud to already have partnered with leading German tech-enabled businesses such as momox and smava. We see a strong match between the market opportunities brought by digitalisation and our experience from growing and scaling consumer internet and software companies.”

Alexander Artopé, CEO at smava, added: “Verdane stands out because of three things. They bring a specialist understanding of our business model and where the sector is headed, including what that means for us. They have the resources to support us all the way on key strategic initiatives. And they are the kind of accessible and down-to-earth people that work really well with our company culture.”

The team will operate out of a new office located on Rosenstraße 19, in the city’s central Mitte district. Maroje Guertl joined Verdane earlier in 2019 with experience from several leadership positions at tech companies as well as consultancy work at Bain & Company, alongside Associate Simon Betzler, previously with Deloitte Digitial Ventures. Hendrik Wildhagen will join the team from the global investment bank GCA Altium as Investment Director, starting in November 2019.

Staffan Mörndal added: “A new breed of German growth companies are emerging, which are more international in their outlook and which are looking to partner with international investors to enable further growth. As the most active growth investor in software companies in the Nordics, and one of Europe’s most seasoned consumer internet investors, there is a lot we can do to help fast-growing German companies become both national and international market leaders.”

The team will also continue to support Verdane’s Nordic investments that seek to establish a strengthened presence in Germany.

“Verdane stands out because of three things. They bring a specialist understanding of our business model and where the sector is headed, including what that means for us. They have the resources to support us all the way on key strategic initiatives. And they are the kind of accessible and down-to-earth people that work really well with our company culture.”

Alexander Artopé, CEO

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