Karlsruhe, May 15, 2018 - Karlsruhe-based multi-stage private equity firm LEA Partners has closed its first fund at EUR 200 million. The original target of EUR 100 million was clearly exceeded and documents the high attractiveness of the investment approach and the market segment. "We are very pleased that we were able to build up such a broad and solid investor base consisting of banks, pension funds, insurance companies and entrepreneurial families right in our first fund," says Sebastian Müller, Managing Partner at LEA Partners.
With this fund, LEA Partners focuses on innovative and growing B2B tech companies from German-speaking countries. "Our initial two investments in AOE and BELLIN demonstrate that founders of well-established and successful companies are looking to partner with us to substantially accelerate their growth", adds Christian Roth, himself a former software entrepreneur having joined LEA Partners as Managing Partner in 2016. The investment sum ranges between €10 m and €40 m per investment, significantly higher with co-investors being involved. LEA Partners is looking into both majority as well as minority investments.
"We see ourselves as an entrepreneurial partner of founders and management teams," adds Sebastian Müller. "Our goal is to take companies to the next level - not only by providing capital, but also expertise, network and market access. Especially in the software sector, significant opportunities exist for companies when it comes to internationalization, acquisitions or the transformation of their business model to cloud solutions".
LEA Partners is an entrepreneurial-minded multi-stage private equity firm supporting founders and management teams in various development stages to achieve growth and market leadership. Operating out of Karlsruhe, one of Europe's largest tech clusters, LEA Partners has facilitated investments into more than 40 companies since 2002. With two investment vehicles for all business stages and a strong network of operational industry experts and strategic partners, LEA Partners adds substantial value to the development of tech companies.