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Assent Building Control Acquires Clarke Banks

Assent, a leading multi-licence, national, private Building Control Approved Inspector, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Clarke Banks Group, a specialist fire engineering and building control Approved Inspector.  The acquisition comes at a time when the industry is preparing for the most significant change in construction for over 40 years with the introduction of the Building Safety Regulator as part of the Building Safety Act. Clarke Banks was founded in 2013 by Samuel Wright and Adam Melrose and has developed six strategic locations in the UK including London and Birmingham. The team, made up of 11 building control surveyors, 9 fire engineers, 2 technical staff and 11 administration team members, provide a range of highly specialised services that include building control, fire engineering, fire safety strategy and training across the whole of the UK. The acquisition will see the Clarke Banks leadership team remain at the helm as the company continues to grow and deliver high quality services to its customers. Joint founders of Clarke Banks, Wright and Melrose, had been investigating a number of investment partner options, looking for a company that aligned with their own values and future vision for the business. Adam commented, “The introduction of the new Building Safety Regulator is making our whole industry look very closely at what will be required to achieve the competency levels needed. The recent consolidation we have seen in the sector is ultimately positive for the industry as a whole.  Being part of the larger Group network will provide additional strength in the future for our team and greater resilience in service for the diverse and strong client base that we have built.” Sam added, “We are excited to start the next chapter of Clarke Banks with Assent. This is a strategic acquisition that will benefit both parties and help to deliver a comprehensive service offering to clients as a pivotal time in our industry.” “This acquisition marks another important milestone in Assent’s impressive development strategy. With Clarke Banks, Assent will both strengthen and expand the service offering to even better serve its customers. I am also delighted to welcome Sam and Adam two exceptional entrepreneurs which will further strengthen the leadership team of Assent” said Sebastian Canzler, a Partner at Alpina Partners representing the majority shareholder in Assent. The acquisition of Clarke Banks was completed on 27th July 2023. The company will continue to be branded as Clarke Banks.

New FINAplus Group unites two established software vendors PSplus and FinaSoft

Funds managed by Alpina Management GmbH (“Alpina Partners”, “Alpina”) invested in FINAplus GmbH (“FINAplus”, “Group”), a wealth management software platform comprising PS plus Portfolio Software + Consulting GmbH (“PSplus”) and FinaSoft GmbH (“FinaSoft”). The current management team will retain a substantial stake in the business and will support the next growth phase of the Group. PSplus offers a comprehensive back-office suite for portfolio management while FinaSoft provides a modern full-service wealth management SaaS platform facilitating the interaction between advisors and customers. In addition, both companies provide consulting and support services. With over 70 employees, the Group is a well-respected player in the wealth management software market and serves a broad customer base of small and medium-sized asset managers, banks, and family offices. Over the last few years, FINAplus has shown significant double-digit recurring revenue growth. FINAplus is expecting significant future growth – organically as well as via bolt-on acquisitions. Alpina’s investment will support this strategy and enable the Group to become one of the leading wealth management software platforms for asset managers, banks, and family offices in its core markets. Christian Hank, CEO of FINAplus comments: “PSplus and FinaSoft have been working together closely since 2017. Launching FINAplus and bringing an experienced technology investor on board is a logical next step on our envisaged growth path. The Group is primed to become a true leader in its space”. Florian Strehle, a Partner at Alpina adds: “We have been impressed by the development of both companies over the past few years. The Group stands out due to its product offering and the highly skilled employees. FINAplus is the ideal nucleus for a platform in this attractive market. We look forward to partnering with this outstanding team.” The purchaser was advised by Florian Aigner emnay law firm (legal), AC CHRISTES & PARTNER (financial, tax), OMMAX (commercial, technology) and TZ Consulting (IP). The sellers were advised by Nieding + Barth (legal) and Dr. Schlax Consult (financial, tax). The key contacts at Alpina for the transaction are Florian Strehle and Philipp Scheller. Alpina Partners is an independent European technology investment firm focusing on leading businesses with strong USPs in the B2B software, technology-enabled business services and industrial technologies sector. Alpina is a long-term investor aiming at sustainable value growth.

The Project Group Sets the Course for Greater Growth with Investment by Alpina Partners

Funds managed by Alpina Management GmbH (“Alpina Partners” or “Alpina“) acquired a majority stake in The Project Group Informationstechnologie GmbH (“TPG” or “Company“). TPG’s management reinvested significantly in the course of the transaction and will stay on board to drive the Company’s future growth. TPG was founded in 1998 by Stavros Georgantzis. Headquartered in Munich, the Company has more than 100 employees across various geographies and offers software solutions as well as consulting services in the field of project portfolio management (“PPM“). The Company serves more than 700 customers from various industries including SMEs as well as large international corporations. TPG is a longstanding Microsoft and Planisware partner and offers complementary software solutions as well as integration and implementation services. The Company’s own products cover all aspects of PPM including but not limited to data exchange and integration, resource management, multi-project management, program management and cost planning. Alpina’s investment in TPG enables the company to follow its growth path – organically as well as via bolt-on acquisitions – to become one of the leading platforms for software and consulting services in the PPM space. Stavros Georgantzis, founder and CEO of TPG comments: “Since the start in 1998, we have seen the potential to build a truly international software and services business. Together with Alpina we want to bring TPG to the next level”. Florian Strehle, a Partner at Alpina adds: “We are very happy to welcome TPG as the latest portfolio company of Alpina. The Company stands out due to its highly skilled employees, the modern software solutions, the blue-chip customer base, its international footprint and the in-depth knowhow in the PPM space. For us it is the perfect platform in a very interesting market segment.” Alpina Partners is an independent European technology investment firm. Alpina invests in leading businesses with strong USPs in the area of B2B software, technology-enabled business services and industrial technologies. Alpina is a long-term investor focusing on sustainable value growth. The purchaser was advised by Taylor Wessing (Legal & Financing), AC Christes & Partner (Financial & Tax), Telescope Advisory Partners (Commercial & Technology), Leverest (tech-enabled Debt Advisory) and TZ Consulting (IP). The Sellers were advised by honert (Legal & Tax) and EXG Consulting (M&A). The key contacts at Alpina for the transaction are Florian Strehle and Philipp Scheller.