Merger with BU Bregal Unternehmerkapital to drive expansion in Europe
Communardo has secured Bregal Unternehmerkapital as a partner to drive forward its customer-focused growth strategy and expansion across Europe
Funds advised by Bregal Unternehmerkapital (“BU”) invest in Communardo Holding GmbH (“Communardo”), a leading full-service provider for the modern workplace in the DACH region, specialising in Atlassian (Platinum Solution Partner), Microsoft, monday.com and Staffbase.
The new partnership aims to support Communardo in implementing its customer-focused growth strategy, expanding across Europe and continuously broadening its own service and software portfolio. The current management team and the existing investor, PROM12, will continue to hold significant stakes in Communardo.
A leading provider of consultancy services and software solutions for the digital workplace, specialising in Atlassian and Microsoft
For over 20 years, the Dresden-based company has been a leading provider of solutions and consultancy services for the digital workplace. The company currently employs over 320 staff across ten locations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Albania.
As a cross-technology specialist, Communardo develops cloud-based intranets, quality management systems and apps that help teams work more efficiently with Atlassian and Microsoft software. Communardo supports the implementation and operation of solutions through training and change management, as well as comprehensive managed services. Its clients include large and medium-sized companies across various sectors, as well as organisations in the public sector.
Communardo is an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner, a Microsoft Solution Partner, a Silver Partner of monday.com and a close partner of Staffbase. In 2022 and 2023, Communardo was named a Leader for Microsoft 365 Services and Power Platform Services by the Information Services Group (ISG), and was awarded the title of Atlassian Partner of the Year in 2019 and 2024.
Expanding market leadership in the DACH region under PROM12
With the entry of PROM12, Communardo has been able to continue its success story in recent years and generate new momentum for growth. In preparation for the planned organic and inorganic growth, the management team led by CEO Dirk Röhrborn was strengthened by Maximilian Schmidt (Group CFO), Tino Beyer (Chief Revenue Officer) and Claudia Lutter (Chief Operating Officer). The acquisitions of bitvoodoo (November 2023) and Scolution (April 2024) also consolidated the company’s position as the leading provider of digital work solutions in the DACH market. As a result of these measures, net turnover more than doubled and the number of employees increased by over 50 per cent.
"Thanks to the highly motivated team at Communardo, existing relationships with technology partners were intensified, new ones were developed, and the expertise in strategic consulting for customers in complex projects was expanded beyond the provision of software solutions," says Daniel Herter, Managing Partner of PROM12. "We look forward to supporting Communardo’s future growth together with BU."
Partnership with BU focuses on Communardo's expansion in Europe and the extension of its own service and software portfolio
To continue its organic and inorganic growth beyond the DACH market, Communardo is expanding its shareholder base and partnering with BU, the largest mid-market investor headquartered in the DACH region, as the majority investor. Together with existing investor PROM12, BU will work closely with Communardo's management team to continue the customer-centric growth strategy in the DACH region and establish additional partnerships with regional providers. The shareholders also see geographic expansion through M&A and the expansion of the portfolio as well as the company's own service and software offering as the next logical step towards establishing the Company as a leading provider of digital workplace solutions in Europe.
Dirk Röhrborn, CEO and co-founder of Communardo, says: "We are delighted to have found a new, financially strong partner with BU, who will accelerate the further growth of our company and support us in strategic endeavors with a strong network and profound expertise. We were particularly impressed by BU's partnership approach, their strong roots in the DACH market and their extensive experience in IT services and the internationalization of companies."
Jan-Daniel Neumann, Partner and Co-Founder of BU, commented: "Communardo's agile and entrepreneurial team convinced us with their mission to create a European champion. We look forward to working with Communardo, the existing management team, and PROM12. BU is confident that together we can unlock further organic and inorganic growth potential."
Simon Lussi, Partner and Head of Business Services at BU, adds: "Communardo has embarked on an impressive growth trajectory, which we want to accelerate further with additional capital and expertise. We are also delighted to welcome Communardo to our BU portfolio as another company under our "Modern Work" investment thesis alongside Netrics AG."
Communardo was advised by William Blair (M&A), Altman Solon (Commercial), RSM Ebner Stolz (Financial), FGS (Tax) and GOF (Legal).
BU was advised by Raymond James and Transfer Partners (M&A), EY-Parthenon (Commercial), Code & Co (Tech), EY (Financial, Tax & ESG) and Paul Hastings (Legal).
About PROM12
PROM12 is an entrepreneur-led investment firm focused on IT, IT services, digital transformation and technology companies in the DACH region. PROM12 supports market-leading companies in accelerating their growth (organically and through targeted acquisitions) and achieving sustainable, long-term value creation.
About Bregal Unternehmerkapital
Bregal Unternehmerkapital ("BU") is a leading investment firm with offices in Zug, Munich, and Milan. With €7.0bn in capital raised to date, BU is the largest mid-cap investor headquartered in the DACH region. The funds advised by BU invest in mid-sized companies based in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. With the mission to be the partner of choice for entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses, BU seeks to partner with market leaders and “hidden champions” with strong management teams and breakout potential. Since its founding in 2015, the funds advised by BU have invested over €3.5 billion in more than 100 companies with more than 28,000 employees. Thereby, more than 8,200 jobs have been created. BU supports entrepreneurs and families as a strategic partner to develop, internationalize, and digitize their businesses, while helping them generate sustainable value on a responsible basis with the next generation in mind.
About Communardo
Communardo is a leading provider of software solutions and consulting services for the digital workplace. We are passionate about modern work, agile processes, communication and collaboration in companies. Our experts support customers from all industries in selecting the right software, implementing intelligent solutions and creating customized applications. As a multi-technology specialist, we design solutions for modern cloud-based intranets or quality management systems and develop applications that enable teams to collaborate more successfully and unleash the full potential of their Atlassian or Microsoft software. We support the deployment and operation of your solutions with training, change management, and managed services.