Capzanine, a European private investment management company, and RAISE, a development capital company targeting mid-cap companies with high growth potential, are supporting Questel group’s management team, led by Charles Besson, as IK Investment Partners acquires a stake in the group.
Capzanine and RAISE, which have been Questel’s shareholders since 2015, are reaffirming their support for the management team and its ambitious expansion plan, which combines organic growth with build-up acquisitions. Under this transaction, Capzanine is arranging a unitranche loan facility and selling its equity interest in Questel. RAISE is reinvesting in the group as a stakeholder alongside the management team, employees and IK Investment Partners.
Questel, a provider of intellectual property software and services, is one of the global leaders in its market. It sells its solutions to 3,000 clients in more than thirty countries. Since 2015, Questel has seen strong growth boosted in particular by five acquisitions, including that of ITIP, a US company specialising in international patent filing, in February 2017. Based in Paris, Questel now has locations in the United States, Japan and China, and currently employs some 250 people.
According to Christophe Karvelis-Senn, CEO of Capzanine, says: “Providing companies with long-term support is part of Capzanine’s DNA. We are delighted therefore to be able to support Charles Besson in this new stage of development for Questel.”
Mathieu Blanc, Managing Partner with RAISE, says: “We are extremely proud to continue supporting the teams at Questel in their growth plan. With this new transaction, Questel has the means to forge ahead with its plan to become one of the world’s leading providers of intellectual property services.”
