CAPZA, a major European private investment platform focused on SMEs, today has appointed Oliver Nell as Flex Equity Partner in Germany.Nell, who has a strong track record in the German mid-cap market will be responsible for origination, execution and monitoring of investments in the DACH region for CAPZA’s Flex Equity strategy. CAPZA’s Flex Equity funds offer flexible financing solutions combining majority or minority capital, convertible bonds and mezzanine to support small and mid-cap companies with EBITDA ranging from EUR3 million to EUR10 million in their development projects.
With this appointment, CAPZA further expands the geographical exposure of the Flex Equity strategy as well as the breadth of its offering to small and mid-size companies in the DACH region. CAPZA has been present in Germany since November 2017 with a team of two Private Debt experts based in Munich who have successfully completed already three German Unitranche financings.
CAPZA has experienced significant growth in recent years and has passed the EUR3 billion mark in assets under management in 20192. As an entrepreneurial management company, CAPZA has grown thanks to the support of French and European investors. It has been expanding its geographical footprint in particular in 2019, with the opening of a fourth office in Milan, following those in Madrid and Munich.
Christophe Karvelis Senn, Executive Chairman of CAPZA, says: “CAPZA’s ability to offer debt, quasi-equity as well as minority and majority equity instruments makes it a privileged partner for European SMEs. As this market is by nature fragmented, the presence of local teams who can establish local relationships is key. Germany is the largest economy in Europe and German SME’s are its economic backbone. Over 99 per cent of German firms are Mittelstand companies, generating more than one third of total corporate turnover. Oliver Nell has outstanding expertise and a long-term track record in this market.”
