Channel Pilot Solutions sale to Bregal Unternehmerkapital

Parklane Capital advised Channel Pilot Solutions in the successful sale to Bregal Unternehmerkapital GmbH. Based in Hamburg, Germany, Channel Pilot Solutions specializes in e-commerce marketing and product data optimization services and is well-known for its innovative solutions. Serving as exclusive advisor to Channel Pilot Solutions, Parklane Capital provided a variety of services in preparation and execution of the transaction. With the acquisition Bregal Unternehmerkapital GmbH further strengthens its presence in the e-commerce space. Founder, CEO and previously sole shareholder of Channel Pilot Solutions, Ralf Priemer, will remain a shareholder and also continue his role as the company’s CEO.

About Channel Pilot Solutions

Channel Pilot Solutions GmbH is a leading e-commerce SaaS company known for its innovative, cloud-based product data management tool Channel Pilot Pro. Trusted by most of Germany's top 25 e-commerce companies and many other businesses of all sizes, the company has significantly accelerated its growth over the past two years with a strong increase in monthly recurring revenue.

About Bregal Unternehmerkapital

Bregal Unternehmerkapital GmbH is part of the global Bregal Investments group and specializes in mid-sized company investments with a focus on family-owned and owner-managed businesses in German-speaking and select European regions. The fund invests across various sectors and is a prominent player in the European private equity scene.

oneLake sale of IP assets to Microsoft

Parklane Capital advised business intelligence SaaS company oneLake on its successful sale of certain IP assets to Microsoft. Parklane acted as the exclusive advisor to oneLake and supported the company throughout the entire process with a particular focus on the structuring of the transaction and contract negotiations.

About oneLake

oneLake is a software and consulting company focused on business intelligence solutions founded by Thomas Ingenhorst and Dennis Mausbach in 2021. The company aims to help companies fully realize the value of their data by providing software tools and services. oneLake successfully launched its first SaaS product for AI-assisted data analysis in 2023.

Valentins sale to BLUME2000

Parklane Capital advised the shareholders of e-commerce specialist Valentins on its successful sale to Blume 2000. Valentins is one of the leading online flower delivery companies in Germany. The acquisition solidifies Blume 2000’s position as the market leader in florist and flower delivery market.

Parklane acted as the exclusive advisor to Valentins and supported the company throughout the entire sales process with a particular focus on the structuring of the transaction and contract negotiations.

About Valentins

Valentins was founded in 1999 by Erik Siekmann and is one of Germany's leading online flower delivery companies. Based in Mörfelden-Walldorf, the company currently employs over 50 people and has delivered flowers to more than 1.5 million customers.

About Blume 2000

Founded in 1974, Blume 2000 is Germany’s largest flower retailer and online flower delivery company. In total, Blume 2000 currently operates over 230 florist stores and employs more than 1,800 employees in Germany.

Four 20 Pharma Sale to curaleaf

Parklane Capital advised the shareholders of German cannabis company Four 20 Pharma on the successful majority sale to the world's largest cannabis company Curaleaf. Four 20 Pharma is a fully EU GMP and GDP licensed German producer and distributor of medical cannabis products. With a market share of approximately 10% of its own brand "420 Natural", Four 20 Pharma is one of the leading German cannabis companies. Parklane supported the shareholders during the entire sales process as exclusive financial advisor.

Boris Jordan, Curaleaf Executive Chairman: "By partnering with Four20 Pharma, Curaleaf's European business will immediately gain additional critical mass and be in a superior position to capitalize on the accelerating trends in the European cannabis market. This strategic transaction further underscores our aspiration to be the major player in the European market and the leading global cannabis company."

Miles Worne, President of Curaleaf International: "Four 20 Pharma is a leading German distributor with a branded product that consumers love. They've captured significant market share in Germany by sourcing product from top EU-GMP certified suppliers around the world and building strong connections with German medical consumers by providing the highest quality flower in a namesake branded offering. As such, Four 20 Pharma is uniquely positioned to capitalize on Germany's conversion from a medical to an adult use market and we're thrilled to be partnering with their talented management team."

Torsten Greif, Managing Partner of Four 20 Pharma: "We have been exploring possible partners to stake our claim in the future German and European cannabis markets, and in Curaleaf we know we've found the undisputed leader and the best partner. From the beginning of our conversations, it was clear that they supported our strategic vision and respected our autonomy and entrepreneurial approach. Having full access to the tremendous knowledge and assets of the Curaleaf team will accelerate our future growth projects and help drive our company to the next level."

Thomas Schatton, Managing Partner of Four 20 Pharma: "Curaleaf shares our values of customer dedication and commitment to product quality, and we are incredibly excited about our future together. The team at Four 20 are thrilled to be able to leverage Curaleaf's proven R&D expertise to help us continue delivering the best quality products to our medical patients and the promising future adult use market."

About Four 20 Pharma

Four 20 Pharma is a leading, fully EU-GMP and GDP licensed European medical cannabis producer and wholesaler with industry-leading product quality and world-class regulatory expertise. Four 20 Pharma entered the German market with a vision to provide continuous patient care. Since launching its "420NATURAL" brand in 2020, the company has built a robust supply chain to deliver the best possible cannabis products to its patients. The company employs 41 people and is based in Paderborn, Germany.

About Curaleaf

Curaleaf is one of the leading international providers of cannabis products with a broad brand portfolio, extensive service offering, wide product selection and accessibility in the medical and pleasure markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 22 states with 136 dispensaries, 26 cultivation locations and more than 5,700 employees. Curaleaf International is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe, with a broad supply and distribution network in the European market that combines leading research and development with state-of-the-art cultivation, extraction and production.

Delius Klasing sale to Mediengruppe KLAMBT

Parklane Capital advised the shareholders of Delius Klasing publishing group on its successful sale to KLAMBT Media Group. Delius Klasing is one of Europe's leading special interest publishers and is active in the automotive, water sports, cycling and soccer segments. Parklane acted as the exclusive advisor to Delius Klasing and supported the company throughout the entire sales process with a particular focus on the structuring of the transaction and contract negotiations.

With this transaction, KLAMBT Media Group expands its portfolio and enters the market of special interest publications. Existing print publications are to be strengthened through an investment program, which is also intended to promote digital development opportunities simultaneously. In the future, the publisher of Delius Klasing, Konrad Delius, will act in an advisory capacity to the KLAMBT Media Group as chairman of the newly established advisory board.

About Delius Klasing

The Delius Klasing Publishing Group was founded in Berlin in 1911 and is one of Europe's leading special interest publishers. With locations in Bielefeld, Hamburg and Munich, the publishing group employs over 200 people. Delius Klasing publishes magazines and books, operates websites, offers corporate publishing services and hosts a variety of segment-specific events. The brands "YACHT", "BOOTE" and "BIKE" are among the best known of the publishing group.

About Media Group KLAMBT

The KLAMBT Media Group was founded in 1843 and is one of the oldest consumer magazine publishers in Germany. Today, the group employs about 700 people at its offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Baden-Baden, Speyer and Nuremberg. Today, the family-owned company, led by publishers Lars and Kai Rose, reaches around 10 million readers and over 25 million unique users each month with more than 50 magazines as well as 10 editorial portals. KLAMBT continuously invests in a variety of companies and currently holds around 20 stakes in digital companies.

Orbit merger into Etribes

Parklane Capital advised the shareholders of the corporate venture builder Orbit Ventures on its merger into the Etribes Group. Orbit Ventures is one of Germany’s leading corporate venture builders and has an active portfolio of long-term clients including a number of DAX companies. As the exclusive financial advisor, Parklane supported the shareholders in the transaction process focusing on the strategic positioning, structuring of the transaction and the contract negotiations.

The shareholders Sven Külper, Johann Völkers, Christian Egli and Daniel Welberts significantly reinvested in the company as part of the transaction and will continue to form the management team of Orbit Ventures.

About Orbit Ventures

Orbit Ventures was founded in 2016 by Sven Külper and Johann Völkers. The company is one of Germany’s leading corporate venture builders. Based in Hamburg, Orbit Ventures currently employs more than 40 people and draws on a network of 150 experienced experts. The company specializes in partnering with industry leaders to build profitable and highly scalable startups, which in turn generate measurable business impact.

About Etribes

Etribes is one of the leading execution focused digital consultancies in Germany and works for companies in DAX and “Mittelstand”. The Etribes team has already developed, implemented and scaled more than 200 digital business models in the B2C and B2B sectors. Founded in 2015, the company employs more than 120 people across Europe and has locations in Hamburg, Berlin and Munich.

Celebrate Company aquisition of Rosemood Atelier

Parklane Capital advised Celebrate Company on its acquisition of Atelier Rosemood. Based in France, Rosemood provides high-quality photo products in Europe. As the exclusive financial advisor to Celebrate, Parklane supported the Celebrate shareholders and management throughout the entire transaction process. As part of this transaction, Hélène Germain and Grégoire Monconduit, the founders of Rosemood, have exchanged their shares in Rosemood for an equity stake in Celebrate. 

About Celebrate  

Celebrate Company was founded in 2010 and is a German photo products provider with more than three million European clients. At the beginning of 2021, the private-equity-firm EMZ Partners invested in Celebrate to accelerate its growth. The company now has six brands under its umbrella with more 70 million Euros in revenue and >500 employees, including this acquisition.

About Atelier Rosemood 

Atelier Rosemood is a leading French provider of paper and photo products that distinguishes itself from competitors with its high-quality photo books. In 2021, they managed to increase their revenue by ~15% to 13.5m €. Founded in 2010, Rosemood employs over 120 employees in Nantes and Treillieres. 

Finc3 sale to Fortress Brand

Parklane Capital advised the shareholders of the digital marketing group Finc3, headquartered in Hamburg on its successful sale to Fortress Brand, a leading full-service marketplace accelerator based in New York City which is backed by Trivest Partners, a Florida-based private equity group. With Finc3 joining forces with Fortress Brand, the companies become one uniquely global organization offering worldwide D2C e-commerce services that helps brand partners strategically grow on Amazon and other e-commerce marketplaces on a global scale. As exclusive financial advisor, Parklane supported the shareholders of Finc3 in the sales process.

Finc3 joins the Fortress Brand family of companies which includes New York-based School House, a leading creative agency known for their cut-through branding strategy and dynamic storytelling. Supported by its partnership with Trivest Partners, a Florida-based private equity group, as well as significant organic growth in its own core business, Fortress plans to continue to accelerate its vision through acquisitions and strategic brand investments.

"E-commerce — whether via marketplaces, D2C channels or in a B2B context as well as CRM are becoming increasingly international businesses. That's why we already work internationally for most Finc3 clients — for many even on several continents," reports Jan Bechler, co-founder of Finc3. "Modern e-commerce needs to be thought of globally and implemented regionally," adds co-founder Tim Nedden.

Fortress CEOs and brothers Matt Beer and Alex Beer state, “This marks a monumental day in the history of Fortress. As part of our mission to continue to be a meaningful partner to our clients, we’ve taken a big step across the Atlantic Ocean to partner with the Finc3 Group to offer our brand partners full-service Amazon and digital capabilities expanding from Europe to Japan. From our humble first office to a worldwide organization, we have the deepest gratitude for our team and our clients and welcome every member of the Finc3 Group into our family of companies.”

Finc3 founders Jan Bechler, Tim Nedden, Björn Sjut, as well as the entire management team, are staying on board and have exchanged the majority of their shares for equity stakes in Fortress Brand.

About Finc3

Founded in 2014, Finc3 is one of the leading European online marketing agencies whose capabilities include digital marketplace marketing, CRM, data analytics, and business-to-business (B2B) performance marketing under their own group of companies Finc3 Commerce, Finc3 Marketing Services, and BizMut Marketing. Finc3’s team of data-driven digital marketing experts has forged longstanding deep relationships with its clients that stretch across multiple business verticals including brands like Unilever or Bosch, global service providers, and some of the world’s fastest-growing technology companies like Mailchimp, Asana or Pipedrive. With offices in Hamburg and Bratislava, Finc3 supports the growth of multinational clients representing more than $1 billion of the retail value on the marketplaces it supports.

About Fortress

Fortress Brand is a global digital marketplace accelerator that represents acclaimed brands across a multitude of industries, including beauty and personal care, health and wellness, and consumer product goods. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in New York, Fortress, along with its family of companies, School House and Finc3, offers its clients a dynamic suite of best-in-class digital services at any stage in their brand's lifecycle including full-service marketplace management, strategy and creative services, 360-degree performance marketing, data analytics, and international strategy all under one roof. With an extensive roster of client partnerships including Glow Recipe, Youth to the People, and HUM Nutrition, the agency's core strength is to help brands grow their e-commerce business across all global channels including Amazon and other e-commerce marketplaces. Fortress has been recognized as one of Inc.'s 5,000 Fastest-Growing Companies in 2020 and 2021 and also trusted by Amazon as a verified agency partner.

Investment into DevelopX by Bencis

Parklane Capital has advised the shareholders of business building and digital transformation specialist DevelopX on winning Bencis as a new shareholder in the company. Together with Bencis, DevelopX plans to push the international expansion of its business.

Parklane acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the DevelopX shareholders in the competitive process with national and international financial investors and strategists. The company builder TruVenturo and the operational management will continue to have a significant stake in the company and look forward to continuing the growth path together with Bencis.

About DevelopX

DevelopX was founded in Hamburg in 2019 and currently employs over 190 people at five locations in Germany, Poland and Portugal. By combining business building and digital consulting expertise with software development and nearshoring capacities, the company offers a 360° digital consulting portfolio. The broad customer portfolio includes a variety of international companies from various industries.

About Bencis

Bencis is an independent private equity investment firm that helps entrepreneurs and management teams achieve their growth goals. The company prefers to invest in companies from various sectors with an operating result of up to €50 million and a strong position in their respective markets in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. Bencis is currently investing in >25 companies employing a total of around 9,500 people.