EQT Mid Market has acquired a majority stake in Utimaco GmbH (Utimaco), a global provider of specialised business solutions for cybersecurity and compliance. The vendors PINOVA Capital, BIP Investment Partners and the management will reinvest in the company and remain a minority shareholder. King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) legally advised EQT Mid Market on this transaction.

EQT is a leading global private equity group with approximately EUR 30 billion in raised capital. EQT Funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 15 billion and approximately 100,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

Utimaco develops hardware-based high-security technology (hardware security modules) and compliance solutions for telecom providers (lawful interception and data retention). Today, Utimaco is the leading global provider in both sectors. The company employs around 170 people. It is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, with subsidiaries in the US and Italy, and is also active in the UK and Singapore markets.

The investment and expertise of EQT Mid Market in Utimaco is intended to support the company's future growth potential and, in particular, to promote international expansion. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

The KWM team maintains a long-standing client relationship with EQT. Dr. Christoph Brenner, who led the team advising EQT, has also recently advised on the acquisition of kfzteile24.

Advisors to EQT:
King & Wood Mallesons, Germany

Corporate / M&A / Private Equity:

* Dr Christoph Brenner (partner, lead), Simon Vogel, Dr Christian Rodorff (both counsel), Bernhard Schmaderer, Adrian Dengler, Dr Markus Schmid (all associates, Munich)

EU / Competition:

* Tilman Siebert (partner), Dr Michaela Westrup (counsel), Helge Aulmann (associate, all Munich)

Banking & Finance:

* Sabine Schomaker (partner), Ulf Gosejacob (counsel), Dr Michael Beyer (associate, all Frankfurt)

Employment:

* Dr Barbara Geck (partner), Daniela Gudat (associate, both Frankfurt)

Real Estate:

* Dr Florian Biesalski (partner, Frankfurt)

IP/IT:

* Dr Stefan Krüger (partner, Frankfurt), Massimo Bellitto-Grillo (managing associate), Stefan Peintinger (both Munich)

Commercial:

* Matei Ujica (managing associate, Frankfurt)