M&A Deal Summary

Paragon Partners and Nordic Mezzanine Acquire WLW

On December 23, 2011, private equity firm Paragon Partners and mezzanine finance firm Nordic Mezzanine acquired internet software and services company WLW from Bisnode for 79M EUR

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is Paragon Partners’ 1st and Nordic Mezzanine’s 1st transaction in the Internet Software and Services sector.
  • This is Paragon Partners’ 0th and Nordic Mezzanine’s largest (disclosed) transaction.
  • This is Paragon Partners’ 8th and Nordic Mezzanine’s 4th transaction in Germany.
Investment Fate
  • WLW was sold to a consortium of financial buyers in 2017.
  • WLW was sold to a strategic buyer in 2023.

M&A Deal Summary
Date 2011-12-23
Target WLW
Sector Internet Software and Services
Buyer(s) Paragon Partners
Nordic Mezzanine
Sellers(s) Bisnode
Deal Type Divestiture
Deal Value 79M EUR
Advisor(s) RAUE (Legal)

Target

WLW

Hamburg, Germany
WLW is an online B2B search engine in the DACH region. WLW offers suppliers a dedicated platform to present themselves and their products or services of professional buyers and found to be fast and efficient. WLW was established in 1995 and is based in Hamburg, Germany.

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Buyer(S) 2

Buyer

Paragon Partners

Munich, Germany

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor

Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 2004
PE ASSETS 1.2B EUR
Size Large
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Paragon Partners is an independent private equity group focused on investments within German speaking Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). The Firm does not have any sector preferences, generally targeting profitable companies (EBIT of €5 to €70 million) with attractive business models and 'outstanding' management. Paragon Partners was formed in 2004 and is based in Munich.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 9 of 33
Sector (Internet Software and Services) 1 of 1
Type (Divestiture) 2 of 9
Country (Germany) 8 of 26
Year (2011) 3 of 3
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-09-13 elero

Schlierbach, Germany

elero GmbH is a manufacturer of electrical drives and controls for roller shutters, sun protection systems, and doors. elero was established in 1964 and is based in Schlierbach, Germany.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2012-02-02 PAKI Logistics

Ennepetal, Germany

PAKI Logistics GmbH facilitates the exchange of and provides financing for standardized load carriers such as euro pallets and steel boxes. PAKI is located in Ennepetal, North Rhine-Westphalia. 100 employees handle barter, rental and sale of load carriers, offering customised pool management solutions.

Sell -
Buyer

Nordic Mezzanine

Investor Investor Investor Investor

Category Mezzanine Finance Firm
Founded 1999
PE ASSETS 480M EUR
Size Middle-Market
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Nordic Mezzanine is an independent provider of mezzanine financing for buyouts, growth capital needs, and capital restructurings. Nordic will consider opportunities in a broad range of industry sectors and generally looks to invest in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. The Firm's target investment size is €10 to €40 million. Nordic Mezzanine was formed in 1999 and is based in Helsinki with an additional office in London.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 22 of 28
Sector (Internet Software and Services) 1 of 1
Type (Divestiture) 3 of 3
Country (Germany) 4 of 4
Year (2011) 1 of 1
Size (of disclosed) 1 of 2
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2010-07-01 ESE World B.V.

Maastricht, Netherlands

ESE World B.V. is a manufacturer of plastic waste collection containers. Its product portfolio includes a broad range of 2-wheel and 4-wheel waste containers, collection banks and innovative underground waste collection systems. ESE World B.V. is based in Maastricht, Netherlands.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2012-12-20 Barona

Helsinki, Finland

Barona is a multiservice company and its operations comprise recruitment services, outsourcing services, accommodation services, and executive search. Barona is based in Helsinki, Finland.

Buy -

Seller(S) 1

SELLER

Bisnode

Solna, Sweden
Category Company
Founded 1989
Sector Information Services
Employees2,500
Revenue 34.5B SEK (2014)
DESCRIPTION

Bisnode is a provider of smart data and analytics. Bisnode uses the highest quality local and global data from over 550 data sources. With analysis, abstract data is transformed into relevant decision basis. Bisnode was established in 1989 and is based in Solna, Sweden.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 2 of 3
Sector (Internet Software and Services) 1 of 1
Type (Divestiture) 2 of 3
Country (Germany) 1 of 1
Year (2011) 1 of 1
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2009-07-01 Nomi Sweden AB

Stockholm,, Sweden

Nomi Group provides a full range of software based solutions and services enabling stakeholders of the pharmaceutical industry to optimize their actions designated for prescribing physicians.

Sell -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2014-01-16 Lime

Lund, Sweden

Lime provides software as a service-based customer relationship management (CRM) solutions on the Nordic markets. The company develops, sells, and implements CRM systems, as well as provides consultancy services. Lime was founded in 1990 and is based in Lund, Sweden.

Sell -
Mergr

Product

Company

Legal