Investor relations

Partnership-based.
Professional.
Profitable.

With Odewald KMU, investors have the opportunity to invest specifically in the German-speaking "Mittelstand". We are excellently networked in this segment, deliver convincing sustainable successes and manage our funds in a growth-orientated, value-creating and professional manner.

Transparency and openness, reliable action and partnership-based cooperation with our stakeholders are fundamental pillars for our working methods and profitability. The Odewald KMU management companies are fully owned by the Partners and we are always co-invested.

Odewald KMU at a glance

Foundation

Odewald KMU was founded in 2008 and has since developed into one of the most successful partners for small and medium-sized companies in the German-speaking regions.

Continuity

We pursue a disciplined investment strategy with a focus on fast-growing and profitable small and medium-sized companies. We focus on proprietary transactions to ensure succession and promote growth.

Team

The Odewald KMU team has a total of more than 100 years of experience in private equity. The company’s partners have been working together successfully for over ten years.

Capital

Odewald KMU manages a fund volume of 350 million euros, divided into two fund generations. Following the first Odewald KMU fund, Odewald KMU II was successfully launched in 2015.

Transactions

In total, we have completed more than 30 transactions on the buy-side. A large number of investments have taken place on a proprietary basis. We have a proprietary transaction rate of over 75%.

Value creation

Operational improvements are an integral part of Odewald KMU’s value-adding principles. We invest only in companies where we can recognise appropriate potential and make a contribution. With great success. We have realised these potentials and achieved significant increases in value in our former portfolio companies.

Investment ratios in the sector mix

Odewald KMU invests the managed equity capital of the two existing funds in market-leading small and medium-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We regularly acquire majority stakes and focus on companies with clear growth prospects, strong management teams, and stable cash flows. We focus on four attractive target sectors with comparatively low economic dependence.

Fund I
150 million euros
Fund II
200 million euros
  • German engineering
  • Intelligent service solutions
  • Healthcare
  • IT/Software
  • Other

Information about our funds

Since 2008, the Odewald Funds have been investing in partnerships with growth-oriented, attractive small and medium-sized companies from the German-speaking regions.
Facts about Odewald KMU
  • Volume: 150 million euros
  • Legal status: GmbH & Co. KG (limited liability company & limited partnership)
  • Term: 10+2 years
  • Launch: April 2008
  • Number of platform investments: 8
  • Number of add-on transactions: 9
  • Realised investments: 7
Facts about Odewald KMU II
  • Volume: 200 million euros
  • Legal status: GmbH & Co. KG (limited liability company & limited partnership)
  • Term: 10+2 years
  • Launch: October 2015
  • Number of platform investments: 8
  • Number of add-on transactions: 8
  • Realised investments: 1
Investment reasons
  • Successions
  • Growth financing
  • Industry consolidation
  • Reorganisation of the shareholder structure
  • Management Buy-Out / Management Buy-In
Investment criteria
  • Majority holding with a re-investment from the previous shareholders (minority holdings possible)
  • Companies with up to 100 million euros in turnover
  • High-earning and high-growth companies
  • Corporate headquarters in the German-speaking regions
  • Additional add-on acquisitions regardless of the size and geographic location

Investor structure across all funds

Institutional investors of all kinds from Germany and Europe invest in our funds. The spectrum ranges from banks, insurance companies and pension funds to widely-established fund of funds, asset managers and family offices. This versatility and our long-standing investor relations are an expression of our performance and independence. The Odewald KMU management companies are 100% owned by us and the Odewald KMU participates in each transaction with its own capital.

Investor Groups
  • Insurance companies
  • Promotional banks
  • Pension funds
  • Family offices / private investors
  • Fund of funds
Investors by region
  • Europe
  • Germany

Clear principles for sustainable investing

We take responsibility – economically, socially and in society. Consistently. This connects us with the German “Mittelstand”. We act according to clearly defined principles.

01
Aligned with ESG criteria
  • Environmental aspects, social responsibility and sustainable corporate Governance (ESG) are central to our investment decisions.
  • Therefore, only companies with a positive ESG assessment are eligible for investment.
02
Committed to sustainability
  • Responsibility and sustainability are the guiding principles of our actions.
  • This ensures the sustainability and accountability of our decisions throughout the entire investment cycle.
  • At Odewald KMU, the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) of the United Nations are decisive for this.
03
Compliant in our actions
  • At Odewald KMU, we have also defined clear guidelines for our actions.
  • These guidelines are laid down in the Compliance Manual of Odewald KMU – our “Code of Ethics”.
  • This is implemented in an organisational way, and it provides us and our portfolio companies with the rules and processes for complying with ESG criteria.
  • We comply with the transparency requirements of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

Download official SFDR information (PDF)

04
Rigorous in implementation
  • The implementation of our principles is continuously reviewed and evaluated: in the due diligence phase by the Odewald KMU team, and during the investment by the management and the advisory board.
  • In this way, we recognise any weak points and immediately address them.
  • We also regularly review the principles themselves, ensuring that we take into account all risks, standards and requirements.

Communication and transparency are important to us.

For this reason, we regularly invite investors to meetings in Berlin and provide detailed information on the latest developments at our portfolio companies. In addition, we regularly provide our investors with quarterly and annual reports.

For more information about Odewald KMU, please contact:

Oliver Schönknecht

Partner

o.schoenknecht@odewaldkmu.com

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