Continued healthy activity in the private Nordic M&A market.

Nordhaven identified 28 software deals in the Nordic region during Q3 2024, slightly up from 27 deals in Q3 2023. Resurgence in interest from North American buyers in Q3 2024 following weaker interest in H1 2024.

Deal-volume in line with last 24 months, with positive trend in valuation

Nordhaven identified 26 software deals in the Nordic region during Q2 2024, down from 32 deals in Q2 2023, which was a strong quarter following weaker prior periods. We continue to observe robust interest from Nordic buyers in high-quality software companies, with activity levels close to previous quarters.

Nordhaven advised Inspirit365, the #1 Microsoft Dynamics partner in Norway, and its shareholders in the majority sale to Standout Capital. Designed as a winning platform in 2021, Inspirit365 has since inception delivered strong revenue growth and best-in-class financial metrics. Moving forward, Standout Capital will act as a strategic partner and support Inspirit365’s next growth journey. The founders will continue to own 40% of the company and remain instrumental in the future growth.

Nordhaven advised Inspirit365, the #1 Microsoft Dynamics partner in Norway, and its shareholders in the majority sale to Standout Capital. Designed as a winning platform in 2021, Inspirit365 has since inception delivered strong revenue growth and best-in-class financial metrics. Moving forward, Standout Capital will act as a strategic partner and support Inspirit365’s next growth journey. The founders will continue to own 40% of the company and remain instrumental in the future growth.

Inspirit365 offers Microsoft Dynamics 365 services to large and medium sized companies and employs more than 100 individuals with expertise within the ERP, CRM, Data Platform and Power Platform services connected to Microsoft Dynamics.

Inspirit365 deliver a broad spectrum of services, including consulting, project management, and technical development, providing comprehensive support for digital transformation. By focusing on client needs and ensuring close collaboration throughout projects, Inspirit365 aims to deliver tailored solutions that drive real business value.

Inspirit365 is a 100% Microsoft focused partner and have been awarded Microsoft Business Application Partner in Norway. Focus on strong culture with high employee retention has been instrumental since inception, this will serve as a strong foundation to further scale the organisation going forward.

As part of the new partnership, Inspirit365 will offer employees the opportunity to invest in the company. Establishing an attractive investment program, with the opportunity to participate in the future value creation, has been one of the key rationales behind this transaction.

Morten Sælemyr, CEO of Inspirit365, comments: “We welcome Standout Capital as a partner to Inspirit365. Inspirit365 has in three years grown from 0 to 100 employees and become the leading Microsoft Dynamics player in Norway. We will continue to build upon what has made Inspirit365 so successful to date. We believe that Standout through its experience in supporting management teams building high-growth, profitable companies combined with experience from ownership in Microsoft focused companies such as Engage and Redeploy make them an excellent partner for Inspirit365 in the years to come. With the additional backing we are now in a position to accelerate our ambitions without compromising on the quality of operations and our cultural values based on transparency, curiosity and loyalty.”

Carl Johan Kask, Standout Capital, comments: “The founders of Inspirit365 have since 2021 built a leading Dynamics player in Norway. We are truly impressed by what they have achieved. Already from the outset, Morten and his team have invested in an organisation that can support rapid profitable growth. The quality and competence of the people, the customer driven growth and expansion of services are all very impressive. Standout has a history of investing in leading players in the Microsoft ecosystem and we are excited and honored to partner with Norway’s leading Microsoft Dynamics partner. We look forward to working together with the company in their continued growth journey and share their ambition in growing the organisation, customer engagements and service offering over time.“

About Inspirit365
Inspirit365 is an agile specialist company that guides clients through demanding digital transformation journeys using Microsoft technology. Inspirit365's professional environment consists of leading experts in the field, boasting the highest proportion of certified employees in the country with interdisciplinary competence ranging from advisors, project managers, and consultants, to developers and technical specialists. The company has over 100 employees and has its headquarters in Oslo, along with offices in Bergen and Stavanger.

About Standout Capital
Standout Capital is a Stockholm-based private equity firm investing in growing Nordic tech companies. As an active owner, the mission is to partner with outstanding companies to help them grow and succeed. Standout Capital’s investment strategy is to support the digital transformation in business and society. The founders and investment team build on experience in entrepreneurship, investments, and finance.

Robust deal volume, especially supported by Nordic buyers.

Nordhaven has identified 28 software deals in the Nordic region in Q1 2024, slightly below Q4 2023 and +27% compared with Q1 2023. By numbers of deals, Denmark was the most active country followed by Sweden and Finland, respectively.

Nordhaven advised Møller Mobility Group in the acquisition of three Porsche dealers in Norway

Møller Bil strengthens its position in Norway by entering into an agreement to acquire three Porsche car dealers from Autozentrum Holding. The acquisition marks a significant milestone for Møller Bil and Møller Mobility Group and signals their ambition for significant presence in the sports- and luxury car segment in Norway. In 2022, the total sales were almost 1,600 NOKm for the three dealers.

Møller Bil becomes the owner of Porsche Center Asker & Bærum, Porsche Center Oslo and Porsche Center Gardermoen. These are central positions in Greater Oslo and represent an exciting opportunity for Møller Bil to expand the customer offering in the region. Møller Bil already owns and operates two Porsche dealers in Sweden.

‘We have great faith in Porsche as a brand and the acquisition strengthens our position in Greater Oslo,' says CEO Petter Hellman in Møller Mobility Group. He emphasizes the importance of cooperation and close relationships with the brands in the Volkswagen Group and looks forward to getting started with Porsche also in Norway.

‘This is a very exciting acquisition, and we see great potential in Porsche's brand and model program, which has a very special position in Norway. We are impressed by what today's owners have achieved together with the dealers and look forward to being part of the journey ahead. Møller Bil will build on the good work that has been done, while at the same time adding expertise where we are complementary,' says CEO Håvard Andersen in Møller Bil, adding: 'This gives us the opportunity to explore new target groups and further develop the business in a new segment - and not least contribute to creating more fantastic experiences for new and existing customers.’

From Porsche Norway's perspective, they look forward to cooperating with Møller Bil and Møller Mobility Group and benefiting from their large and professional organization. 'We look forward to continuing the dialogue with Møller Bil and Møller Mobility Group in the time to come, and we are positive about the opportunities we will now go on to discuss together with Møller and our well-established dealer network,' says Michael Hiller, CEO of Porsche Norway.

About Møller Mobility Group (MMG)

MMG is a family-owned group involved in the import, sale, servicing and financing of Volkswagen, Audi, ŠKODA and SEAT cars. The company is represented in Norway, Sweden and the Baltic States. Through the Hyre company, the Group is represented in a leading-edge environment that is actively working to shape the sustainable mobility solutions of the future. The company was founded by Harald Aars Møller in 1936. In 2022, the sales were 39.2 NOKb, the result was 2.649 NOKb before tax. MMG has approximately 4,100 employees.

Nordhaven advised Millum, the Norwegian Procure-to-Pay software provider for the hospitality sector, and its shareholders in the majority sale to Main. This strategic move marks Main's first stand-alone platform investment into the Norwegian market.

Moving forward, Main will act as a strategic partner to the management team, supporting Millum in its growth journey. By pursuing a selective buy-and-build strategy and by adding complementary solutions to fuel cross-selling, Millum has strong potential to further internationalize.

Millum, founded in 2002 in Norway by CEO Bjørn Anskau, business developer Knut Øksby, and CFO Roberto Padin, has emerged as a frontrunner in the procurement technology domain. The company’s SaaS-based “Procure-to-Pay” platform caters to hotels, restaurants and canteens, streamlining processes, simplifying the flow of information and enhancing trade efficiency. Millum currently serves more than 95% of the suppliers and more than 90 purchasers within the hospitality sector across the Nordics, including renowned clients, such as Strawberry Hotels, Scandic Hotels, and Coor Service Management.

Millum has built an attractive modular product portfolio which is well positioned for further growth and international expansion. The company, active in the procurement market, will be able to benefit from Main’s expertise, gained through previous investments in the procurement and broader supply chain management sector. Millum has a strong presence in Norway, with a growing presence in Sweden and Denmark, positioning it as a leading player in the Nordic market. With Main’s international growth support, Millum is poised to explore adjacent verticals and to continue growing internationally across the Nordics and Europe. Main will also support the company in a selective buy-and-build strategy to internationalize and strengthen the product offering with new solutions to establish a comprehensive one stop shop offering.

Bjørn Anskau, CEO of Millum, mentioned: “As we join forces with Main, we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for Millum. This partnership not only signifies our shared commitment to excellence but also accelerates our mission to revolutionize procurement processes in the Nordic region and beyond.” The collaboration between Main and Millum is poised to unlock new opportunities for international expansion, leveraging Millum’s robust platform and Main’s expertise in supporting companies on their global growth journeys.

“Millum’s market-leading position in Norway, coupled with its proven international scalability, aligns seamlessly with Main’s vision for strategic investments,” stated Wessel Ploegmakers, Partner & Head of Nordics at Main Capital Partners. “We see tremendous potential in Millum’s product portfolio and look forward to accelerating its growth trajectory by exploring new markets and expanding its international footprint.”

About Millum
Millum AS was founded in 2002 by Knut Øksby, Bjørn Anskau and Roberto Padin as main founders (together with two main investors) in Norway and is based at Fornebu, outside Oslo. Millum is a software company providing the preferred procurement system for hotels, restaurants and staff restaurants in the Nordics. The solution simplifies the procurement process for actors in the food service industry. Millum has 35 employees in total and operate across the Nordics. The total trading volume through Millum’s solution was NOK 11 billion in 2023.

About Main
Main Capital Partners is a leading software investor in the DACH, Benelux, the Nordics, and the United States. Main has 20 years of experience in strengthening software companies and works closely with the management teams in its portfolio as a strategic partner to achieve sustainable growth and larger outstanding software groups. As a leading software investor managing private equity funds active in Northwestern Europe and North America, Main has 70 employees operating out of its offices in The Hague, Düsseldorf, Stockholm, Antwerp, and an affiliated office in Boston. Main has over EUR 2.2 billion assets under management and maintains an active portfolio of over 40 software groups. The underlying portfolio employs over 12,000 employees.

Another quarter with strong deal activity in the Nordic software space.

Nordhaven has identified 30 software deals in the Nordic region in Q4 2023, +25% compared with the deal activity in Q4 2022. Q4 2023 show robustness in deal activity with an increase of +11% compared with Q3 2023. Measured in numbers of deals, Sweden was the market with most activity, followed by Norway and Denmark respectively.

Nordhaven advised Teleplan Globe AS in the acquisition of the UK based positioning, navigation, and timing specialist Forsberg Services Ltd.

Forsberg is a supplier of precision technologies dedicated to positioning, navigation, and timing, serving both defence and civilian applications. With over 35 years of experience, the company has cultivated a substantial customer base in the UK and globally. The acquisition will further strengthen Teleplan Globe’s leading capabilities within areas such as operational decision support systems, control and integration of unmanned systems in addition to mission critical solutions extracting highly accurate position data.

The acquisition builds on a well-established and successful cooperation between Teleplan Globe and Forsberg. This has led to significant contracts for the joint solution #MANTIS optimizing the core technologies of both companies and putting the need of the end users at the forefront.

Jan Nyegaarden, CEO of Teleplan Globe comments:

«Teleplan Globe is excited to welcome Forsberg into our global family, and we are looking forward to a prosperous future together. We remain steadfast in our promise to deliver innovative solutions providing exceptional value to our customers and strategic partners».

Chris Mayne, Managing Director of Forsberg Comments:

«As the Managing Director and a long-standing member of Forsberg’s team, I am thrilled to announce this exciting milestone in our company’s history. It was of critical importance that any interested party in Forsberg aligned with our core values, and we have cultivated a close and strategic partnership with Teleplan Globe, resulting in the creation of truly innovative solutions. From everybody at Forsberg, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank our founder, Charles Forsberg, for his endeavour and leadership in building this great business. I know that he is excited for our future, and we all wish him well».

About Teleplan Globe:

Teleplan Globe AS is a 100% subsidiary of the Teleplan Group which was established in 1959 and has operated under the same private ownership for more than six decades. Teleplan Globe provides mission critical software and system solutions for decision makers that protect people, assets, and institutions. The company has approximately 140 employees, including more than 100 software engineers, designers and developers. The company is headquartered at Lysaker, Norway.

Teleplan Globe deliver products in support of command and control, intelligence, mapping and radio planning operations. The products represent strategic and vital tools for the company’s customers. Norwegian and international defence clients dominate the customer base. However, Teleplan Globe also experience significant growth in other customer segments demanding solutions stemming from the company’s core competence and experience. Police and emergency responders, as well as field workers in utility companies, are examples of users that face similar challenges related to situational awareness, communication, sharing, and protection of data.

About Forsberg:

Forsberg Services Ltd. is a leading provider of technology solutions for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) applications, has established itself as a trusted partner for organizations across diverse industries since its inception in 1987. Headquartered in Heysham, UK, Forsberg is renowned for its depth of PNT knowledge, engineering expertise, and unwavering commitment to meeting customer requirements.

The company’s comprehensive product portfolio encompasses Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and antennas, inertial navigation systems, anti-jam capabilities, situational awareness software, and GNSS networking solutions. Forsberg’s technology ensures accurate positioning and navigation in challenging environments, protects critical operations from interference, enhances decision-making through real-time data visualization, and enables seamless integration of PNT systems for optimal performance and reliability. Beyond providing cutting-edge technology, Forsberg offers bespoke engineering services to meticulously tailor its products to specific application requirements and environmental conditions.