- Strong increase in demand for Belgian high-end design and technology specialist’s products
- EMH Partners injects growth capital to accelerate growth, product innovation and international expansion
Merelbeke (Belgium) / Munich , September 14, 2022 – Basalte Group NV, the Belgium-based specialist for high-end home automation technology, accelerates its growth. For 2022, Basalte expects a strong increase of its sales volume by around 40 per cent. The company, which is renowned for the integration of innovative home automation technology with high-end design and sophisticated materials, plans to step up its growth even further by expanding its market position, entering new markets and developing innovative new products. To support its growth path, Basalte has partnered with the Munich-based private equity firm EMH Partners, which invests a two-digit million amount of growth capital into the company. The private equity firm will hold a significant minority shareholding in Basalte. Klaas Arnout (CEO) and his wife Sandra Maes (COO), who have founded Basalte together in 2008, will continue to be the majority shareholders.
Basalte is a luxury brand and positioned in the upmarket segment of the fast-growing market for home automation. Unlike the usual competition in the home automation industry Basalte develops solutions and products based on high-class design, sophisticated materials and superior technology. Basalte products are used in high-end buildings, applied in cooperation with quality dedicated architects and rarified interior designers. The comprehensive control ecosystem covers an extensive range of applications for the intelligent home (e.g. lighting, heating, shading, security) and is based on a proprietary software platform that allows the seamless integration of various different technology standards and protocols (e.g. KNX, Lutron, Crestron).
Primarily addressing the high-end market segment for connected homes, Basalte has grown strongly over the last years and established a leading position within its segment in relevant European markets such as Benelux, Germany and the UK. In its next phase of growth, Basalte intends to enter new markets in Europe and North America. At the same time, Basalte will develop its next generation of high-class solutions and products.
Basalte’s headquarters are based in Merelbeke (Belgium), and the company employs around 65 people. Around 90% of its revenue is generated outside Belgium, having built an international sales presence over the last years.
With the investment, EMH Partners will support Basalte in extending its brand presence and accelerating the international business expansion.
“EMH Partners is one of the most experienced and successful investors in fast growing companies of the so called Mittelstand. We have successfully proven over years that we understand how to support companies like Basalte to achieve ambitious growth targets and how to unleash their potential. Among others, EMH Partners has supported e.g. Occhio, the leading company for high-end lighting systems, to strongly grow and expand internationally. We see clear similarities between both companies and are convinced that we can support Basalte’s on its growth path,” says Simon Joha, EMH Partners. „With its dedicated focus on the luxury segment of the smart home market, Basalte has positioned itself in a uniquely attractive market segment and has shown an impressive growth trajectory over the last years. We particularly like the strong interplay of design, technology and brand that makes Basalte a truly unique company in this space. The investment is another proof point for our partnership-oriented approach to invest in innovative founder-led businesses and we look forward to working together with Klaas and Sandra and to continuing the success story of Basalte.”
„We are very happy about our new partnership with EMH Partners,“ say Klaas and Sandra, the founders and managing directors of Basalte. “This strong and experienced partner can help us to accelerate our growth journey together. We especially like EMH’s entrepreneurial and partnership- oriented mindset as well as their broad experience of successfully working together with founders. Basalte has so much potential, and we want to make sure that we can fully capture this and bring the comfort from our Basalte ecosystem to as many people as possible worldwide”.