Acquisition of a majority shareholding in a global subscription billing & management platform
Cologne, Chicago, Munich 19 April 2021 – Funds advised by EMH Partners, based in Munich, have agreed to acquire 65% of the shares of cleverbridge AG. EMH and cleverbridge have agreed that EMH will acquire the majority shareholding in cleverbridge AG alongside the management team and founders.
cleverbridge was founded in 2005 and is a leading, fast growing global provider of subscription billing & management services focused on digital goods, primarily software. With headquarters in Cologne, Germany and Chicago, USA, and offices in Tokyo, and Taipei, cleverbridge enables its clients to grow effortlessly on a global scale, serving more than 190 countries.
“EMH Partners is the perfect partner for us as we accelerate our growth trajectory,” says Craig Vodnik, CEO & Co-Founder of cleverbridge. “EMH Partners has validated their entrepreneurial credentials of supporting founder-led organizations entering their next stage of growth by providing added value to our existing plans. It’s been such a refreshing experience to talk with fellow operators and see such an aligned vision for the future of client-centric solutions. EMH’s investment positions us well to improve our cloud-based platform, play an even more active part in our industry’s consolidation, and deliver even more value for our marquee list of enterprise clients.”
cleverbridge processed transactions with a volume of more than €650m in 2020, a significant increase compared to the prior year, while continuing its history of strong profitability. Recent large enterprise software client wins keep the company on its growth trajectory. With 300 employees supporting over 30 languages and over 60 currencies, cleverbridge’s commerce-as-a-service offering drives clients’ operational excellence in payments, global tax and regulatory compliance, fraud prevention, chargeback & dispute management, and customer service. Further, the company supports its clients in the execution of their growth plans through data analytics & digital marketing, reseller management, and customer flow optimization.
“The subscription billing & management market fits perfectly into our investment strategy, our entrepreneurial beliefs and our scope of competences.” says Dominik Schwarz, Partner at EMH Partners. “The market promises strong growth as the volume of subscription and software-as-a-service solutions sold globally continues to increase. cleverbridge, with its excellent cloud-based technology platform and its seasoned management team and experts, is a leader both in providing operational excellence and growth support to its clients. We look forward to supporting the company and its clients during their next phase of expansion.”
Consummation of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. The parties involved have agreed to keep the terms of the investment confidential. The management team, with the full support of EMH, will remain focused on the ambitious opportunities ahead. cleverbridge is the latest investment of funds advised by EMH Partners, previous investments include: Brainlab, a global leader of software-driven medical technology, Native Instruments, a global digital music creation software and hardware provider and Occhio, a German manufacturer of high-quality lighting.
About cleverbridge
cleverbridge provides global billing solutions for digital goods, online services and SaaS companies in B2C and B2B markets. Its cloud-based platform simplifies recurring billing, optimizes the customer experience and offers comprehensive global compliance and payment capabilities. With cleverbridge, clients can acquire more customers, improve retention, and grow revenue in international markets.
For more information on cleverbridge, please visit cleverbridge.com.