SOPHORA UNTERNEHMERKAPITAL
Discovering and unlocking potential together
SOPHORA UNTERNEHMERKAPITAL
ABOUT US
We are an interdisciplinary team of entrepreneurs with many years of experience in the investment industry as well as operational experience as founders and CEOs of companies.
We see ourselves as a value-creating partner of entrepreneurs and management teams of medium-sized businesses. We provide flexible capital as well as our strategic and operational know-how and our network of experts in order to discover and unlock potential together. Sophora Unternehmerkapital is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).
STRATEGY
ENERGY TRANSITION &
RESOURCE AVAILABILITY
B-E-S-T
TECHNOLOGIES
BUY-AND-
BUILD
Thematic investing offers opportunities that arise across sectors as a result of long-term megatrends, and Sophora Unternehmerkapital systematically supports its companies in discovering and unlocking this potential.
INVESTMENT-CRITERIA
Established and successful mid-sized companies (no start-ups or restructuring situations)
Growth potential for the long term (organic and via buy-and-build)
Strong management
Sales between €5-50m and a positive operating cash flow
Flow
Majority or significant minority investments
Headquarters in the DACH region
WE INVEST IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS
Owner successions
Successfully managing succession
Carve-Outs
Develop group divisions independently
Management Buy-Outs/Ins
From manager to entrepreneur
Buy-and-build concepts
Accelerated growth via acquisitions
Strengthening of the business development
Unlock the full potential
Empowerment of female entrepreneurs
Preferred partner for female entrepreneurs
OUR SUCCESS MODEL
To achieve this, we bring our growth-oriented “best-in-class approach” to value enhancement: Based on the individual profile of the company and taking into account the company-specific characteristics, we develop the Sophora Value Creation Plan (“SVCP”) together with the management.
As a partner for strategic business development, we use expert methodologies to support our portfolio companies in developing, implementing and adapting the SVCP, focusing on the following value levers:
+ Value-add through access to network, flexible capital, and best practice methods
We contribute as a constructive, strategic sparring partner to management teams, share best practices, provide access to our extensive network, and flexibly provide capital as needed.
In developing, implementing, and adapting the Sophora Value Creation Plan, we always strive to leverage the diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise of all individuals. Value creation – which we refer to as “our shared most important routine work” – thus becomes a continuous team effort that we accomplish together.
OUR TEAM
OUR VALUES
Sophora Unternehmerkapital is an independent, Partner-led private equity firm. We are a well attuned team of holistically thinking entrepreneurs and process experts whose goal is to promote entrepreneurial success.
We are ambitious, quality-oriented and always looking for innovation and improvement opportunities. In addition, we are united by an intellectual rigour in the search for root causes and solutions. We understand “excellence” as an ever-changing goal on the never-ending journey of continuous development.
We are passionate about discovering and developing undiscovered values. We are convinced that there is always untapped potential in companies and teams. In our projects, we also pay special attention to promoting and integrating the potential of women.
We take responsibility and act sustainably in our dealings with business partners, companies and their employees. We are signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) with the aim of better understanding the impact of investment activities on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. We are convinced that the active engagement with ESG issues can affect the performance of investments positively. Applying the PRI supports us to better align investors’ objectives with the broader goals of society.
The tree on which our company name is based (Sophora Japonica or pagoda tree) is also called honey tree due to its property as a bee nutrient plant. We believe in symbiotic partnerships based on trusting and reliable cooperation.
Trust, respect, appreciation and integrity are elementary attributes in our daily work with our partners. We are hands-on (but never hands-in), want to actively contribute to progress and enjoy achieving goals together.
We want to contribute to making good companies even better, and believe that resilience and perseverance are key traits to successfully manage even difficult situations. At the same time, we always maintain our positive mindset and look for the best solutions. This combination helps to make our portfolio companies “winter-hardy”, just like the pagoda tree (Sophora Japonica).
