Strategic milestone / first acquisition under Sophora Unternehmerkapital

Sophora Unternehmerkapital is pleased to announce the successful completion of a significant transaction as part of its investment in auxalia GmbH. In July 2024, auxalia, a leading provider of digital solutions and services in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector, completed the acquisition of the Dutch companies of the ICN Group. This acquisition marks the first step in the Buy-and-Build strategy developed jointly by Sophora Unternehmerkapital and auxalia.

Strategic acquisition for expanded growth

The ICN Group, a renowned Autodesk Gold Partner and Autodesk Construction Cloud Elite Partner, brings over 20 years of experience and a strong market position in the Dutch AEC and D&M (Design & Manufacturing) sectors. By integrating ICN, auxalia strengthens its market presence in the Benelux region and expands its portfolio to include D&M and hardware. Another strategic element of the acquisition is the largest CAD webshop in the Benelux, which is also part of the deal.

Synergies and growth potential

The acquisition offers auxalia significant advantages, including access to specialized knowledge and innovative solutions, particularly in the area of specialized Revit tools developed by ICN for the Benelux countries. Additionally, the acquisition allows for a stronger focus on sustainability, which is particularly important for the Dutch construction industry. Through close collaboration and the combined expertise of both companies, auxalia will be able to offer its customers even more comprehensive and innovative services and further strengthen its position as a leading provider in the areas of building technology, infrastructure, and plant engineering.

Partnership out of conviction: Why ICN was chosen

The choice of ICN as an acquisition partner emphasizes the common philosophy and values, with a constant focus on customer success. The flat hierarchy, the open and direct internal communication of both companies and the similar orientation make ICN an ideal candidate for a merger. In addition, the chemistry between the management teams, especially between the CEOs of both companies, was right from the start.

Future prospects

With the acquisition of ICN, auxalia achieves a significant milestone in its growth strategy and considerably strengthens its market position in Europe. Together with ICN, auxalia will soon employ over 100 people across 11 locations in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands. Sophora Unternehmerkapital views this acquisition as a crucial step toward achieving its long-term goals and looks forward to continuing to support auxalia on its growth path.

The Sophora team working on the transaction consisted of Benjamin Hubner, Jennifer Regehr, Niklas Ortlieb and Joop Heijenrath.

Sophora was advised by PwC (Tax, Structure, Legal), Goodwin Procter (Legal Banking) and RSM Netherlands (Financial).

About auxalia
auxalia has been one of the leading Autodesk-based software providers for the construction industry in the DACH region since 1987. As an Autodesk Platinum Partner and Autodesk Construction Cloud Elite Partner, we distribute the entire Autodesk AEC and BIM portfolio. We also develop and distribute our own applications that specifically complement and extend Autodesk solutions. With our software, daily planning work in building services engineering and plant construction, among others, can be made even more efficient and BIM processes can be integrated and implemented more easily. www.auxalia.com

About Sophora
Sophora Unternehmerkapital, based in Munich, is an independent and owner-managed investment company with a focus on medium-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Sophora consists of an interdisciplinary team of entrepreneurs with many years of experience in the investment business and as founders and Managing Directors of companies. As a value-creating partner of entrepreneurs and management teams of medium-sized companies, Sophora provides strategic and operational know-how as well as a comprehensive network of experts and flexible capital in order to jointly discover and develop potentials. Sophora is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (“PRI”) and the Women’s Empowerment Principles (“WEPs”). www.sophora.de/en/ 

About ICN Group
The ICN Group, a renowned Autodesk Gold Partner and Autodesk Construction Cloud Elite Partner, offers comprehensive solutions and services in the field of AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) and also D&M (Design & Manufacturing). With over 20 years of experience and 39 employees, ICN also operates the largest CAD webshop in the Benelux and is a developer of specialized Revit tools for the Dutch market. www.icn-group.com