CORPORATE FINANCE
IN EUROPE
IT INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
Index CFIE
This presentation contains the following items:
 Background CFIE
 Action Plan and Timing
 Objectives CFIE
 Customer profiles
 International network
 Valuation
 Team CFIE
 Current personal IT mandates
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Govert Derks
Alain de Vera
Hans-Peter Christen
Wolfgang Braun
 Industry Focus
 Buyer search
 Team IT closings and projects
 Personal closed projects
Background CFIE
 Funded in 2001 after team members previously gained M&A and
CF experience at investment banks and multinationals
 View of GAP in European cross border M&A support for middlesized SME’s (20 – 400 employees)
 International experience and background team members
 Flexible and pragmatic structure with high quality (investment
banking) M&A services
CFIE team has long experience in the European M&A market
OBJECTIVES CFIE
Help business owners sell their business in Europe (retirement or
other reasons)
 Create liquidity (cash) for business owners
 Bring people from different countries together hence improving
the quality of businesses
 Make the M&A market of European economies more efficient
 Fill the GAP left by large investment banks who don’t focus on
middle-sized SME’s
CFIE team helps European business owners
sell their business and create liquidity
International (European & US) network
CFIE’s team uses it’s international background:
 All CFIE team members lived and worked in various countries
http://www.corporatefinanceineurope.eu/en/about/international-ma-advisors.htm
 Strategic partnership with Vercor Advisor (US) for US IT buyers:
http://www.vercoradvisor.com/team/Europe/Govert_Derks.html
Strategic International focus and
good contacts to European (and US) IT buyers
IT Team CFIE: Govert Derks
 Govert Derks has more than 10 years experience in international M&A. During his career
Govert worked on many international M&A related projects in the Netherlands, the UK, the
USA, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Rumania and Turkey.
 Govert helped many IT business owners buy and sell IT companies. Govert started his
career with General Electric Capital in the headquarters in the US with Corporate IT where he
was responsible for organizing contracts with IT vendors worldwide
 Govert graduated in International Economic Studies (Macro Economics) from the University
in Maastricht. During this study he spend one year at the University of Regensburg. Further,
Govert has a degree in Business Economics from the Economic Business School in
Enschede, the Netherlands.
 Today Govert is the Managing Director of a Corporate Finance in Europe in the Netherlands
helping European IT business owners sell their companies to European buyers.
CFIE team has strong background in the IT industry
IT Team CFIE: Alain de Vera
 Alain has 20 years of experience in General Management and Marketing - Sales operations
management for global IT leaders (Apple, DEC, EDS, Seer and Sequent), consulting and
Internet innovation Companies.
 Entrepreneurial spirit, established in the Operational Consulting, IT, Internet, Digital
Marketing Services and Insurance Services. Full M&A processes in IT-Media-Telco, including
Consulting, Digital Marketing and Mobile Services within international geographies (Europe,
Ukraine, Brazil, India, USA).
 Experience areas: Strategy Management, Corporate Development, M&A and Funding
Advisory Services for European small and medium sized businesses, Marketing and Sales
Management for TMT Companies (Consulting, Software, IT Outsourcing and Professional
Services, Digital Marketing Services).
 Today Alain is the Managing Director of Corporate Finance in Europe in France helping
European IT business owners sell their companies to European buyers.
CFIE team has strong background in the IT industry
IT Team CFIE: Hans-Peter Christen
Hans-Peter Christen has over 20 years experience in the IT industry, of which more than 15
years in management positions. Hans-Peter worked in management or board positions for
companies like the Dicom Group, Kofax and Isource AG.
His broad experience include business sales (trade sales, management buyout), the
acquisition and integration of enterprises, the start and growth of start-ups, the construction of
new global business units, the management of national and international teams and
turnaround management in crisis situations.
Today Hans-Peter is supporting Corporate Finance in Europe in helping European IT business
owners sell their companies to European buyers.
CFIE team has strong background in the IT industry
IT Team CFIE: Wolfgang Braun
 Wolfgang Braun acquired and integrated more than 50 High Tech companies worldwide and
contributed to Screening (Targets Buy and Sell side), deal negotiations (based on fair value
formula) and Post Merger Integration (Change Management, Crisis Management,
Management Development) improving business value (shareholder value concept).
 Wolfgang is an expert to align IT and innovation with business processes. Wolfgang helps
clients in strategy development (strategy process) in strategy execution (business planning
and controlling) and strategy reviews (skills and competencies assessments) to sustainably
increase their competitive position.
 Wolfgang worked in management positions for companies like HP, Digital Equipment,
Daimler, Cap Gemini (the integration with debis systemhouse) and the META Group
(acquired by Gartner).
 Today Wolfgang is supporting Corporate Finance in Europe in helping European IT business
owners sell their companies to European buyers
CFIE team has strong background in the IT industry
IT Industry Focus CFIE
Focus on M&A for specific IT area’s:
 Networking and Infrastructure
 Managed Services
 Data Centre
 Security
 Unified communications
 Consulting
 BPO
IT Industry specialization specific strategy CFIE
Buyer Search
CFIE’s team is specialized in finding the right buyers:
 Large personal network of IT buyers via CFIE’s current M&A
advisors
 Subscriptions to company databases to find adequate buyers
based on specific criteria (Onesource, Hoovers)
 Large M&A network and related PE databases (2000 PE Groups)
 Experience with Internet screening to get to possible buyers
Strategic focus on search work (most suited buyers)
Action Plan & Timing
IT Customer profile
Overview CFIE’s type of customers:
 Middle and large SME’s
 20 – 400 employees
 Revenues of 2M to 100M Euro
 Interest and potential for international buyers
CFIE is organizing cross border SME IT M&A deals
Valuation
 The true valuation is determined by the price in the market. A
price where a willing seller and buyer agree on.
 Enterprise value: Based on various different methods.
Equity value: Deduct Long Term Debt from Enterprise Value
 CFIE can prepare detailed valuation models (science) , but well
positioning (art) is also important. The objective is to find the
buyers that appreciates your profile
 Bring more (international) buyers in a guided process and ask for
proposals to maximize actual bids and valuation
Market and clear positioning will determine Final Value
Current Personal IT projects
 German IT services company (10M+ revenue, 80 employees),
international sale expected, term sheet discussions with
international parties
 Belgium IT networking/infrastructure company (3M revenue, 30
employees), company visits arranged for international buyers
 Dutch IT Managed Services (30M revenue, 300 employees), buyside mandate for international buyers
CFIE is organizing cross border IT SME M&A deals
Team IT projects closings and experience
 Large nr of IT M&A projects worked on among CFIE team (50+):
E.g: Tertio SMS (UK) to Devoteam (FR), Infrastructure Management
E.g: buy and build strategy for international buyers
E.g: Exaprobe to Devoteam (FR), Software and computing services
E.g: Software producer for manufacturer plant (IT)
E.g: Stepinfo (sale back to old shareholders of a 6M revenue unit)
E.g: Back-office software Private Banking/Retail Banking MBO (NL)
E.g: various acquisitions for Meta Group
 Project Management Binck (NL, Internet Broker, stock listed)
 Experience GE Capital Corporate IT (Stamford) 90’s, IT contracts,
ERP implementations
CFIE team IT experience and Govert IT background
Some Personal closings