The AUCTUS strategy
1. The toolbox
To further accelerate the growth of the companies, AUCTUS offers access to experienced experts for organizational processes, financing, sales optimization, IT, procurement and strategic issues. In addition, AUCTUS supports entrepreneurs in recruiting excellent managers through its own network and framework agreements with international recruitment agencies.
2. Organic growth
AUCTUS supports management in the analysis of market potentials, the development and implementation of market entry strategies and in internationalization.
3. Add-on acquisitions
As part of a holistic growth strategy, company acquisitions for horizontal or vertical expansion of the business are often a real success booster. AUCTUS supports the entrepreneurs in the search and examination of takeover candidates and provides the necessary capital. In addition, AUCTUS takes over the entire acquisition process and supports the subsequent integration.
“We want to establish AUCTUS as a permanent institution for entrepreneurs who want to have a home to generate growth.”
Christoph Blanke, Partner at AUCTUS
WHAT MAKES AUCTUS SPECIAL?
RELIABILITY AND TRANSACTION SECURITY
Thanks to our extensive experience, we can carry out corporate investments efficiently and respond to individual initial situations without disrupting the company’s day-to-day business.
AUCTUS attaches great importance to open communication: we make honest and fair offers right from the start and do not make any promises that we cannot keep.
As we have no external committees, our decision-makers are directly involved in the transaction phases, which enables prompt decision-making.
FINANCING SECURITY AND COMPETENCE
AUCTUS has been able to finance every transaction with equity and debt capital that has successfully passed the due diligence.
Our equity is available long term through our special ‘Evergreen’ fund structures, which makes us a sustainable partner and gives us enough time to develop the companies to the next level.
AUCTUS has an extensive network of several dozen banks and alternative financing partners. This allows us to provide financing quickly and with a high degree of reliability.
AUCTUS IS DIFFERENT
We work with clear values.
OUR SOLUTIONS
AUCTUS knows that every company situation is different. Therefore, we do not offer financial products, but create flexible and tailor-made solutions for you as a shareholder that take personal wishes and requirements into account:
Our entry does not have to mean your withdrawal as a partner. On the contrary: AUCTUS is very interested in working with you. We understand that there can be different motives and situations in which the inclusion of a new partner makes sense:
- You want to secure and sell part of your assets/shares that are tied up in the company to “sleep safely” and never have to worry about money any more
- You are intending to reorganize the shareholder structure in order to enable some shareholders to withdraw
- The company is too dependent on you and you want to gradually reduce this dependency with a new partner and/or new managers
- You are looking for support for financing a growth strategy (“buy-and-build”)
- You want to bring strategic expertise and capital into your company in order to advance it significantly
We offer flexible shareholder structures and a real entrepreneurial partnership that leave you as our partner and possibly other persons / managers up to 49% of the company. In the preparation of the transaction, we will work out the optimal structure for you, which will take into account the desired purchase price, but also the expected development of the company.
AUCTUS can help you find a succession for your company that can be the best solution for you and the company for various reasons:
- You want to realize value of your shares, e.g. to fund your retirement or personal plans
- You want to clear the way for a new generation of shareholders or managers and transfer responsibility
- You want to resolve conflicting interests within the (family) shareholder group in order to give the company a clear future
We can bring succession solutions into line with your personal plans: You can implement a quick withdrawal when the shares are taken over by AUCTUS, but the withdrawal can also take place gradually within a defined period.
If you see an opportunity to strongly grow and/or create a significant competitive advantage by investing, bringing in an experienced investor is a good way of achieving this. Growth investments can be organic (develop new products, increase production capacity, open new locations, internationalize) or through acquisitions. With add-on acquisitions, different goals can be achieved, including:
- You would like to grow regionally or internationally and expand your service or sales area
- You would like to acquire skills, complementary products / services or capacities
- You want to achieve efficiency gains through size or increase your attractiveness in the market
Since many transactions do not bring the hoped-for value due to ‘manual’ errors, the risk of failure can be significantly reduced with the support of an experienced partner.
AUCTUS has the expertise necessary for the successful realization of add-on acquisitions. We are experienced through the realization of hundreds of corporate transactions and can significantly reduce the financial risk for the company or the shareholders through our contribution. In addition, we have experience in integrating the acquired company (e.g. planning and implementing “100-day plans”, merging different corporate cultures, etc.) and we know how to finance and structure the transactions. We can also access a broad network of experts so that the transaction and the integration become a success.
AUCTUS understands the complexity of realizing growth organically or through acquisitions and can help you secure profitable growth while reducing your risk.
If you are an experienced manager, ideally have some sector expertise and are convinced that a company can be better managed by you than by the existing owner, then a Management Buy-In (MBI) is the optimal solution.
However, direct contact with the owner is often difficult to obtain and rarely successful. Also, the financing and execution of the intended transaction presents you with challenges that are difficult to master on your own. This is exactly where we start.
We, the AUCTUS team, make – if appropriate – the first contact to the target company and moderate the subsequent discussions and negotiations.
We stand by your side as investors and transaction experts so that the takeover or purchase of shares in the company can be implemented jointly.
We establish financing solutions and implement the appropriate structure with our financing partners.
Together we work out a structure that reflects your financial situation in order to enable you to become a significant shareholder in the company and achieve highly attractive returns.
After the transaction has been completed, we will jointly define the company’s strategy as partners and support you in implementing the strategy without interfering with the actual day-to-day business.
As a new management team, you have the opportunity to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the company during a buy-in and to optimize them as independent entrepreneurs based on your professional experience and skills, thereby creating added value in the company. The advantages of an MBI include the company’s already established location, the market position it has achieved, existing customer relationships and ongoing business activities.
In addition, a management buy-in also offers the option of handing over or taking over a company as part of a succession solution, thereby ensuring smooth handover to new hands.
Management teams are increasingly teaming up with financial investors to acquire the companies they work in. The MBO gives ambitious management the opportunity to participate financially in the company and to develop it further under their own control together with the financial investor.
If you, as a manager, are striving for an equity stake in the company you are running, AUCTUS can optimally support you in this great challenge. As an investor, AUCTUS not only offers the financial means, but also the necessary transaction and industry experience to successfully implement a management buy-out:
Together we work out a structure that reflects your financial situation in order to enable you to become a significant shareholder in the company and achieve highly attractive returns.
We support you in the discussion and negotiation with the current owner.
We establish financing solutions and implement the appropriate structure with our financing partners.
After the buy-out, we jointly with you work out long-term strategies that you can implement in the future. As a partner, we support you through the advisory board without interfering with the actual day-to-day business.
In addition, we can find an external chairman for the advisory board, who brings valuable operational experience and sector knowledge, and open our wide network of experts and consultants to you.