Heuking advises the founders of software provider MACH AG on merger with Main Capital
The founding family of MACH AG sold the majority of its company to software investor Main Capital. A team led by Dr. Stefan Duhnkrack, Partner at Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek, advised the Müller-Ontjes founding family, who will remain active co-owners of MACH AG, on the merger. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
The strategic partnership with Main Capital will allow MACH to benefit from the software investor’s long-standing industry expertise. Main Capital and MACH are now jointly pursuing a growth strategy focused on expanding MACH’s product and technology offerings. Current topics such as the German government’s economic stimulus package, the implementation of the Online Access Act, and future-oriented topics such as Smart City and Artificial Intelligence offer great opportunities to achieve these goals. The collaboration will be based on the partnership with the founders and the management team while maintaining MACH’s independence.
MACH AG was established in 1985 and has been supporting public administration in digitalization projects ever since. With more than 400 employees at six sites in Germany, the company serves more than 10,000 public institutions in Germany. MACH offers its solutions at all administrative levels (federal, state and local), for teaching and research institutions, and for churches and welfare organizations. Customers include the Federal Office of Administration, the Federal Police, and various German states, which are relying on software, services, and operation from a single source MACH founder Dr. Jan Müller-Ontjes said, “We are firmly convinced that in Main Capital we have chosen the investor that will develop our existing customer business with us according to plan and that will support us in opening up new growth areas. We are looking forward to shaping this exciting new phase and to successfully continuing MACH AG’s corporate and expansion history.”
Main Capital is a strategic investor focusing on the software sector in the Benelux region, in Germany/Austria/Switzerland and in Scandinavia. The investor’s long-term investment horizon with focus on successful partnerships with management teams aims at jointly building larger software groups. Main invests in established and in growing software companies and currently holds nine investments in medium-sized software companies in the German-speaking countries alone.
Counsel to owner family of MACH AG
Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek:
Dr. Stefan Duhnkrack (Lead, M&A),
Dr. Katharina Prasuhn (Corporate, M&A),
Dr. Hans Markus Wulf (IT), all Hamburg
Peter Michael Schäffler (Tax),
Christian Schild, LL.M. (Closing), both Munich
Sven Radke, LL.M. (Equities),
Dr. Philipp Jansen (Management and Employee Holdings), both Cologne
Corporate Finance
Michael Westhoven, Livingstone Partners GmbH, Düsseldorf
