News & Press Releases - May 23, 2024

Axcel sells Loopia Group to team.blue

Axcel has agreed to sell web hosting provider Loopia Group to team.blue, Europe’s leading digital enabler for entrepreneurs and SMBs.

Loopia Group, with its strong foothold in Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, and Serbia, has a workforce of over 320 skilled professionals and serves approximately 650,000 customers through a portfolio of robust local brands including Loopia, Websupport, Hostingpalvelu, Domainhotelli, and Active24.

Loopia Group has been backed by Nordic private equity group Axcel since 2018, during which time the company has seen a fourfold increase in revenue and earnings, all the while ensuring that 97% of the business’ revenue stems from data centres running on renewable energy.

With this acquisition, team.blue’s customer base will grow from 2.5 million to more than 3 million entrepreneurs across Europe. This not only complements team.blue’s footprint but also enhances its ability to help a larger number of customers to achieve online success through its wide digital product offering. team.blue continues to be backed by Hg, a leading investor in European and transatlantic software and services businesses.

“After a period of high M&A activity, we’ve successfully brought together brands and technology platforms, transforming Loopia Group into a cohesive company with a strong offering to our customers. I want to thank the Axcel team for a great run built on trust, transparency, and bold decision-making. I would also like to thank my fantastic team at Loopia Group for their efforts over the years – I’m very proud of you. Now, we look forward to joining forces with our friends at team.blue and Hg, to help shape this industry across Europe”, says Sara Laurell, CEO of Loopia Group.

Axcel Partner Christian Bamberger Bro is proud to pass on the torch to team.blue: “In partnership with Sara Laurell and the brilliant team she has formed at Loopia Group, we’ve managed to build a leader with a highly efficient platform for further growth. During our partnership, Loopia Group has expanded into three new countries, strengthened its commercial offering, brought together multiple tech platforms, and all the while pursuing an ambitious sustainability agenda. We’re proud to pass on a thriving, unified company and a true frontrunner on sustainable web hosting to team.blue and Hg.”

team.blue has made significant investments across a range of B2B SaaS solutions. These solutions are designed inter alia to enhance security, ensure GDPR compliance, boost visitor attraction and conversion rates, improve customer engagement through various marketing tools, and assist in both online and offline commerce strategies. team.blue continues to invest in innovative products also by joining forces with leading SaaS companies in Europe that share the same vision.

Jonas Dhaenens, Founder and President at team.blue, expresses his excitement, “The integration of Loopia Group into team.blue opens up a world of possibilities for the European digital services industry, extending our reach into some of Europe’s most dynamic sectors and creating a unique offering to more than three million customers across more than 20 countries, now backed by a team of 2,700 exceptionally talented individuals.”

Claudio Corbetta, CEO, and Dawn Marriott, Chairperson, at team.blue, warmly welcome Loopia Group, “We are highly impressed by Loopia Group’s leadership in highly complementary geographies and their shared customer-first approach in delivering top-notch online solutions for businesses and entrepreneurs. This transaction aligns with our ambition to be the preferred one-stop digital provider for European SMBs. We really look forward to what team.blue and Loopia Group can achieve together!”

Joris Van Gool, Nick Jordan and Matthijs Deroo at Hg, say: “We are proud to support the continued growth of team.blue. This move strengthens our shared commitment to build an exceptional business, addressing the need for SMEs to digitise and provide more services online. The addition of Loopia Group’s robust brand portfolio and extensive customer base offers a fantastic opportunity to enhance our services and innovation for customers.”

Loopia Group is the sixth company to be sold out of Axcel’s fifth fund, Axcel V, launched in 2017. The sale of Loopia Group adds to the list of successful exits from Axcel V, including SteelSeries, European Sperm Bank, Aidian and latest Mountain Top.

The transaction is expected to be completed within three to six months.

Harris Williams served as the exclusive financial advisor to Loopia Group and Axcel, while Vinge served as legal counsel.

About team.blue
team.blue is a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom). The company is made up of 40+ successful brands who serve more than 2.5 million customers. team.blue is a one-stop partner for web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation and application solutions, supported by more than 2000 experts. team.blue’s vision is to make online business simpler by shaping technology and providing customers with innovative online products and services.

About Loopia Group
Loopia Group is a leading European web service and hosting company, dedicated to sustainability and green hosting. Serving over 650,000 customers across Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, and Serbia, the group includes market leading brands like Loopia, Websupport, Active24, Hostingpalvelu, and Domainhotelli. With 25 years of experience, over 300 employees, and 2 million domains hosted, Loopia Group generated 742 MSEK in revenue in 2023, solidifying its position as an industry champion.

About Axcel
Founded in 1994, Axcel is a Nordic private equity group focusing on four sectors: Technology, Business Services & Industrials, Healthcare and Consumer. Our team in Stockholm and Copenhagen brings 30 years of experience in building companies through a collaborative mindset and a structured approach to value creation. Axcel has raised seven funds with committed capital of approx. € 4.1 billion from Nordic and international investors. We currently own 21 companies headquartered across the Nordics, and we have made a total of 71 platform investments, 300 add-on acquisitions and 50 exits. For more information, visit www.axcel.dk.

About Hg
Hg supports the building of sector-leading enterprises that supply businesses with critical software applications or workflow services, delivering a more automated workplace for their customers. This industry is characterised by digitization trends that are in early stages of adoption and are set to transform the workplace for professionals over decades to come. Hg’s support combines deep end-market knowledge with world class operational resources, together providing compelling support to entrepreneurial leaders looking to scale their business – businesses that are well invested, enduring and serve their customers well.

With a vast European network and strong presence across North America, Hg’s 400 employees and around $70 billion in funds under management support a portfolio of around 50 businesses, worth over $140 billion aggregate enterprise value, with around 110,000 employees, consistently growing revenues at more than 20% annually. https://hgcapital.com/

For more information, please contact:
Team.blue
press@team.blue. Jimmy Cappaert or Tom De Bast.

Axcel
Christian Bamberger Bro, Partner
Tel.: +45 40 99 39 39
E-mail: cbb@axcel.dk

Christian Schmidt-Jacobsen, Managing Partner
Tel.: +45 21 78 36 97
E-mail: csj@axcel.dk

Maria Fiorini Lorenzen, Head of Communications
Tel.: +45 22 27 36 76
E-mail: mfl@axcel.dk