Cipio Partners unveils €202m fund to back growth-stage technology companies in Europe

Cipio Partners, an investor in European growth stage technology firms, has closed its latest fund, Cipio Partners Fund VIII, with €202 million in commitments. Cipio Partners Fund VIII (CPF VIII), marks the latest milestone for the firm. Cipio, founded in 2003, is one of the early pioneers in making growth equity investments in continental Europe, combining primary growth capital with minority buy-out elements to provide liquidity for founders and early investors.

CPF VIII will follow the same investment strategy as its €174 million predecessor fund, Cipio Partners Fund VII (CPF VII), which held a final closing in 2017. Since inception, CPF VII has invested in 16 fast growing technology companies at the verge of profitability across Germany, France, Scandinavia, UK, Ireland and Spain. After only a few years, CPF VII delivered substantial returns to its investors from multiple exits including the sale of Brightpearl to Sage Group (LSE: SGE), the sale of Openet to Amdocs and the acquisition of Falcon by Cision.

Diana Meyel, Managing Partner, Cipio Partners: “We are very proud to have reached our target fund size and are thrilled with the support we received from all our loyal returning investors as well as new investors. The increased fund size and strong backing by leading institutional and family office investors marks a major milestone for Cipio and is a testament to Cipio’s performance, the quality of our team and our leadership in the rapidly expanding European growth-equity market.”

Support for CPF VIII came from a combination of institutional and family office investors across Europe and the US and include almost all investors from CPF VII. Institutional investors include sovereign investors as well as several European banks and insurance companies. 

Roland Dennert, Managing Partner, Cipio Partners: “Considering current market uncertainties, the closing of CPF VIII comes at a perfect time and leaves Cipio well positioned and well capitalized to take advantage of the market opportunities for investments into European growth-stage technology companies.”

The new fund has already completed two investments in European growth companies; Nuki, the Austrian smart-home developer, and Navvis, the Munich-based global leader in end-to-end solutions for reality capture and so-called “digital twins.”

www.cipiopartners.com