Andera Partners announced its management-sponsored mezzanine investment in the exceet Card Group, based in Kematen in Tyrol (Austria). This is already the ninth transaction for Acto V. This financing enables the company’s founders to increase their stake and maintain their entrepreneurial independence following the exit of a minority shareholder.
Since its foundation in 2008, exceet Card Group has established itself as one of the leading European manufacturers of smart card solutions and identity documents. Its customers include public authorities, banks, and companies in the transport, access control, and retail sectors. exceet Card Group supplies them with tailored, highly secure, and visually distinctive products. Annual production amounts to more than 400 million cards and antennas.
The European company controls the entire value chain from card production and personalization to data processing and logistics. Thanks to the high loyalty of its customers and its constant growth, exceet Card Group has expanded its presence through strategic acquisitions and is now active in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, and Czechia. With 335 employees, the company is constantly working on innovations in the field of secure document and payment technologies.
Bruno Bonnin, Partner at Andera Acto, commented: “We invest in companies with committed management teams and high growth potential and actively support them in their development: on average, the companies we back conclude two acquisitions during our investment period. We invest like a private credit fund, but with the philosophy of a private equity fund. exceet Card Group is a perfect example of this approach. The founders Ulrich Reutner and Robert Wolny have already demonstrated the company’s potential with the expansion of exceet in recent years. We look forward to supporting them in continuing this success story.”
Ulrich Reutner, CEO of exceet Card Group, added: “We have come to appreciate having financially strong partners with extensive expertise in expansion and growth at our side as we develop our company. At the same time, it is important to us to remain entrepreneurially independent and retain full control over our company. Andera Acto’s Management-sponsored mezzanine model allows us to do just that: the team offers us all the support of a financial investor, financial flexibility, and strategic advice, while at the same time leaving us freedom in our business decisions. We look forward to working together and to everything that lies ahead.”
This transaction is the ninth investment completed by Acto V. It provides tangible evidence of the fund’s European ambition announced at its €1.1 billion closing. Leveraging the pan-European platform established by Andera Acto, with a strengthened presence across the continent’s key economies (DACH, Belgium, Spain, Italy), the fund is deploying its management-sponsored mezzanine strategy beyond France. The investment in exceet in Austria demonstrates Acto V’s ability to support European management teams in their growth initiatives while preserving capital control.