Key Insights from the 2024 German Private Equity & Venture Capital Breakfast
June 11th, 2024, Frankfurt am Main
Pedersen & Partners and CMS co-hosted the German Private Equity & Venture Capital Breakfast on 11th June 2024, in Frankfurt am Main. The event provided a lively agile atmosphere for representatives of well-known local and international private equity funds to discuss, debate, and network.
The panel discussion was co-chaired by Poul Pedersen – Executive Chairman, Pedersen & Partners, and Tobias Schneider – Partner, CMS Germany.
The panel members were:
- Anja Böhme – Investment Director, Halder
- Fritjof Franz – Partner, capiton AG
- Linda Hoegener Schinwald – Director, Deutsche Beteiligungs AG
- Jenz Krane – Head of M&A, Commerzbank AG
- Philipp von Mitzlaff – Partner, NORD Holding
Key takeaways from the event, summarised by Guido Bormann, Partner, Head of Western Europe and Country Manager, Germany at Pedersen & Partners:
- The German private equity market has seen a decline in deals in 2023, which has unfortunately failed to pick up in H1 2024. However, there is hope for improvement in H2 2024 and 2025.
- Several other private equity markets in Europe are outperforming Germany, such as Poland and Southern Europe.
- External factors that have had a negative impact on the market include increased interest rates and energy prices. There is uncertainty and risk regarding the outcome of elections in several European countries and the USA.
- A scarcity of exits is resulting in longer holding periods. Continuation vehicles are being used to ensure liquidity for LPs.
- While fundraising is easier for large-cap private equity funds, it remains challenging for smaller funds.
- In a rapidly changing macro environment, there are several windows of opportunity for attractive exits that should not be missed.
- ESG considerations continue to be of paramount importance.
Pedersen & Partners is a leading global Executive Search and Leadership Consulting firm. We operate 54 wholly-owned offices in 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia & the Americas. Our values of Trust, Relationship and Professionalism apply to our interaction with clients as well as executives.