HEITZ System

Who owns HEITZ System?

HEITZ System is a French SaaS company, currently owned by Ekkio Capital since 2017.

About HEITZ System

Heitz System is a French software company, founded in 1992, that develops all-in-one management and access-control software for sports and leisure facilities. Its platform combines membership and subscription management, payments, class booking, accounting and real-time entry tracking with dedicated access hardware, such as turnstiles and RFID, QR and NFC gates, and a member-facing mobile application. The company serves fitness clubs, swimming pools and aquatic centres, tennis and padel courts, ice rinks, climbing gyms and cultural venues, with more than 2,500 sites equipped. It positions itself as the French leader in customer-facing software for sports and leisure operators, differentiating on an integrated software-plus-hardware offering and fully domestic support.

Ownership journey

Heitz System was founded in France in 1992 and built its position as a specialist editor of management and access-control software for sports and leisure sites. In December 2017 Ekkio Capital acquired roughly 75 percent of the company through its Ekkio Capital IV fund, in a primary leveraged buyout structured alongside the management team. Ekkio remains an active shareholder and Heitz System is still listed among its current portfolio holdings; no exit or secondary transaction has been recorded. The investment thesis centred on consolidating a fragmented market for facility management and access-control software in France.

Under PE ownership

Under Ekkio Capital's ownership Heitz System pursued a buy-and-build strategy to broaden its footprint across the sports and leisure market. In June 2022 it acquired Elisath, a Messein-based specialist in ticketing and access-control software for public swimming pools and aquatic centres generating about EUR 10 million in revenue, a deal that was projected to create a group with more than EUR 15 million in consolidated revenue for 2022. The combination extended Heitz System's reach from private fitness clubs into municipally operated aquatic facilities and public-service delegates, positioning the enlarged group as a leader in management and access-control solutions for indoor sports venues. The company has continued to widen its software suite and grow its installed base to more than 2,500 facilities across multiple activity types.