Independent Frankfurt mid-market private-equity firm founded in 1995 that manages the German Equity Partners fund series, investing in established German-speaking-Europe SMEs in succession, spin-off and growth-buyout situations.
ECM Equity Capital Management is a Frankfurt buyout firm with 6 active companies and 24 exits.
- ·8 exits in the last 5 years · consistent DPI cadence.
- ·Average hold across 24 realized deals: 5 years.
- ·Fund cadence: ~6Y between vintages · last raise 2018.
Sector breakdown
30 companiesGeography breakdown
3 geographiesKey facts
Recent exits
ECM Equity Capital Management sold Datapart to IK Partners in 2025 after 4 years.
ECM Equity Capital Management sold Intermate Group to SAMY Alliance in 2025 after 4 years.
ECM Equity Capital Management exited ONE Hiring in 2025 after 2 years.
ECM Equity Capital Management sold YellowFox to Peter Moehrle Holding in 2025 after 4 years.
Coverage notes
5 funds tracked, 30 portfolio companies (6 active · 24 realized). Verified weekly from public filings and deal announcements.
Funds & portfolio
Every fund ECM Equity Capital Management has raised, with its portfolio companies. Hand-checked from public filings.
German Equity Partners VHarvestingBuyout2018€325M3 assets5 exitsBuyout2018 · 8yr€325M35
Unrealized
3 held| Company | Entry |
|---|---|
| Detax MedTech · Germany | 2022 |
| Education Group Education · Germany | 2021 |
| ETS Group ClimateTech · Germany | 2019 |
Realized
5 exits| Company | Entry | Exit | Type | Buyer | MOIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Datapart Fintech · Germany | 2021 | 2025 | Secondary | IK Partners | – |
| Intermate Group AdTech · Germany | 2021 | 2025 | Trade Sale | SAMY Alliance | – |
| ONE Hiring HR Tech · Germany | 2023 | 2025 | – | – | – |
| PikeTec Software · Germany | 2019 | 2023 | Trade Sale | Synopsys | – |
| YellowFox SaaS · Germany | 2021 | 2025 | Trade Sale | Peter Moehrle Holding | – |
German Equity Partners IVHarvestingBuyout20133 assets4 exitsBuyout2013 · 13yr–34
Unrealized
3 held| Company | Entry |
|---|---|
| Bergmann Mobility · Germany | 2013 |
| Leitner Hospitality · Germany | 2014 |
| Wieners + Wieners Business Services · Germany | 2016 |
Realized
4 exits| Company | Entry | Exit | Type | Buyer | MOIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apostroph Group Business Services · Switzerland | 2017 | 2025 | Trade Sale | TransPerfect | – |
| Dermatologikum Healthcare · Germany | 2016 | 2023 | Trade Sale | Bergman Clinics | – |
| MediFox HealthTech · Germany | 2013 | 2018 | Secondary | Hg | – |
| Uroviva Healthcare · Switzerland | 2017 | 2025 | Trade Sale | Affidea | – |
German Equity Partners IIIRealizedBuyout20060 assets3 exitsBuyout2006 · 20yr–03
German Equity Partners IIRealizedBuyout20000 assets7 exitsBuyout2000 · 26yr–07
Realized
7 exits| Company | Entry | Exit | Type | Buyer | MOIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alukon Industrials · Germany | 2002 | 2004 | Secondary | AXA Private Equity | – |
| eismann Consumer · Germany | 2004 | 2007 | Secondary | Intermediate Capital Group | – |
| KK&K Industrials · Germany | 2005 | 2006 | Trade Sale | Siemens | – |
| Maredo Hospitality · Germany | 2005 | 2017 | Secondary | Perusa | – |
| PAAL Group Industrials · Germany | 2001 | 2016 | Trade Sale | Kadant | – |
| PolyComp Industrials · Germany | 2004 | 2006 | Secondary | Industri Kapital | – |
| Polytan Industrials · Germany | 2003 | 2006 | Secondary | Industri Kapital | – |
German Equity Partners IRealizedBuyout19960 assets5 exitsBuyout1996 · 30yr–05
Realized
5 exits| Company | Entry | Exit | Type | Buyer | MOIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Reha Healthcare · Germany | 1998 | 2005 | Secondary | Advent International | – |
| CineMedia Film TMT · Germany | 1996 | 1999 | IPO | Tele München Group | – |
| M&J Fibretech Industrials · Denmark | 1996 | 2004 | Trade Sale | Saurer Group | – |
| MAP Financials · Germany | 1998 | 2001 | Trade Sale | ResMed | – |
| Spectro Industrials · Germany | 1997 | 2005 | Trade Sale | AMETEK | – |
About ECM Equity Capital Management
ECM Equity Capital Management is a 30-year DACH succession and carve-out specialist with approximately €1.0 billion of cumulative equity commitments as of December 2024 (GEP V active at €325 million committed), headquartered in Frankfurt am Main at Taunusanlage 18. The firm was founded in 1995 and operates as a partner-owned independent firm (current partners include Axel Eichmeyer) with no parent. The proven cycle-through-cycle track record positions ECM as a pure-play German-speaking mid-market specialist.
Investment thesis
ECM Equity Capital Management deploys capital through five flagship funds (German Equity Partners I through V, GEP V 2018 vintage €325 million currently active, GEP IV 2014, predecessors GEP I-III), targeting DACH mid-market buyouts with majority stakes via succession, partnership models and corporate carve-outs in niche-leader Mittelstand companies with €20-250 million enterprise value. Sector focus spans software and tech, healthcare and dermatology, industrials and automotive, education and training, business services and specialty recruitment. Geographic deployment is exclusive to DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Recent activity
Recent realised exits include software and fleet management (YellowFox, October 2025), financial services and factoring (DATAPART Factoring, May 2025) and healthtech and software (MediFox, 2018). Recent acquisitions include education and training (Education Group via GEP V, 2024) plus a pipeline of mid-market succession deals across 2024-2026. The platform continues active deployment of GEP V across the DACH succession mandate.
Frequently asked questions
- What investment strategy does ECM Equity Capital Management focus on?
- ECM Equity Capital Management focuses on Buyout strategies in the private equity space.
- How many portfolio companies does ECM Equity Capital Management have?
- ECM Equity Capital Management has 6 active portfolio companies and 24 completed exits and 5 funds tracked on GP Intel.
- Where is ECM Equity Capital Management headquartered?
- ECM Equity Capital Management is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.
- When was ECM Equity Capital Management founded?
- ECM Equity Capital Management was founded in 1995.
- What sectors does ECM Equity Capital Management invest in?
- ECM Equity Capital Management invests across Industrials, Healthcare, Consumer, Business Services, Software.
- What are ECM Equity Capital Management's recent exits?
- Recent realized exits by ECM Equity Capital Management include: DATAPART (2025) to IK Partners; Intermate Group (2025) to SAMY Alliance; YellowFox (2025) to Peter Moehrle Holding; Apostroph Group (2025) to TransPerfect; Uroviva (2025) to Affidea; PikeTec (2023) to Synopsys; Dermatologikum (2023) to Bergman Clinics; MediFox (2018) to Hg.
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