Frankfurt am Main, 10 February 2022
The Private Equity/Venture Capital team of SKYE PARTNERS has advised Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (Carlyle) on its minority growth investment in Shopware AG. In addition to Carlyle, PayPal participated in the financing round. The closing of the transaction is subject to the approval of the German and Austrian antitrust authorities. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Shopware is a leading digital commerce system and used by some of the largest brands, retailers and manufacturers across B2C, D2C and B2B industries, including Philips, Jägermeister and Aston Martin. Shopware’s open commerce platform gives customers the freedom to quickly and easily realise their growth potential – with greater flexibility to deal with complex challenges. Today, merchants all around the world rely on Shopware solutions – from start-ups to enterprises – generating a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of close to USD 20 billion in 2021. From its headquarters in Schöppingen, Germany, Shopware employs 350 people and relies on a global network of 1,200 sales, technology and solution partners. A community with hundreds of thousands of members gives customers access to over 4,000 extensions and certified professional support. Through continuously high investments in research and development, Shopware is a leading driver of innovation in digital commerce.
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $301 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2021, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs nearly 1,850 people in 26 offices across five continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on Twitter @OneCarlyle.
The SKYE PARTNERS team of legal advisors specializing in Private Equity- and Venture Capital transactions advised the investment team of Carlyle on the legal and structural issues of the transaction as well as in the context of the legal due diligence and the execution of the transaction.
Advisors Carlyle:
SKYE PARTNERS, Frankfurt am Main: Holger Scheer & Julia Rosigkeit (lead), Sandra Brieske, Lisa Schulte and Lukas Schobert (all Private Equity/Venture Capital), Britta Alscher, Eckbert Müller and Dr. Luca Rawe (Pusch Wahlig Workplace Law, Berlin – Employment Law), Bettina Carr-Allinson (BCA-Law, Frankfurt am Main – IP/IT Law), Dr. Jochen Deister, Georg Meyer-Spasche (DMZ Legal, Frankfurt am Main – IT and Data Protection Law), Dr. Frank Bayer (FRB-Tax, Munich – Tax).
Advisors PayPal:
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Frankfurt am Main: Dr. Matthias Horbach & Johannes Goossens (both Corporate/Private Equity).
Advisors Shopware:
Bird & Bird, Frankfurt am Main: Dr. Kai Kerger, Johanna Schindler & Tamara Böhmert (all Corporate/Private Equity), Michael Schwarzkopf (LLR Rechtsanwälte, Köln – Corporate).
Contact:
Holger Scheer – SKYE PARTNERS
Tel: +49 69 9999938-00
info@skye-partners.de
About SKYE PARTNERS:
SKYE PARTNERS (www.skye-partners.de) is active since February 1, 2018 as a transaction law firm, specializing in corporate law, venture capital, private equity and restructuring. With more than 25 years of international experience in corporate transactions, we use state-of-the-art software technology to form and coordinate bespoke teams for our clients’ complex transactions. Thereby, SKYE PARTNERS already developed a growing network of more than 400 legal advisers at 17 locations in the major jurisdictions of Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East.
SKYE PARTNERS uses only those colleagues who are perfectly suited to the respective client, both professionally and personally, and with whom long-standing contacts already exist.
The knowledge of our clients, their business and the industries and markets in which they operate is the basis for generating added value for our clients. We share this knowledge with our global cooperation partners and thus offer modern, integrated and global consulting at the highest level.
Our clients include leading private equity firms, venture capital funds, investment banks and companies across a range of industry sectors, including healthcare, services, consumer products, software & technology, ITC & TMT, SAS, e-commerce and digital entertainment.