Future-proof industries in Germany
We focus on the acquisition of majority interests in profitable asset-light companies in the B2B services, software & IT, healthcare and lifestyle sectors in German-speaking countries. We see around 500 companies from the DACH region each year. 350 of them from a strong network of investment banks, M&A boutiques, corporate finance houses and 150 that we identify ourselves. Thanks to our comprehensible, entrepreneurial approach, we are perceived by the entrepreneurs who sell to the funds we advise as a trustworthy sparring partner with the same level of interest.
As a result, we have successfully implemented 26 platform and add-on transactions in the last five years alone.
On the one hand, people today have a higher average life expectancy, and on the other, demographics play a role. People want to improve their quality of life — for example with glasses, hearing aids or other aids and remedies that support bodily functions or proactively take preventative measures. The trend is towards “well-being”, a solution that improves quality of life, combined with the best advice.
As is typical for Beyond, we support the companies in achieving above-average organic growth and, through a Germany-wide buy & build approach, are also a driver for above-average, profitable growth of the investments. In the medical supply retail sector, for example, we have grown from a regional position in a highly fragmented market to the top 5 position in Germany in terms of size and sales with the ANK-Kaiser Sanitätshaus Group in just three years.
In addition, we have created by far the largest chain of traditional opticians in the high-end price segment in Germany — OUNDA “Optik und Akustik ” — and integrated the 110 owner-managed locations acquired over a period of around two years and established a fully functional, modern, digitalized organization that nevertheless never loses sight of the customer as the highlight in the truest sense of the word. Another company that we support in this area is our most recent investment —
The B2B sector makes up by far the largest group of companies in our portfolio. It has been evident for years that companies that hold long-term contracts — in some cases with guaranteed sales — are absolutely predictable in their development. In the tech-enabled services sector, we are active with several companies and provide highly complex but essential services for their customers, e.g. in the areas of software, CGI and AI!
Real leaps towards digital value creation are achieved by our portfolio companies primarily through the smooth integration of technology-based, organizational and methodical internal structures and the services based on them for their customers. A high level of expertise, customer proximity and intellectual property are key to retaining customers in the long term. The technological claim creates the moat for the companies and enables a stronger lock-in effect with the customer, which often goes hand in hand with a strengthening of the margin. We prefer to cover this field with companies from the fields of product visualization and digitization, but also data and software-driven companies.
Christoph D. Kauter is Managing Partner and founder of Beyond Capital Partners. With over 25 years of experience as a private equity investor, he has a proven track record in transactions, exits and the implementation of value-enhancing growth strategies, and is a strong supporter of ESG as a value driver for companies. He has held board positions at private equity firms since 2008 and was appointed to the board of the German Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVK) in 2025. Christoph holds a diploma in Banking & Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and a postgraduate degree in Finance from CASS University London and is a certified Real Estate M&A Advisor. He is a mentor and sponsor for Level 20 and created the “Beyond Capital Partners Scholarship” to support female M&A students at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.