27 June 2023
IK VIII Fund has entered into exclusivity negotiations to sell Nomios (“the Company”), a European expert in cybersecurity and secure network services, to Keensight Capital (“Keensight”), one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout investments. Financial terms of the contemplated transaction, which is subject to the prior information and consultation of the relevant employee representative bodies and other customary approvals, are not disclosed.
Nomios has a presence in over 20 offices across Europe, more than €400 million in revenue coupled with a healthy profitability and over 600 employees; a large portion of which are certified engineers. The Company specialises in helping customers secure their increasingly complex digital landscape. It provides an end-to-end offering, including: Nomios support; solutions from trusted and high-quality vendors; professional services; and managed services, including but not limited to Nomios’ security operating centres (“SOCs”).
Since IK acquired the Company in January 2019, it has undergone a transition towards a cybersecurity expert of scale across Europe. It has successfully doubled its revenues through organic growth realised across service lines and geographies. Under the leadership of CEO Sébastien Kher, Nomios has capitalised on its proven track record of client stickiness, maintaining and achieving high vendor accreditations and high employee loyalty. In addition, Nomios has also launched several new strategic initiatives, including the successful unveiling of various SOCs in its key markets. It has also expanded its footprint in Europe through two acquisitions in Poland and Italy.
Sébastien Kher, CEO at Nomios, said:
“We are grateful for the support that IK has offered the business since 2019. With its help, we have significantly grown Nomios through new services and a broader geographic footprint. We are excited by the opportunity to enter into a new partnership with Keensight and to benefit from their significant experience in — and expertise on — the markets in which Nomios is active, in order to continue our strong organic growth, combined with further acquisitions in Europe to grow our footprint.”
Remko Hilhorst, Managing Partner at IK and Advisor to the IK VIII Fund, said:
“We are proud of all that we have achieved in partnership with the management team at Nomios. We have established the Company as one of the clear leaders in the European cybersecurity market, positioning it as a scaled provider of increasingly recurring services to its loyal client base. The quality of the entire Nomios team has allowed us to strongly grow the business year on year. We are convinced that the contemplated transaction will ensure continued success of team and wish them and Keensight every success in the future.”
Philippe Crochet, Managing Partner at Keensight Capital, added:
“We’re very excited at the prospect of embarking on this journey with the management of Nomios, a leader in cybersecurity with recognised expertise and a unique presence in Europe. We’ve been extremely impressed by the work they have done and we look forward to partnering with them in an ambitious new stage of growth.”
In addition to what is set out in this message, signing and completion of the transaction is subject to the prior information and consultation of the relevant employee representative bodies, as well as further legal and regulatory approvals.
In the context of this transaction, Sycomore Corporate Finance acted as exclusive financial advisor to Keensight Capital.
The transaction team included François Vigne, Tristan Dupont, Aurélien Singer, Martin Bonissol and Antoine Chambriard.