Hamburg/Langen, 26 June 2024 – As digitization continues, the ICT networks and cyber security markets will continue their rapid global growth in the coming years. dacoso – one of the leading IT service providers for networks and cybersecurity in the DACH region – is keen to take advantage of this. With European private equity fund Waterland, dacoso has brought a strong growth partner on board. International expansion will be advanced together with the new majority shareholder, and the successful trajectory of dacoso, which has its main headquarters in the Hessian town of Langen, will be further enhanced.

The stakes are sold by company founders Thomas Joswig and Horst Pohl as well as the two sons Felix Pohl and Robin Pohl; all will retain a stake in the future and Felix Pohl will continue to lead the group as CEO. The transaction remains subject to the usual official approvals; financial details have not been disclosed.

dacoso GmbH, which was founded in 2004 and has continually grown, is a leading IT network integrator and provider of data security in the DACH region. It focuses on managed services for optical networks, intelligent networks and cybersecurity, which dacoso operates in its own certified IT Network & Security Operations Center (SOC) for its customers. These are supplemented by services such as consulting, integration and rollout with a nationwide field service – an end-to-end portfolio where the focus is on performance, data security, and economic efficiency as well as customers’ critical infrastructure. The company’s well-established customer base includes numerous high-profile blue-chip companies (enterprise and carriers) that, with dacoso’s support, interconnect data centers, network different locations or develop carrier backbones while also identifying and fending off risks of attack. In addition to its headquarters near Frankfurt am Main, dacoso is also represented at eleven further locations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and generates sales revenue in the hundreds of millions of euros with its almost 300 employees.

Thomas Joswig and Horst Pohl agree: “After 20 years, it is the right time to entirely hand over management to the next generation and take the next organic and inorganic growth step – in Waterland, we are delighted to have found a partner who can closely accompany us on this path with its expertise and financial strength. Both our employees and our customers will benefit from this partnership.”

CEO Felix Pohl notes: “With Waterland we have found a partner for our continued journey that has both particular expertise in the development of growth companies as well as longstanding experience in the ICT sector. The chemistry is also right – with this optimal foundation, we are looking forward to developing an international, market-leading group.”

Dr. Carsten Rahlfs, Managing Partner at Waterland, adds: “A stable ICT infrastructure with high transfer volumes and the ability to fend off cyberattacks are becoming ever-more important. dacoso’s positioning in its industry is already outstanding in the DACH region; now we want to combine our strengths to develop a European market leader in the network integration and cybersecurity space.”

Waterland is one of Europe’s most active investment firms and has invested extensively in the digitization, IT, and telecommunications sector. The portfolio in the DACH region currently includes companies such as netgo (IT service provider), Hyand (software development), enreach (Unified Communications), Skaylink (managed enterprise platform) and Serrala (payment technologies).

ABOUT WATERLAND
Waterland is an independent private equity investment company that supports companies in realizing their growth plans. With substantial financial resources and industry expertise, Waterland enables its portfolio companies to achieve accelerated growth both organically and through acquisitions. Waterland has offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. The company currently has approximately EUR 14 billion in equity funds.  Since its foundation in 1999, Waterland has consistently achieved above-average performance with its investments. Globally, the company is ranked fourth in the HEC/Dow Jones Private Equity Performance Ranking (January 2023) and is ranked seventh among global private equity firms in the Preqin Consistent Performers in Global Private Equity & Venture Capital Report 2022.
www.waterland.de

Press contact: 
IWK Communication Partner
Florian Bergman
+49 89 2000 30 30
waterland@iwk-cp.com
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