Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, welcomes the successful IPO of Planisware, a leading B2B SaaS software provider in the fast-growing Project Economy space. As part of this transaction, Ardian has partially exited its investment in the company, with Planisware’s co-founders retaining a majority stake.

Since 1996, Planisware has enabled companies to improve their Project Portfolio Management (PPM) processes, from strategy definition to detailed tracking of deliverables. With its 12 offices and c. 700 employees, the company currently supports more than 545 customers, from SMEs to large corporates, in 38 countries.

The Growth team at Ardian acquired a stake in Planisware in 2003, with the co-founders remaining majority shareholders. Throughout this period, the Ardian team has shared its expertise to support Planisware’s growth through four pillars of acceleration:

• Strategically supporting the company’s transition to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, while preserving its DNA of profitable growth;
• Accelerating the group’s international expansion, particularly in the United States;
• Helping M&A strategy, with the acquisition of NQI in 2018 and the integration of Japanese subsidiary IFT in 2023;
• Supporting the liquidity process, throughout the structuring and monitoring of the IPO project.

In just a few years, the business has become a market leader, recognised by leading independent technology research organisations such as Gartner and Forrester. In 2023, the company, which employs c. 700 people, achieved sales of c. 156 million euros, with annual growth of 20% and an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 33%.

Planisware’s IPO will enable the company to increase its visibility and brand awareness, further accelerating its development. The company’s shares will list on Euronext Paris (ticker: PLNW) with a market capitalization above 1 billion euros. Ardian will continue to support Planisware after the IPO and remains aligned with the future value creation of the company through its c. 5% remaining stake.

“Planisware’s successful IPO is a recognition of the quality of our team and our solutions. I want to take this opportunity to thank Ardian which, since joining our capital and my first discussions with Dominique Senequier 20 years ago, has constantly demonstrated a true entrepreneurial spirit in supporting Planisware through its various growth phases. Their support has fully met our expectations.” Pierre Demonsant, Co-Founder & Chairman, Planisware

“I would like to thank the founders of Planisware for the trust they have shown in Ardian and congratulate them and their teams for this exceptional journey. This transaction perfectly illustrates Ardian Growth’s positioning and our commitment to back management teams in their development projects. Our purpose is to support the profitable growth of European category champions, enabling them to fully unlock their potential and establish themselves as global leaders.” Alexis Saada, Head of Growth & Senior Managing Director, Ardian

“As a close partner with a strong entrepreneurial mindset, understanding Planisware’s management DNA has been the foundation of our collaboration. We are pleased and proud to have been able to accompany the company until this listing milestone.” Geoffroy de La Grandière, Managing Director Growth, Ardian