Meticulous in all we do.
You can count on it.

As an investment company, we put our capital, network and knowledge at the disposal of enterprising and ambitious companies. In collaboration with entrepreneurs and management teams, we invest in companies and help them realize their growth ambitions.

We do what we do with passion. What’s more, as supportive shareholders we are genuinely involved in and proud of the companies in which we invest. For us, it’s the people behind the companies that are the most important factor. We want to get the best out of people and businesses.

We invest in companies which are rooted in the Benelux. Our team of investment specialists operates from offices in the Netherlands (Houten near Utrecht), Belgium (Antwerp) and Germany (Lohmar near Cologne). Our team comprises Belgian and Dutch specialists with complementary backgrounds. We focus on Benelux companies because we are at our best when we are close to entrepreneurs and management teams that we have a clear affinity with. The Benelux companies in which we invest often operate internationally, from other European countries all the way to the United States or Asia.

Facilitating potential growth is a common denominator in all our investments. That’s what we aim for. This growth often was impossible or constrained within the companies’ previous setting. In conjunction with management, we capitalize on these companies’ potential, hidden or otherwise, and bring out the best in them.

We can be of service in the following situations:

• Family-owned companies facing succession issues.
• The replacement of a (group of) shareholder(s), whereby the management team remains involved to independently expand the company.
• The acquisition of non-core activities of a larger company.

the above-mentioned situations are also referred to as (management) buyouts. We invest in buyouts with an average transactional value of between 20 and 200 million euros.

We invest sector-wide in sound, profitable companies that are led by driven management teams. We work in partnership with management, offering them co-ownership of the company. The right personal chemistry between the management team and the people at Gilde, as well as a shared strategic ambition are at the core of our partnership.

Further qualities of the companies in which we invest are:

• a strong position within their (niche) market;
• a proven track record;
• an operating result of at least two million euros;
• plenty of growth potential, either organically or through acquisitions;
• company value of between 20 and 200 million euros

We would love to learn about your ambitions and ideas. If you’d like to discuss these in confidence, please get in touch with one of our partners.

While every investment situation is unique, our methodology is consistent. All our investments are characterized by close collaboration with the management team that is managing daily operations.

A key departure point for all our investments is the development of a joint strategy, which we define collectively with the management. This strategy is then translated into a long-term plan that forms the foundation of our collaboration. Experience has taught us that this leads to quick and efficient decision-making. Operational control is always with the management, so they can act decisively and flexibly. We serve as a sounding board and sparring partner. Together, we establish a clear and natural division of roles, striving for corporate governance in which decisions can be made quickly and entrepreneurship stays at the heart of the matter.

The management team is always given the opportunity to acquire a meaningful shareholding and co-ownership, thus nurturing an open, honest partnership that’s based on common interests and mutual trust. Together, we want to realize strategic objectives and exploit potential to the fullest. This is what we strive for!

You will find in us a committed and reliable partner. It’s about joint entrepreneurship in both good and challenging times.

We do not have a hard and fast horizon as such. We invest for the long term, with the objective of realizing sustainable growth together, which takes time. In our experience business success automatically triggers a next step for the company. When this moment presents itself, we assess it openly with one another. Together, we then look for a suitable, future-proof shareholder structure that will facilitate the further development of the company.

Yes. As every investment situation is unique, we always start with a clean sheet. We will create a suitable shareholder structure in which the interests of stakeholders, the necessary financial latitude, knowledge and experience all come together. In addition to the management, founders or family shareholders can also be involved, and perhaps even an industry expert to add extra value. Here too, partnership is always key.

Gilde has several minority interests (with like-minded fellow shareholders). However, in almost every investment situation, the amounts involved are so substantial that Gilde, as a financially powerful growth partner, provides the majority of the funding.

We rely on a prudent combination of equity and debt financing. In addition to a substantial equity contribution we typically finance part of the acquisition sum with bank debt; but always in a way that complements the company and our joint growth ambitions and thus provides the space for entrepreneurship. Strategy determines the level of leverage, never the other way around! After all, the objective is realizing successful growth.

Despite the fact that we provide risk capital, our thinking is not driven by a spreadsheet. Doing business together and fueling joint growth are our bottom line, not a quest for an annual cash dividend. With respect to the latter, we prefer to invest it in the company − and thus stimulate further growth. In our experience a healthy return is then a natural result.

The Gilde partners are the owners and also invest in new acquisitions themselves. At fund level we also attract long-term capital from large, international pension funds and institutional investors, enabling us to invest in (the growth of) our portfolio companies. Gilde manages funds totaling over one billion euros.

Yes indeed. There are three Gilde companies, namely Gilde Equity Management, Gilde Healthcare and Gilde Buy-Out Partners, and they all operate independently of one another. We share the Gilde brand name and a common history that stretches back to 1982. In 1996 it was decided that these investment funds should forge ahead independently, each with its respective focus and strategy.

As Gilde Equity Management we concentrate on companies that are rooted in the Benelux because we want to be as close as possible to entrepreneurs and management teams. We invest in buyouts with an average transactional value of between 20 and 200 million euros. Gilde Healthcare Partners, meanwhile, is a venture capital fund that focuses on investments in healthcare technologies, while Gilde Buy-Out Partners targets larger companies in continental Europe. In case of an overlap, the Gilde companies can actually compete with one another.

A buyout is a transaction whereby the shares in a company are transferred. The existing shareholders are partly or fully ‘bought out’. If, in such a situation, a private equity company like Gilde is involved and the existing management, as a rule, becomes co-shareholder in the company, the transaction is typically referred to as a management buyout. The existing management and Gilde are buying the company together and will then jointly pursue successful growth.

This is possible. Doing business together and working together also means investing risk capital together, but this will always be in proportion to (y)our financial capacity. Every investment situation is unique and requests a tailored approach. We structure the buyout so that management can always acquire a meaningful share and become an owner in the company.

From day one we have focused on the sustainable profitability of the companies in which we invest. The way we see it, everybody’s interests − including those of employees, clients, society and the environment − must be taken into account. Our principles are documented in the Gilde Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy.

Together with the management teams with which we collaborate, we are consciously and actively working on the implementation of, and compliance with, an effective ESG policy. We just see it as an integral part of doing good business.

An active ESG policy helps us manage risks and seize opportunities. During the due diligence investigation and in the shareholder phase the things that we look at include:

• Environmental – energy efficiency, waste, pollution, the procurement of raw materials from renewable sources;
• Social (employees and society) – employee safety, compliance with legislation and permits;
• Governance (governance and transparency) – works councils and trade unions, the prevention of bribery and corruption.

Employees make all the difference. And that is why a strong relationship with the works council that represents these employees is of great value to us. The management is the day-to-day and primary point of contact for the works council. Gilde and, if relevant, the supervisory board typically touch base with the works council once or twice a year.

You’re more than welcome to contact a Gilde partner. Any and all contact will be discreet and confidential. We vouch for that.