Hampleton Partners advises PAQATO on sale to easybill

London, Frankfurt 16 December 2024 – Hampleton Partners advised the shareholders of PAQATO, Germany’s leading provider of after-sales e-commerce software, on the transaction with easybill, a German market leader in electronic invoicing and everyday business operations and a portfolio company of technology investor LEA Partners.

With its software solution, PAQATO revolutionizes the after-sales experience for both consumers and merchants in the e-commerce realm. PAQATO enables e-commerce teams to leverage aftersales data to drive growth, efficiency and loyalty and deliver exceptional customer experiences beyond the point of purchase.

easybill provides a GoBD-compliant invoicing software for companies in every industry. The combination of PAQATO’s expertise in e-commerce sales and easybill’s capabilities in all backend processes is set to unlock new avenues of growth for the combined entity.

The combination of after-sales communication and leading e-invoicing creates a platform that seamlessly extends the shopping experience into billing while strengthening customer loyalty. PAQATO brings its SaaS solution for automated, personalized after-sales communication to optimize the post-purchase customer journey. The partnership primarily supports the growing customer base of more than 20,000 SMEs and e-commerce companies and enables them to increase their sales potential through a specialized after-sales solution as well as simpler processes and greater transparency through an integrated platform.

Following the transaction, PAQATO CEO Michael Lüken will remain Managing Director at PAQATO and stay re-invested.

Michael Lüken, founder and CEO of PAQATO: "Hampleton has an extensive track record in the Digital Commerce sector and understood the value of PAQATO, which was instrumental in the process of finding the optimal partner for us. They ran a structured process that generated several options, and provided outstanding advice that led us to the transaction with easybill and LEA Partners.”

Konstantin Kastius, Managing Director at Hampleton Partners, emphasizes: "We are delighted to have worked with PAQATO to find a new partner for the next step in its growth trajectory. We approached various potential partners and received indicative offers from both strategic and financial buyers across Europe and North America, who were particularly interested in PAQATO’s after-sales e-commerce expertise. We’re excited to see how easybill and PAQATO, two German leaders in their respective domains, will combine their capabilities to expand their footprint."

Jan Eiben, Managing Partner at Hampleton Partners, adds: “During the transaction process, we leveraged our expertise and extensive network across the digital commerce and software space to generate interest from a number of interested parties. This underscores that Hampleton can create highly competitive auctions on a fast pace including bidders from Europe and North America and deliver optimal transaction outcomes.”

Hampleton Partners supported the founder and CEO of PAQATO during every phase of the transaction process. The project was led by Konstantin Kastius as Managing Director and Ralph Hübner as Sector Principal and supported by Tim Stemkens as Lead Associate.

The transaction underlines Hampleton’s M&A expertise in the Digital Commerce sector and is another success story that follows more than 120 advisory mandates successfully completed by Hampleton. This figure includes several transactions in the Digital Commerce domain, such as the $100m investment in Shopware by Carlyle and PayPal, the acquisition of Loop54 by FACT-Finder/GENUI or the strategic investment in Queue-it by GRO Capital. 

Hampleton Partners advises technology company owners on M&A and growth financing transactions with strategic buyers or financial investors. Hampleton’s experienced deal makers have advised hundreds of tech industry shareholders and provide hands-on expertise and unrivalled advice to entrepreneurs looking to sell their companies, partially exit, or to accelerate growth.

The international software and tech specialist also releases sector coverage reports multiple times a year free of charge. 

The latest reports by Hampleton Partners Reports, including one covering the Digital Commerce sector, can be downloaded free of charge through the following link: https://www.hampletonpartners.com/reports/

With hubs in London, Frankfurt, Stockholm, San Francisco and Shanghai, Hampleton offers a global perspective with sector expertise in: Enterprise Software, Digital Commerce, IT & Business Services, Artificial Intelligence, Autotech, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Healthtech, HR Tech, and Insurtech. 

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