Milbank LLP has advised funds advised by LEA Partners GmbH ("LEA") on the sale of CAD/CAM software provider SEMA to Bregal Unternehmerkapital. The sale also involved investor VIA Equity, based in Denmark, and management, which both remain invested. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1984, SEMA offers solutions that cover the full range of activities around timber and stairs construction for carpentries and prefabrication firms. The software suite provides one uniform program surface with applications that comprise all relevant fields from 2D/3D CAD planning and design to photorealistic visualization to calculation and tender preparation, as well as production plans and working drawings. With significant market shares in Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, SEMA is used by more than 10,500 carpentries and prefab house manufacturers in 54 countries, primarily for the planning, visualization and production of buildings, roofs and facades.
LEA and VIA Equity acquired a controlling stake in SEMA back in 2019 to support the company’s expansion of its market leadership position and its achievement of operational excellence. Under the ownership of LEA and VIA, SEMA experienced tremendous top and bottom-line growth, building upon its best-in-class products and great customer relationships. As part of the investment strategy, SEMA established a strong management team, invested in its technology platform, acquired an ERP/CRM software provider and performed various pricing and product bundling initiatives.
With currently €460 million in commitments, LEA is an entrepreneurial-minded multi-stage private equity firm investing in growth technology companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Operating out of Karlsruhe, one of Europe's largest technology clusters, its mission is to fund and support ambitious founders and executives by leveraging them with practical, hands-on growth expertise to achieve market leadership.
The Milbank team that advised LEA in all corporate aspects of the transaction was led by partner Michael Bernhardt and included associate Andreas Rief (both Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt).
