Loy & Co advised the shareholders of Kulturwerke Deutschland Sprachreisen GmbH on the sale of a majority stake to Waterland Private Equity

November 2024

The transaction

Waterland Private Equity (Waterland) has acquired a majority stake in Kulturwerke Deutschland Sprachreisen GmbH (Kulturwerke Deutschland). The remaining shares are held by the sellers.

Together with Waterland, the re-invested management plans to further accelerate the impressive growth of Kulturwerke Deutschland by expanding its market presence in Germany and internationally organically and through acquisitions in existing and new business areas. The transaction was closed in November 2024.

The companies

Kulturwerke Deutschland

Kulturwerke Deutschland was founded in 2014 as a placement agency for stays abroad and language trips. With the addition of another shareholder and managing director in 2020, Kulturwerke Deutschland realigned itself and has since focused primarily on student exchange programs to the USA. Thanks to its high quality standards for optimal advice and support for participants as well as a broad online presence, Kulturwerke Deutschland has since quickly established itself as the leading German agency for arranging high school stays in the USA and other destinations such as Canada, Oceania and Europe.

Waterland

Waterland is an international private equity firm with proven expertise in the development of market leaders in Western Europe, in particular through organic initiatives and strategic add-on acquisitions as part of “buy & build” strategies. Targeted investments with a long-term holding horizon enable Waterland to provide active support in all areas to ensure sustainable growth and a successful market position for its holdings.

Since its foundation, Waterland has accompanied over 1,000 companies, from solid medium-sized businesses to international corporations. With a team of 190 employees in thirteen European countries, Waterland acts as a strong partner for sustainable growth. In 2023, Waterland announced the final closing of its ninth institutional flagship fund with a volume of 4 billion euros.

About Loy & Co Corporate Finance GmbH

Loy & Co is an independent, owner-managed consulting firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions, shareholder financing, corporate financing and financial consulting for medium-sized companies.