Siteimprove partners with Nordic Capital to accelerate growth
Siteimprove is a global leader within website experience and digital marketing optimisation, offering a comprehensive platform on a strong growth trajectory. Nordic Capital will support the Company’s future growth journey as the new majority owner in close partnership with the CEO & Founder.
As an award-winning global Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company, Siteimprove unites essential digital disciplines into a single, integrated solution. It empowers organisations with the tools to protect their reputation through consistent content quality standards, improve accessibility and compliance, and holistically optimise marketing efforts across organic and paid search. With nearly 20% of the world’s population living with a disability, website accessibility has become a major focus for organisations worldwide and Siteimprove is a global leader within this field.
The Company was founded in 2003 by its CEO Morten Ebbesen, and has its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since then it has grown steadily, and now has offices across Europe, North America and Asia. Siteimprove has 550 employees in 15 countries and over 7,200 customers globally. The Company’s customer base derives mainly from financial services, healthcare, and the public sector, and includes some of the most well-respected organisations in the world. In 2019, the Company reached recurring revenues of USD 81.6 million, of which approximately 60 percent from US customers.
Siteimprove has significant long-term growth potential, driven by increasing market penetration, expansion in key customer segments, and opportunity-generating past investments in product development and platform solutions. Nordic Capital will support Siteimprove’s further development and international expansion by investing in the organisation and product offering, accelerating its growth as a strong and sustainable company.
“I am very pleased that we have chosen Nordic Capital as our partner for Siteimprove’s future journey. They have a long history of developing technology companies and enabling and driving global growth. Nordic Capital’s investment is an endorsement of our success to date and a validation of our software, which can help overcome today’s most demanding digital challenges regardless of a company’s size or industry. I am looking forward to further developing Siteimprove in partnership with Nordic Capital,” says Morten Ebbesen, CEO and Founder of Siteimprove.
“We have long admired Siteimprove as one of the top SaaS companies globally, with great potential for further growth due to its world class product offering, strong customer base and expanding market coverage. Nordic Capital will draw upon its significant experience and success in developing technology companies, working closely with the management team to continue Siteimprove’s journey as a strong and sustainable company. We are impressed by the Company and how its products reduce inequality in society by helping people with disabilities gain access to a digitalised world, and drive growth across essential digital disciplines” says Fredrik Näslund, Partner and Head of Technology & Payments, Nordic Capital Advisors.
Morten Ebbesen will continue as significant minority shareholder in the Company and remain as CEO. Growth equity investor Summit Partners, the company’s current minority shareholder, will divest its holding upon completion of the transaction. Summit Partners invested in Siteimprove in 2015.
Technology & Payments is one of Nordic Capital’s core focus sectors, with 16 platform investments in the Nordic region since 2001. It has a strong and active sector network and a dedicated Technology & Payments team with local presence across Northern Europe. Nordic Capital’s previous experience in this sector includes investments such as Bambora, Trustly, Conscia and Signicat.
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Footnote: “Nordic Capital” refers to any, or all, Nordic Capital branded or associated investment vehicles and their associated management entities. Nordic Capital is advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which is referred to as “Nordic Capital Advisors”.
Press contacts
Siteimprove
Jesper Termansen, Chief Marketing Officer
Tel: +45 2479 8646
e-mail: jte@siteimprove.com
Nordic Capital
Katarina Janerud, Communications Manager
Nordic Capital Advisors
Tel: +46 8 440 50 50
e-mail: katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com
About Siteimprove
Siteimprove helps organisations achieve their digital potential by cutting through complexity and making it easier to prioritise work that drives value across digital disciplines. Siteimprove’s platform empowers teams with actionable insights that eliminate guesswork and prioritise the most impactful tasks. Siteimprove has 550 employees across offices in 15 countries, helping over 7,200 customers achieve their digital potential from a single solution. The company is part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the leading group of organisations, thought leaders, and community members developing international web standards, and one of only twelve exclusive Adobe Premier partners. Learn more at siteimprove.com
About Nordic Capital
Nordic Capital is a leading private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Core sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services and Industrials & Business Services. Key regions are Northern Europe and globally for Healthcare. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested more than EUR 15 billion in over 110 investments. The Nordic Capital vehicles are based in Jersey. They are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities based in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, the UK and the US, any or all of which are referred to as Nordic Capital Advisors. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com
