Translink Corporate Finance Finland served as the financial advisor to the owners of a Finnish SaaS company, AddSearch Oy, in the share purchase conducted by saas.group. AddSearch, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is a leading provider of hosted website search solutions. The Company specializes in offering a comprehensive solution to improve website conversion rates, customer experience, and customer support. AddSearch’s platform seamlessly integrates with popular content management systems like WordPress, Shopify, Magento, and Wix. The Company’s notable customers include Carnival, ThyssenKrupp, ABB, Telia, Dun & Bradstreet, and the European Central Bank. AddSearch was founded in 2013 by Antti Ala-Ilkka, Mikko Nurminen, and Pasi Ilola.

Saas.group, founded in 2017 by tech entrepreneurs Tim Schumacher, Ulrich Essmann, and Tobias Schlottke, focuses on acquiring promising SaaS companies and providing them with a founder-friendly process to elevate their products and people. With a portfolio of fourteen acquisitions, including Beekast, Crosstalent, Tower, Rewardful, Prerender, Juicer, Seobility, and others, saas.group has shown a commitment to driving innovation across various verticals such as Sales & Marketing, HR, Dev Tools, and eCommerce. With a presence in 20 countries and a team of over 180 professionals, saas.group is well-positioned to support the growth and expansion of AddSearch.

This acquisition marks saas.group’s 15th successful acquisition and its entry into the Nordics market. It strengthens saas.group’s portfolio and offers customers the opportunity to enhance user experiences, increase conversions, reduce operational costs, and maximize customer lifetime value.

Helena Rebane, CEO of AddSearch, commented on the transaction: “Having established AddSearch as a market-leading hosted website search product, we look forward to working closely with saas.group to further scale the company. Our joint efforts will aim to provide better solutions for our customers, improving retention rates, enhancing customer satisfaction, and reducing costs.”

Tobias Schlottke, Co-Founder & CTO at saas.group, added, “We are incredibly excited about the addition of AddSearch to our portfolio. As one of the early pioneers of hosted website search, AddSearch has built an enviable product with a diverse client base spanning five continents.”

Translink had an integral role in facilitating this transaction by leveraging its deep industry knowledge, extensive network, and transactional expertise. The firm’s dedicated team worked closely with AddSearch throughout the process, providing strategic advice and ensuring a successful outcome. This acquisition is a testament to Translink’s commitment to delivering exceptional results for its clients in the SaaS landscape.

Antti Ala-Ilkka, founder of AddSearch, comments on the process: “The collaboration with Translink went seamlessly, and the team’s flexibility, uncompromising attitude, and pragmatic approach made a great impression. Translink’s value-add was significant both in the success of the negotiations and in coordinating the entire process. The collaboration resulted in an excellent outcome, saving significant time and energy for the main shareholders and the management team.”