Translink Corporate Finance in France advised IK Partners on the acquisition of a minority stake in OCTIME Group, a leading French SaaS workforce management company.

IK Partners (IK), a leading European mid-market private equity house, has reached an agreement to acquire a minority stake in OCTIME Group through its IK Partnership III fund. Guillaume Berbinau, President of OCTIME Groupe since 2008, will remain as the majority shareholder. He relies on Nicolas Michel-Vernet, Managing Director of the Group, and his management team, who see their position strengthened.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Biron, France, OCTIME Group is a software company that provides a comprehensive range of solutions for time management and human resource planning. The Group supports over 7,000 small to medium-sized enterprises across a diverse range of sectors and countries in the digitalisation of their human resource processes. With its staff of 300, the Group is a clear leader in France, Spain and LATAM in time & planning and schedule management solutions, and number one in France in the healthcare and medico-social sectors. Since inception, the company has demonstrated sustained organic growth and resilience, driven by the consistent acquisition of new clients.

IK Partners will work with OCTIME’s Managing Director, Nicolas Michel-Vernet, and his management team to continue building its leadership position in the time management space through the acquisition of new clients within relevant sub-sectors. The Group also plans to strengthen its international presence through the pursuit of an active buy-and-build strategy focused on European neighbouring countries.

Translink Corporate Finance acted as M&A advisor to IK Partners in the context of a competitive auction process led by Entrepreneurs & Finance. IK Partners engaged Translink Corporate Finance for its knowledge and insights into the deal and its strong expertise on SaaS and on the workforce management solutions ecosystem.

Guillaume Berbinau, President of OCTIME Group, commented, “I am very proud of the trajectory of the OCTIME Group, which has managed to retain its DNA, expertise and commitment, while achieving exemplary growth. We owe this success to the strength of our team. I am convinced that the team at IK will be committed partners in supporting and accelerating our future growth plans.”

Magdalena Svensson, Partner at IK and Advisor to the IK PF III Fund, said, “Under the leadership of Guillaume, Nicolas and their team, OCTIME has established itself as a leading French software as a service developer in the time management and planning space. We look forward to working with Guillaume, the management team and Andera Partners in the next phase of the Group’s growth.”

“IK Partners is very pleased with this first cooperation with Translink. Their insights into the deal were absolutely on point and helpful,” Svensson continued.

Marc Irisson, Partner and Head of TMT at Translink Corporate Finance added, “We are proud to have advised IK Partners in this transaction. I have followed OCTIME’s growth journey since 2013 when I first met the company, and have seen the excellent work Nicolas has done over the past few years. Knowing OCTIME’s ambition and mindset, I’m convinced that IK Partners is the best partner to boost their future growth.”