Background
- One.com is one of Europe’s leading providers of domain names and web hosting services to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and small-office home-offices (SOHOs)
- In 2014, Accel-KKR made a growth equity investment in One.com. Under Accel-KKR ownership, One.com cemented its leadership position in Europe, doubled revenue to c. €60m while profitability expanded by over 50x
Process
- DC Advisory, led by Alexander Luycx, was engaged by One.com and Accel-KKR to advise on the sale of the business
- With very extensive transaction experience in the hosting space, and having advised One.com on the investment by Accel-KKR in 2014, DC Advisory was uniquely placed to advise the company’s shareholders
- DC ran a highly targeted and accelerated process, leveraging its sector expertise and senior relationships
Outcome
- Following a competitive process, One.com was sold to Cinven, an international private equity firm which previously owned Host Europe Group, in a transaction achieving a very successful outcome for all shareholders in a tight timetable
It has been great being part of the One.com journey since 2014 and seeing the company very successfully grow into a European success story, all the while staying true to the company’s unique DNA. I am excited about the next chapter ahead of One.com and am very much rooting for the success story to continue, which I am convinced it will.
