Axess Groupe reorganises its shareholder base and accelerates its growth with support from Crédit Mutuel Equity and Bpifrance

Axess Groupe continues its growth with support from two new investors joining its shareholder base: Crédit Mutuel Equity and Bpifrance. This transaction will allow the Group to reorganise its shareholder base and gain access to new resources in order to accelerate its strategy for external growth.

Founded in Valence, France, in 2003 by its current chairman, Gilles Tréhiou, Axess Groupe is positioned as a digital transformation expert, organised around three areas of expertise: publishing of vertical market software, cloud computing, and digital strategy services. The company generates €30 million in revenue and has 300 employees.

Axess Groupe was formed with the goal of being a one-stop shop for the digital transformation of companies and government entities. The Group’s offering is made up of three complementary clusters with strong sector-based expertise in software publishing (health, training and education, digitalisation, and industrial after-sales service). These software solutions are complemented by offerings for hosting in a sovereign, private cloud that’s HDS-certified (French “health data host” certification), services for integrating open-source solutions that deliver value for organisations, the design and development of web solutions, and consulting for digital marketing and strategy.

With three sites in France (Valence, Lyon, and Paris) allowing the company to cover the entire country, Axess Groupe is a versatile digital specialist that has developed gradually by successfully acquiring around 20 companies since its founding. These targeted acquisitions have allowed the company to develop its market-specific expertise and achieve average annual growth of 20%. Axess Groupe aims to continue its development through both organic and external growth while remaining on the lookout for new business opportunities that might form synergies with the company’s existing expertise. Their ambition is to double in size by 2027/28 while remaining faithful to their values.

As part of a process brokered by the business bank Edmond de Rothschild Corporate Finance, this transaction marks the exit from the shareholder base of the Rhône-Alpes PME fund managed by Siparex Entrepreneurs, as well as the entry of two new investors: Crédit Mutuel Equity, the leading partner in the transaction, and Bpifrance Investissement. Gilles Tréhiou, founder of Axess Groupe, remains the majority shareholder. The financing for the transaction was rounded out with senior debt provided by a pool of banks led by CIC Lyonnaise de Banque, BNP Paribas, and Banque Populaire Auvergne Rhône Alpes.

“With the Cap2028 strategic plan, Axess has laid out an ambitious roadmap focussed on external and organic growth, synergies between business lines, renewing contracts, implementation of a CSR programme, and upholding our founding values. Across all of management and our teams, we are both highly motivated at the idea of implementing this plan and also very proud to welcome Crédit Mutuel Equity and Bpifrance into our shareholder base,” says Gilles Tréhiou, Chairman of Axess Groupe. “The adventure continues and I am delighted to welcome Jean-Lucien Durand and Lionel Giai-Gischia to our Strategic Advisory Board. I would also like to thank Eric Le Hir and Adrien Sirera from Siparex Entrepreneurs, who supported us for close to five years, a period during which our company thrived.”

“We are excited about supporting Axess Groupe in this new phase of ambitious growth. Digital transformation is a major concern for many companies and the Group has proven its expertise in supporting the digital transition, as we can see from its record of growth and its operational performance. As a veritable platform for consolidation, the Group also has a strong ability to successfully integrate numerous acquisitions thanks to a strong corporate culture and values. We believe in the potential of Axess Groupe in the years to come,” says Jean-Lucien Durand, Director of Equity Investments at Crédit Mutuel Equity.

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