Mittelstand needs reliable partners, in good and bad times.
DR. MICHAEL ROGOWSKIIndustrial Partner for Machine Making, Capital Goods, Technology & Automation
Overview
Rantum Capital was founded in 2013 by investment executives from Germany with international backgrounds, successful Mittelstand entrepreneurs as well as large cap corporate executives with the aim of supporting Mittelstand companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with both capital, industrial know how and networks. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Rantum currently manages/advises both an institutional credit funds and private equity funds. Rantum Capital is the umbrella brand for Rantum Capital Management GmbH (debt activities) and Rantum Advisors GmbH (equity activities).
Our general investment principle is solely investing in industries of which we have a basic understanding i. e. at least one of our Industrial Partners looks back on many years of senior leadership experience and is well-positioned to assess business models, markets, technologies and the quality of management teams in oder to complement and support the investment team at execution.
We think and act as entrepreneurs and many of our Industrial Partners who are all shareholders of Rantum Capital, are looking back to a successful track record as family entrepreneur or senior leaders of large enterprises. Hence, our philosphy is “By entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs”. It is our conviction that the German Mittelstand is the backbone of the German economy as much as society. Against this backdrop, we do not only provide capital but networks and experience to our portfolio companies and their family owners. Our mission is to help them reach their personal and entrepreneurial goals swiftly and in a non-bureaucratic fashion.
Our “Rantum Private Debt Fund I” with capital commitments of 125 million EUR as well as our “Rantum Private Debt Fund II” with capital commitments of 300 million EUR focus on direct lending to the German Mittelstand with emphasis on subordinated loans complimentary to senior bank financing. We support family and entrepreneur owned businesses in situations with extraordinary capital requirements, for example growth investments, the management of generational handover situations, add-on acquisitions, the bolstering of balance sheets or for refinancings of bonds, management buy-in/management buy-out transactions or buyouts of minority shareholders. The funds are backed by capital commitments from european institutional investors, insurance companies, pension plans and foundations.
Together with our partner Yi Bao, Chairman & Founder of Cedarlake Capital and former CEO of Morgan Stanley’s Chinese business (JV), we advise the “Cedarlake Private Equity Fund I”, which has capital commitments of 296 Million EUR. The fund focuses on the acquisition of majority control investments in Mittelstand companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Our investment strategy puts specific emphasis on companies with business models that prominently feature further growth potential in China and Asia. Situations where superior local market access and local capital markets access in China and/or Asia can create value are situations of specific focus and fit perfectly with the deep local networks and experience of our partner Yi Bao and his team. We see the synergies between Germany, the global leader in engineering and China, per definition the largest and most dynamic customer market globally, as unique opportunity to create value. We help our portfolio companies to grow both in Europe and Asia.
Thanks to our competence accross the liabilities side of the balance sheet, we are able to provide solutions instead of products for families and owners of Mittelstand companies. Our mission is to structure capital solutions for any given type of situation.