RANTUM PORTFOLIO COMPANY AQUA GROUP SECURES NEW GROWTH FINANCING AND CONTINUES SUCCESSFUL BUY & BUILD STRATEGY

• Additional acquisitions strengthen Aqua Group’s regional footprint in Bavaria and facilitate expansion into North Rhine-Westphalia
• Crescent Capital provides debt financing to refinance existing bank debt and support ongoing acquisition strategy
• Strategic integration of add-ons to unlock further operational synergies

Aqua Group GmbH (“Aqua Group”) is a leading full-service provider of water and fire damage restoration, including leakage detection, remediation, drying and damage restoration, with a strong regional focus on Central and Southern Germany. Handling the entire value chain of the damage management process, from diagnosis to restoration and billing, the company forms an exclusive link between insurance companies, property managers, affected parties, and other stakeholders.

The acquisition of further add-ons in the strategically important regions of Northern Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia represents another key step in the buy & build platform’s development towards becoming a nationwide leading player in water and fire damage restoration.

The growth financing secured by Aqua Group will be used to refinance existing bank debt and to finance the acquisition of several companies. The financing package provided by Crescent Capital also enables further acquisitions in the future to continue the pursued buy & build strategy.

Hartwig Finger, Managing Director of Aqua Group, comments: “The acquisition of additional owner-managed companies is the next strategically important step for our group, allowing us to achieve full market coverage in Bavaria and a swift market entry in North Rhine-Westphalia. We are pleased to have found a strong and renowned partner in Crescent Capital, who will support Aqua Group’s continued growth over the long term.”

Markus Wenz, Managing Director at Rantum Capital, adds: “The partnership with Crescent Capital marks a major milestone for Aqua Group. The provided facility enables us to continue executing the successful buy & build strategy and sustainably strengthen Aqua Group’s market position on its path to becoming a nationwide player. At the same time, we would like to thank Hypo Vorarlberg Bank and Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich for the great partnership and for supporting Aqua Group over the past few years.”

Aqua Group and Rantum Private Equity Fund II were advised on the various transactions by RSM Ebner Stolz (Dr. Roderich Fischer, Holger Beck, Matthias Krankowsky, Alexander Stoll, Dr. Tobias Weiss). Herter & Co. – Teneo Capital Advisory (Paul Kim, Marvin Wruck) acted as Sole Debt Advisor to Aqua Group and Rantum Private Equity Fund II. Debt financing was provided by Crescent Capital (Nicole Waibel, Jannik Callenberg). Law firm McDermott Will & Emery (Dr. Matthias Weissinger, Alexander Klein) provided legal advice to Aqua Group and Rantum Private Equity Fund II in the negotiation of the debt financing.

About Aqua Group

Aqua Group GmbH with headquarters in Holzkirchen (Bavaria) is a leading supraregional provider of water and fire damage restoration services, with over 35 branches and more than 550 employees. The group was founded in 2021 through the acquisition of a nucleus company to implement a buy & build strategy aiming to consolidate independent service providers with an entrepreneurial corporate culture. The group has a highly diversified and renowned customer base in the B2B segment and handles over 30,000 projects annually. For more information about Aqua Group, visit www.aquagroup-gmbh.de.

About Crescent Capital Group LP

Crescent is a global credit investment manager with $46 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2024. For over 30 years, the firm has focused on below investment grade credit through strategies that invest in marketable and privately originated debt securities including senior bank loans, high yield bonds, as well as private senior, unitranche and junior debt securities. Crescent is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago and London with more than 230 employees globally. Crescent is a part of SLC Management, the institutional alternatives and traditional asset management business of Sun Life. For more information about Crescent, visit www.crescentcap.com.