Klar Partners
Klar Partners is an independent London-based mid-market private equity firm investing €25–250M in mission-critical services and industrial technology companies across the Nordic, DACH, Benelux and UK regions, with ~€2B AUM across two funds and 10 platform investments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Klar Partners does
Klar Partners is an independent, mid-market private equity firm founded in 2020 and headquartered in London, with additional offices in Stockholm, Munich and Zurich. The firm invests across the Nordic, DACH and Benelux regions, targeting control investments of €25–250 million in companies with €50–500 million of revenue in two principal sectors: mission-critical services and industrial technology. Its stated investment approach combines operational improvement, digitalisation, ESG and sustainability, servitisation and buy-and-build strategies, with a target of greater than 2.5x MOIC / 25% IRR gross returns per investment.
KLAR operates a traditional PE fund model. Fund I closed at its €630 million hard cap in March 2021, and Fund II closed at €870 million in June 2024, a 40% step-up that brought cumulative capital raised since inception to approximately €1.5 billion. Revenue is generated through conventional PE economics: annual management fees (typically 1.5–2% on committed capital) and performance-based carried interest on fund profits above the preferred return hurdle. The firm is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (reference 923319), is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, and classifies Fund II under SFDR Article 8.
The firm's product is its 10 platform investments spanning building safety (Ventro Group, Konzmann, Nimlas), property damage restoration (Ocab), underground infrastructure (ITS Kanal Services, Swoosh), managed IT services (hallo,), SaaS for utilities (Enerim), in-vitro diagnostics (Bühlmann Laboratories), electrical test and measurement technology (GMC-Instruments), and solar energy solutions (NWT Group). Collectively these portfolio companies employ over 10,000 people. KLAR supports these businesses through a dedicated in-house Catalyst Team with capabilities in growth, AI operations, and portfolio monitoring. Customers in the traditional sense are the firm's limited partners — public pensions, endowments, foundations, fund of funds, family offices and insurance companies from Europe and North America — sourced through direct institutional relationships and the placement agent Evercore Private Funds Group.
Klar Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Klar Partners
- Legal name
- KLAR Partners Ltd
- Website
- https://klarpartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Klar Partners is an independent London-based mid-market private equity firm investing €25–250M in mission-critical services and industrial technology companies across the Nordic, DACH, Benelux and UK regions, with ~€2B AUM across two funds and 10 platform investments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Klar Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity / Investment Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industry-Specialist Buyout (Sector-Focused) (FSANABAE)
Keywords
Where Klar Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Klar Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Management Fees: Annual management fees charged on committed capital under management, typically ranging from 1.5-2% annually for private equity funds.
- Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest (typically ~20%) from fund profits above the preferred return/hurdle rate, representing the primary upside for the GP.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Fund management with equity investments of €25m – €250m |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Klar Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Klar Partners is an independent, mid-market private equity firm that raises and manages investment funds (Fund I €630M closed March 2021; Fund II €870M closed June 2024) and makes control equity investments of €25m–€250m in Northern European mid-market companies with €50–500m of revenue. The firm focuses on mission-critical services and industrial-technology businesses across Nordic, DACH and Benelux regions, applying a transformational investing approach that combines leadership selection, digitalisation, ESG/sustainability, servitisation and buy-and-build strategies to grow market leaders.
Product overview
Klar Partners is an independent, mid-market private equity firm (not a product company) that invests in mission-critical services and industrial technology companies across Northern Europe. The firm does not offer a unified product platform but manages a portfolio of 10+ portfolio companies operating in distinct sectors: IT managed services (hallo,), building safety (Ventro Group), electrical test & measurement technology (GMC-Instruments), technical building installation (Nimlas Group, Konzmann Group), in-vitro diagnostics (Bühlmann Laboratories), underground infrastructure services (ITS Kanal Services, Swoosh), solar energy solutions (NWT Group), property damage restoration (Ocab), and SaaS for utilities (Enerim). Each portfolio company operates independently with its own product/service offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- KLAR Partners Fund I Debut mid-market private equity fund with €630 million of committed capital, closed at hard cap in March 2021. Targets control buyout investments in mission-critical services and asset-light industrial sectors across Nordic, DACH and Benelux regions; subscribed by institutional LPs including public pensions, endowments, foundations, asset managers, insurance companies, fund of funds and family offices.
- KLAR Partners Fund II Second-generation mid-market private equity fund with €870 million of committed capital at final close in June 2024 (40% larger than Fund I). Classified as SFDR Article 8, it continues the firm's strategy of control investments of €75–200m+ in mid-market mission-critical services and industrial-technology businesses across Nordic, DACH and Benelux; subscribed by globally diverse top-tier institutional investors from Europe and North America.
Quantifiable outcome
- Target gross returns >2.5x MOIC / 25% IRR per investment
Companies that use Klar Partners
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Klar Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Klar Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Macfarlanes LLPcoreLegal counsel for Fund I. Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel for Fund II.
- UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)coreKLAR Partners is a signatory to UN PRI, demonstrating commitment to responsible investment practices and ESG integration.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Klar Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Triton Partners: Stockholm-headquartered mid-market PE sponsor investing in business services and industrial companies across Northern Europe; KLAR's senior team is largely ex-Triton, making it a directly comparable strategy.
- IK Partners: London/Stockholm-based mid-market European PE firm investing in business services and industrial tech with control buyouts in the same Nordic/DACH/Benelux footprint as KLAR Partners.
- Waterland Private Equity: European mid-market PE investor in business services and 'buy & build' champions across Benelux, DACH and the Nordics; directly comparable strategy and regional focus to KLAR.
- Altor Equity Partners: Nordic and DACH-focused mid-market PE firm investing in business services and consumer/industrial companies; directly comparable sector and geography mandate to KLAR.
- Summa Equity: Oslo-based thematic PE firm investing in mission-critical services and resource efficiency across the Nordics; comparable size and platform strategy to KLAR (Fund II ~€870m vs. comparable summa vehicles).
- Stirling Square Capital Partners: Pan-European mid-market PE firm focused on business services and industrial tech with control investments; comparable mandate and ticket size to KLAR Partners.
Broad incumbents
- Veritas Capital: Larger US/EU PE firm focused on technology-enabled mission-critical services to government and commercial customers; overlaps with KLAR's mission-critical services thesis at a larger scale.
- Nordic Capital: Large Nordic-headquartered PE firm focused on healthcare, technology, financial services and industrials; overlaps with KLAR in Northern European mid-to-upper-mid-market business services investing.
Regional players
- Litorina: Stockholm-based Nordic mid-market PE firm investing in business services and industrial technology with similar sector and ticket-size focus as KLAR.
Others
- Lone Star Funds: Global alternative investment firm with private equity operations; one of KLAR's senior team members (Tim Käsbach) came from Lone Star, and its European buyout activity provides adjacent market context for KLAR's mid-market deal flow.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Klar Partners social profiles
Digital presenceKlar Partners compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Klar Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Klar Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Klar Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
Klar Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Klar Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments7 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Klar Partners
What does Klar Partners do?
Klar Partners is an independent, mid-market private equity firm that raises and manages investment funds (Fund I €630M closed March 2021; Fund II €870M closed June 2024) and makes control equity investments of €25m–€250m in Northern European mid-market companies with €50–500m of revenue. The firm focuses on mission-critical services and industrial-technology businesses across Nordic, DACH and Benelux regions, applying a transformational investing approach that combines leadership selection, digitalisation, ESG/sustainability, servitisation and buy-and-build strategies to grow market leaders.
Is Klar Partners a public or private company?
Klar Partners is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Klar Partners founded?
Klar Partners was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Klar Partners based?
Klar Partners is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Klar Partners make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are Klar Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Triton Partners, IK Partners, Waterland Private Equity, Altor Equity Partners, Summa Equity and Stirling Square Capital Partners. Broad incumbents are Veritas Capital and Nordic Capital. Litorina is listed as a regional player. Lone Star Funds is listed as an others.
Does Klar Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Klar Partners.
What industry is Klar Partners in?
Klar Partners's product category is Private Equity / Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAD, Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity, with a secondary code of FSANABAE, Industry-Specialist Buyout (Sector-Focused). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.