cerato partners group
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSchönefeld, Germany
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What cerato partners group does
Cerato Partners Group is an owner-run boutique investment management firm established in 2015 and headquartered in Schönefeld, Germany, operating through its legal entity Cerato Holding GmbH. The firm provides three integrated services targeting the tail end of the investment lifecycle: (1) Distressed Investments — acquiring illiquid legacy equity stakes in companies and debt claims against borrowers; (2) Liquidation Services — acquiring special purpose vehicles (SPVs) and corporate structures to liquidate them on its own account; and (3) Corporate Advisory — providing due diligence, restructuring, and operative transformation services to third-party sellers or buyers. The firm positions itself as a fast, discreet counterparty for sellers of non-performing or legacy assets, targeting deal sizes up to EUR 5m per transaction and operating across 12 countries with multi-jurisdictional capabilities.
Cerato is fully equity-funded (no external institutional capital, no venture or private equity backing) and is led by Managing Partners Fritz Obermüller (founder, 15 years of experience, formerly at Auction.com, Hatfield Philips, and Hudson Advisors) and Gunther Kotz (16 years of experience, formerly Head of Special Servicing at Hatfield Philips/Situs). The management team has collectively executed or advised on workout and distressed situations with an aggregate volume exceeding EUR 20bn. Since inception, Cerato has completed 23 transactions, acquired EUR 1.3bn of nominal claims aggregate, and closed 4 liquidation transactions, including notable deals with D.E. Shaw (German NPL portfolio, January 2019), a EUR 175m NPL portfolio (April 2019), a syndicated loan from two large German banks (April 2021), and the acquisition of llex Integra GmbH (November 2021). The firm was ranked top 3 in Germany in the Debtwire European NPLs FY18 report.
The business model is transaction-based, with revenue generated through the acquisition, workout, and liquidation of distressed assets (capital appreciation and realization gains on principal positions) as well as corporate advisory fees. The firm is a registered private limited company (HRB-Nr. 12125 CB, Amtsgericht Cottbus) with no technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and a relationship-driven go-to-market targeting banks, financial institutions, investment managers, and corporate sellers of legacy positions across Europe.
cerato partners group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- cerato partners group
- Legal name
- Cerato Holding GmbH
- Website
- https://cerato.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
cerato partners group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Distressed Asset Investment Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Debt Buying & Portfolio Acquisition (Charged-Off Receivables) (FSAKAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Debt Buying / Portfolio Acquisition & Recovery (Debt Purchasers) (BPAAAEAG), Due Diligence Advisory (Commercial/Financial/Operational) (BPAHADAE)
Keywords
Where cerato partners group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Schönefeld
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
cerato partners group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Distressed Asset Acquisition: Cerato acquires illiquid and difficult assets including equity stakes in companies and debt claims against borrowers. Revenue is generated through the acquisition and subsequent liquidation or workout of distressed assets.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
cerato partners group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cerato is an owner-run boutique investment management firm that acquires illiquid and distressed assets — including equity stakes in companies and debt claims against borrowers — predominantly in legacy situations where other investors wish to exit. It also acquires SPVs and corporate structures to liquidate them on its own account, and provides corporate advisory services covering due diligence, restructuring, and operative transformation for third-party buyers or sellers.
Product overview
Cerato is an owner-run boutique investment management firm established in 2015 that provides solutions for the tail end of the investment process. The firm operates through three integrated service offerings: Distressed Investments (acquiring legacy equity stakes and debt claims), Liquidation Services (acquiring and liquidating SPVs and corporate structures), and Corporate Advisory (providing due diligence and restructuring services to third parties). These services work together to offer comprehensive end-to-end solutions for investors seeking to exit legacy positions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Distressed Investments
- Liquidation Services
- Corporate Advisory
Quantifiable outcome
- EUR 1.3bn nominal claims acquired aggregate
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use cerato partners group
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
cerato partners group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
cerato partners group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
cerato partners group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EOS Group: EOS Group is a leading European debt purchasing and receivables management company, headquartered in Germany. It directly competes as a buyer of NPL portfolios and distressed receivables from banks and corporates, overlapping Cerato's core distressed investment activity across European geographies.
- Intrum: Intrum is a Stockholm-listed credit management and NPL portfolio acquirer operating across Europe. It is directly comparable to Cerato in purchasing distressed loan portfolios and servicing/recovering them, with similar multi-jurisdictional European reach and bank-counterparty relationships.
- Hoist Finance: Hoist Finance is a Stockholm-listed specialist in non-performing consumer and SME debt portfolios, active across European markets. It competes with Cerato in acquiring NPL portfolios from European banks and shares a focus on multi-jurisdictional distressed debt purchasing.
- Lowell Group: Lowell is a major European NPL buyer and credit management servicer, focused on purchasing and recovering distressed debt portfolios across the UK and continental Europe. It is directly comparable to Cerato in distressed portfolio acquisition and multi-country debt workout.
- B2Holding ASA: B2Holding is a Norwegian-listed debt purchase and collection group active across European NPL markets. It competes with Cerato as a buyer of non-performing loan portfolios and as a servicer, sharing the multi-jurisdictional European NPL buying thesis.
- Hatfield Philips International: Hatfield Philips is a European CMBS special servicer and workout advisor that buys and resolves distressed commercial real estate loans. Both founders of Cerato previously worked there, and it is directly comparable in CMBS/distressed real estate loan acquisition and workout activity.
Broad incumbents
- Oaktree Capital Management: Oaktree is a large global alternative investment manager with a flagship distressed debt strategy that has long purchased European NPL and corporate distressed positions. As a much larger incumbent, it competes with Cerato for the same bank-distressed asset flow but at materially larger scale and ticket size.
- Lone Star Funds: Lone Star is one of the largest global investors in European distressed debt and NPL portfolios. It is a broad incumbent competitor to Cerato for institutional bank NPL disposals across Europe, though at a significantly larger scale and ticket size.
Emerging players
- Capstone Investment Advisors: Capstone is a global alternative investment manager active in European distressed and credit opportunities. It overlaps with Cerato's distressed investment mandate but operates at a larger fund scale and broader strategy mix.
Regional players
- Clearwater International: Clearwater International is a European corporate finance advisor with a strong German M&A practice offering corporate advisory including due diligence and restructuring services. It overlaps with Cerato's corporate advisory offering on due diligence and restructuring mandates, primarily in the DACH region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
cerato partners group social profiles
Digital presencecerato partners group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
cerato partners group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
cerato partners group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
cerato partners group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
cerato partners group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about cerato partners group
What does cerato partners group do?
Cerato is an owner-run boutique investment management firm that acquires illiquid and distressed assets — including equity stakes in companies and debt claims against borrowers — predominantly in legacy situations where other investors wish to exit. It also acquires SPVs and corporate structures to liquidate them on its own account, and provides corporate advisory services covering due diligence, restructuring, and operative transformation for third-party buyers or sellers.
Is cerato partners group a public or private company?
cerato partners group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was cerato partners group founded?
cerato partners group was founded in 2015.
Where is cerato partners group based?
cerato partners group is headquartered in Schönefeld, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does cerato partners group make money?
One revenue line is on record: distressed Asset Acquisition.
Who are cerato partners group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EOS Group, Intrum, Hoist Finance, Lowell Group, B2Holding ASA and Hatfield Philips International. Broad incumbents are Oaktree Capital Management and Lone Star Funds. Capstone Investment Advisors is listed as an emerging player. Clearwater International is listed as a regional player.
Does cerato partners group have an API?
No public API is recorded for cerato partners group.
What industry is cerato partners group in?
cerato partners group's product category is Distressed Asset Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAJAC, Debt Buying & Portfolio Acquisition (Charged-Off Receivables), with a secondary code of BPAAAEAG, Debt Buying / Portfolio Acquisition & Recovery (Debt Purchasers). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.