Paris, 21 February 2023. Montefiore Investment, the reference fund for SMEs and Mid-Cap services companies, today announces the sale of its majority stake in Gandi, a French domain name registrar, web hosting company and provider of email and SSL certificates, to the pan-European company Total Webhosting Solutions (TWS).
Today both companies, who share similar entrepreneurial DNA and values, announced their merger and the creation of Your.Online: a leading European online services platform supporting businesses of all sizes in realizing and scaling their online ambitions. Your.Online will serve over one million customers across Europe and the USA.
Founded in 2000, Gandi now has 150 employees on 3 continents and 350,000 customers. Backed by Montefiore Investment since 2019 and under the leadership of its founder and CEO, Stephan Ramoin, the company has continued its profitable growth trajectory and has grown its revenue by an average of 10% per year to exceed €50m in revenues in 2022. At the same time, EBITDA has more than doubled.
Stephan Ramoin, who will remain committed through his non-executive role as Chairman of the Your.Online Advisory Board, said: : “In creating Your.Online, we ensure Gandi remains autonomous, while teaming up with like-minded people. Montefiore’s support over the past four years has enabled us to become a leader in our market and this milestone in our development will allow us to improve our proposals to clients and challenge the status quo, thanks to the complementarity of our services and positions.“
Daniel Elalouf, Managing Director – Partner at Montefiore Investment, added: “We thank Stephan, his management team and all the employees for their trust and commitment to building a unique company. We are proud to have accompanied the Gandi team in accelerating its profitable growth. For four years, we have worked hand in hand to accelerate the growth of the business, notably with key accounts, develop new innovative products, and improve profitability. As a result, the company has considerably strengthened its position in France and abroad. We have enjoyed working together and wish them all the best in their next phase of growth within Your.Online.”
Abe Bakker, CEO Your.Online, concluded: “Today marks an incredible step in our journey. Since the foundation of TWS in 2017 we have united and empowered great web hosting brands across Europe. Gandi is an exceptional company with a strong “no bullshit” culture recognized in our market for their innovation and focus on security. We are excited to partner with Gandi and support its management team to continue their growth journey.”
About Montefiore Investment
Founded in 2005, Montefiore Investment is the reference investor for small and medium-size service companies in France. Over 18 years, the company has demonstrated its ability to turn French SMEs into true European champions. Thanks to its strong sector experience and expertise, Montefiore Investment successfully supports companies in their growth projects and development. Its track record makes it one of Europe’s key mid-market private equity players. Headquartered in Paris, Montefiore Investment manages over €2,5 billion in assets, investing between €20 million and €200 million per company. Since 2021, Montefiore Investment has also been a shareholder and strategic partner of Starquest, a venture capital firm dedicated to investing in innovative companies with high environmental impact (GreenTech).
About Gandi
Gandi is a domain name registrar, a web host, and an email and SSL certificate provider whose guiding ambition is to make the internet accessible to all. But above all, Gandi is a French success story built on customer trust and word-of-mouth recommendations. It all began with only a few pioneers of the free internet, and 20 years later, it became a small but mighty international business with 150 employees spread over three continents; with values that remain unchanged and make Gandi unique and independent in the market.
About Your.Online
- 5 million products
- 1 million customers
- 15% organic growth
- €175m revenue
- 8 brands
- 600 employees
