Walder Wyss on the sell of Magnolia to GENUI

Elvaston, an entrepreneur-led private equity firm, has sold its participation in Magnolia International to GENUI. The investment company has acquired a majority stake in Magnolia and will injects significant growth capital into the company.

Magnolia is a Swiss based digital experience software company, developing and distributing a digital experience platform as well as a content management system (CMS) for content-driven marketing. The company is an emerging vendor pioneering the vision of “composable” Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs). DXPs sit on top of content management systems (CMS) and enable brands to orchestrate compelling digital experiences across multichannel customer journeys and devices. The global market for DXPs is forecast to reach 23 billion US dollars by 2028, with an average annual growth rate of above twelve percent from 2021 to 2028. The company already serves clients in more than 100 countries through nine regional offices and counts many global brands such as The New York Times, Sanofi, Sainsbury’s, Ping An and Bechtle as its trusted customers.

With the funding, the company will continue the expansion of its global sales and marketing footprint including its technology and channel partner ecosystems, accelerate product innovation and increase global market awareness. 

Exiting investor Elvaston Capital Management secured a majority stake in Magnolia in 2017, which GENUI is now acquiring. Elvaston is specializing in investments in small to medium-sized companies in the German-speaking region, and in particular in the technology sector.

The purchase price and other details of the transaction were not disclosed. GENUI was advised on this transaction by CMS Legal and Bär & Karrer (Structuring), while Morrison Foerster (Legal Germany) and Walder Wyss acted as advisors to Elvaston.

The Walder Wyss team included Michelle Bruni (senior associate, corporate/m&a and tax), Alexander Gutmans (partner, corporate/m&a and venture capital), Maurus Winzap (partner, tax), David Borer (partner, finance), Robert von Rosen (partner corporate/m&a), Marius Breier (managing associate, tax), Simon Olstein (associate, corporate/m&a) and Katrin Hagger (associate, finance).