‘This new acquisition brings us to $600m’: QBS CEO on Prianto merger

This represents the fourteenth buyout for the distie in over six years

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Dave Stevinson

QBS Software is to buy 100 per cent of the share capital of Prianto to “become more important to publishers and partners” across EMEA.

This will allow QBS Group to generate reoccurring revenues nearing $600m (£482.1m), and a headcount of more than 400 professionals across 12 geographies.

The move comes one week after Dave Stevinson, CEO of QBS Software, said the company had “no reason to slow down” on acquisitions.

CRN sat down with Stevinson to understand what this new merger means for the future of both companies and the broader EMEA channel.

“By combining QBS and Prianto’s revenue, that brings us to roughly $600m, well on the way to our $1bn target,” says Stevinson.

“Our plan is to blend double digit organic growth with strategic acquisitions to help us along the way.”

Territorial expansion

As part of the deal, QBS has agreed to acquire 12 companies in ten countries; Prianto GmbH, Prianto France SAS, Prianto Services GmbH, Prianto Limited, Prianto BV, Prianto Schweiz GmbH, Prianto Projects and Procurement GmbH, Prianto Austria GmbH, Prianto Polska Sp.z.o.o., Prianto Turkey, Prianto South Africa and Prianto Hungary.

Some of these markets, such as Romania, Czechia, Poland, Austria and Switzerland, QBS did not previously have a footprint in.

“We also become a very dominant player in Germany and France, and we back up our strength in the UK.”

Born in Germany, Prianto is the biggest software VAD in its home country.

The UK distie is also planning on strengthening its influence in DACH through further investments.

“Will we make more acquisitions in the region in the next few months? Certainly not.

“But the next few years? Absolutely.

“We’ll keep on growing progressively across the EMEA region while looking at opportunities in APAC and LATAM.”

Prianto’s leadership

But what will happen to the current Prianto team, including the co-founders, whose brainchild was born in 2009?

“The Prianto team will stay,” Stevinson tells CRN.

“We’ve got ambitious growth plans, so this is definitely one for growth rather than cutting jobs.

“The owners of Prianto will become part of the new group.

“Oliver Roth, co-founder of Prianto, will become group CCO, while its current MD, Thomas Kasper, will become VP for Europe.

“William Geens, the other founder of Prianto, will become a strategic advisor.”

Capability integration

The agreement is expected to formally complete at the end of February.

After the completion of the acquisition, Stevinson’s plan “is to keep the companies completely separate for the first four months.”

“We then can work better together and use Prianto’s VAD capabilities blended with QBS software delivery capabilities to become more important to our publishers and our partners,” Stevinson adds.

This represents the fourteenth buyout in six years for the distie, following Titus, Maxtec, KSoft Korlátolt Felelősségű Társaság (KSKFT), InfoNet, Zedsphere, Compuwave, AlphaGen, and UAB Laknova.