Axcel is an international private equity firm with offices in Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden. For almost 30 years, Axcel has operated in the mid-market, targeting leading businesses with potential for internationalization and enterprise values primarily in the range of EUR 75-300 million, but can acquire even larger companies.
Axcel has raised six funds with cumulative capital commitments of EUR 2.8 billion. These funds have made 68 platform investments, with more than 150 add-on investments and 49 exits.
With a strong focus on Nordic companies in the industrial & business services, tech, consumer, and healthcare sectors, Axcel creates successes through a combination of its team’s network and experience paired with a systematic, growth-oriented value creation approach.
Although every company and each situation are different, Axcel believes that the chances of success increase by leveraging best practices. Axcel’s proven Axcelerating Value Creation Model™ is focused on the quick identification and implementation of targeted initiatives that provide the foundation for profitable growth and positive impact. Axcel focuses on four targeted value creation themes designed to create lasting transformation: commercial excellence, buy & build, digitalization, and sustainability. Ultimately, success is achieved through close collaboration between the management team, the company board and Axcel, who leverage structured processes, templates, KPIs and tools for assessing, prioritizing, planning, monitoring and reporting on the progress of strategic development, value creation initiatives and operational improvements.
“Finding a business where we know we can make a difference is just the beginning. Once we get excited about the opportunities we see, we go all-in to work with a business to unleash its full potential to create a positive impact – both for the company and society,” says Asbjørn Hyldgaard, Partner at Axcel.
Lasting transformations
The Axcel team believes that lasting transformation must be a change for the better and recognizes that profit and positive impact are intrinsically linked. Axcel became a signatory to the UN Global Compact in 2010 and committed to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2014. Axcel’s structured approach to sustainable value creation ensures all its companies address material environmental, social, and governance topics in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Axcel believes that by embedding responsible business conduct across its portfolio companies and ensuring that corporate strategies address sustainability driven risks and opportunities, its companies will deliver better returns, will be valued higher, and will increase their positive impacts on society and the environment.
“Today more is required of us and of our companies to meet rising stakeholder expectations. Sustainability is not only about acting responsibly and mitigating risks, but also about value creation, competitive advantage, and measurable impact. As active owners we work hard to support our companies in their sustainability journeys,” says Sarah Hempel, Head of Sustainability at Axcel.
