Experton has pinched former TechConsult analyst Carlo Velten to start an Investment Advisory service for holding companies and IT enterprises.
Velten is an investment specialist who will be Experton’s senior advisor responsible for the development of Investment Advisory services. Experton Group will offer professional support with transactions in the IT market to holding companies, investment banks and strategic investors.
After a fundamental slow-down in investment transactions in the European IT market during 2001-2002, a new momentum is rising. Since January this year approximately 900 transactions and 25 IPOs of IT enterprises have taken place on European stock exchanges. The engine for this dynamic is the private equity and venture capital industry, which is under high and systematic pressure to maintain high returns in a softening market.
Last year European holding company acquisitions totalled around 27.5 billion euro, which reflects strengthening interest in companies from the IT-and telecommunications markets. Additionally US enterprises aim more at the European market since there are innovators here, and even market leaders in some segments. The prime example is the assumption of Skype by eBay. Furthermore, large IT enterprises are returning to strategic investments in growth segment companies. On the other side of the table, some ‘parents’ are actively marketing their IT ‘daughters’, e.g. ThyssenKrupp’s Triaton and SBS from Siemens.
Experton Group seems to have made a wise hire with Carlo Velten, who understands both the investor’s needs and the entrepreneur’s interests. Velten has several years professional experience in the IT market study and consultation. Since joining TechConsult in 1998, he has consulted to some renowned IT companies, handling all research and consulting activities about Linux and open source as well as researching a wide range of ebusiness and emerging technologies. Carlo is also a visiting lecturer in entrepreneurship and technology market research at the University of Kassel, where he studied for his masters diploma in economics.
P.S. Carlo is even busier than I thought. It seems that he is also a doctoral candidate at Kassel, researching venture capital.
