June saw 30 PE-backed acquisitions across Europe, representing an 50% increase year-over-year with 10 acquisitions more in June 2025 than 2024.
Number of announced PE-backed acquisitions over the past 12 months*
- Number of PE-backed Acquisitions
Roll-Up Market Insights
In June, PE-backed acquisitions reached their second highest number in the last 12 months, presenting a 173% growth since May and a 50% increase year over-year.
With 13 acquisitions, the UK present the country with most PE-backed acquisitions.
In June, ClearCourse acquired Rezcontrol, presenting the group’s second acquisition in 2025.
Software, FinTech and Consulting are the most mentioned acquired industries.
This month’s case study: ClearCourse active acquirer in the software market
Founded in 2018, in London, UK, ClearCourse is a provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs and targeted enterprises.
Under private equity ownership from Aquiline Capital, ClearCourse had already added over 20 companies to its portfolio 3 years after its foundation.
- Vortex Companies Acquisitions
- ClearCourse Companies Acquisitions
ClearCourse’s most recent acquisition, publicized in June 2025, was the acquisitions of Rezcontrol.
Founded in 1986 in Bristol, United Kingdom, Rezcontrol is a cloud hotel management platform for reservations, front and back office, invoicing, and reporting.
PE drives long-term value creation in UK’s mid-market software space
ClearCourse most recent PE-backed acquisition demonstrating the consistent implementation of the buy & build strategy, particularly in the area of UK’s small to medium-sized software providers.
Case study:
Aquiline’s foundation of ClearCourse represented the starting point of an explicit buy & build strategy with the aim of acquiring and consolidating companies in the membership management and payments sector as a holding company:
- In 2018, ClearCourse was founded in London with the support of private equity investor Aquiline Capital. The strategy is focused on growth through acquisitions and the integration of software companies.
- In 2020, Acquisition of Adelante and E-Novations with the goal of establishing ClearCourse as a provider of integrated payment services.
- As a result of an extensive M&A strategy, ClearCourse had already added over 20 companies to its portfolio 3 years after its foundation.
- in the next two years, ClearCourse acquired the e-commerce platform SellerDeck, marking its strategic entry into the e-commerce sector and announced a new CEO, CFO and COO to drive forward the company’s ambitious growth plans.
- Accessing the B2B retail market as a new source of revenue alongside B2C and charity by acquiring the specialized B2B e-commerce platform GOb2b
- With the takeover of Rezcontrol, ClearCourse has completed its latest acquisition and bringing revenue close to £80mn, strengthening its position as one of the most active acquirers in the UK software market.
You can read more on Aquiline Capital’s acquisition of ClearCourse here, and more on ClearCourse’s acquisition of Rezcontrol here.
*All data from CrunchBase, as of July 7, 2025.
Partner with us
Unlock the full potential of your financial strategy with Trustventure’s expert guidance. Whether you’re navigating challenges in the financial sector, seeking advice on corporate financing, or enhancing your planning and controlling processes, we’re here to empower your journey and help you create transparency and confidence for you and your investors.
Ready to elevate your financial game? Reach out to us today using our contact form or drop us a direct message at office@trustventure.de. Work with us to achieve your financial success! 🚀
Other articles
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – November 2025
November 2025 presented a 29% year-over-year decrease in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to Software, private equity investors are also targeting FinTech and Marketing. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Octopus Energy’s acquisition of Kuppa.
December 9, 2025
VC Landscape European Venture Capital Landscape – November 2025
November 2025 saw a decline in VC activity, with 324 investments and $4.0 billion raised across Europe, representing a 25% decrease in volume and 18% reduction in deal count month over month. The largest round of the month was a $495 million Venture Round by Amsterdam-based tech company Picnic, which develops a mass-market home delivery system for fast moving consumer goods.
December 5, 2025
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – October 2025
October 2025 presented a 55% year-over-year decrease in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to software, private equity investors are also targeting FinTech and Manufacturing. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Lightcast’s acquisition of Simply Get Results.
November 19, 2025
VC Landscape European Venture Capital Landscape – October 2025
October 2025 saw a decline in VC activity, with 397 investments and $5.3 billion raised across Europe, representing a 28% decrease in volume and 3% reduction in deal count month over month. The largest round of the month was a $433 million Series C Round by London-based AI platform Nscale, which provides a full-stack AI cloud platform designed for enterprise-scale workloads.
November 14, 2025
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – September 2025
September 2025 presented a 4% year-over-year decrease in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to software, private equity investors are also targeting consulting and health care. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Bionexo’s acquisition of Overmind.
October 30, 2025
VC Landscape Germany Venture Capital Landscape – Q3 2025
Between an decrease of 44% in invested VC volume and a €134mn funding round in the SaaS space, Germany is closing its venture capital landscape Q3 2025. Learn all about it in our latest analysis.
October 29, 2025
VC Landscape European Venture Capital Landscape – September 2025
September 2025 saw a rebound in VC activity, with 409 investments and $7.4 billion raised across Europe, representing a 409% increase in volume and 118% growth in deal count month over month. The largest round of the month was a $1.99 billion Series C Round by Paris-based AI platform Mistral AI, which offers large language models and AI services tailored to diverse enterprise applications.
October 28, 2025
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – August 2025
August 2025 presented a 17% year-over-year decrease in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to software, private equity investors are also targeting marketing and retail. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Pursuit Aerospace’s acquisition of Aeromet International.
September 9, 2025
VC Landscape European Venture Capital Landscape – August 2025
August 2025 saw a sharper pullback in VC activity, with 188 investments and $1.5 billion raised across Europe, representing a 56% decline in volume and 49% decline in deal count month over month. The largest round of the month was a $175 million Venture Round by Stockholm-based clean energy-tech company Aira, which provides heat pumps and home energy-saving solutions. Explore our full analysis for more.
September 8, 2025
M&A European Roll-Up Market Report – July 2025
July 2025 presented a 17 % year-over-year decrease in the number of PE-backed acquisitions. In addition to software and FinTech, private equity investors are also targeting health care. Learn all about it in our report and case study, including Xeinadin’s acquisition of FCC Chartered Accountants.
August 6, 2025