Roma, september 27th 2024
Innovery, a consulting company specialized in innovative ICT and cybersecurity solutions, owned by Wise Equity through the Wisequity IV fund, starting from 2019, today joins NEVERHACK, a French cybersecurity expert group. Through this acquisition, NEVERHACK strengthens its position as a market leader in the cybersecurity sector, expanding its presence in Southern Europe and America and enhancing its one-stop-shop offer.
Innovery: solid IT skills for the growth of NEVERHACK
Founded in Italy in 2001, Innovery is a global cybersecurity services company that stands out for its expertise in strategic consulting and delivery of innovative cybersecurity and ICT solutions. Innovery serves over 200 clients, including leading companies in the finance, industry, public service and government, energy, retail and telecommunications sectors. The company offers a wide range of services and solutions for IT security, IT architecture definition and integration, and ICT infrastructure design and management, responding precisely to its clients’ network operations centre and security needs. Recently accredited CERT, Innovery has confirmed its status as a leader in incident response. Over the years, it has strengthened its presence in Italy, Spain and the Americas with the acquisitions of Proxy in 2019, Obiectivo in 2020, NB Service & Security in 2021 and Open3S in 2022, consolidating customer confidence in its response capabilities through the commitment of more than 400 employees located in Southern Europe and America (Latin and North).
“The acquisition by NEVERHACK represents the beginning of a new era for Innovery, unlocking a new stage of growth while allowing us to retain our core values. This deal will enable the firm to grow in terms of personnel and revenue, seize new business development opportunities both in new and existing geographies, and develop its portfolio of IT products and security services, to meet all types of customer needs”, comments Gianvittorio Abate, CEO of Innovery.
“We are very proud to have accompanied Innovery on this virtuous path of expansion, which today positions it as an Italian excellence in the world of cybersecurity and among the leading players at international level. An ambitious path that, thanks to the aggregation strategy put in place, has allowed in recent years the company to grow extraordinarily well and achieve important goals” says Paolo Gambarini, Founding Partner of Wise Equity.
“This acquisition brings together two key players in cybersecurity. By combining our strengths, including the cybersecurity expertise and unique skillsets within our teams, we will jointly be able to deliver more innovative solutions to the market and establish a globally leading cybersecurity player. I am delighted that Gianvittorio Abate and Innovery are joining this adventure, bringing expertise and leadership to accelerate our growth and support NEVERHACK in delivering its next stage of growth”, comments Arthur Bataille, CEO of Neverhack.
As a shareholder of NEVERHACK through the Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (‘CETP’) fund, Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) continues to finance and support NEVERHACK’s strategy and development. CETP invests in European technology companies and acquired NEVERHACK in late 2023.
‘We are excited to begin working with the management team of Neverhack and Innovery, continuing to support their growth strategy with the goal of creating a true leader in the cyber industry. Arthur’s vision, supported by Gianvittorio for Southern Europe, will enable NEVERHACK to strengthen its strategy based on an integrated one-stop-shop offering of cybersecurity solutions,‘ commented Charles Villet, Managing Director of Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (’CETP”).
NEVERHACK: from European leader to global expansion
Innovery’s entry into the NEVERHACK world, which follows the acquisitions of Expert Line and Cybers in 2024, enables the French group to consolidate its position as a major player in cybersecurity in Europe, within a market that is expected to double over the next five years. In addition, the operation will support NEVERHACK’s global expansion in the Americas by strengthening its activities in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
With the merger, the group doubles its size to 1,200 employees in 10 countries. This expansion will make it possible to support customers even more on an international scale and will enable the discovery of new talents and the transfer of skills.
NEVERHACK also marks a crucial milestone in its expansion strategy, based on:
- Acceleration of international growth, with the aim of creating a global leader in cybersecurity.
- Ability to provide customers with high-level expertise in cyber services and solutions, confirming its role as a one-stop-shop.
- Investments in innovative artificial intelligence products dedicated to cybersecurity and deployed in SOC operations.
- Focus on people, promoting the development of talent in a rapidly expanding sector.
About Innovery
Innovery is a global firm based in Italy, Spain, Mexico and the USA. Led by a professional and experienced team, the firm operates worldwide in the field of ICT services for medium and large enterprises, with a specific focus on cybersecurity, as well as skills and solutions in the areas of cloud, big data and artificial intelligence. Since 2019, following the entry of Wise Equity as a shareholder, Innovery has accelerated its growth through the acquisition and integration of highly specialized and innovative companies, consolidating its position in Europe, and establishing itself in Mexico and the USA.
About NEVERHACK
NEVERHACK, a group founded in 2021, stands out for its mastery of innovative cybersecurity solutions. The group has developed a one-stop-shop for its clients by consolidating varied cyber expertise in IT, software, embedded and application security, identity, risk and governance management, as well as training. In 2023, NEVERHACK accelerated its growth by expanding into the management of cyber operations centers (“MSSPs”) thanks to its SOC based in France.
Through strong organic growth and acquisitions, the group now has over 1,200 experts in 10 countries, offering proactive and reactive protection against cyber threats.
About Carlyle
Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across its business and conducts its operations through three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $435 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2024, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,200 people in 29 offices across four continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on X @OneCarlyle and LinkedIn at The Carlyle Group.
About Wise Equity
Wise Equity SGR (www.wisesgr.com) is a company active in the management of closed-end investment funds investing in small and medium-sized companies with a focus on Italy. The funds managed by Wise Equity typically carry out Leveraged Buy Out and development capital operations dedicated to companies that have leading positions in their niche with two main objectives: to increase critical mass, also through build-ups, to improve the competitiveness and marginality of the companies, and to foster their international development.
Wise Equity currently has three funds under management:
- Wisequity IV with subscribed capital of €215 million, fully invested in eight companies of which, after the sale of Innovery, two are still in the portfolio;
- Wisequity V launched in July 2019 with an allocation of €260 million, fully deployed on eight investments, seven of which, after the exit from Cantiere del Pardo, are still in the portfolio: Fimotec, Vittoria, Selle Royal, Special Flanges, Almac, Onetag and NTC;
- Wisequity VI launched in May 2023 with a total commitment of €400 million, of which Absolute is the fourth investment.
Contatti
Innovery
Tel. +39 06 51963439
Ufficio Stampa
Smartitaly Communications
Sara Scatena
Tel. +39 338.7836985
