Claranet serenades investor to the tune of £80m

New investor Tikehau says it was lured in by MSP's pan-European reach and acquisition track record

Pan-European MSP Claranet has received £80m from French investment group Tikehau Capital, which the investor claims will be ploughed into funding "new market opportunities".

Tikehau has received a minority stake in Claranet alongside existing shareholders, according to the investment firm which manages around €10bn in assets.

Tikehau claims that it was attracted by Claranet's pan-European reach and "track record in integrating acquisitions" as well as the quality of its management team. The investment firm claims that it will further support Claranet's development in approaching new market opportunities according to Tikehau's co-founder Antoine Flamarion.

"We are delighted to invest in Claranet, a European leader in the growing managed IT services market. Our investment in Claranet will support its growth and enable the company to seize market opportunities, illustrating Tikehau Capital's commitment to support European entrepreneurs in their ambitious international development plans," he said.

Claranet has been feverously acquiring MSP peers in Europe and overseas during the past year. The London-based MSP recently doubled its Dutch headcount through acquiring cloud player Rely. In 2016, Claranet broke into South America through buying top AWS partner in Brazil CredibiliT, and also bought French firm Diademys and UK player Ardenta during the summer

The firm made its first organic expansion move since 2000 recently when Claranet opened an outpost in Milan.

Claranet's CEO Charles Nasser recently told Channelnomics Europethat he has no plans to slow down the MSP's pace of acquisitions in 2017, claiming that he will look for M&A opportunities in its current territories, rather than entering new ones.