About us

Established in 2023, we are an independent Berlin and London based investment firm supporting businesses by placing people at the centre of our strategy. 

The management teams we engage with know their businesses better than we do. And we know ours. We pride ourselves in having transparent and collaborative relationships with management teams, understanding their priorities and providing reliable support.

We believe this allows for trust and mutual respect.

We believe in entrepreneurship and in aligning interests through incentive schemes.

Leadership

Hypax Partners have led numerous investments in complex corporate carve-outs, turnarounds and growth situations.

Christian Schmehl
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Managing Partner

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Christian has more than 19 years of experience in private equity, turnarounds and business transformations across Europe. He held senior roles with leading financial investors in London. Christian held multiple executive and non-executive board level roles at portfolio companies delivering carve-outs, stabilisation programs and digital transformations across a variety of sectors.

His professional roots go back to management consulting with KPMG in London and Berlin.

Christian completed the EBP (European Business Program) and the GSMP from ie Business School and Booth School of Business.

Christian is fluent in English, German and Spanish.

Christian Schmehl

Philipp Sterkel
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Managing Partner

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Philipp has more than 15 years of experience in private equity, finance and M&A. He held senior roles with leading financial investors in Germany. He previously held deal making responsibility for the DACH and BeNeLux regions and has led multiple investments across Europe and a variety of sectors. 

His professional roots go back to M&A with JP Morgan in London.

Philipp studied at University of Mannheim and ESCP Business School (ESCP-EAP) 

Philipp is fluent in English, German and French.

Philipp Sterkel

Case studies

From a single manufacturing plant to an agile mid-market firm
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Manufacturing plant carved-out from a global corporate

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Challenge

  • Plant with no standalone ICT resources, business financing, strategic procurement, go-to-market
  • Critical assets/contracts/people located cross-border
  • Untapped margin growth potential. Cost inflation impact

Solution

  • Complex transaction with a combination of asset deals and share deals
  • Comprehensive set of TSAs and LTAs followed by IT-carve-out, build-up of administrative functions, re-branding and go-to-market
  • Strengthening of management team, including incentive program 
  • Introduction of standalone financing facilities
  • CapEx program, including new procurement and planning software
M&A to accelerate strategic transformation and growth
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Multi-country TMT/services group requiring strategic transformation

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Challenge 

  • Legacy core business experiencing churn in margins due to technological disruption in the market
  • Non-core activity to corporate owner lacking attention
  • Managed as a cost center rather than a customer-centric group 

Solution

  • Empower management team and support operating plan
  • Cultural change: customer-centric agile group
  • Efficiency enhancement for legacy core business
  • Completion of 5 strategic add-on acquisitions accelerating strategic transformation away from legacy core business
Succession solution of a SME
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Declining business unable to make necessary changes without new owner

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Challenge 

  • Business had become sub-scale following the loss of certain key customers
  • Dispute among shareholders who had inherited the business
  • No clear decision making as no stable management team
  • Innovation and investment backlog

Solution

  • Implementation of clear governance structure
  • Complement existing management team
  • Strategic focus on new business: rejuvenate products and brand portfolio
  • Invest into new ERP system
  • Setup new financing structure