With the acquisition of Highteam, IT services group Emagine doubles its size in France, where its revenue now stands at approximately €110 million.
Founded in Paris in 2009 by Laetitia and Xavier Cohen, Highteam has achieved an average annual growth rate of 35% since its inception. The company generated €52 million in revenue in 2024 with an EBITDA margin exceeding 10%. A recognized expert in Data & AI, Digital Project Management, and Cloud & Cybersecurity, Highteam serves leading clients across the banking, insurance, media, energy, and tourism sectors.
Seeking to bring a new international dimension to the business, the shareholders appointed Crescendo Finance to run a competitive sale process involving both private equity investors and strategic buyers from France and abroad.
Emagine, a digital transformation consulting group generating €500 million in revenue and employing more than 6,200 professionals, quickly emerged as a highly complementary partner in terms of clients, geographic footprint, and talent. With offices in Paris, Niort, Lyon, Lille, Sophia Antipolis, and Toulon, the group is backed by Scandinavian private equity fund Axcel and has completed around ten acquisitions over the past five years. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Emagine operates in more than ten European countries, as well as in India, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates.
Anders Gratte, CEO of Emagine, commented:
“Our strategy is to complement our strong organic growth with multiple strategic acquisitions, enabling us to compete with the largest consulting firms and establish ourselves as a European pioneer in the industry. France is an extremely important market, not least because of its size, and we are delighted to welcome Highteam to the group. It is a healthy, thriving company with exceptional talent.”
Laetitia and Xavier Cohen, Founders and Managing Directors of Highteam, commented:
“By joining Emagine, whose values of excellence and benevolence we fully share, we will be able to take on larger-scale projects thanks to their offshore and nearshore capabilities. Having a strong international footprint represents a tremendous development opportunity for Highteam.”
Alexandre Folman, Managing Partner at Crescendo Finance, commented:
“In what is currently a challenging market environment for the digital sector, Highteam is one of the few companies consistently outperforming through purely organic growth. For many years, it has successfully combined strong expansion with strong profitability. This called for a strategic partnership capable of matching its ambitions. The partnership with Emagine, one of Europe’s leading players, which was looking to acquire a sizeable platform in France, therefore emerged as the natural choice.”