Respect
We value what you have built. We will protect your reputation, identity, and relationships with your customers and employees. We treat that history with the care it deserves.
People Square Capital is a European independent investment firm focused on buy & build strategies across Germany/Austria/Switzerland and Italy.
We provide long-term capital and strategic support to founder-led and family-owned small- and medium-sized businesses that provide mission-critical products and services.
We invest on a deal by deal basis, raising capital from a curated network of family offices, entrepreneurs and institutional investors - all of whom share our long-term approach. This gives us the flexibility to structure each partnership to fit what is right for the business and the seller.
People Square Capital is built on a deep conviction that people are the primary differentiator in any business.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of family business owners across Europe ask: "What happens to the company I built when I am ready to step back?" Europe's SMEs are deeply rooted in their territories, rich in know-how and culture — but often lack the critical mass to digitalise, professionalise, and compete in a faster world. We built People Square Capital to meet that moment.
The Square is our meeting point: where entrepreneurs, operators, and patient capital come together to address Europe's succession crisis. Where legacy owners find partners who respect what they have built, and a new generation of leadership steps in ready to grow it. Through buy & build, we unite fragmented markets, strengthen businesses with the tools to scale, and protect what makes them strong: their people and what they've built.
We are a small, focused team of investment professionals based in Switzerland.
We have built and scaled businesses ourselves — across Europe and the US — and we bring that experience directly into every partnership. We know what it takes because we have done it.
We are also deeply rooted in the German- and Italian-speaking markets we invest in — by heritage, by language, by culture and by a deep conviction in the strength of those countries.
The principles that guide every decision and action
Ownership
We take responsibility, make decisions, and get things done - no excuses, no waiting.
Integrity
We say what we mean and do what we say, even when it is difficult.
Curiosity
We seek the truth, not confirmation. We prioritize evidence over ego and challenge every assumption to discover what truly works.
Candor
We share the facts, even when uncomfortable. Radical honesty and direct feedback are our fastest tools for solving problems and building trust.
We build and scale exceptional and enduring businesses in partnership with founders and management teams.
Great partnerships are built on trusted relationships and true alignment
We know that selling or transitioning a business you built with your hands, your sweat, and a lot of heart over decades is deeply personal and emotional. It's not just a transaction — it's the next chapter for your employees, your customers, and your legacy. We take that responsibility seriously, treating these transitions with the same care as you do. We show up with curiosity, respect, and a long-term commitment to the people who make the business what it is.
Every succession situation is unique. Maybe you can't find a successor in the family. Maybe you're tired of dealing with bureaucracy and labor shortages. Or you may have hit a ceiling and are ready for someone to help grow your business further, bring in operational tools, or support the next layer of leadership. At People Square Capital we tailor our approach to your specific needs, offering two main solutions.
You want to hand over soon
You've given everything to building this business and are ready for the next chapter. We ensure that you can step back knowing the business, your team, and your legacy are in good hands.
For whom suitable
Our offer
A majority acquisition at fair valuation, providing liquidity today and a share in the value we build together. You benefit from the upside without the daily operational burden. We ensure a respectful 12–24 month transition, protecting your legacy with the right new leadership.
You want to stay involved
You're not ready for a full exit. You want to reduce personal risk and bring in a partner who can help accelerate the next phase. You stay on board, aligned, and invested in what comes next.
For whom suitable
Our offer
Partial liquidity today, with full participation in the upside ahead. We bring capital, structure, and strategic focus — you remain a shareholder and a partner in building what comes next.
We think of ourselves as a partner who provides services to the entrepreneurs and managers we back. Our role is not to manage the business, but to support the leadership team — bringing the resources, structure, and strategic focus to build what comes next.
In practice, this means dedicating time to the initiatives that are essential to long-term success but often get crowded out by daily operations: building high-performing sales teams, professionalizing finance, and executing strategic M&A. We tackle the important-but-not-urgent projects so that leadership can run the business today without sacrificing tomorrow.
For the next generation of leaders, we are more than just investors — we are partners in your professional growth. We provide a structured environment for young entrepreneurs and future CEOs to step into leadership with confidence. Through dedicated coaching, operational mentorship, and access to our specialist network, we empower you to lead a legacy business into its next era of growth.
Underpinning all of it is a commitment to good governance and aligned incentives — across investors, management, and employees. We believe in "shared success": when everyone wins together, good results tend to become great ones.
We partner with companies that provide mission-critical products and services — businesses their customers cannot do without.
That dependency creates natural durability: deep customer relationships, high switching costs, and competitive moats built on technical expertise and trust that take years to replicate. These are businesses built to last. With the right people and capital alongside them, they are built to go further.
Size
€1–5M EBITDA
>10% margin
Geography
Germany/Austria/Switzerland & Italy
primary focus regions
Ownership
Founder / Family
incl. succession
Structure
Majority
investments
We like companies that have
Mission-critical to operations. Deeply embedded. Hard to replace.
Rooted in proximity, specialization and operational know-how.
Predictable cash flows and resilient through cycles.
Fragmented markets with clear consolidation rationale.
Need for a leadership or ownership transition, growth capital, or digital transformation
Let's talk
Whether you are a founder or business owner thinking about the next chapter for your business, an investor keen to get to know us and our deal-by-deal partnership model, or an industry executive exploring a new leadership role - we would love to hear from you and connect with you.