Houlihan Lokey Advises ipan Group

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that ipan Group, a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus, has been acquired by Castik Capital.

ipan Group, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is a rapidly growing provider of intellectual property management services and software. With offices throughout Europe and the US, and long-standing partnerships with 100+ leading IP law firms, it offers highly transparent, efficient, and flexible maintenance services for patents, trademarks, designs, and European patent (EP) validation services, as well as tailor-made services including recordals, docketing, and paralegal support.

ipan Group's software offering comprises the leading intellectual property management software solutions Unycom, IPSS, and a minority shareholding in IPfolio, which enables both corporate IP departments and IP law firms to efficiently manage their IP portfolios along the entire lifecycle. Through the recent launch of ip-x-change, ipan Group has created an open platform connecting services and software to offer a single point of contact for all IP services to its 450+ clients. Founded in 2004 by Anton Bory, ipan Group has been led since February 2018 by CEO Jens Lütcke.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Warburg Pincus and assisted in initiating, structuring, and negotiating the transaction on its behalf. This transaction highlights Houlihan Lokey's expertise in the IP sector and demonstrates the firm's capabilities in working with PE-backed businesses. With this transaction, Houlihan Lokey has further strengthened its credentials as a premier advisor within the research and IP sector.