Houlihan Lokey Advises Pixid Group
Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Pixid Group (Pixid), the leading European provider of temporary workforce management software solutions, has acquired VectorVMS, a U.S. leader in vendor management system (VMS) technology and support. The acquisition was supported by Keensight Capital (Keensight), one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European growth buyout investments.
Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, VectorVMS provides innovative vendor management software to both corporate clients and managed services providers (MSPs) who support corporate clients. VectorVMS currently serves more than 100 customers globally, with a key focus in the U.S., leveraging its expertise in the healthcare, finance, and government sectors.
Pixid provides solutions to clients to efficiently manage their external workforce via a simple, scalable, and cost-effective platform. Initially specializing in temporary staffing, Pixid now provides a wide array of services, including the management of permanent contracts, fixed-term contracts, internships, and apprenticeships. With a dedicated team of nearly 250 employees across Paris, Rotterdam, London, Antwerp, and now the U.S., Pixid supports thousands of businesses, ranging from small enterprises to large corporations, with spend under management of more than €11 billion. As a digital HR pioneer, the company connects all stakeholders across the temporary work value chain through its end-to-end, cloud-based technology, providing seamless integration across the full ecosystem of technology partners and creating a trusted total talent acquisition solution.
Keensight, one of the leading European growth buyout firms, is committed to supporting entrepreneurs as they implement their growth strategies. For more than 20 years, Keensight’s team of seasoned professionals has leveraged their knowledge of investment and growth industries to make long-term investments in profitable companies with high growth potential and revenues in the range of €10 million to €400 million. Drawing on its expertise in the technology and healthcare sectors, Keensight identifies the best investment opportunities in Europe and works closely with management teams to develop and achieve their strategic vision. Keensight’s success has also earned the firm a Gold Award from the Private Equity Exchange & Awards each year for the past seven years and, in particular, the Best European Growth Private Equity Fund.
This acquisition will position Pixid as a global leader in the VMS market, dedicated to delivering innovative solutions for extended workforce management. By combining VectorVMS’ expertise in the middle market and across the U.S. with Pixid’s unrivaled expertise in VMS and ATS technology, as well as its dedicated focus on small and midsized businesses, the two companies will create a comprehensive global solution. This partnership will enable the company to scale effectively to meet the diverse needs of organizations of all sizes.
Etienne Colella, President of Pixid, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Marc Husain and VectorVMS’ seasoned management team to the Pixid Group to help us roll out our strategy in the U.S. and the MSP market segment. We have been impressed by VectorVMS’ ability to deliver complete and robust solutions in a simple way to organizations that do not have the resources to deploy complex tools. This fits perfectly with our vision of delivering leading-edge technology in a simple and effective way.”
Marc Husain, Managing Director of VectorVMS, added, “We are super excited to join the Pixid Group backed by Keensight Capital. Both organizations have a passion for developing extended workforce solutions focused on growth. We feel that the alignment of VectorVMS with Pixid will help us to further drive innovation, enabling us to deliver best-in-breed extended workforce solutions.”
Arjan Hannink, Partner at Keensight, concluded, “We are pleased to support Pixid with their acquisition of VectorVMS. There’s a clear rationale for the combination, and as a global leader in the space, the combined company will be able to deliver innovative market-leading workforce solutions to its global customer base. We look forward to supporting the Pixid Group in this next phase of its development.”
Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Pixid and Keensight.
Houlihan Lokey’s Human Capital Management (HCM) team is among the most active international M&A advisors in the market, having closed 27 HCM transactions since 2021. This most recent transaction further strengthens Houlihan Lokey’s leadership in the business services universe and highlights continued momentum and leadership in the HCM sector, which includes staffing, recruitment, VMS, MSP, RPO, talent management, and PEO.
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