Silver Lake set to buy Facile.it, backed by EQT and Oakley Capital

• EQT invested in Facile.it via its EQT VIII fund in 2018
• Facile.it is an Italian online price comparison platform
• Facile.it has grown its EBITDA by more than 20% on average over the last four years

Silver Lake has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the majority stake in Facile.it from EQT and Oakley Capital. Facile.it is an Italian online price comparison platform. The acquisition will make Facile.it Italy’s second unicorn. Facile.it is headquartered in Milan and was founded in 2008. It began as an online motor insurance broker but has diversified its offering over time, adding new product lines including, gas & power, broadband, mortgages, consumer loans, and recently a new car sales marketplace platform. Facile also has a network of owned stores.

Silver Lake is a global investment firm with more than $88 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital. It invests across sectors. Silver Lake’s portfolio companies collectively generate nearly $254 billion of revenue annually and employ approximately 557,000 people globally.

“Facile is an exceptional business and we are truly impressed by what Tobias and the rest of the team have built over the past years,” commented Christian Lucas, co-head of Silver Lake EMEA. “The company is now Italy’s leading online destination for consumers to compare prices with a market-leading tech platform and unique omnichannel capabilities across its agent networks and stores. Investing in high-growth and pioneering business models with differentiated technology capabilities is at the core of our mission. We look forward to partnering with Facile to significantly invest in the business and drive further growth and value creation over the coming years”

EQT is a global investor headquartered in Sweden that was founded in 1994. It invested in Facile.it via its EQT VIII fund in 2018. EQT has an estimated $81 million euro in assets under management across 36 active funds.

Dominik Stein, partner at EQT Private Equity, said “Facile is a great example of how EQT can help unlock a company’s full potential. EQT is proud of having been a part of Facile’s remarkable growth trajectory and development.”

Oakley Capital was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in London. It is a private equity firm that invests across three core sectors – technology, consumer, and education. Oakley invested in Facile.it via its Oakley Capital Fund III, alongside the investment made by EQT in 2018.

“On behalf of the Facile management team and all employees, I would like to thank EQT and Oakley Capital for the successful, collaborative, and highly productive partnership over the past four years,” comments Tobias Stuber, CEO of Facile. “Thanks to their support, we are in an even better position today for the next phase of our growth with our new partner Silver Lake.”