EQT Invests €100 Million in Supply Chain Sustainability Software Startup IntegrityNext
Private equity and venture capital investor EQT Group announced today a €100 million investment by its EQT Growth fund in supply chain sustainability software startup IntegrityNext.
Launched by cofounders Martin Berr-Sorokin (CEO), Simon Jaehnig (CRO) and Nick Heine (COO) in 2016, Munich-based IntegrityNext provides a software platform aimed at enabling companies to build more transparent and sustainable supply chains, and helping businesses to collaborate with suppliers to improve supply chain sustainability, across a wide range of ESG topics. The company serves over 200 customers, monitoring nearly a million suppliers in more than 190 countries.
According to the companies, the investment comes as the market for supply chain sustainability solutions is expected to see strong growth over the next several years, driven by the introduction of numerous new regulatory frameworks and disclosure initiatives, in addition to growing stakeholder pressure to address sustainability issues in company supply chains.
Martin Berr-Sorokin, CEO and co-founder of IntegrityNext, said:
“The critical importance of ESG is not a new concept to modern businesses. However, as a raft of regulatory frameworks – like Germany’s LkSG or the EU’s CSRD – begin to take effect, supply chain transparency and sustainability is evolving from a nice-to-have to a must-have.”
EQT said that it will partner with IntegrityNext to support the company’s growth, including expanding its core product to serve upcoming European regulations, and further investing in the tech platform to support the acceleration of its product offering.
Dominik Stein, Partner in the EQT Growth Investment advisory team, said:
“IntegrityNext’s technology provides a streamlined and automated way for customers to easily monitor and certify their supply chain for ESG risks. Their cutting-edge product and large footprint in their home market of Germany positions them well to expand across Europe, as they have already built a significant proprietary supplier database. We look forward to working with Martin and the entire IntegrityNext team as they accelerate on their journey to making supply chains more transparent.”