HYPE Innovation and Viima combine their strengths to form a clear global leader in the idea and innovation management software market.
Düsseldorf/Bonn/Espoo, 23th of March 2021
HYPE, supported by its majority shareholder Main Capital, has attracted Viima to unify with the HYPE family, in a joint effort to provide a broader product offering to customers of all sizes and segments.
Viima, founded in 2013 and located in Espoo (Finland), is used by more than 10,000 organizations around the globe and has grown into a successful innovation management provider. Its software helps to collect, develop, prioritize, and analyze ideas of multiple stakeholders in a company. Viima’s solution is attractive for customers looking for a product that is quick and easy to implement, gamifies the innovation process, and is highly competitive on pricing. The flexibility and scalability of the solution are particularly appealing to smaller businesses, but Viima also serves many larger customers, such as If Insurance, Kanthal, L'Oréal, and Telia.
Regardless of industry or size, innovation management is a key driver for growth and profitability in organizations. While many larger companies and enterprises already manage innovation, small and mid-cap companies often lack the financial resources and time to implement more sophisticated and tailored innovation management tools. Viima bridges this gap in allowing these businesses with access to the powerful tool that innovation management is. Innovation management can lower the costs of an organization and help the business take off quickly. The managed processes and a comprehensive status overview of every single idea ensure that no idea is forgotten, employees are motivated, and the business flourishes.
Being responsible for approximately 160 employees in total, the combination of HYPE and Viima will further strengthen the prominent market position of HYPE in the innovation management software market, with Viima now expanding HYPE’s client base internationally, and especially in the Nordics. The shared vision of HYPE and Viima is that the new HYPE Group can support clients of all sizes and needs. Targeted solutions will be offered through HYPE’s enterprise-tailored solution and Viima’s configurable but easy-to-understand product. With Viima joining the Group, HYPE onboards three creative and highly professional founders as well as Viima’s innovative workforce, boosting development processes with the ultimate goal of establishing superior innovation processes for HYPE customers.
Partnership HYPE – Viima – Main Capital
Dr. Frank Henningsen (CEO of HYPE):
“We warmly welcome Erkka and his team into the HYPE family. With Viima, our product portfolio provides targeted solutions for basically any customer segment, which means that HYPE will play an extensive role in supporting business growth all over the world. We are looking forward to exchanging best practices of the companies and become an even stronger innovation player together.”
Erkka Isomäki (CEO of Viima):
“We are excited to join the HYPE team and are looking forward to providing our clients with even more opportunities to rethink their innovation processes. We are proud of our accomplishments with the Viima team and see the combination with HYPE as an exciting next strategic step towards a successful future, both for the Group and our customers.”
Sven van Berge Henegouwen (Head of DACH at Main Capital Partners):
“The HYPE family is growing and we are happy to support HYPE in enhancing its exceptional market position in the innovation management software market. Viima expands the Group’s product offering and reaches customers that HYPE did not serve so far - this is a great strategic step for HYPE!”
About Viima
Founded in 2013 by three young entrepreneurs, Viima’s mission is to democratize innovation by helping organizations everywhere make more innovation happen. Its cloud-based innovation management software is already used by more than 10,000 organizations in 185 countries around the world, ranging from small teams all the way to the Global Fortune 500, to turn ideas into innovations.
According to Gartner, Viima is one of the most widely used innovation management software in the world, helping its customers to become better at innovation daily. The founders have bootstrapped the company to a rapid, but highly profitable growth path, which Viima will continue to pursue in the future.
About HYPE
Founded as DaimlerChrysler spin-off in 2001, HYPE has become a leading software specialist in the fast-growing enterprise innovation software market. With its approx. 150 employees, HYPE’s offering supports customers harnessing the collective intelligence of employees, customers, and partners by supporting their innovation ecosystem from early trend scouting and road mapping all the way through to concept creation and innovation portfolio management. Welcoming HLP to the HYPE Group in December 2020 has strengthened HYPE’s product offering in the idea management section. The Group currently serves a well-diversified and global blue-chip customer base with 220+ customers across various industries.
About Main Capital
Main Capital is a strategic investor with an exclusive focus on the software sector in the Benelux, Germany and the Nordics. Within this sector, we are the most specialized party in management buy-outs and later-stage growth capital for strategic acquisitions. Main Capital has approximately Euro 1 billion under management for investments in mature but growing software companies in the Netherlands, Germany and the Nordics. An experienced team of professionals manages the portfolio of software Groups from offices in The Hague, Düsseldorf and Stockholm.
In addition to HYPE, the current portfolio of Main Capital Partners includes fast-growing software and SaaS companies such as Foconis (specialized control systems for financial institutions), Relyon (Field Service Management software), Perbility (HR Software), Pointsharp (Identity & Access Management), Textkernel (HR & AI software), MACH AG (E-Government software), WoodWing (marketing automation), Alfa (healthcare), Exxellence Groep (government software), Optimizers (supply chain software), Assessio (HR & Talent management), GBTEC (process automation / workflow management/ GRC), Onventis (procurement & invoice management), HYPE Innovation (innovation management / collaboration), Cleversoft (GRC for financial services), Enovation (Healthcare), SDB Groep (Healthcare), JobRouter (Process automation), GOconnectIT (GEO ICT), Inergy (data-driven governmental solutions), MUIS Software (financial administrative), Artegic (marketing automation), OBI4wan (customer engagement & Chatbot platform), b + m Informatik (financial services), Sofon (configure-price-quote software), Sharewire (mobile services) and ChainPoint (sustainable supply chain tracking). Successful former companies that have grown substantially under the guidance of Main are among many others: Connexys (HR software), Roxit (municipal software), Axxerion (facility management software), Ymor (APM software), OnGuard (credit management), Regas (healthcare registration), Eurosystems/ABIT (cash management), and RVC (Healthcare).
Note for the editor:
This press release is issued by Main Capital.
For more information, please contact:
Erkka Isomäki (CEO)
Viima Solutions Oy, Keilasatama 5, 02150, Espoo, Finland
Charly Zwemstra (Managing Partner)
Main Capital Partners BV, Paleisstraat 6, 2514 JA, Den Haag
Tel: +31 (0) 70 324 3433 / +31 (0) 6 512 77 805
For more information in German, please contact:
Sven van Berge Henegouwen (Partner, Head of DACH)
Main Capital Partners GmbH, Rathausufer 17, 40213, Düsseldorf
Tel: +49 (0) 211 7314 9339 / +31 (0)70 324 34 33
Dr Frank Henningsen (CEO)
HYPE Softwaretechnik GmbH, Trierer Strasse 70-72, 53115 Bonn
Tel: +49 228 2276 0
frank.henningsen@hype.de
