9. Interview: Altor’s QNTM aims to create Europe’s largest ecosystem of ICT companies
Eivind Roald, head of the new tech-focused community of companies set up by Altor, sees a clear difference between the companies that stopped and speeded up digitising during the pandemic. “Digital channels are where your current and potential customers will be for the foreseeable future.”
“The debate in many boardrooms are, ‘how do you get top line growth without mergers and acquisitions?’,” says Eivind Roald, CEO of QNTM Group.
“Our answer is the correlation between investments in technology and digitalisation, and top line growth. According to our surveys, if companies allocate capital such investments, it will lead to increased top line growth and revenues. On average, the growth is four times as high. But the push needs to come from the top, from the board and management.”
In 2020, one of the most key trends in the Nordics was that ICT companies dominated the buyout segment (Buyout deals: Tech overtakes throne in a year of steady activity despite pandemic). Roald argues that the pandemic accelerated the need for digitisation.
“Our survey showed that most companies experienced a setback during the pandemic. However, it was a clear difference between the companies that stopped and the who speeded up digitising. Our view is that you cannot stop utilising digital channels now. This is where your current and potential customers will be for the foreseeable future,” he says.
Looking for the next Meltwater
QNTM was established by Altor as a response to being historically underweighted in the ICT sector, Roald explains. The company groups aim to become the largest ecosystem of companies working with digital strategy, marketing, software, and technology in Europe.
“Boiled down, what we want to offer with QNTM, is access to a complete ecosystem for a company’s commercial director, marketing director, and communications director. We will provide the best software and tech solutions and integrate them into the business, in addition to contributing with digital content,” says Roald.
While Altor has focused on companies in the industry and commerce sectors, Meltwater is the best counterexample.
“We want to create similar successes like Meltwater, with companies that are not yet ready to be listed and want to be ‘lean and mean’ for a longer while. We can assist them with continued growth and preparation for the next step,” says Roald.
A community of ICT companies
Altor invested in Sweden-based Curamando, a digital transformation and business development consultancy, in late 2019. Following a row of add-on investments to Curamando in 2019 and 2020, and investments in Hesehus and SeenThis in the start of 2021, QNTM started to take shape.
“Every platform will deliver individually, but also have the opportunity to take a ‘cousin’ along with them. Within the ecosystem, all companies will have an exclusive right to offer each other’s services,” Roald says.