Italy gets its second startup unicorn as Silver Lake agrees Facile.it buyout from EQT, Oakley Capital | AltAssets Private Equity News

Never miss a story – click to sign up to AltAssets’ free daily PE newsletter EQT invested in 2018, using its weighty €10.75bn eighth fund. Facile has since diversified its offering to gas and power, broadband, mortgages, consumer loans and more recently a new car sales marketplace platform. Christian Lucas, co-head of Silver Lake EMEA, said, “Facile is an exceptional business with a differentiated and powerful value proposition for customers, channel partners and financial service providers. “…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.” Dominik Stein, partner at EQT private equity, added, “Facile is a great example of how EQT can help unlock a company’s full potential by combining our local-with-locals approach and deep sector expertise, with our long experience from developing tech companies.” The deal is expected to close in Q3 this year. Silver Lake is currently in the market with its seventh flagship fundraise, just a couple of years after soaring to a $20bn hard cap close for Fund VI.