Our Mission
SGT German Private Equity is a stock market listed holding of a private equity asset manager, thus of a service provider which makes investments for its issued private equity funds, hence it acquires, fosters and sells stakes in established larger businesses after value gains have been generated. Usually, 100% of the shares of the targets are acquired. The acquired stake holdings managed by our 100% subsidiary SGT Capital Pte. Ltd. belong to a separate private equity fund for institutional investors such as pension funds, life insurances and others.
The economic goal of our business model is to generate sustainable, predictable profitability and increase the Assets under Management steadily with a high quality asset management service.
With the creation of our listed platform we are following our vision to build a significant alternative investment and private equity asset manager in Germany by exploiting long term growth potentials, also through acquisitions of further asset managers, just as various renown foreign peers have successfully proven.
SGT German Private Equity has spun-off all of its minority stakes in German startups, acquired from its history as a leading German venture capital provider under the brand German Startups Group, into its 100% subsidiary German Startups Group VC GmbH in the first half of 2020.
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OUR MANAGEMENT
Management Board
Christoph GerlingerManaging Director
Christoph is Managing Director of SGT German Private Equity GmbH & Co. KGaA, which he founded in 2012 which until October 2020 operated under the brand of German Startups Group and was a leading German VC provider in Germany with investments in start-ups such as Delivery Hero, Chrono 24, MisterSpex and Scalable Capital.
In 2020, German Startups Group merged with SGT Capital Pte. Ltd. and became SGT German Private Equity GmbH & Co. KGaA. Christoph has gained over 20 years of management experience in the Internet industry, in which he has founded and brought to life a number of businesses. Amongst these is Frogster Interactive Pictures AG, founded in 2005, which he took public and managed as CEO for seven years. Prior to that, he was Head of Germany for Infogrames/Atari and CFO of CDV, which he took public as well.
Christoph was named one of the 50 most interesting founders by the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche, was appointed external expert of the network 'Digitalization' and member of the digital commission by the federal board of the CDU. Christoph is member of the board of the Freunde der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem eV. (Friends of the Hebrew University Jerusalem eV.). He holds a graduate degree in Business Administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt and is alumnus of Singularity University’s Executive Program class of 2017 in Santa Clara (California, USA). Christoph occasionally releases own articles and gives interviews in various publications.
Carsten GeyerManaging Director
Carsten is Managing Director of SGT German Private Equity and Co-Managing Partner of SGT Capital Group.
With almost two decades of private equity experience, Carsten is responsible for origination, execution, and value creation for all of SGT’s transactions.
He was a Founding Partner and Head of Europe of XIO Group from 2014-2019, where he was an IC and Board Member of Compo Expert, Lumenis, and J.D. Power, and played a central role in the origination, execution, and the ongoing running of these companies.
Prior to founding XIO, Carsten was a Principal at Permira Advisers, responsible for the TMT, Financial Services, and Healthcare activities in German speaking countries.
Before joining Permira in 2006, Carsten spent over 7 years at McKinsey & Company in Munich, Vienna, and Berlin, focusing on clients in the TMT and Financial Services sectors.
Carsten is member of the board of the Freunde der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem eV. (Friends of the Hebrew University Jerusalem eV.). He holds a Masters’ in Business and Economics from the University of Passau and an MBDA from INSEAD.
MANAGERS OF AFFILIATED COMPANIES OF SGT CAPITAL GROUP
Carsten GeyerCo-Managing PartnerInvestments and Monitoring
Carsten is Managing Director of SGT German Private Equity and Co-Managing Partner of SGT Capital Group.
With almost two decades of private equity experience, Carsten is responsible for origination, execution, and value creation for all of SGT’s transactions.
He was a Founding Partner and Head of Europe of XIO Group from 2014-2019, where he was an IC and Board Member of Compo Expert, Lumenis, and J.D. Power, and played a central role in the origination, execution, and the ongoing running of these companies.
Prior to founding XIO, Carsten was a Principal at Permira Advisers, responsible for the TMT, Financial Services, and Healthcare activities in German speaking countries.
Before joining Permira in 2006, Carsten spent over 7 years at McKinsey & Company in Munich, Vienna, and Berlin, focusing on clients in the TMT and Financial Services sectors.
Carsten holds a Masters’ in Business and Economics from the University of Passau and an MBDA from INSEAD.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Strategy, ESG, and Fund Minder
Joseph PaciniCo-Managing PartnerBusiness Development and Investor Relations
Joseph has almost two decades of Asian and European private equity experience. He was a Founding Partner and CEO of XIO Group from 2014-2019, where he led all strategic decisions of the firm and was an IC and Board Member of Compo Expert, Lumenis, and J.D. Power.
Prior to founding XIO, Joseph was Managing Director and Head of BlackRock Alternative Investments for Asia Pacific, responsible for the continued growth of BlackRock's $24bn alternatives platform and product offering in Asia.
Previously, Joseph was Head of the Alternative Investments for J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Asia where he was responsible for hedge fund, private equity, real estate and direct deal opportunities. Before this, Joseph was a member of the J.P. Morgan Private Bank Alternative Investments Due Diligence Team.
Joseph is alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a BSc in International Business from Brigham Young University.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Strategy, Fundraising, Public Relations, Compliance, and Diversity
Christoph GerlingerPartnerFinance, Technology and Digitization
Christoph is Managing Director of SGT German Private Equity and Partner of SGT Capital Group.
He was a serial entrepreneur and has almost a decade of experience in equity investments in German Venture Capital.
Prior to joining SGT in 2020, Christoph was a Founder and CEO of German Startups Group, a leading Venture Capital Investor in Germany with investments in start-ups such as Delivery Hero, Chrono 24, MisterSpex and Scalable Capital.
Prior to this, from 2005-2011, Christoph was Founder an CEO of Frogster Interactive Pictures, a listed entertainment software publisher.
Before this, he was the Head of the German operations for Infogrames/Atari and the CFO of CDV Software Entertainment, which he took public.
Christop holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt and is a qualified banker.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Corporate Capital Markets, Corporate Investor Relations, and Firm Investments
Dr. Marcel NormannPartnerInvestments and Value Creation
With almost two decades of management consulting and private equity experience, Marcel is responsible for the origination and execution of transactions in Western Markets as well as driving value creation for portfolio companies.
He joined XIO Group in 2015 as Managing Director, leading the Financial Services sector coverage and co-leading value creation efforts at portfolio companies.
Prior to joining, Marcel was a Partner at McKinsey & Company where he advised mid-sized and large clients in Europe on corporate strategy, business performance improvement (sales & marketing, product portfolio and development, operations, and cost reduction) as well as large-scale enterprise-wide transformation and Post-Merger-Integration.
Marcel holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from the University of Mannheim and a Ph.D. in Economics from the European Business School.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Organizational, Business, and People Development
Marianne RajicPartnerLegal & Operations
With over 15 years’ experience with private and mutual funds and alternative investment structures, Marianne is responsible for the establishment of SGT funds and management structure as well as working with the deal team on transaction origination, execution, and value creation.
She joined XIO Group in November 2018, where she provided legal support for the portfolio monitoring, managed stakeholders, advised on day-to-day matters, and led and coordinated multi-jurisdictional external legal teams. Prior to joining XIO, Marianne was Hong Kong Managing Partner and Head of the Asian Funds Practice at Campbells, before which she was the Head of BVI Funds Practice at Walkers.
Before this, Marianne was an Attorney at Conyers Dill & Pearman, advising on cross-border M&A and joint ventures.
Marianne holds a Bachelors’ in Economics and an LLB from the Australian National University and a LLM from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Risk/Compliance Oversight, General Counsel, and Human Resources
Jens Dino SteinbornPartnerInvestments and Value Creation
Being active in European private equity since 2002, Dino is responsible for the origination and execution of transactions in Western Markets as well as driving value creation for portfolio companies.
He joined XIO Group in March 2016 as a Managing Director, where he was a Board Member of Compo Expert and J.D. Power and led the acquisition, monitoring, and exit of J.D. Power, and the value creation and exits of Compo Expert and Lumenis.
Prior to joining XIO, Dino worked in private equity roles at Candover, Permira, and Cranemere, building his investor experience on selective transactions that delivered attractive risk-return profiles.
Dino started his career in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, initially with Coopers & Lybrand and later with Deutsche Bank, working in the Financial Sponsors Group.
Dino holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Financing, and Special Projects
Supervisory Board
Investment Banker, Business Angel, M&A Expert
Founder and Managing Director of a corporate finance advisory and investment company
Former Head of Investment Banking Credit Suisse Ger/Aus, Member of the Executive Board of Dresdner Kleinwort’s investment bank, and VP JP Morgan
Lead involvement in more than 20 M&A transactions
Bank & Capital Markets Expert
Long-standing seats on various supervisory boards, 35 years of banking experience in leading positions
More than 10 years as CEO of AXG Investment Bank and Head of Corporate Finance Commerzbank
Significantly involved in more than 40 IPOs
Strategic consultant with focus on public affairs, public relations and private equity for more than 20 years
Private equity expert
Board Member of several domestic and international companies
Former Swiss Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany
Lawyer
Fund and capital markets expert
Co-founder and supervisory board chairman of Shareholder Value Management AG, an owner-managed investment specialist with focus on value stocks, based in Frankfurt
Roughly 20 years of expertise as executive board member and fund manager
Accredited advocate
SGT Capital
Private Equity Asset Management
SGT Capital is a global private equity firm with its headquarters located in Singapore that generates superior returns by driving the internationalisation of mid-market businesses in combination with more traditional private equity value creation strategies.
SGT Capital was founded by Carsten Geyer, Joseph Pacini, Christoph Gerlinger, Dr. Marcel Normann, Marianne Rajic and Jens Dino Steinborn. The principals of SGT Capital are seasoned professionals from market leading private equity, investment banking, and consulting firms, bringing over 100 years of investment experience to our funds. Together, the principals of SGT Capital have an outstanding track record globally, having jointly worked on major transactions in key jurisdictions in the last 5 years.
The track record of the principals of SGT Capital is based on:
- A truly differentiated investment strategy to accelerate the international growth of investments.
- An unparalleled professional network and connectivity in all key markets.
- The ability to drive and deliver value creation across all dimensions, including top-line growth, profit maximisation, and capital optimisation.
- The ability to compete with and prevail against the largest and most experienced global competitors.
- The ability to orchestrate and execute exit processes that maximise value and transaction certainty.
SGT Capital’s investment philosophy is to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns by investing in market leading companies in structurally growing markets and achieving global growth for its portfolio companies.
SGT Capital Fund II has been formed to access opportunities in Western Europe, Israel, and selectively North America and targets a net IRR of 25% and a net MoM of min. 2.0x.
Further information can be found at www.sgt-capital.com.