Austria: Schoenherr advises Horizon Capital on sale of Ascent Group to Acuity Knowledge Partners

As local counsel, alongside Horizon Capital's lead counsel DWF, Schoenherr provided comprehensive advice on Austrian law, covering, among others, corporate/M&A matters as well as competition law aspects of the transaction. Schoenherr had previously advised Ascent Group on its cross-border acquisition of PARKSIDE, an Austrian company specialising in individual software development, in 2024.

"We are delighted to have supported Horizon Capital on this successful exit," said Schoenherr partner Michael Marschall, who led the advisory team. "This transaction showcases Horizon Capital's ability to create and scale leading technology platforms and marks another exciting growth milestone for Ascent."

Ascent is a European provider of AI-powered digital transformation services, employing more than 550 data, software and cloud specialists across seven jurisdictions, and serving over 170 clients globally. The sale to Acuity, backed by Permira and Equistone Partners, denotes a pivotal moment for Horizon Capital and will enable Ascent to accelerate its growth trajectory as part of Acuity's Data and Technology Services division. 

With this acquisition, Acuity strengthens its technological and sector capabilities across reinsurance, pharma, manufacturing and retail. Combining deep domain expertise with Ascent's cutting-edge digital capability and strong ties with Microsoft, Acuity plans to develop more innovative, AI-led solutions for its clients across the world.

The Schoenherr team was led by Michael Marschall (partner) and included Lukas Pirringer (attorney at law), Anna Visontai-Knor (attorney at law), who covered competition aspects, including merger control and FDI, as well as Clemens Rainer (partner) and Markus Buchleitner (attorney at law), who advised on real estate matters. 

DWF acted as lead counsel to Horizon Capital, while Dentons advised Acuity Knowledge Partners.