DRS Investment acquires stake in AURENA
HEUKING advised DRS Investment SE and its subsidiaries, including DRS KVG GmbH, comprehensively on all legal aspects relating to the structuring, launch, and closing of the special AIF Skywards GmbH & Co. KG, as well as on the fund’s acquisition of a majority stake in Austrian auction service provider AURENA.
In connection with the transaction, HEUKING also advised on the implementation of a management participation program for AURENA. DRS Investment is acting as the fund’s initiator.
DRS Investment SE is a German private investment firm specializing in tech-enabled services. It focuses on scalable service platforms that drive operational excellence and sustainable value creation through the use of technology. Since its founding in 2017, DRS has actively supported its portfolio companies in their long-term growth and strategic development.
Founded in 2012, AURENA has become Austria’s market leader in digital auctions. Its fully digitalized, end-to-end auction process and proprietary high-performance platform enable the sale of large volumes of goods in minimal time. To date, the company has conducted more than 12,700 auctions, with over 180 employees managing projects in Austria and neighboring European countries.
The partnership aims to accelerate geographic expansion, with a particular focus on Germany. “With the acquisition of AURENA, we are adding a technologically advanced auction service provider to our DRS portfolio. Our goal is to establish AURENA as the leading platform for asset liquidation across Europe,” said Andreas Spiegel, founder and General Manager of DRS Investment SE.
HEUKING, led by Dr. Christoph Gringel and Ulrich Weidemann, advised DRS Investment SE and DRS KVG GmbH on the structuring of special AIF Skywards GmbH & Co. KG and on the acquisition and structuring of the majority stake in AURENA.
In addition to HEUKING, DRS Investment SE was advised by PwC (Stefanie Tielemann) and, in Austria, by Dorda Rechtsanwälte GmbH (Christian Ritschka). The sellers of AURENA were represented by Brandl Talos (Roman Rericha) and Ego Humrich Wyen (Jan-Henning Wyen, Achim Spengler).
Counsel to DRS Investment SE
HEUKING:
Dr. Christoph Gringel (Lead), (Investment Funds),
Ulrich Weidemann (Lead), (Private Equity / Corporate),
Klaus Weinand-Härer (Tax / Private Equity),
Frank Hollstein (Corporate / M&A),
Thalia Roth (Investment Funds), all Frankfurt
