Maguar invests in shyftplan, a leading SaaS provider of shift scheduling solutions

Munich, Germany, 03 June 2024 – Maguar, a German tech investor specializing in B2B software investments in the DACH region, is pleased to announce its majority investment in shyftplan, a leading SaaS provider for workforce management with a dedicated focus on AI-supported, automated shift scheduling. The investment, which includes a roll-over from founder, management and existing shareholders (UVC Partners and Deutsche Invest Technology GmbH), marks the third investment of Maguar Fund II.

shyftplan, a leading workforce management software solution, was founded in 2012 by Jan-Martin Josten and John Nitschke. The company’s cloud-native offering is designed to meet the complex needs and advanced requirements of its primarily manufacturing customers, ranging from blue-chip enterprises to typical German ‚Mittelstand‘ companies. The acquisition of high-profile customers such as Siemens Energy, ZF, Krones, Mercedes-Benz, and Bosch has been instrumental in building and strengthening the existing relevance in the industrial sector. By integrating data from production planning, HR systems (e.g. absence and time management, employee qualifications), and employee preferences, shyftplan facilitates the ongoing digitalisation of the shop floor and enhances workforce autonomy. With more than 50 dedicated employees at its Berlin headquarters, shyftplan is well positioned to address sustained societal trends such as skilled labor shortage and the need for operational efficiency, while improving employee satisfaction. At the core of Maguar’s strategy, the investment will focus on further accelerating shyftplan’s organic growth and fueling the company’s ambition to become the leading workforce management software provider for the German industrial sector.

Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Maguar was founded in 2019 by Matthias Ick, Gunther Thies, and Arno Poschik. Maguar focuses on investments in small and medium-sized B2B software companies in the DACH region. The Maguar team possesses strong entrepreneurial and extensive management experience in the technology industry, with more than 35 years of experience as software CEOs and over 20 years in the private equity industry. Recent investments in related areas such as HRworks, TimeTac, and Ingentis have fostered a deep understanding of relevant and repeatable value creation themes as well as shyftplan’s customer base.

Jan-Martin Josten, founder and Co-CEO of shyftplan, said: „The partnership with Maguar is a significant milestone for us. This collaboration will leverage Maguar’s network and expertise to drive our strategic goals and increase the value of our platform to our manufacturing customers. Farhood Torabian, Co-CEO of shyftplan, added: „Maguar’s deep understanding of B2B SaaS and workforce management, along with their commitment to our vision, ensures a strong partnership. We are confident that this collaboration will help us drive innovation, expand our market reach and strengthen shyftplan’s leadership position in workforce management solutions“.

Matthias Ick, Co-Founder at Maguar, commented: „We are truly happy to welcome the entire shyftplan team to our growing family of portfolio companies. From day one, we have been deeply convinced of shyftplan’s differentiated product offering in a very attractive market segment. The solution enables its manufacturing customers to operate state-of-the-art shift models in an efficient way”. Johannes Losbichler, Partner at Maguar, continued: „We strongly believe in the need to optimise workforce management with dedicated software products to attract and retain top talent. Shyftplan’s solutions are highly valued by employees and ultimately drive efficiencies across the organisation. We back the management team’s work to identify new market opportunities, accelerate growth through go-to-market excellence and strengthen the company’s position as the trusted choice for leading manufacturing companies in Germany and beyond“.

The transaction was advised by OC&C, LUPP + PARTNER, KPMG, Deloitte and Valantic. The shareholders of shyftplan were advised by YPOG, Hengeler Mueller and Saxenhammer.

For more information, please contact:
Matthias Ick
Maguar – Founding Partner
Mail: mi@maguar.com
Homepage: www.maguar.com