Infinigate expands geographical footprint via strategic merger with MEA VAD giant Starlink
Rotkreuz, SWITZERLAND – 4 October 2022 – Infinigate Group, the pan-European value-added distributor (VAD) of cybersecurity solutions today announced its merger with Dubai-based Starlink, the market-leading VAD in cybersecurity, secure cloud and secure networking in Middle East and Africa. This is the latest important step in Infinigate Group’s expansion strategy. In July, the Infinigate Group announced its intention to acquire large parts of the Nuvias Group, subject to the approval of the authorities, and in August the company announced the acquisition of cloud service provider Vuzion.
The geographical addition by Starlink is unique and is a step in taking the Infinigate Group global. The move will extend Infinigate Group’s reach to more than 50 countries, with offices in more than 30 countries. The joint enterprise will consolidate its position as a full EMEA powerhouse with increased relevance for its vendors and resellers, with more than 1,100 dedicated personnel, taking all completed and projected acquisitions into account. The total turnover of the Group is estimated at €2.2 billion for 2023.
Founded in 2005, Starlink is the fastest growing and largest specialised cyber and cloud VAD in Middle East and Africa with $500 million annual revenue, and a projected 20% year-on-year growth. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, comprising Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, Starlink is the leading cybersecurity distributor with more than 20% market share. It employs more than 300 people across 11 countries in the Middle East and Africa, caring for a portfolio of 60 vendors, including several market leading vendors, and 1,500 resellers.
Klaus Schlichtherle, CEO of Infinigate Group comments: “Merging Starlink enables us to offer a broader geographical platform and wider technical expertise to our vendors and resellers and represents another key milestone on our journey towards becoming a global player. Both Infinigate and Starlink have a long history of market leadership and have significant expertise in the SMB and enterprise sector – and as well as being able to offer
increased technical know-how, we will be able to leverage Starlink’s experience and relationships across EMEA. The transaction will further accelerate growth both for Infinigate and for those we serve, and offers a wealth of opportunities for our employees, our partners and our customers.”
"We are excited to be joining forces with Infinigate," states Nidal Othman, CEO of Starlink. "There are strong synergies between what Infinigate has built in Europe and what Starlink has created in the Middle East – both in terms of our strategic growth patterns and our business strategies. Starlink is a specialist in the enterprise market and Infinigate is a master in the commercial market – so our combined portfolio and expertise grows even bigger. And we are a strong cultural fit too – which will underpin our future growth and success. Together we can reach further, provide greater value as we work towards becoming a global player.”
Infinigate and Starlink have several non-shared vendors, so the merger is also an opportunity for Infinigate’s SMB vendors and Starlink’s enterprise vendors to augment their footprint.
Following the merger, Starlink will operate under the Infinigate Group banner. Starlink’s joint founders, Mahmoud Nimer and Nidal Othman, will remain invested in the enterprise, Nidal will take up a new role with Infinigate as CEO of the MEA region as well as participating in the global development of the vendor portfolio and Mahmoud becomes President of the MEA region. Both will report to Infinigate Group CEO Klaus Schlichtherle.
The transaction is fully supported by Bridgepoint, the world’s leading quoted private assets growth investor focused on the middle-market with over €37 billion assets under management and local presence in the US, Europe and China.