CAPZA supports Wifirst in the acquisition of Hotsplots, a key player in WiFi on the German market (17,500 hotspots). After its entry into the Next40 at the start of 2023, this strategic acquisition allows Wifirst to pursue its international development and strengthen its position as a European leader. CAPZA has been supporting Wifirst in its external growth strategy as a majority shareholder for almost two years.

Founded in 2004, Hotsplots is a major service provider in Germany which offers professional WiFi solutions across a wide range of market segments (public transport, retail, communities, hospitality, etc.) with over 55 million user sessions per month.

Hotsplots stands out for its strong growth dynamic in the mobility sector, with an on-board WiFi solution in trains and buses, as reliable as it is efficient. Innovation is at the heart of the Hotsplots teams’ approach, holding patents on bandwidth management in the context of collective WiFi. Hotsplots now has more than 7,000 customers, including the biggest German nationwide railway company.

CAPZA, the majority shareholder of Wifirst since March 2022, supported the Group in this first acquisition, alongside Amundi, Bpifrance and Socadif.

“We are delighted to join the Wifirst teams. We have a similar background and a common DNA, placing research and innovation at the centre of our customer approach. This new cycle is an opportunity for Hotsplots to benefit from Wifirst’s strength, particularly their unique know-how in deployment and artificial intelligence.” – Sascha Schaub, Managing Director of Hotsplots

“We really had a professional crush on both the teams and the quality of the technology developed by Hotsplots. I see this acquisition as an opportunity to continue building together a European player in WiFi infrastructure that will be very strong on the global market with new mobile product lines.” – Marc Taieb, CEO of Wifirst

“We are proud to support Marc and his teams in this new milestone of Wifirst’s development. Hotsplots’ acquisition is fully in line with the Group’s strategy and its desire to strengthen its position as a European leader in “WiFi as a Service” through external growth. » – Frédéric Chiche, Partner, CAPZA Flex Equity Mid-Market

This strategic acquisition allows Wifirst to both accelerate its geographic expansion and diversify its product portfolio, particularly with Hotsplots’ specific expertise in embedded WiFi technology.