EQT AB

EQT AB is a Swedish global investment organization founded in 1994. Its funds invest in private equity (EQT Private Capital Europe & North America), infrastructure (EQT Infrastructure), real estate (EQT Real Estate), growth equity, and venture capital in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. As of 2025, EQT's assets under management are €266 billion (US$285 billion), of which €141 billion are fee-generating.[2] It is ranked the second largest private equity firm worldwide based on funds raised according to the 2025 edition of Private Equity International's PEI 300 ranking.[3]

History

The company was founded in 1994 by SEB, AEA Investors, and Investor AB.[4][5][6] Conni Jonsson was founding chairman.[7]

EQT established venture capital business EQT Ventures in 2016,[8] and went public in 2019 by IPO.[9]

In 2021, EQT acquired Life Sciences Partners, a European venture capital firm with approximately €2.2 billion of assets under management[1] followed in 2022, by Baring Private Equity Asia managing funds of S$20.0 billion.[10]

In February 2025, EQT appointed Per Franzén as its incoming chief executive, as of May 2025.[11]

Description, structure, and governance

EQT is owned by the Wallenberg family and Investor AB.

Its funds invest in private equity, infrastructure, real estate, growth equity, and venture capital in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific,[12] including Oceania.

As of the firm and its associates have offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Mumbai, Munich, New York City, Oslo, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, and Zurich.[13]

As of EQT investment divisions are:[14]

It has two subsidiaries: EQT Ventures[8] and Baring Private Equity Asia.[10]

As of 2022, Conni Jonsson is chair and Christian Sinding CEO.[17]

In October 2025, EQT announced it was nominating Jean Salata to succeed Jonsson as chairperson. [18]

  • EQT Infrastructure[15]
  • EQT Private Capital Europe & North America[16]
  • EQT Real Estate[14]
  • EQT Private Wealth[14]

Assets and ranking

As of 2025, EQT's assets under management were €270 billion / ~US$258.17 billion.[19] In 2024, EQT ranked as the third largest private equity firm worldwide based on funds raised according to the Private Equity International's PEI 300 ranking.[20]

Fund investments

  • 2017, Medical device company Clinical Innovations from the Pritzker Group for US$250 million[21]
  • 2019, SUSE for US$2.5 billion[22][23]
  • 2019, Zayo Group Holding Inc from Digital Colony Partners for US$14.3 billion[24]
  • 2019, Part of a consortium with ADIA to acquire Nestlé Skin Health[25]
  • 2019, Acumatica[26]
  • 2019, German fiber-optic network provider Inexio for $1.1 billion[27]
  • 2020, Spanish real estate website Idealista for €1.3 billion[28]
  • 2020, Datacenter Provider Edge Connex was bought for $2.7 billion[29]
  • 2021, Announced plans to acquire solar and storage developer Cypress Creek Renewables[30]
  • 2021, purchased First Student and First Transit from FirstGroup[31]
  • 2022, Australian retirement living portfolio from Stockland, renamed as Levande, for near $1b AUD[32] (EQT Infrastructure), with David Gonski appointed chair[33]
  • In March 2022, EQT acquired BPEA with 5.3 billion euros worth of new EQT shares and 1.5 billion euros in cash paid to Bearing PEA. This gave it the rights of operators to manage the fund and the right to hold performance pay for existing funds.[34]
  • In July 2023, EQT acquired the entire stake held by SK Square and the Macquarie Asset Management Consortium for about KRW 2 trillion, becoming the largest shareholder of SK Shieldus with a 68% stake.[35]
  • 2023, Announced plans to acquire Zeus Company, a global leader in advanced polymer components used in life-saving medical procedures for $3.4 billion.[36]
  • 2024, Renamed BPEA, which was previously acquired in 2022, to EQT Private Capital Asia.[37]
  • 2024, Acquired digital consultancy firm Perficient for $3 billion all cash deal. The acquisition was completed in October 2024.[38]
  • 2024, private equity consortium led by Neuberger Berman that includes EQT AB and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board agreed to buy international private school operator Nord Anglia Education for $14.5 billion.[39]
  • 2024, 100% of the shares of OX2, a Stockholm based renewable energy development company[40]
  • 2024, Acquired Indostar Home Finance which is an Indian affordable housing finance company, for $210 million and gave commitments of $59 million to support in future.[41]
  • In January 2025, EQT signed a deal to acquire a best-in-class logistics collective strategically located in major Milan and Verona submarkets in northern Italy for approximately 230 million euros.[42]
  • On March 19, 2025, EQT announced a deal to acquire Crown Castle's small cells business for $4.25 billion.[43]
  • In March 2025, EQTAB acquired the consortium's Nord Anglia Education, valued at $14.5 billion.[44]
  • In July 2025, EQT X acquired Adalvo.[45]
  • In July 2025, EQT launched a tender offer to acquire an 85% stake in Fujitec, a Japanese elevator maker.[46]
  • In January 2026, EQT agreed to acquire Coller Capital for up to $3.7 billion—$3.2 billion base consideration and up to $500 million on contingent performance.[47]

References

  1. EQT AB (publ) Year-end Report 2021 EQT, 19 January 2022, retrieved 15 October 2022^
  2. EQT AB Half-year Report 2025 eqtgroup.com, EQT AB, 17 July 2025, retrieved 30 September 2025^
  3. PEI 300: The world’s largest private equity firms Private Equity International, June 2025, retrieved 17 February 2026^
  4. SEB Asset Management (Real Estate - Homepage) IPE Reference Hub, 2 February 2015, retrieved 23 February 2015^
  5. Chris V. Nicholson. EQT Nurtures Companies It Buys, Defying Vulture Label The New York Times, 11 April 2011^
  6. Javier Espinoza. EQT Co-Founder Leaves to Set Up Socially Responsible Fund Financial Times, 7 March 2019, retrieved 12 September 2019^
  7. Conni Jonsson EQT, retrieved 15 October 2022^
  8. Adam Ewing. Buyout Fund EQT Starts $632 Million Venture Arm Targeting Europe Bloomberg News, 26 May 2016, retrieved 3 March 2017^
  9. Inside private equity's race to go public Financial Times, 10 January 2022, retrieved 24 May 2022^
  10. EQT Buys Baring Asia Unit in $7.5 Billion Private-Equity Merger www.wsj.com, Wall Street Journal, retrieved 4 November 2021^
  11. Buyout firm EQT names Per Franzén chief executive Financial Times. (Subscription only)^
  12. EQT Overview PitchBook Data, 8 November 2021, retrieved 8 November 2021^
  13. Offices EQT Group, 25 March 2025, retrieved 25 March 2025^
  14. About EQT EQT Group, 25 March 2025, retrieved 25 March 2025^
  15. EQT Infrastructure EQT Group, 25 March 2025, retrieved 25 March 2025^
  16. Private Capital Europe & North America EQT Group, 25 March 2025, retrieved 25 March 2025^
  17. Christian Sinding EQT, retrieved 15 October 2022^
  18. Christopher Caillavet. Sweden's EQT Names Asia Boss Salata as Next Chairperson Mingtiandi, 2025-10-10, retrieved 2025-12-31^
  19. Dominic Chopping. EQT to Acquire Private Equity Firm Coller Capital For Up to $3.7 Billion The Wall Street Journal, 2026-01-22, retrieved 2026-01-22^
  20. PEI 300 Private Equity International, 3 June 2024, retrieved 4 June 2024^
  21. Jonathan D. Rockoff, "Private-Equity Group EQT to Buy Medical Device Company for $250 Million," The Wall Street Journal, 18 October 2017.^
  22. EQT fund to acquire SUSE for $2.5bn Financier Worldwide, retrieved 6 December 2021^
  23. Ian Murphy. EQT completes of SUSE from Micro Focus www.enterprisetimes.co.uk, 18 March 2019, retrieved 2 May 2020^
  24. Digital Colony, EQT to buy communications infrastructure firm Zayo for $8.2 billion in cash CNBC, 8 May 2019, retrieved 10 November 2021^
  25. Nestlé enters into exclusive negotiations to sell Nestlé Skin Health to a consortium led by EQT and ADIA retrieved 2 October 2019^
  26. IFS and Acumatica to form global cloud ERP powerhouse under EQT ownership Acumatica Cloud ERP, retrieved 18 December 2019^
  27. EQT buys German fibre optic firm Inexio; source values deal around $1.1 billion www.reuters.com, 28 September 2019, retrieved 10 November 2021^
  28. EQT buys Spain's Idealista from Apax for €1.3bn retrieved 10 November 2021^
  29. Mary Zhang. EQT Infrastructure Doubles Down on EdgeConneX with Fund V Dgtl Infra, 19 August 2021^
  30. EQT acquires solar and storage developer Cypress Creek Renewables www.pv-tech.org, 5 July 2021, retrieved 27 July 2021^
  31. EQT Infrastructure Closes Acquisition of First Student and First Transit First Student, 2021-07-22, retrieved 2022-06-06^
  32. Sean McKeown. Levande launches following completion of Stockland Retirement Living acquisition Inside Ageing, 2 August 2022, retrieved 25 March 2025^
  33. Gonski chairs EQT's former Stockland retirement portfolio August 2022^
  34. 구귀 강. [fn마켓워치]EQT AB, 베어링PEA 인수 n.news.naver.com, retrieved 2025-01-06^
  35. Hyun-joon Na, Iou-chung Chang. SK square sells SK shieldus stake to EQT Partners for $673 mn Maeil Business Newspaper, July 21, 2023^
  36. EQT Nears $3 Billion-Plus Deal for Medical Device Firm Zeus Bloomberg.com, 18 December 2023, retrieved 18 December 2023^
  37. Kavitha Nair. PE Digest: BPEA EQT changes name; CapitaLand acquires SG property DealStreetAsia, 10 January 2023, retrieved 2024-03-02^
  38. EQT Completes Acquisition of Perficient www.perficient.com, 2024-10-02, retrieved 2024-10-12^
  39. Dominic Chopping. Neuberger Berman Forms Consortium With EQT to Buy Nord Anglia Education in $14.5 Billion Deal The Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2024^
  40. EQT to successfully acquire OX2 Company Website, October 8, 2024^
  41. Sweden's EQT exceeds investment targets in India, doubles down on healthcare December 5, 2024^
  42. EQT Real Estate acquires 12-building logistics assemblage located in key Northern Italian submarkets eqtgroup.com, 2025-01-27, retrieved 2025-02-24^
  43. Crown Castle to sell fiber assets to EQT Active Core and Zayo in $8.5 billion deal Reuters, 2025-03-13, retrieved 2025-03-19^
  44. EQT Consortium Completes Acquisition of Nord Anglia Education eqtgroup.com, 2025-03-20, retrieved 2025-03-27^
  45. EQT to acquire Adalvo 2025-07-25^
  46. European investment firm EQT to take Japan's Fujitec private for $2.7 billion Reuters, 2025-07-30, retrieved 2025-08-06^
  47. Dominic Chopping. EQT to Acquire Private Equity Firm Coller Capital For Up to $3.7 Billion The Wall Street Journal, 2026-01-22, retrieved 2026-01-22^