06 Apr 2023
We are delighted to announce the investment into Jonckers, a leading tech-enabled language services provider (LSP) from Mayfair Equity Partners.
Mayfair Equity Partners (London) has acquired a majority stake in Belgian LSP, Jonckers to accelerate growth plans that include rolling out Jonckers’ AI-driven WordsOnline platform, implementing a buy-and-build M&A strategy, investment in technology, and new market entry.
Founded in 1994, Jonckers is a leading LSP with teams located across the UK, US, EU, and Asia, with a longstanding, global blue chip client base including Microsoft, Adobe, and Amazon. Under the leadership of Silke Zschweigert (CEO) and Dominic Kinnon (COO), Jonckers has delivered substantial top and bottom-line growth, while rapidly expanding in its largest market, North America.
Jonckers’ expansion has been driven by its proprietary technology platform WordsOnline, which utilises AI-powered processes to translate content five times faster and at half the cost of traditional translation services. WordsOnline is disrupting the LSP market and is part of a broader trend where the adoption of AI and an increasing demand for localised content are creating favourable sector tailwinds.
Monica Shupikai Simmons, Director at ICON Corporate Finance, said: “In the crowded world of language translation, the superior AI-driven WordsOnline technology at Jonckers stands out as market-leading, so it was no surprise that it attracted the interest of several top-tier PE houses. With this investment from Mayfair Equity Partners, an exciting future awaits. We are delighted for Silke, Dominic and all the Jonckers team - it was a pleasure to work with them and we look forward to their continued success.”
Silke Zschweigert, CEO of Jonckers said: “Mayfair has an impressive track record of helping technology-driven companies scale up and we’re pleased to be partnering with them to deliver Jonckers’ exciting growth plan. This will include new product innovation, further internationalisation, organic growth, and a significant focus on transformative M&A. Throughout this, our mission will remain the same: to deliver market-leading translations at the best price, the fastest turnaround and optimal quality levels, so that our customers can go global faster.”
Waqqas Ahmed, Partner at Mayfair Equity Partners added: “The language services industry is a highly fragmented and often analogue sector. Jonckers is a digital champion, delivering rapid growth underpinned by increasing demand for hyper-localised content. Since our first meeting with Jonckers, we have been impressed by their ambition and capacity for innovation. They operate at the forefront of AI-enabled services, and we are looking forward to partnering with Silke, Dominic, and the whole team to build a global technology leader in the LSP market.”