5CS Capital Partners announces that Kester Capital has invested in Databalance, a leading managed IT services platform serving organisations with business-critical environments in the Netherlands. Databalance’s management team and 5CS Capital Partners will remain invested alongside Kester to support the company’s next phase of growth. The business will continue to be led by CEO Nordi Malih and the broader management team.
When 5CS partnered with Nordi Malih and Databalance in 2020, the shared ambition was to build a differentiated, cloud-agnostic managed IT services platform for the Dutch upper mid-market. Since then, Databalance has successfully executed a disciplined buy-and-build strategy, integrating complementary businesses, specialist expertise and talented teams into a unified platform operating under one brand, one culture and one operating model.
Today, Databalance serves more than 400 customers across the Netherlands and has established itself as a trusted strategic partner for organisations operating business-critical IT environments. Its integrated service portfolio spans infrastructure, hybrid and hyperscaler cloud, modern workplace, cybersecurity and Data & AI. Supported by long-term managed services contracts, the business benefits from strong customer retention, a high degree of recurring revenue and long-standing customer relationships.
Alongside its operational growth, Databalance has continued to invest in its people, capabilities and organisational development. The company has built a strong leadership team, expanded its technical expertise and created a scalable platform well positioned to benefit from the long-term trends shaping the managed IT services market, including increasing IT complexity, growing cybersecurity requirements, data sovereignty needs and accelerating AI adoption.
Kester’s investment will support Databalance in further strengthening its commercial capabilities, continuing to invest in talent and technical expertise, and pursuing its successful strategic acquisition programme to further expand capability and scale.
Nordi Malih, CEO of Databalance, commented: “At Databalance, our mission is to enable customers to secure business continuity, navigate change with confidence and create the agility needed to grow and innovate, powered by a team of specialists united around our 9+ standard: consistently going beyond customer expectations. I am incredibly proud of what our team has achieved and grateful for the strong partnership with 5CS throughout our growth journey. With Kester joining us for the next chapter as our new partner, we are ideally positioned to further invest in our people, expand our capabilities, and strengthen our leadership position.”
Cameron Crockett, Managing Partner of Kester, said: “Databalance stood out to us as an exceptional business in the highly attractive managed IT services market where we have been developing a thesis for many years. Nordi and his team have built a platform of real quality, with best-in-class customer service standards and technical depth. We are delighted to be partnering with them.”
Sebastiaan de Koning, Founding Partner of 5CS Capital Partners, commented: “When we partnered with Nordi and the Databalance team in 2020, we shared the ambition of building a differentiated, cloud-agnostic managed IT services platform for the Dutch upper mid-market. Over the past years, the team has successfully executed on that vision by combining strong organic growth with a disciplined acquisition strategy. We are proud of what has been achieved together and grateful to the employees, customers and partners who have contributed to Databalance’s success. We believe Kester is the right partner to support the next phase of growth and are pleased to remain invested alongside Kester and management, reflecting our continued confidence in the company, its leadership team and the attractive market opportunity ahead.”
Sell-side advisers to the transaction / management
Lincoln International (M&A advisory)
JB Law (legal)
Deloitte (financial & tax)
EY-Parthenon (commercial & technology)
Svalner Atlas (tax advisory to management)