No other industry is developing so quickly as the digital technology sector. For businesses, this entails a continuous stream of opportunities and possibilities, yet also challenges. After all, how does a medium-sized company remain relevant against a background of the scale and rapid growth of the ‘Global Tech Giants’? We believe that small businesses with big ambitions, unique tools, automation, and methodologies in specific market niches will remain relevant. Digital transformation and the transition to the cloud in particular are irreversible moves, and the journey has only just begun.

Our team has profound expertise in software, SaaS, IT services and other digital technologies, combined with extensive experience in the management and operations of technology companies. This experience spans from start-ups to executive positions at publicly traded companies in software, SaaS and Tech-Enabled Services. We’ve had great results with business model transformations that accelerate growth, and we understand the challenges involved like nobody else.

What could be more fun, practical and challenging than building products and services that we ourselves use in daily life? The consumer market accounts for 50% of the total European economy. Mentha has a strong track record, and extensive and diverse team experience in this sector. We are particularly driven by the expansion and accelerated growth of successful brands and (retail) concepts; organically or through acquisitions. Specifically, our focus is on omnichannel, e-commerce, specialty retail, niche consumer brands and private label concepts.

The team has built up in-depth knowledge and expertise in these topics. We have successfully rolled out omnichannel retail concepts internationally, helped e-commerce models to grow organically in home or new markets and gained extensive experience in establishing and growing (wholesale) consumer brands, in the role of an involved shareholder but also as a strategic and operational advisor.

Business services is a sector in which we have felt at home for years. The appeal is clear: business services have become indispensable in today’s world with increasing outsourcing of activities that are not part of a company’s core processes, a shortage of talent, and growth trends driven by digitization. We are particularly interested in companies with great added value or differentiated services, where smart application of technology makes these services unique. We have experience in a wide range of service types and end markets. In many cases, our companies in the business services sector overlap with one of the other sectors within our focus.

In respect to the aging of the population, our world is dealing with a two-fold issue: there are more people who have reached retirement age, and there are more people who have reached an advanced age within that bracket. By 2040, a quarter of our population will be over 65. This increase, and the act of aging in a healthy way, we believe, requires innovation and technology. Developing better, better accessible and affordable solutions is crucial. We look at health from a broad perspective: in addition to physical condition, nutrition, appearance and psychological aspects also ensure that a longer, healthier and happier life is within reach for everyone.

Our team has gained experience in areas such as medical technology, medical aids, child care, healthcare-related services, drug development and production, occupational health, and consultancy in various niche segments. We understand the dynamics in the Health & Wellbeing market well and are therefore able to actively guide fast and sustainable growth in this sector.

The need for sustainability will dominate the way we produce in the coming years. Things will have to change in terms of energy and material consumption. In addition, the recycling of products, the exclusion of certain materials and the tracing of origin are major themes. Increasing labour costs, the limited availability of (production) personnel and the dependence on global supply chains are driving these far-reaching changes in production environments worldwide.

At Mentha we have experience in changing and improving production companies. This experience is relevant both in our role as an investing partner of companies in which we are or have been involved, and in the experiences that various people in our team have gained from being operationally responsible in production companies themselves. This enables us to think collaboratively and help build the necessary changes that production companies have to go through.

In recent years, Mentha believes that there has been a notable and transformative shift from the strict focus of companies on shareholder value, towards a more inclusive emphasis on stakeholder value. The emphasis on stakeholder value includes the (growing) awareness of sustainability. Mentha believes this will only further increase and lead to action both at larger corporates and at small medium enterprises. At Mentha, we have always considered the impact of ourselves and our portfolio companies on the people and world around us. We want, and can, use our decades of experience to help accelerate and expand companies that have a positive impact on the climate and environment.