German Equity Partners V (“GEP V” or “the Fund”), a fund managed by independent German investment company ECM Equity Capital Management GmbH (“ECM”) today announces the sale of its majority stake in Berlin-based social-first agency Intermate Group (“Intermate”) to SAMY Alliance (“SAMY”). With in-house content studios, innovative influencer technology, and its performance marketing agency advertace, Intermate covers the entire social media marketing value chain — from influencer campaigns, social media & community management, and content production to paid advertising. With ECM’s support, Intermate has evolved into a dynamic pioneer in social media marketing over the past few years, further expanding its leading market position in the DACH region.
Now, through the strategic partnership with SAMY, Intermate is entering the next phase of growth. Founded in 2012, SAMY Alliance has grown into a network of 600 employees across 15 countries. Backed by investment firm Bridgepoint, the agency has emerged as a dominant force in the social media marketing space, leveraging data-driven insights to power culturally relevant strategies, cutting edge creativity and effective performance.
Intermate’s co-founders Philip Papendieck (CEO), Jörn Mecher (CCO) and Philipp Wolff (Creative Content Officer) will continue to lead the company operationally and drive its future development together with SAMY. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price or other transaction details.
Strategic focus on dynamic growth
Since GEP V’s investment in 2021, Intermate — founded by Philip Papendieck, Jörn Mecher, Alessandro De Pasquale, Sonja Wolff, and Philipp Wolff — has seen dynamic growth. During this period, the company was able to double both its revenue and operating results and increase its headcount by more than 60%. This impressive growth trajectory, supported by ECM, was driven through the expansion of Intermate’s service portfolio in the areas of social media management, consulting, and data analytics. A key milestone was the acquisition of performance marketing agency advertace, which significantly strengthened the company’s capabilities in paid advertising. Following the successful integration of advertace, Intermate now offers clients a comprehensive range of social media marketing services — from creative content and influencer partnerships to targeted advertising campaigns delivering maximum reach and efficiency. Close partnerships with major platforms like TikTok and an expanding client base underscore the company’s successful growth.
Furthermore, Intermate’s success is fueled by the overall rise in importance of social media marketing. As Germany’s advertising market continues its shift away from traditional channels, digital formats —particularly social media — are gaining traction. Market analysts predict that social media ad spending will grow by an average of 13.2% per year from 2024 to 2028, while growth in other digital formats is expected to be just 4.9% per year.
Expansion of tech and AI expertise and organizational development
Since the beginning of the partnership with ECM, Intermate has continuously expanded its internal tech and AI capabilities and made significant investments in organizational development. Under the leadership of CTO Tobias Dumke and Head of Product Nick Zimmermann, the company has scaled its highly qualified tech team and continuously optimized its proprietary technology platform. Particularly noteworthy is the integration of AI-driven tools for screening and analyzing social content and creators within Intermate’s proprietary influencer and content database.
Philip Papendieck, CEO and Co-Founder of Intermate Group, commented: “Thanks to ECM’s collaborative and constructive support, we were not only able to strengthen Intermate Group’s market leadership in Germany but also expand our service offering and future-proof our organization — laying a strong foundation for our next growth phase. The acquisition of advertace in particular has taken us to a new level in paid advertising. Together with SAMY, we will now unlock further international growth opportunities. I’m delighted that we’ve found in SAMY the ideal strategic partner to realize Intermate’s international ambitions — one that offers exciting prospects for our entire team.”
Juan Andrés Elhazaz, CEO at SAMY Alliance, added: “Since our inception — in 2012 for SAMY and 2015 for Intermate — both companies have shared the same ambition: not just to play in the social media space, but to shape and lead it. We’ve always seen ourselves as pioneers, challenging the status quo and helping brands connect with people in more authentic, creative and impactful ways. Together, we are ready to lead the evolution of communications and shape the future of social media marketing at a global scale.”
Florian Kähler, Managing Partner of ECM, added: “Intermate has achieved remarkable progress, and I greatly appreciated our partnership on equal footing. We are delighted to have accompanied the Intermate Group on its successful journey to becoming a leading company in the DACH region. I am confident that SAMY is the ideal strategic partner to support Intermate’s next chapter—developing into a European market leader in social media marketing. I wish Intermate, its management team, and SAMY all the best and continued success.”
GEP V was advised on this transaction by Lincoln International (M&A), Milbank (legal and structuring), KNPZ (IP/IT law), Kliemt (employment law), OMMAX (commercial), and RSM Ebner Stolz (financial & tax). The transaction was led by Florian Kähler, Benedikt Müller, and Vanessa Crescencio Trageser at ECM.
About ECM Equity Capital Management GmbH (“ECM”)
ECM is a trusted growth partner for mid-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs in German-speaking Europe. Since 1995, ECM has raised the private equity funds GEP I-V with aggregate equity commitments of more than €1 billion and currently invests out of its fifth fund GEP V (€325 million). The funds invest primarily in leading mid-market companies with attractive growth potential in the context of ownership successions, partnership transactions and corporate spin-offs.
Further information at: www.ecm-pe.de
About Intermate Group (”Intermate”)
With over 250 employees and offices in Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne, the Intermate Group is one of the largest social and creator agencies in the DACH region. Through its production company Truemates, proprietary content studios, a holistic influencer technology platform, the social and influencer agency Intermate, and the social performance agency advertace, the group has built a leading market position with a strong creator-centric approach.
Thanks to close relationships with the platforms and robust technical infrastructure, the Intermate Group offers the full social media value chain from a single source: influencer campaigns, creator-centric social media and community management, content production, performance advertising, and, more recently, consulting and data insights.
With its own inventory and original formats—such as the TikTok show Daily Pie with over 1 million followers—Intermate brings first-hand social expertise into its clients’ strategies and concepts.
Further information at: www.intermate.de