Our passion is building
great businesses
We help mid-size companies grow and build their
purpose pathways through access to proven growth
tools, operational leadership, and private capital.
We help mid-size companies grow and build their purpose pathways through access to proven growth tools, operational leadership, and private capital.
Our passion is building great businesses
We help mid-size companies grow and build their purpose pathways through access to proven growth tools, operational leadership, and private capital.
About Us
Pepper Oaks Capital is a management buy-in partnership firm combining private capital with operational leadership to help mid-size service businesses grow and emerge as category leaders.
With more than 20 years of operating and investment experience in management buy-ins of recurring business services, and in B2B technology services, Pepper Oaks Capital thrives by growing high performance teams and building great and enduring businesses.
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About our founder, Matthias Knaur
Matthias has always had a passion for building great businesses and helping people improve the way they work, live, and play. Guided by strong values and operating principles, he strives for excellence as a partner of choice for entrepreneurs to grow businesses into category leaders.
2009 - Current
Founder, Managing Partner
- Advisory and management buy-in investment firm with focus on acquiring and growing healthy mid-size recurring business services and on b2b technology investments
- POC serves business owners seeking a succession, entrepreneurs seeking support to grow and scale, and investment firms seeking entrepreneurship
- Guided by strong values and operating principles, POC is committed to improving the way you live, create, and play
2022 - Current
Investor, Strategic Advisor
- Relay Investments has been investing in Search Funds and ETA`s (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition) for nearly 3 decades
- Relay Europe is the first dedicated European Fund, exclusively investing in Search Funds / ETA`s across Europe
- With over 300 Search Fund Investments, Relay is one of the pioneers in the Search Fund investing space - inspiring entrepreneurs, mentoring searchers, and empowering CEOs
2018 - Current
Venture Advisor
- Growth venture capital
- Digital/technology venture capital advisory
- With +20bn AuM, NEA has served as a partner to the founders and teams behind some of the most transformational innovations in healthcare and technology over the past five decades
2015 - Current
Investor & Venture Partner
- Seed stage venture capital
- Digital/technology venture capital investment
- Speedinvest has grown from 10 million AuM in 2015 to more than 1 billion AuM today, making it one of Europe's top seed funds.
2014 - Current
Member
- With over 30,000 members worldwide, YPO is a leading organization for developing leaders
- The YPO core pillars are based on personal growth through peer 2 peer learning and feedback sharing
2014 - 2024
CEO, Co-Founder, Investor, Supervisory Board
- Leading service provider for the management of IT service and maintenance agreements
- Active in +25 countries supporting +16,000 customers
- Manages +30,000 service agreements across +4m IT assets
- Group of AMAG companies (Tesedi Group, Support Warehouse, IT Asset Hub, Europlus Direct & Renewal Agency) generating +100 million CHF in sales
- Annuity Management Success Story (link to case study)
2010 - 2014
CEO, Co-Founder, Investor
- Membership management, subscription payment, renewal and processing service provider to the fitness industry
- The company group (Magicline, Eurofit 24 (now Finion), and Sunya) serves +3,600 fitness studio customers and handles +1.5 billion euros in membership fees from +2 million club members annually. Today the group operates as Sports Alliance Group.
- Interview on the acquisition of StudioLine (only in German, link to PDF)
2005 - 2009
Chief of Staff
- Insurance software & claim processing service provider to the automotive collision industries
- $1 billion management buy-in (ADP spin-off)
- Listed on NYSE in 2007 (SLH); Market Cap $3.6 billion
- Group of SLH companies encompass (Audatex, Claims Service Group, Hollander)
1995 - 2005
- Led several entrepreneurial ventures and scale-ups in both the US and Europe
- Manager at Hewlett Packard Company, USA (HP-Enterprise Group)
- Management Consultant at Roland Berger AT, Europe
- Automobile Salesperson at Toyota, USA
Education
- Master of Business Administration from the IESE Business School in Barcelona with an exchange at TUCK School of Business at Dartmouth
- Master of Science in Management with distinction from the London School of Economics (LSE),
- Agricultural degree in Forestry Management
- Engineering degree in Computer Science
- Alumni of the Modern Elder Academy
2009 - Current
Founder, Managing Partner
- Advisory and management buy-in investment firm with focus on acquiring and growing healthy mid-size recurring business services and on b2b technology investments
- POC serves business owners seeking a succession, entrepreneurs seeking support to grow and scale, and investment firms seeking entrepreneurship
- Guided by strong values and operating principles, POC is committed to improving the way you live, create, and play
2022 - Current
Investor, Strategic Advisor
- Relay Investments has been investing in Search Funds and ETA`s (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition) for nearly 3 decades
- Relay Europe is the first dedicated European Fund, exclusively investing in Search Funds / ETA`s across Europe
- With over 300 Search Fund Investments, Relay is one of the pioneers in the Search Fund investing space - inspiring entrepreneurs, mentoring searchers, and empowering CEOs
2018 - Current
Venture Advisor
- Growth venture capital
- Digital/technology venture capital advisory
- With +20bn AuM, NEA has served as a partner to the founders and teams behind some of the most transformational innovations in healthcare and technology over the past five decades
2015 - Current
Investor & Venture Partner
- Seed stage venture capital
- Digital/technology venture capital investment
- Speedinvest has grown from 10 million AuM in 2015 to more than 1 billion AuM today, making it one of Europe's top seed funds.
2014 - Current
Member
- With over 30,000 members worldwide, YPO is a leading organization for developing leaders
- The YPO core pillars are based on personal growth through peer 2 peer learning and feedback sharing
2014 - 2024
CEO, Co-Founder, Investor, Supervisory Board
- Leading service provider for the management of IT service and maintenance agreements
- Active in +25 countries supporting +16,000 customers
- Manages +30,000 service agreements across +4m IT assets
- Group of AMAG companies (Tesedi Group, Support Warehouse, IT Asset Hub, Europlus Direct & Renewal Agency) generating +100 million CHF in sales
- Annuity Management Success Story (link to case study)
2010 - 2014
Studioline / Magicline
CEO, Co-Founder, Investor
- Membership management, subscription payment, renewal and processing service provider to the fitness industry
- The company group (Magicline, Eurofit 24 (now Finion), and Sunya) serves +3,600 fitness studio customers and handles +1.5 billion euros in membership fees from +2 million club members annually. Today the group operates as Sports Alliance Group.
- Interview on the acquisition of StudioLine (only in German, link to PDF)
2005 - 2009
Chief of Staff
- Insurance software & claim processing service provider to the automotive collision industries
- $1 billion management buy-in (ADP spin-off)
- Listed on NYSE in 2007 (SLH); Market Cap $3.6 billion
- Group of SLH companies encompass (Audatex, Claims Service Group, Hollander)
1995 - 2005
- Led several entrepreneurial ventures and scale-ups in both the US and Europe
- Manager at Hewlett Packard Company, USA (HP-Enterprise Group)
- Management Consultant at Roland Berger AT, Europe
- Automobile Salesperson at Toyota, USA
Education
- Master of Business Administration from the IESE Business School in Barcelona with an exchange at TUCK School of Business at Dartmouth
- Master of Science in Management with distinction from the London School of Economics (LSE),
- Agricultural degree in Forestry Management
- Engineering degree in Computer Science
- Alumni of the Modern Elder Academy
Matthias References
What do partners say
“Inspiring entrepreneur and a true rainmaker - who grew the Annuity Management Group tremendously over the years.”
“Great Partner - whom NEA is very proud to have an affiliation with.”
"It was the perfect decision to partner with Matthias to take on my life`s work."
“Great Visionary – who has been instrumental to the Speedinvest success story”
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“Inspiring entrepreneur and a true rainmaker -
who grew the Annuity Management Group
tremendously over the years.”
Dr. Gernot Eisinger
Co-founder and Managing Partner Afinum
“Great Partner - whom NEA is very proud to
have an affiliation with.”
Scott Sandell
Managing Partner, New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
“It was the perfect decision to partner
with Matthias to take on my life`s work.”
Kurt Studerus
Co-Founder Tesedi Group
“Great Visionary – who has been instrumental
to the Speedinvest success story”
Oliver Holle
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Speedinvest
“Great Partner - whom NEA is very proud to
have an affiliation with.”
Scott Sandell
Managing Partner, New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
Our Values
Guided by our values, we strive for excellence as partners, mentors, investors, and co-investors.
Trust &
Integrity
Humor &
humility
Striving for
Excellence
Be one
team
Keep it
Simple
Our Operating Principles
Think 80/20
Live 90/10
Act 30/30
Our Values
Guided by our values, we strive for excellence as partners, mentors, investors, and co-investors.
Guided by our values, we strive for excellence
as partners, mentors, investors, and co-investors.
Trust &
Integrity
Humor &
humility
Striving for
Excellence
Be one
team