New Mittelstand: The Leading Community for External Business Succession

Over 500,000 medium-sized companies in Germany will be seeking succession solutions by 2027. At the same time, a new generation of ambitious entrepreneurs is emerging, eager to take the leap into self-employment through acquisition rather than founding a new business. New Mittelstand has established itself as the leading platform that successfully brings these two worlds together.

At viaductus, we regularly collaborate with New Mittelstand and highly value their unique approach: combining the best of the Mittelstand and startup worlds creates a new form of sustainable entrepreneurship in Europe.

The Vision: Populating Europe with New Mittelstand Entrepreneurs

New Mittelstand pursues a clear mission: to create a new, future-proof form of the Mittelstand that combines the best of both worlds. While traditional Mittelstand companies often struggle with outdated structures and startups frequently fail due to lack of substance, the "New Mittelstand" merges proven traditions with innovative future concepts.

These companies are characterized by positive, sustainable, and authentic visions. They rely on holistic, flexible innovation strategies and implement them with transformative leadership cultures. Openness to collaboration and conscious resource management are crucial.

Since 2017, New Mittelstand has supported established companies such as Bahlsen, Hella Gutmann Solutions, the Marantec Group, and the SCHUNCK GROUP in adopting a startup mindset to reposition themselves and ensure future viability.

Search Funds: The Key to Successful Succession

A decisive lever for this transformation is the right succession solution. New Mittelstand has recognized that the growing succession gap in the Mittelstand requires innovative approaches. Therefore, since 2024, the platform has focused specifically on external business succession and has become the leading contact point for Search Funds and Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) in the DACH region.

Search Funds are a proven model from the USA, where investors finance both the search phase for suitable companies and the subsequent acquisition. The aspiring entrepreneur receives comprehensive support and, after a successful takeover, obtains a stake in the acquired company. Our detailed article on Search Funds in Germany explains the model in depth.

The numbers speak for themselves: while the growth of Search Funds in the USA and Canada is already exponential, Europe is just at the beginning of this development. New Mittelstand positions itself as a catalyst for this movement in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The Three Pillars of the New Mittelstand Approach

1. Community and Network

The heart of New Mittelstand is a vibrant community of over 1,000 like-minded individuals. This includes experienced Mittelstand entrepreneurs, ambitious successors, investors, and advisors—all united by the common goal of transforming the Mittelstand.

The community offers regular events, experience sharing, and networking opportunities. Particularly valuable is the annual Summit, regarded as the central industry event for external business succession. Here, successors, sellers, and investors meet for intensive exchange.

2. Targeted Exchange and Expertise

New Mittelstand not only facilitates connections but also shares valuable knowledge. The platform provides curated content, best-practice examples, and learnings from successful acquisitions. Regular insights keep the community informed about current developments.

Especially helpful are the success stories of other successors documented within the New Mittelstand community. These concretely demonstrate how various acquisition models work in practice and which challenges need to be overcome.

3. Smart Capital and Direct Investments

New Mittelstand goes beyond mere facilitation and actively invests in 2-4 succession processes per year. This "Smart Capital" combines financing with strategic consulting and operational support. The platform’s investors bring not only capital but also expertise and networks.

These investments often take place through Search Fund structures but can also assume other forms. The key is always holistic support for successors—from first contact through to successful integration of the acquired company.

Membership Models for Every Need

New Mittelstand offers different membership tiers tailored to various needs:

Community Membership (Free)

The entry point is deliberately low-threshold. The free community membership provides access to curated groups, monthly insights, and participation in the Summit. This allows interested parties to get oriented and get to know the community.

Co-Creator Membership

For serious successors, the Co-Creator membership (€600 per quarter) offers exclusive small groups, community resources, and intensive experience exchange. Carefully selected participants are closely supported in small cohorts.

Partner Membership

The Partner membership targets successors ready for intensive, individualized support. This includes Smart Capital, personal mentoring, and a concierge service covering all aspects of the acquisition process.

Why New Mittelstand Is Indispensable for Successors

The platform addresses several critical challenges faced by aspiring entrepreneurs in external succession:

Network Building: Building relevant contacts with sellers, investors, and advisors usually takes years. New Mittelstand provides immediate access to an established network.

Knowledge Transfer: The learning curve in business acquisitions is steep. The community shares experiences and best practices, helping to avoid common beginner mistakes.

Access to Financing: The financing of business acquisitions is complex. New Mittelstand opens doors to specialized investors and innovative financing models.

Continuous Support: Business acquisitions are a marathon, not a sprint. Long-term support from the community helps even after closing to ensure successful integration.

Success Stories from Practice

The effectiveness of the New Mittelstand approach is evident in concrete success stories. Successors report valuable contacts made through the platform, helpful tips from the community, and successful financing rounds with New Mittelstand investors.

Particularly impressive is the high success rate: successors who systematically use the New Mittelstand network not only find suitable acquisition targets faster but also master the complex integration phases successfully.

A second-generation successor summarizes it as follows: "Industry knowledge and experience from established Mittelstand companies and the straightforward, innovative approach of startups complement each other wonderfully through external succession to create entirely new solutions for old problems."

First Steps with New Mittelstand

The entry is deliberately designed to be straightforward. Interested successors can register for the free community membership and immediately gain access to like-minded peers, regular information, and events.

The next step involves actively gathering information and making contacts. The success stories of other successors in the New Mittelstand blog offer valuable insights, while monthly meetings and the annual Summit enable personal encounters.

Those with specific questions or ready to get started can contact the New Mittelstand team directly. The platform prides itself on individually supporting every interested successor and assisting with the next steps.

Strong Partnerships for Maximum Success

New Mittelstand collaborates with an impressive network of renowned partners. These include specialized M&A advisors such as Tembo Search Partners and LUPP + PARTNER, financing experts like Seqos Capital and Novastone Capital Advisors, as well as leading business schools such as WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management and ESCP Business School.

These partnerships ensure members have access to top expertise in all relevant areas—from due diligence to financing to post-merger integration.

Why Collaboration Between viaductus and New Mittelstand Makes Sense

As a partner of New Mittelstand, we complement each other perfectly: while New Mittelstand provides the community and network, viaductus brings operational M&A expertise. Together, we can offer successors a complete service—from initial orientation and company search to successful closing.

Our clients benefit from access to the New Mittelstand community and its resources, while New Mittelstand members can leverage our M&A consulting and our Meta-Search tool.

Conclusion: New Mittelstand as a Pioneer of the Future

New Mittelstand has established itself as an indispensable platform for everyone pursuing the path of external business succession. The combination of a vibrant community, solid expertise, and direct investment opportunities makes the platform unique in the German-speaking region.

For aspiring successors, New Mittelstand offers the ideal entry into the world of business acquisitions. The low-threshold access options allow everyone to get oriented and discover their own potential.

Are you interested in business succession? Then join the New Mittelstand community and explore the opportunities available to you. Or contact us directly to learn how viaductus and New Mittelstand can jointly support your journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The future of the Mittelstand is shaped by people who successfully combine tradition and innovation. With New Mittelstand as your partner, you have the best foundation to become part of this movement.