Lars Kloppsteck

Lars Kloppsteck is Managing Partner at BID Equity, a Hamburg-based private equity firm focused exclusively on B2B software. BID Equity was founded in 2016 and has grown into one of Germany’s specialized software investors, managing more than €800 million across its funds. Public company records and BID Equity materials list Kloppsteck among the firm’s management alongside Dr. Axel Jansen and Dr. Helge Hofmeister.

Before and alongside BID Equity, Kloppsteck built a background across entrepreneurship, operations, consulting, and technology management. His BID Equity biography describes him as an entrepreneur and global manager who has built new businesses, led mid-sized companies in Asia and Europe, and served as an active CIO, giving him direct experience from the customer side of IT.

His LinkedIn profile lists an MBA from IESE Business School for 2007–2009 and also references studies at University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, University of Westminster, and University of Miami. In 2015, he was associated with Boston Consulting Group’s container-shipping work; Journal of Commerce quoted him as a BCG principal responsible for liner-shipping activities, and his LinkedIn profile lists a BCG publication, “Think Outside Your Boxes: Solving the Global Container-Repositioning Puzzle.”

At BID Equity, Kloppsteck says he is involved across the investment cycle: identifying software companies, building partnerships with founders and management teams, and supporting platforms strategically and operationally. His own firm profile describes him as “an entrepreneur by heart” and emphasizes hands-on, pragmatic work across commercial and technical topics.

• BID Equity invests exclusively in B2B software and looks for “profitable, growing B2B software companies primarily in Europe with a particular emphasis on the DACH region.”
• The firm’s stated strategy is structured buy-and-build: acquiring majority stakes in strong mid-market software businesses, then scaling them through add-on M&A, internationalization, digitization, sales, product, pricing, cloud, AI enablement, and operational process improvement.
• BID Equity’s published investment criteria emphasize EBIT of €0.5–5 million, proprietary IP, recurring revenue, majority stakes, and European geography, selectively worldwide.
• FYB lists BID Equity’s participation type as majority stakes, with funding stages including shareholder buyouts, succession situations, and carve-outs, and a minimum investment of €3 million.
• Kloppsteck’s own stated role: “I accompany the investment cycle from start to finish,” beginning with “identifying companies that we would like to support” and continuing into an “ongoing partnership to develop the platforms strategically and operationally.”
• BID’s founder-facing message is aimed at owners of B2B software companies, not seed-stage startups: “Are you a founder or owner of a B2B software company? We’d love to connect.”