In a further twist, following several failed IPO attempts, the private equity minority shareholder of Springer Nature, BC Partners, is selling its stake to its own newly-formed BC Partners fund.
BC Partners has had a stake in the Springer Science company since 2013. Subsequently there was a merger with Macmillan Science and Education, owner of Nature, in 2015 which created Springer Nature. The former owners of Nature (the family-owned Holtzbrinck Publishing Group) still control 53% of Springer Nature. The new fund would reportedly allow early investors to cash-out of the business.
The deal, if it proceeds, would value Springer Nature at €6bn (10x the company’s €575m earnings in 2019, from a revenue of €1.7bn), against a €3.3bn valuation at the time of the original investment. The company has 10k employees across 50 countries.
