Wizeline Continues Accelerated Growth with Strategic Investment from CDPQ

1st September 2021

• Agreement from CDPQ to purchase a majority stake from Apax Digital Fund who will remain a shareholder following transaction

Wizeline, a global technology services provider that partners with clients to build high-quality digital products and platforms, today announced an agreement for Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group, to acquire majority ownership of Wizeline. Apax Digital Fund, which has been a majority owner since 2018, will remain as a share holder following the transaction.

Founded in 2014, Wizeline’s origins as a cloud-native, product development company have served it well in its partnerships with customers needing to mature their data-driven capabilities, build next-generation products and platforms, and stay competitive in a constantly evolving market. The company works with its customers in an agile and iterative format to achieve business goals and deliver results. 

The arrival of CDPQ marks a significant milestone in Wizeline’s growth, enabling continued expansion of services and geographies.

“Over this past year, we’ve continued to see an accelerated need for digital products and platforms across all industries, which makes it the right time to take the next big step in our journey to become a global leader in the technology services space,” said Bismarck Lepe, CEO and Founder, Wizeline. “The investment from CDPQ, and the continued partnership with Apax Digital Fund will support our vision of providing customers with the most advanced technology solutions, while contributing critical skills development to the next generation of technology creators.” 

“Wizeline has successfully captured the rising demand for digital product design and development and built strong client loyalty among its many blue-chip clients to become one of the highest-growth companies in its industry,” said Martin Laguerre, Executive Vice-President and Head of Private Equity and Capital Solutions at CDPQ. “We look forward to joining Wizeline and its employees as they continue to support their clients to succeed by building exceptional digital platforms.”

“It has been an honor to support Bismarck and his team in transforming Wizeline into one of the fastest growing and most exciting software consultancy businesses in the world,” said Marcelo Gigliani, Managing Partner of Apax Digital. “Given the immense talent of our 1400+ Wizeliners and their commitment to delighting a growing roster of blue-chip customers, we are convinced that the best is yet to come. We look forward to partnering with CDPQ over the coming years to help drive Wizeline to even greater heights.”

Wizeline’s award-winning culture, focused on innovation, ownership and community, has made it a company of choice for technology talent around the world. One of its initiatives, Wizeline's Academy, offers free technology courses, certifications and workshops, to not only employees, but the external community and, to date, has served over 25,000 students from 77 nationalities.

Advisors

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as financial advisor, and White & Case LLP acted as legal counsel to CDPQ. Guggenheim Securities, LLC acted as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Wizeline.