Rico Adlor-Andersen’s Post

Shine is acquired by Cegid 13 years ago, I met a guy called Martin. He had something special. One of those moments that you just need to act and accelerate on. We shared the same vision and feeling - we wanted to make the world a better place for small businesses and their accountants. 7 years ago, we met a guy called Gilbert Kamieniecky. Probably the smartest person I ever met. He smelled an opportunity and saw potential. He helped turn our ambitious start-up, into a pan-European fintech unicorn 🦄 , serving more than 400.000 businesses, helping +3.000 accountants, and being a house for more than 400 employees. He helped build a real business of approx. €100m in revenue with a profit margin of +20%. Just let that sink for a tiny moment.... 4 weeks ago, we met a guy called Christian Lucas. He had something special, again, one of those moments you need to act and accelerate on. Christian is a man with a plan. He wanted something even bigger: building a pan-European powerhouse for SMEs and Accountants for banking and accounting needs. Just wow... He said, “I like your business, but I like your team and spirit even more - let’s build something bigger together”. Christian is the chairman of Cegid, and by combining Cegid’s Small Business and the Accountant unit with Shine, we are becoming a champion of +2,000 employees, serving more than 1 million businesses, with a network of 15k accountants - all working with one purpose and one direction: building the Eiffel Tower of Europe for accounting and banking services to small businesses and their accountants. Who wouldn’t be on board with that? A move that will change the history of our industry, a move that I am proud to lead together with Martin and our team by my side. A move that for sure won’t disappoint you, Christian! Gilbert, you raised Martin and me, you took us from young boys to grown-ups. That I will never forget, and you will always have a special place in our hearts. Christian, now it’s your job to take us from grown-ups to real men - and we will give you everything it has, and not let you down. To our entire team, partners, customers, advisors, investors - we fucking did it! I can’t thank you enough. And for those who like the view of the Eiffel Tower, you know where to find me. A quick side note - Financial Technology Partners / FT Partners, you have been killing it - thanks for your support. To our families and friends, thanks for letting us run, for the endless support, and for cheering us on side - without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The acquisition is subject to customary financial and regulatory approvals. Alessandro, Claus, Imke, Jean-Baptiste, Fanta, Mathieu, Bruno, Timo, Marco, Georg, Jonathan, Christine, Siegfried, Hani, Floris, Jens, Geordie, Alexandre, Yaajan, Max, Steve M., Steven, Matt, Joseph, Rasmus, John.