About This Fund
Closed in April 2021 at its hard cap of €1.2 billion in just three months, the IK Small Cap III Fund is the third small-cap buyout fund raised by IK Partners and more than double the size of its €550 million predecessor, IK Small Cap II. Significantly oversubscribed, the fund was allocated exclusively to existing investors in the IK platform — a testament to the strong demand from IK Partners' most committed institutional limited partners and the firm's track record in European small-cap private equity.
IK Small Cap III targets smaller businesses across Northern Europe, following IK Partners' established strategy of acquiring controlling stakes in growing, resilient companies with strong market positions and significant value-creation potential. The fund focuses on the Nordic region (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland) and adjacent markets, pursuing opportunities in Business Services, Consumer and Food, Healthcare, and Industrials — sectors where IK has developed deep networks and operational expertise over three decades. With investments typically ranging from €10 million to €60 million of equity per transaction, the fund participates in a segment of the European market characterised by lower competition and more attractive pricing relative to the mid-cap segment.
The fund's rapid and oversubscribed close reflects IK Partners' strong track record across its small-cap vehicle series, with Small Cap I and Small Cap II having demonstrated consistent returns in Northern European markets. IK Partners manages the Small Cap strategy in parallel with its flagship mid-cap programme, currently on IK X (€3.3 billion, closed April 2025), creating a comprehensive suite of European private equity strategies for its institutional investor base. IK Small Cap III has been actively investing across its target Nordic and Northern European markets since its close.