Kester backs Databalance, a leading managed IT services platform for the Dutch upper mid-market

Kester, a leading sector focused private equity firm, has invested in Databalance, a fast-growing provider of managed IT services for organisations with business-critical environments in the Netherlands. Databalance’s management team and existing shareholder 5CS Capital Partners will remain invested alongside Kester to support the next phase of growth. The company will continue to be led by CEO Nordi Malih and the broader management team.

Databalance represents Kester’s second investment from its latest fund, Kester Capital IV, which closed at its hard cap of £425m in late 2025. The investment builds on Kester’s strategy of investing in high-growth, high-potential companies in the Technology and Life Sciences sectors, and follows the investment in Nutritics, a food data management software firm, earlier in 2026. The investment is Kester’s second deal in the Netherlands following the successful partnership with Avania.

Databalance was established as a platform in 2020 and has since grown organically and through strategic acquisitions, bringing together complementary capabilities and teams under one Databalance brand and operating model. The business is a leading managed IT services group serving more than 400 upper mid-market customers across the Netherlands. The company acts as a trusted and strategic partner to organisations operating business-critical IT environments. Its integrated full-stack portfolio spans infrastructure, hybrid and hyperscaler cloud, modern workplace, cybersecurity and Data & AI. Databalance delivers the majority of its services under long-term managed services contracts, underpinning strong customer retention and a strong base of recurring revenue. The business has built an exceptional reputation for service quality, reflected in longstanding customer relationships.

Databalance operates in a substantial and growing market, driven by rising IT complexity, tightening regulations, demand for domestic hosting and data sovereignty, a shortage of specialist IT talent and accelerating AI adoption. Kester’s investment will support Databalance in further developing its successful commercial engine, continuing to invest in its high-quality team, and pursuing an ongoing strategic acquisition programme to add technical capability and scale.

Nordi Malih, CEO of Databalance, said: “At Databalance, our mission is to enable customers to secure business continuity, navigate change with confidence and create the agility needed to grow and innovate, powered by a team of specialists united around our 9+ standard: consistently going beyond customer expectations. I am incredibly proud of what our team has achieved and grateful for the strong partnership with 5CS throughout our growth journey. With Kester joining us for the next chapter as our new partner, we are ideally positioned to further invest in our people, expand our capabilities, and strengthen our leadership position.”

Cameron Crockett, Managing Partner of Kester, said: “Databalance stood out to us as an exceptional business in the highly attractive managed IT services market where we have been developing a thesis for many years. Nordi and his team have built a platform of real quality, with best-in-class customer service standards and technical depth. We are delighted to be partnering with them.”

Sebastiaan de Koning, Founding Partner of 5CS Capital Partners, said: “When we partnered with Nordi in 2020, we shared the ambition to build a differentiated, cloud-agnostic managed IT services provider for the Dutch upper mid-market. Nordi and the wider team have delivered on that ambition. We are proud of what they have achieved and grateful to the customers, employees and partners who helped make that journey possible. Kester is the right partner to support Databalance in its next phase of growth, and our decision to remain invested alongside Kester and management reflects our strong confidence in Databalance, its leadership team and the structural growth trends that continue to drive demand for managed IT services.”