EKK & Co.

Day-to-day investment management is shared by Managing Partners Roman Loch and Moritz Reck. Reck was promoted to the role in February 2026 after six years with the firm, and together they oversee deal origination, investment decisions, and portfolio-company support across the full holding cycle. Founder Dr. Tobias Engelhardt remains as Chairman.

EKK does not invest in series-labeled rounds or provide capital structured to cover a fixed runway until the next funding event. It targets companies that have already reached product-market fit and require growth equity to scale toward profitability. The firm deploys its own balance-sheet capital rather than managing a fund with a fixed life, which it claims allows for patience with founder-led exits.

The firm's disclosed activity is exclusively direct minority investments in operating companies. It has not publicized any fund-of-funds commitments or LP positions in third-party vehicles. Its network model — where exited founders co-invest in subsequent EKK deals — functions as a proprietary source of deal-by-deal co-investment capital.

EKK self-identifies as an 'early-growth' investor. This means it enters after a company has found product-market fit and generated initial revenue, but before the business has scaled to full maturity. The firm also undertakes recapitalizations, spin-offs, and complex restructurings when the underlying team and business model are proven.

EKK publicly states it does not limit its focus by industry vertical, preferring to evaluate founder teams and scalable business models rather than sector themes. The firm has not disclosed a list of excluded sectors. Its known investments span esports (ESL), data analytics software (XPLN), and B2B event infrastructure (smartvillage).

The firm operates as a private equity house deploying its own and closely-held capital rather than external limited-partner funds. The precise ownership structure and ultimate beneficial owners behind the founding partners' vehicle are not publicly disclosed. The firm has not reported raising a blind-pool fund.

EKK is structured as an independent asset manager (private equity firm), not a single-family office. The three eponymous founders — Engelhardt, Kaupp, and Kiefer — built the firm as a professional investment partnership. There is no public linkage to a single originating family's wealth, and the firm solicits and manages direct equity stakes on behalf of its partnership.