RM Equity Partners splits from Russmedia, now runs €500M in assets
What's the deal? RM Equity Partners (RMEP), the digital investment arm of Austrian newspaper publisher RussmediaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has been fully bought out by its three partners — Eugen B. Russ, Chris Wittlinger, and Nicola Szekely — along with the wider team. The Liechtenstein-based firm, which manages more than €500 million in assets, now has no ties to the Russmedia group in ownership, management, or staff.
Why now? The split also completes the succession within the founding Russ family. The media business stays with the family, while RMEP goes its own way and makes all new investments independently.
From publisher to investor: Russmedia, best known for publishing the Vorarlberger Nachrichten , built a digital holdings business early through Liechtenstein entities. It acquired rental marketplace ErentoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2009 and ski-rental portal Alpy (ALPINRESORTS.com)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2015 — RMEP's first investment. The unit was founded as a separate company in 2017, then named Russmedia Equity PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Later deals raised its profile: a majority stake in Vienna job-board firm JobiqoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2019, and classifieds app ShpockDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2021 — which AdevintaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → had to divest under competition pressure.
By the numbers: RMEP now holds more than 50 investments employing over 600 people and reaching more than 400 million users a year. It has investment capacity above €100 million annually and can write cheques of up to €150 million in cash equity at closing, or €250 million per transaction. Some 95% of revenue comes from outside Austria.
What's the endgame? Unlike traditional private equity funds, RMEP raises no money from external limited partners. Its 11-person team invests its own capital in an evergreen structure, holding stakes as long as it makes sense without pressure to sell. It targets majority stakes in profitable, asset-light digital firms — online marketplaces, software, and consumer apps — with more than €5 million EBITDA or €20 million net revenue, and market-leading positions in their niche.
In their words: "We are deeply grateful for the trust and support that made our start possible," said managing partner Eugen B. Russ (translated from German), adding that the focus as an independent firm now lies entirely on the future. The RMEP name and its "Results Matter" claim stay, alongside a new look and website.
The signal: The buyout marks a clean separation of old-economy media and digital investing, turning a publisher's side project into a standalone European digital investor. With evergreen capital and no fund-life clock, RMEP positions itself for long-hold bets on cash-generating internet businesses — a model increasingly favoured over classic fund structures.
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Image credit: rm equity partners
