Bregal Milestone takes majority stake in Italy's Nethive, backs JoyComm buyout
What's the deal? Private equity firm Bregal Milestone has taken a majority stake in NethiveDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, an Italian cybersecurity services and software provider, in a buyout announced in October 2026. Alongside the investment, it backed Nethive's acquisition of IT security specialist JoyComm. Terms were not disclosed.
What each side does: Nethive, founded in 2014, serves more than 250 clients across telecoms, energy, healthcare, and public administration with managed security services, professional services, and its own carrier-grade software. JoyComm adds expertise in cybersecurity, IT/OT networking, and cloud infrastructure.
The numbers: Nethive's revenue reached about €25 million in 2026, a compound annual growth rate of roughly 30% since 2020, with headcount rising from about 20 to more than 80 on a pro-forma basis including JoyComm. The Financial Times named it the highest-ranked Italian company in the IT Software category of its Europe's Long-term Growth Champions 2026 list.
What's the endgame? With Bregal Milestone's backing, Nethive plans to invest in AI-enabled automation, expand its managed services and software, and pursue further acquisitions in Italy and beyond. "Their support will help us further productize our offering and expand our footprint," said co-founders and co-CEOs Alessandro Bellato and Diego Rocco.
Why now? Demand in Italy has a clear public-sector driver: procurement agency ConsipDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → launched cybersecurity tenders worth a combined €1.255 billion in 2026, including a large managed-security-services contract. "The Italian and European cybersecurity markets are undergoing a significant transformation," said Philippe Lautenberg, co-founder and managing partner at Bregal Milestone.
The signal: The deal fits a wider consolidation wave in cybersecurity services, where PE-backed groups keep bolting on specialist capabilities — Bregal Milestone itself merged TitanHQDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and RedstorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → into CyberSentriqDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2025. The strategic logic is clear; undisclosed terms make the financial significance harder to gauge.
Read more: finanznachrichten.de
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
