Munich-based private equity investor Afinum has acquired a majority stake in Fishing King, the largest provider of online fishing courses in German-speaking countries. The seller is Fishing King's founder and CEO, Hubertus Maßong. He will continue to hold a stake in the company after Afinum's entry and will continue to manage Fishing King.

For Afinum, the acquisition of Fishing King was the first fully completed platform transaction of Afinum Neunte Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Together with the Fishing King team, Afinum aims to further penetrate the company's existing core markets as well as expand into new markets and adjacent business areas.

Fishing King was founded in Cologne in 2009 and is now the largest fishing school in the German-speaking world. The company has developed the first officially recognized online courses for the fishing exam, which prepare participants fully, flexible in time and location for the state fishing exam. In addition, Fishing King offers special online courses for water wardens, the processing of caught fish or predator fishing.

Fishing King has already accompanied more than 100,000 anglers in their preparation for the fishing exam - and the demand is likely to increase further. Because the sport of fishing is enjoying growing popularity: Already today, 7.2 million Germans fish occasionally or regularly. According to an Allensbach study, their number has increased by 15 percent in the past five years.

GLNS provided comprehensive advice to Afinum on this transaction.