ACONEXT acquires the SPARKS Group

An investor has been found for the SPARKS Group, an IT and software service provider in the automotive sector. ACONEXT SPARKS GmbH will acquire three companies by way of an asset deal effective 1 July 2025 and keep on more than 60 employees. SPARKS BW GmbH, SPARKS IN GmbH and SPARKS Solutions GmbH are included in the transaction. The relevant parties have signed the purchase agreements and agreed not to disclose any financial details.

The SPARKS Group has been involved in debtor-in-possession proceedings since April 2025. Mr Ivo-Meinert Willrodt and Mr Hans-Christian Källner, restructuring experts at the PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH branch office in Munich, are supporting the restructuring of the group as general agents. PLUTA attorney Mr Martin Jungclaus assisted with the drafting of the purchase agreements. Attorney Mr Marc-André Kuhne from law firm dkr kuhne dr. raith in Munich is overseeing the proceedings in the interests of the creditors as insolvency monitor.

The Local Court of Ingolstadt opened both debtor-in-possession proceedings for SPARKS BW GmbH and SPARKS IN GmbH on 1 July 2025 as planned. Regular insolvency proceedings were opened for SPARKS GmbH on 27 June 2025 and for SPARKS Solutions GmbH on 1 June 2025, and Mr Marc-André Kuhne was appointed administrator.

Best possible outcome for all concerned

PLUTA restructuring expert Mr Ivo-Meinert Willrodt said, “SPARKS has continued to fulfil all customer orders during the proceedings. The group has an excellent reputation in the industry, which helped with the process of finding an investor. ACONEXT prevailed with the strongest offer in the bidding process. We have therefore achieved the best possible outcome for all concerned.”

Mr Marc-André Kuhne added, “The cooperation during the proceedings was smooth and efficient. The acquisition is also the best possible solution from the creditors’ perspective. All customers will continue to be served and the expertise will be retained going forward.”

The SPARKS Group has one location in Heimsheim and another in Ingolstadt, both of which will be preserved. The group is an established service provider in the automotive sector and has been offering high-quality software and consulting solutions for leading automakers since it was established in 2012. The dedicated team is synonymous with quality, innovation and a customer-centric approach.

Strategic acquisition

ACONEXT is continuing to pursue its expansion strategy with this acquisition. Managing director Mr Uwe Hihn said, “From a strategic perspective, this is a very valuable transaction for us because it allows us to broaden our service portfolio while leveraging significant synergies. This means we can further expand our market position, especially with our main customers – the luxury car manufacturers in the German automotive industry. We believe SPARKS’ expertise in the promising human-machine interface (HMI) field is of particular importance. In addition, we see a further growth area in the development of defence software. We are excited about our new colleagues’ technical expertise and the cohesion between them and would like to warmly welcome them to the team, which will operate in the market under the ACONEXT SPARKS brand going forward.”

Mr Steffen Matt, managing director of ACONEXT SPARKS GmbH, added, “Our clearly stated strategic objective is to become, together with ACONEXT, a relevant player in the area of software development and testing. The entire ACONEXT SPARKS GmbH team is looking forward to the new growth and development opportunities that are now available to us as a result of this transaction.”

Established in 2014, ACONEXT is a mid-sized technology consultancy with high-profile customers, specifically premium automakers, system suppliers and companies in the aviation industry. With average growth of over 30%, the company has increased to more than 750 employees within a decade. Its experts support customers by delivering top-quality consulting, IT and engineering services along the entire product life cycle. ACONEXT is a customer-centric, multi-regional company that operates in the automotive hotspots in the south of Germany at locations in greater Stuttgart (Fellbach, Böblingen, Weissach) and the Munich metropolitan area.

Since it was established in 2014, ACONEXT has pursued a clear growth strategy and is keen to already crack the 100-million revenue mark in 2027. This transaction is also an important basis for the company’s planned internationalisation strategy, which is designed to keep it competitive worldwide.