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Family HoldingPuts its own capital into companiesActive · deal in last 18 monthsLAST VERIFIED Oct 2026 · 9 SOURCES

SKion

Also known as SKion GmbH

Bad Homburg investment holding of Susanne Klatten; takes significant minority or majority stakes in European industrial companies with €50–500M revenue (ALTANA, SGL Carbon, SKion Water, BMZ).

USEFUL FOR Fund managers raising capital · Business owners seeking a long-term partner · Co-investors

Investment holding of German entrepreneur Susanne Klatten, based in Bad Homburg. Not to be confused with SKion Water, its wholly owned water-technology subsidiary, which runs its own portfolio of 14+ companies.

Family & background

FAMILY
Klatten (Susanne Klatten)
HEADQUARTERS
Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe, Germany

Investment approach

SECTORS
Industrial & ManufacturingClimate & EnergySoftware & SaaSHealthTech
GEOGRAPHY
GermanyAustriaSwitzerlandNetherlandsUnited Kingdom
STAGES
GrowthBuyout
ROUTES
Companies (own capital) · Funds (as LP)
STRATEGIES
Direct investments
LATEST DEAL
BMZ Group (key operations, now BMZ Battery Solutions) (Acquisition out of insolvency) · Dec 2025

Overview

SKion GmbH is the investment company founded by Susanne Klatten, who sits on the supervisory boards of ALTANA AG, BMW AG and UnternehmerTUM. It describes its approach as return-focused and values-based development of industrial holdings across economic cycles, acting as a strategic partner that provides capital, expertise and an industrial network, with an emphasis on growth financing and succession solutions. Its focus is on companies with €50–500M revenue in industrial goods and services, electrical engineering, optics, renewable energy, IT/digitalisation, medical technology and water technology, mainly in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and Scandinavia, preferring significant minorities above 25% of voting rights. Current holdings include ALTANA (100%, since 2006), SGL Carbon (significant minority, 2009), SKion Water (100%, 2011), AVISTA OIL (2012), MultiMaterial-Welding (2015), watttron (2020) and BMZ Battery Solutions, which it took over in full in 2026 after holding a 20% stake since 2022.

Investment thesis

Invests as a long-term strategic partner in European industrial companies with sustainable business models and €50–500M revenue, preferring significant minority stakes above 25%, with a focus on growth financing and succession solutions in industrial goods, electrical engineering, optics, renewable energy, IT/digitalisation, medical and water technology.

Holdings & investments (9)

People

  • Reinhard Hübner
    Investment Director; CEO of SKion Water · source
  • Thorsten Drosch
    Investment Manager · source
  • Dirk Brusis
    Investment Manager · source
  • Jan K. Verweyen
    Investment Manager · source
  • Anthea Viragh
    Investment Analyst · source
  • Susanne Klatten
    Founder and Managing Director · source
  • Frank Richter
    Managing Director · source
  • Dragana Cubrilovic-Radelic
    Technology & Innovation Manager · source
  • Johannes Lang
    Senior Associate · source

Frequently asked questions

SKion is a family holding based in Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe, Germany.

SKion invests on behalf of the Klatten (Susanne Klatten) family.

SKion invests its own capital into companies and in third-party funds as an LP. Its stated asset mix includes direct investments.

SKion invests at Growth and Buyout stages in Industrial & Manufacturing, Climate & Energy, Software & SaaS and HealthTech.

Key people at SKion include Susanne Klatten (Founder and Managing Director), Frank Richter (Managing Director), Reinhard Hübner (Investment Director; CEO of SKion Water) and Thorsten Drosch (Investment Manager).

SKion's holdings and investments include ALTANA AG, SGL Carbon SE, SKion Water, BMZ Battery Solutions, AVISTA OIL AG, MultiMaterial-Welding AG, watttron GmbH and Nordex SE, among others.

The most recent publicly reported investment by SKion is BMZ Group (key operations, now BMZ Battery Solutions) (Acquisition out of insolvency), announced in Dec 2025.