Who we are

For 150 years, the Serafin shareholder family exclusively owned the company, which flourished to become Germany's largest paper manufacturer.

Lead by the idea of creating an industrial company group, Philipp Haindl and his founding partners established the Serafin Group in 2010. They shared the common goal to use their expertise in the M&A area and strategically cultivate a diverse industry group. The focus is to invest in established medium-sized businesses that possess a viable business model and can be further grown through strategic and operational measures. In 2023 the Serafin Group reached a combined revenue of over 1 billion EUR and 4,500 employees.

In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 crisis, Philipp Haindl joined forces with Herbert L. Kloiber's newly-founded film production company, Night Train Media. Seeing the global pandemic as an opportunity, the partnership aims to capitalize on the surging demand for streaming services. Night Train Media, with its focus on coproduction, cofinancing, and license trading of mainly English-language series, is positioned to respond to this rising demand effectively.

In 2021, Philipp Haindl, alongside his brother Patrick Haindl and industry expert Silvio Halsig, formed Serafin Asset Management. Guided by the mission of creating substantial value for esteemed clients, the company envisions uniquely combining human expertise with technological knowledge. Serafin Asset Management offers specialized investment solutions for various market cycles, providing additional diversification and attractive supplementary income sources to its clients' core investments.

In 2021, Serafin Asset Management acquired a majority stake in Alpora, marking a significant step in expanding their portfolio. By 2022, the full acquisition was successfully completed. Alpora, an innovation-focused investment strategy developer, provides valuable resources to investors. Its deep research competencies allow investors to incorporate the innovation potential of select companies into their investment processes. Moreover, Alpora assists businesses in measuring, evaluating, and enhancing their innovative capabilities through industry-specific quantitative benchmarking techniques. This acquisition further strengthens Serafin Asset Management's offerings, enabling its clients to harness the potential of innovative leaders in the market.

In 2022, Serafin Asset Management expanded its product portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in AMG Fondverwaltung AG, a Switzerland-based company. Located in Zug, AMG Fondverwaltung manages six equity funds, with an investment focus on the themes of 'Quality Value', 'Precious Metals', and 'Quality Innovation'. The company employs a team of 14, including five portfolio managers and analysts, and is authorized by FINMA as a 'Collective Asset Manager'. This acquisition has positioned Serafin Asset Management to enhance its offerings, further diversifying its portfolio and providing customers with more robust investment options.

In 2022, Night Train Media, a German investment and co-production firm, fully acquired Swedish distributor Eccho Rights. Based in Stockholm, Eccho Rights is renowned for its extensive catalogue of internationally popular content, notably from Turkey, Scandinavia, Western Europe, and Korea. This acquisition marked a significant expansion for Night Train Media, who took over the majority stake in Eccho Rights previously held by Korean media group CJ ENM since December 2018.

In November 2022, Night Train Media acquired UK-based factual indie Curve Media, known for high-profile productions like Discovery’s Salvage Hunters and BBC doc series Our Dementia Choir. The move followed a keen interest from various investors after Curve sought options for strategic growth. Curve's original minority stakeholder, BBC Studios, saw its share bought out by Night Train. Camilla Lewis and Rob Carey, former Cineflix execs and Curve's current leaders, maintain day-to-day control and significant equity stakes. Night Train CEO Herbert L. Kloiber highlighted that the acquisition would boost Curve's expansion plans, diversify its genre portfolio, and allow deeper investments in its considerable platform and talent pool.

In November 2022, SEVEST, a Munich-based private investment company part of the Serafin Group, announced the launch of a 250 million Euro Leveraged-Buy-Out (LBO) fund. Targeting the Industrial Technology sector in the DACH region, the fund will focus on leading companies and hidden champions. SEVEST's structure, designed for transparent investments, is poised to actively support and evolve portfolio companies. With the fundraising phase set for the first quarter of 2023, SEVEST aims to become a significant player in the Small-Cap Buy-out market, leveraging the current market environment for value enhancement.

In 2023, Night Train Media secured a majority stake in London-based non-scripted distributor BossaNova, aiming to integrate its documentary and drama operations. BossaNova, founded by non-scripted veterans Paul Heaney and Dina Subhani, now has access to a fund dedicated to acquisition, empowering its mission to co-create and co-fund projects, connecting producers with suitable platforms and broadcasters. The move marks Night Train's further diversification into the factual space. With the backing of Serafin, BossaNova anticipates long-term growth, increased project execution, and a commitment to creating high-quality content. The new partnership is seen as a promise of great things to come in content creation and distribution.