Supporting growth with commitment. We support founders who have built something meaningful.
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platform investments
add-ons
network investors
Team members
Building the bridge between potential and performance
Ambitious businesses often sit between what they’ve already built and what they know they could become. The opportunity is real, yet scaling or professionalising often requires support that’s bigger than the team around the table.
Arcola steps into that in-between space, connecting capability with experience, instinct with execution, and momentum with the tools to scale. It’s where good businesses become exceptional without losing what made them strong in the first place: entrepreneurship.
Our way of working
A decisive, involved partnership built to strengthen companies for the long run
About Arcola
Arcola is an Amsterdam-based private equity firm investing in SMEs. We partner with founders and management teams in structurally resilient markets, investing in predictable and defensible business models with clear pathways for growth.
We focus on parts of the SME market where high-quality companies are often underfollowed. These sectors typically contain businesses with a strong foundation for further growth and potential for acceleration into this next phase — through operational improvement and, where relevant, buy-and-build.
Our approach is hands-on and execution-focused. We run a lean, pragmatic process with direct access to decision-makers, who are staying actively involved after closing. We structure transactions to fit the company, with flexibility on minority or majority.
Captain of industry
For every investment, Arcola engages a Captain of Industry early in the process — a proven expert with deep sector experience and a strong understanding of what drives performance in practice. Captains support companies as advisors, bringing sector insight, network, and an outside perspective. They help pressure-test key decisions from the sidelines, without taking an operational seat.
Captains typically contribute in areas such as strategic positioning, commercial approach, organizational build-out, and navigating inflection points — for example when entering new markets, scaling a sales model, or evaluating acquisition opportunities.
The goal is not to add “advice” in the abstract, but to embed sector-specific judgement from day one and throughout the investment period.
A clear fit for founders, advisors, and investors alike
Entrepreneurs & founders
A partner for your next chapter
For founders and management teams ready to scale, professionalise, or plan succession, Arcola provides capital, experience, and an ecosystem built to support the journey.
M&A Advisors
A trusted counterparty your clients rely on
Bring Arcola into a process knowing your client will be understood, the deal will move decisively, and the close will hold. Our reputation is built on fairness, responsiveness, and follow-through.
Investors & limited partners
Invest with clarity and conviction
Access high-quality opportunities in a focused segment of the market. Each deal is actively managed and transparently structured, ensuring alignment between ambition, execution,
