SER Group

In 1984, a software company was founded in Bonn, Germany, that would become the SER Group. It began by developing solutions for office communication and electronic archiving, a foundational step in the nascent digital transformation of the workplace. For decades, the leadership team, including figures like Oswald Freiberg, Kurt Werner Sikora, and Manfred Zerwas, guided the company, establishing it as a major European player in the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) market. The company’s core product, the Doxis platform, evolved from a simple document management system into a sophisticated tool for Intelligent Content Automation, integrating artificial intelligence to manage information and processes across large enterprises. A pivotal chapter began in 2019 when the global private equity firm, The Carlyle Group, acquired a majority stake. This event marked a new phase of international growth and the exit of the long-standing management team. The playbook continued in March 2024, when TA Associates became the new lead investor to further accelerate growth, with Carlyle retaining a significant minority stake. This transition from founder-led company to a private equity-backed global competitor highlights a classic scaling strategy, equipping SER Group to expand its AI-driven solutions to a worldwide market.