New York, Munich, Berlin | September 17th, 2025 – The M&A Advisor announced the winners of the 16th Annual International M&A Awards and Drake Star was honored in the category Equity Financing of the Year for Advising on the Strategic Investment in Flightkeys GmbH, a leading independent flight management and optimization software player, by global software investor Insight Partners.
Founded in 2015, Flightkeys offers a comprehensive suite for flight planning, in-flight monitoring and optimization, and RAIM prediction. The Vienna-based company employs over 100 people and with its fully cloud-native, clean-sheet approach, Flightkeys has been disrupting the flight management market and serves some of the world's largest carriers. By providing mission-critical, user-friendly technology, Flightkeys enables its customers to achieve cost savings and reduce emissions, addressing key industry challenges.
Julian Riedlbauer, Partner at Drake Star and deal team lead, added: "I would like to express my gratitude to the Flightkeys team and the many stakeholders involved in this transaction for their trust and excellent collaboration throughout this process. I also want to thank the M&A Advisor for recognizing this outstanding transaction in the aviation software space. A special thanks and congratulations go to our team at Drake Star, including Maximilian von Bodman, Julian Wolf and Christopher von Eickstedt, for their exceptional dedication and hard work on this deal. This award reflects our continued commitment to delivering outstanding results for our clients and reinforces our leading position in the technology sector."
The 16th Annual International M&A Award winners were recognized at an exclusive Awards Gala, one of the key events of the 2025 Leadership in Dealmaking Summit, which took place on September 15 & 16 in New York City. The summit brought together leading dealmakers, investors, and advisors from across the globe. Our award-winning deal team – led by Ralf Philipp Hofmann and Julian Ostertag (Managing Partners & Co-Founders of Drake Star), our CEO Gregory Bedrosian, alongside Julian Riedlbauer (Partner), and our Global Head of Marketing Jan Deahl – attended the gala to accept and celebrate the awards on behalf of the firm.
About The M&A Advisor
Founded in 1998, The M&A Advisor provides data, insight, and events for professionals working in mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and corporate finance. Now in its 27th year, it remains the leading global network for dealmakers, helping firms stay informed, build relationships, and get recognized for their work.
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About Drake Star
Drake Star is an award-winning global tech investment bank that has completed over 500 transactions since 2003. The Drake Star global team of experienced professionals and senior advisors across offices in New York, Munich, London, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, and Dubai* focuses on mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance services worldwide in Software/SaaS, HR Tech, Digital Services, FinTech, Digital Media, Industrial Tech, Consumer & Retail Tech and Mobility & Sustainability.
Drake Star is the marketing name for the global investment bank Drake Star Partners Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates. In the USA, all securities are transacted through Drake Star Securities LLC. In the USA, Drake Star Securities LLC is regulated by FINRA and is a member of SIPC. Drake Star UK Limited (FRN 942020) is an appointed representative of Razlin Ltd (FRN 730805), which is authorized and regulated by the FCA. © 2025 Drake Star Partners Limited.
*Partner Office
