Alsdorf | Munich | February 02nd, 2026 – Following its dedicated buy-and-build strategy, VEDA Group today announced the acquisition of LOHNunion GmbH, a German specialized payroll accounting service provider. With this acquisition, VEDA Group strengthens its leadership in payroll software and services, laying the foundation for further dynamic growth.
Drake Star acted as exclusive financial advisor to VEDA Group on this transaction.
With this acquisition, VEDA Group underscores its commitment to delivering comprehensive support to organizations across the entire employee life cycle, while continuing to set new benchmarks – particularly in the field of payroll services. At the same time, VEDA is proactively addressing a clear market trend, as an increasing number of companies choose to outsource payroll functions that are becoming ever more complex and resource-intensive.
"Through the acquisition of LOHNunion, we gain a well-established payroll specialist distinguished by deep technical expertise and a strong market standing. Together, we are laying the groundwork to significantly scale our payroll services and further enhance quality, security, and future-readiness for our customers", said Ralf Gräßler, CEO of VEDA Group.
LOHNunion will remain independent and continue to operate at its three locations in Kiel, Neumünster, and Berlin with its existing team. Managing Director Thorsten Meier will continue to run the company as before. This means that there will be no changes in day-to-day business for LOHNunion's customers and employees. At the same time, LOHNunion will benefit from the technological strength of VEDA Group. The connection to a powerful software company will create additional innovative strength, strengthen market confidence, and open new growth potential.
"In VEDA Group, we have found a partner that shares our values and ideally complements our strengths. Nothing will change for our customers - except that we will be even more efficient, technologically stronger, and better positioned for the future. This partnership gives us the momentum to drive our growth in a targeted and sustainable manner," commented Thorsten Meier, Managing Director of LOHNunion GmbH.
Ralf Gräßler, CEO of VEDA Group continues: "Drake Star once again demonstrated its role as a leading strategic advisor in this transaction. The negotiations and successful closing were carried out in close cooperation with the VEDA Group. The merger is of significant strategic importance: the integration of LOHNunion meaningfully strengthens and expands VEDA’s payroll expertise. Together, the two companies are well positioned to rapidly and scalably broaden their service offering, delivering an even more compelling combination of software and services."
Ralf Philipp Hofmann, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Drake Star, added: "The acquisition of LOHNunion further showcases the success of our partnership with VEDA and Investcorp and we’re delighted by their continued trust and collaboration. With a disciplined buy-and-build strategy and a strong track record of execution, the group is exceptionally well positioned to deliver sustainable growth. Building on its continued leadership in the payroll space, the group is well positioned to drive long-term value and reinforce its position as a market leader."
Pablo Lundershausen, Vice President and HR Tech expert at Drake Star, said: "By reinforcing its position in the DACH payroll market and broadening its value proposition for SME clients, the VEDA Group continues to expand its addressable market while integrating innovative technology into its platform capabilities. We are delighted to have supported the transaction across the full lifecycle, leveraging our deep understanding of the HR Tech ecosystem and market dynamics."
Drake Star Team: Ralf Philipp Hofmann, Pablo Lundershausen, Jonas Kerkow
Inquiries
For further inquiries, please contact:
Ralf Philipp Hofmann
Managing Partner & Co-Founder | Drake Star
ralf.hofmann@drakestar.com
About VEDA Group
VEDA Group Holding GmbH, headquartered in Alsdorf, Germany, is a leading provider of digital HR solutions and services. With its HR Suite, VEDA offers a cloud-based, modular solution for modern human resources management. The software solution digitizes HR processes holistically—every step of the employee life cycle. It empowers employees through self-services and supports HR teams with people management, payroll, time tracking, people analytics, learning & development, and much more.
With more than 45 years of experience and a team of over 200 employees, VEDA supports medium-sized companies in every industry through digital HR transformation.
For more information, visit: www.veda.net.
About LOHNunion GmbH
LOHNunion GmbH is a specialized payroll accounting service provider that supports companies of all sizes and from a wide range of industries. With more than 4,000 customers, LOHNunion is one of the established providers of payroll services in Germany. The company has offices in Kiel, Neumünster, and Berlin. The establishment and development of LOHNunion were significantly influenced by managing director Thorsten Meier, who has been leading the company strategically and operationally for many years.
For more information, visit: www.lohnunion.de.
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, Artificial Intelligence, 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. © 2026 Drake Star Partners Limited.
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