WS Audiology Brings on New Minority Shareholder ATHOS KG and €590MM in Investments for Continued Growth

WS Audiology (WSA), Lynge, Denmark, the manufacturer of Signia, Widex, and Rexton hearing aids, has announced the addition of ATHOS KG as a minority investor. At the same time, WSA has secured approximately EUR 590 million (US$671MM) in fresh equity financing from both current stakeholders and new investors, further bolstering its growth momentum and long-range objectives.

The German-based ATHOS KG, a private family office with a healthcare investment focus, joins the existing shareholder group comprising T&W Medical, EQT, and the Lundbeck Foundation. These shareholders will continue to share joint control of WSA, maintaining the established governance framework.

“I am pleased by the strong commitment of WSA’s shareholders to the company’s continued growth and long-term development,” said WSA Chair Lars Rasmussen in a press statement. “The owners have decided to strengthen WSA’s financial foundation by injecting equity, which will further bring down WSA’s net leverage. At the same time, I am pleased to welcome ATHOS as a shareholder of WSA. With T&W Medical, EQT, the Lundbeck foundation and ATHOS, WSA has a strong ownership, committed to supporting the company’s strategic direction and success.”

For the fiscal year 2023/2024, WSA reported a 10% increase in organic revenue, reaching EUR 2.637 billion, while also enhancing its EBITDA margin in alignment with its financial forecasts.

“In recent years, WSA has delivered solid revenue growth and margin improvement,” said WSA President and CEO Jan Mäkelä. “WSA is the only pure-play hearing aid company. With our two complementary brand platforms, Widex and Signia, we are innovating to address two of the most important needs of people with hearing loss, speech understanding in group conversations in noisy environments and natural sound. I’m pleased with the commitment of our owners and I’m confident that we will continue to deliver profitable growth for the benefit of our shareholders.”

As a private company, no other financial disclosures were made. WSA has stated previously that it plans to take the company public with an IPO in the future.