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Founder Bernd Groß reclaims Cumulocity in bold management buyout

Eight years after selling his brainchild, Bernd Groß fights to bring Cumulocity home. The emotional buyout revives a brand that never truly left its roots.

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Cumulocity, the Startup by Bernd Groß, Is a Pioneer in the "Internet of Things"

Founder Bernd Groß reclaims Cumulocity in bold management buyout

When Bernd Groß sold his startup Cumulocity to Software AG for €49 million in 2017, it was the classic founder's dream: a lucrative exit, international reach, and the backing of a global corporation.

But eight years after the sale, Groß realized something—he had successfully exited his own company, but there was still more to achieve. In 2023, when the private equity firm Silver Lake acquired Software AG, Groß saw an opportunity. "I thought to myself: If Silver Lake is buying Software AG, maybe they'd be open to a management buyout," he says.

As it turned out, he was right. By early 2025, Groß had reacquired his startup—and went from being Software AG's CTO back to CEO of Cumulocity.

"If you want to buy back your startup, you need a new vision." —Bernd Groß

Cumulocity is a platform that intelligently connects machines, devices, and sensors in industrial settings—key to the Internet of Things (IoT).

Reflecting on the management buyout, Groß notes: "Starting from scratch and building something new is much easier than buying back an existing business with countless customers and contracts."

A management buyout, he adds, requires a tremendous amount of persuasion. So why go through the effort? Why not just start over? And what did it take for Groß to reclaim his startup?

Why the Founder Bought Back His Startup

For Groß, the decision was driven by his emotional attachment to Cumulocity and what had been built over 13 years. Even after the company became part of Software AG, employees still wore Cumulocity-branded caps and sweatshirts—a testament to the enduring startup culture within the corporate structure.

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