The Spherea Group is proud to announce the signing of an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Canadian company Averna, a global leader in automated test and quality solutions.

The transaction is backed by Andera Partners, an international private equity fund and current majority shareholder of Spherea, with continued reinvestment from Walter Capital Partners, idiCo, and the management teams of both Averna and Spherea. The deal is expected to close by the end of December 2025, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

This strategic acquisition combines two highly complementary organizations and marks a major step in Spherea’s global expansion and innovation strategy.

A strategic acquisition

Founded in 1999 in Montréal (Canada) and now present in

11 countries with over 1,100 employees, Averna has established itself as a global leader in automated test systems, vision-inspection technologies, RF/microwave solutions and advanced quality-control platforms across multiple industries.

With this acquisition, Spherea strengthens its presence in North America and Asia-Pacific while further expanding its reach in Europe. Averna brings 25+ years of experience across high-growth industries including Aerospace & Defense, Consumer electronics, Medical Devices, Automotive & Transportation, Power & Energy, and Data Centers.

The combined entity will bring together over 1,800 employees across 13 countries, offering unmatched end-to-end Test & Quality Engineering capabilities spanning the entire lifecycle of complex systems — from design to maintenance and modernization.

Together, Spherea and Averna generate a combined annual revenue of over USD 305 million, reinforcing their position as one of the largest independent global players in Test & Quality Engineering.

Synergies and Ambition

By joining forces, Spherea and Averna form the leading independent System Integrator dedicated to Test & Quality Engineering.

Building on Spherea’s full-lifecycle expertise and Averna’s innovation capabilities, the integration of Averna will unlock strong synergies between Spherea’s expertise in modular test systems for defense, avionics and railways, and Averna’s strengths in automation, vision systems, RF and data analytics.

Spherea and Averna will continue to position themselves in their respective markets, while evaluating the

best commercial and operational avenues to leverage each other’s strengths and unique differentiators.

To accelerate this joint ambition, Patrice Bélie, CEO of Spherea, will lead the group as CEO, while François Rainville will remain CEO of Averna and also take on the role of Chief Operating Officer of the new Spherea/Averna group.

Financial Partners

Andera Partners, a leading European private equity firm, is pleased to back this operation by providing capital to accelerate the group’s strategic expansion, to support the transformative integration of both groups.

The financing of the transaction is brought by Andera Partners (through its flagship Andera Midcap 5 fund and a dedicated continuation vehicle), financials co-investors (idiCo and Walter Capital), management teams of both Averna and Spherea, and debt providers.

Leadership statements