Integrated cloud platform provider Routed is set to be acquired by evoila, a Germany-based IT solutions and strategy organisation.
The deal will strengthen evoila’s cloud portfolio and supports its expansion into high-growth markets across Africa.
Routed, recognised in 2025 for the third consecutive year on the Financial Times Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies list, says that the acquisition marks a new growth phase for the business and enhances its ability to scale across the continent.
Andrew Cruise, MD of Routed, says the acquisition will accelerate the company’s mission while preserving the technical depth that has defined the brand since inception. He adds that the team remains intact under his leadership with no changes expected.
“Routed was built to address a clear gap in the market: dependable, sovereign, enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure delivered with engineering excellence and predictable economics. As evoila we can amplify that mission, expand our reach, and position the company as a true African centre of cloud excellence within a global ecosystem of solution architects,” says Cruise.
Leadership continuity is a key component of the transaction. Cruise, Lee Syse and Benjamin Coetzer will remain in their current roles.
Under the evoila brand, Routed will continue operating its VMware-based hosted private cloud platforms, long established as the strategic middle ground for enterprises seeking agility without sacrificing control, cost predictability or compliance.
Cruise notes that evoila’s global network and technical expertise will further enhance these capabilities and allow for greater scale across Africa.
Johannes Hiemer, CEO of evoila, says the acquisition is aligned with the company’s ambition to build a global brand across dynamically growing regions, including South Africa and the wider continent.
“When we enter foreign markets, we seek three core strengths: industry experience, reputation, and technological skill. Routed has delivered VMware Cloud Foundation-as-a-Service (VCFaaS) for many years and built a powerful team.
“With Andrew Cruise and his team, we have found a partner who represents our values and shares our ambition to grow.”
Hiemer adds that Africa is one of the fastest-growing digital markets globally and that the transformation experienced in other regions over the past 20 years will increasingly emerge in Africa too.
Growing regulatory demands and the need for sovereignty, jurisdictional clarity, and appropriate workload placement continue to shape cloud strategies across Africa.
“The future of cloud in Africa is not one-size-fits-all,” Cruise says. “As part of evoila, our ability to expand access to fit-for-purpose, locally hosted cloud becomes even stronger.”
For evoila, the acquisition brings an engineering-led African cloud business with a mature partner ecosystem into its global portfolio. Routed will gain access to a global delivery framework and a unified technology stack designed to compete in a hyperlocal model.
“We are creating a global network of cloud providers operating on the same technology stack and able to compete with hyperscalers in a unique manner,” says Hiemer. “Routed’s VMware Cloud hosted platform will form part of our global blueprint.”
Lars Göbel, chief commercial officer of evoila, says: “At evoila, we work with service providers every day to help them run competitive and sovereign cloud services. With our hyperlocal VCF-as-a-Service Solution, providers can deliver enterprise-grade cloud reliably, at scale and with transparent, predictable economics.
“We are rolling out this model with selected partners in key markets and continuously expanding it with further initiatives like this one.”