Dutch buyout firm Waterland Private Equity is exploring a sale of its portfolio company Xebia, a global AI consultancy. Bloomberg sources indicate the potential transaction could value the business at around €1bn. Early-stage discussions are being led by investment bank Houlihan Lokey, though deliberations remain preliminary.

Founded in the Netherlands in 2001, Xebia employs over 5,500 people across 28 offices. It provides AI, cloud, and data engineering services, partnering with major tech groups like Google Cloud, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Salesforce. Waterland acquired the firm in 2020 as part of its mid-market buyout strategy.

A successful exit at this valuation would represent a notable gain for Waterland. It also signals strong private equity appetite for professional services firms positioned to benefit from long-term enterprise AI adoption trends. The final decision could see Waterland retain the asset for a longer holding period.