Polish hosting and tech company cyber_Folks has announced the acquisition of Hosterion, a Romanian web hosting provider. The transaction is worth €6.7 million (around 29 million PLN), with €5.5 million already paid and two remaining payments of €600,000 each scheduled over the next year.
“We are consistently building our position as a technology leader for e-commerce in Central and Eastern Europe. The acquisition of Hosterion, just like the earlier investment in Shoper, is another step in executing this strategy. Thanks to this transaction, we are strengthening our position in the Romanian market even further. We are focusing on a region we know well and where we can achieve the scale needed to compete effectively. Our advantage is based on three pillars: scale, technology, and synergy. We are creating a unique ecosystem that combines hosting infrastructure, e-commerce platforms, and advanced marketing and integration tools — something no one else in the region currently offers” said Jakub Dwernicki, CEO of cyber_Folks.
This move follows cyber_Folks’ major February 2025 acquisition of 49.9% of Shoper, a Polish e-commerce platform, for over 540 million PLN. These back-to-back investments signal a clear intent: cyber_Folks wants to dominate the Central and Eastern European (CEE) tech space.
Hosterion, founded in 2004, is a small but solid player in Romania’s web hosting market. The company manages:
- Over 12,000 hosting accounts
- 19,000 domains
- Approximately 13,000 active clients
- Annual revenues of €2.1 million
It also has €1 million in cash, which was included in the acquisition value.
Strategic assessment
According to statements from cyber_Folks CEO Jakub Dwernicki, the company aims to build a leading ecosystem in the region, integrating hosting, e-commerce, and marketing tools. They emphasize scale, technology, and synergy as their core strengths.
From a market perspective, this acquisition reinforces cyber_Folks’ presence in Romania — a market known for rapid digital development but still less competitive than Western Europe. By acquiring a local hosting provider with a stable customer base, cyber_Folks gains direct access to a new set of clients and local infrastructure.
However, it also raises questions about market consolidation and the pace of acquisitions. With two major purchases in under six months, is cyber_Folks moving too fast?
Financial picture
The financial data behind cyber_Folks helps explain why the company is able to expand so actively.
In the first quarter of 2025, the group reported:
- Revenue: 190.5 million PLN (around €44 million), up from 144.1 million PLN in Q1 2024 — a 32% year-over-year increase
- Net profit: 27.8 million PLN, up from 24.2 million PLN last year
These results suggest that cyber_Folks is not only growing, but doing so profitably. The business is built largely on subscription-based services — hosting, domains, and software tools — which provide steady, recurring income. This model gives the company financial stability and allows it to make forward-looking investments like the Hosterion deal.
The recent €6.7 million acquisition represents only a small portion of the company’s overall spending capacity. Just months earlier, cyber_Folks invested over 540 million PLN in buying nearly half of Shoper. Despite that large transaction, the company insists it still has the resources and intention to make more acquisitions in the near future.
With over 365,000 clients and annual revenue exceeding 615 million PLN, cyber_Folks is now one of the most significant technology firms in the region.
Industry view
While the Hosterion acquisition may not be big news on a global scale, it matters in the context of Central Europe. cyber_Folks is becoming a regional powerhouse, especially in the SME market. Still, continued success will depend on integration, customer retention, and maintaining service quality amid rapid growth.
The hosting industry often suffers when companies grow too quickly. With Romania now under its wing, cyber_Folks must ensure that its operational foundations are strong enough to support its ambitions.