// THERMAL MANAGEMENT · HVAC

Strategy that moves industries — by people who have run them.

Strategy, business development and M&A advisory for the thermal management and HVAC automotive sector — from founders and operators.

We are an Austria-based advisory boutique. Our clients range from start-ups seeking first customers or investors, through Tier-2 and Tier-1 suppliers, to OEMs — and the investors and strategic buyers behind them. Most mandates begin with strategy: where the answer is to grow, we open markets; where it is to transact, we shape and close the deal.

SectorThermal Management & HVAC
What we doStrategy · Business Development · M&A Advisory
ClientsStart-ups → Tier-2 / Tier-1 → OEMs & Investors
PrincipleStrategy-first — operators, not theory consultants
ExperienceFounders with 40+ years in the industry
NetworkEco System of 12 companies in 9 countries plus hundreds of partners in our global network
BaseGraz, Austria
[01] OUR HERITAGE

Two established practices. Merged into one company.

MD Strategy Group brings together two established practices and 40+ years of combined experience — in thermal management and HVAC, company founding, strategy, business development and M&A. Their founders’ eighth venture, and the first built together.

01
Strategy & Business Development

20+ years in automotive & e-mobility leadership — corporate strategy, OEM / Tier-1 business development and company-building, from idea to launch.

02
Engineering & Strategy

20+ years in automotive — strategy-driven engineering for thermal-management systems, technical due diligence and an exceptional global industry network.

+
MD Strategy GroupSince 2025 · Graz, Austria

Strategy, the sector network and M&A process on one side; engineering depth, benchmarking and due-diligence capability on the other. Together: one team, one mandate, end-to-end — with 40+ years of combined sector leadership from day one.

40+
YEARS COMBINED SECTOR LEADERSHIP
7
COMPANIES FOUNDED — MDSG IS THE 8TH
2
PRACTICES MERGED INTO ONE
[02] OUR SERVICES

Three practices. One sector. One team.

S—01
Strategy
What the client truly needs to grow — grounded in market, technology and economics.
FULL SERVICE →
S—02
Connect & Source
We open customer doors, find the right supplier, and scout innovation.
FULL SERVICE →
S—04
Technical Reports
Sector benchmarks and engineering studies, ready to buy.
ALL REPORTS →
40+
YEARS COMBINED INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE OF FOUNDERS
220+
THERMAL ENGINEERING PROJECTS (SATTELO)
12
ECO-SYSTEM PARTNERS ACROSS 9 COUNTRIES
[03] SECTOR POINT OF VIEW

Where the sector stands

Thermal management and HVAC automotive are entering a phase of structural change. After years as a background subsystem, the segment has moved into the strategic foreground — driven by electrification, battery thermal architectures and refrigerant transitions.

Underneath the headlines, a quieter consolidation is taking place in the thirty- to three-hundred-million-euro range: family-owned specialists without succession, carve-outs from corporate parents, and technology firms that have hit the ceiling of organic growth.

These are not questions answered by a generalist M&A boutique or a strategy firm without operational background. They require people who have managed these businesses and built the relationships.

// REFRIGERANT TRANSITION

Chemistry meets architecture

Low-GWP alternatives entering serial xEV production — redesign, validation and certification at once.

// xEV PLATFORM CYCLES

Battery thermal as differentiator

2025–2030 is the window for Tier-1 / Tier-2 positioning decisions.

// MID-MARKET CONSOLIDATION

Capital crossing borders

Most deals in this segment span two or more continents.

[04] HOW WE WORK

One team, multiple specialisms

We work as one team with a selected set of partners across Europe, North America and Asia — each chosen for depth in an area we deliberately do not cover ourselves. At the core sits our sister company SATTELO — 42 thermal-management engineers and 220+ delivered projects — giving every mandate engineering depth, benchmarking and due-diligence capability in-house. Partners are not subcontractors. Seven of our twelve partners are shown here — see the full network →

N—00
MD Strategy Group
Austria
Strategy, BD & M&A — the hub
N—01
SATTELO
Czech Republic
Thermal management engineering
N—02
Nexia One
Czech Republic
M&A process & legal
N—03
JOSA Technologies
China & SEA
Strategic sourcing
N—04
SynErgy
Germany
Thermal simulation
N—05
Navist
Turkey
Engineering & simulation
N—06
PT Teknik
Denmark
Thermal manikin
N—07
Aurata
United Kingdom
Energy & thermal systems
// GET IN TOUCH

Let's start with a strategy question.

OFFICE
MD Strategy GmbH
Graz, Austria

Mariatrosterstraße 18/2
8043 Graz, Austria
md-strategy-group.com

PETER DRAGE
Managing Partner
Strategy · BD · Culture

+43 664 8842 1434
peter@md-sg.com

TOMAS MRKVICA
Managing Partner
Engineering · Network

+420 778 042 862
tomas@md-sg.com