Ardian raises 70 mln euros for SME fund

Private equity firm Ardian said Wednesday that it has raised 70 million euros for its SME fund. According to the firm, the majority of the pool’s LPs are European investors.

PRESS RELEASE

30th April 2014: Ardian, the premium independent private investment company, has announced the closing of its Ardian Croissance Fund having raised a total of €70 million. The fund focuses on investing in SMEs, working with ambitious entrepreneurs to focus on development and international growth strategies.
With this closing, the team is now advising on €300 million to fuel growth. The strategy of Ardian’s Innovation & Growth team, which raised this fund, is centered on France and Continental Europe, targeting investments up to €10 million.
The majority of the fund’s commitments originated from European investors.
In each investment, the team works closely with the founders of the company. Since 1998, the team has used its expertise to invest in and support the expansion, acquisition strategy and international development of more than 100 companies.
The fund has already made two investments in companies with a significant market presence and impressive track record:
– Consort NT is a key player in the sphere of IT engineering. Led by Jason Guez, the Group has 1,599 employees and has created more than 850 jobs in France over the last five years. The company has quintupled its turnover since Ardian made its initial investment.
– Bravofly is a leading online travel firm. It was founded in 2006 by Fabio Cannavale and Marco Corradino, and has since created 568 jobs across Europe. The company has tripled its turnover since Ardian Croissance’s investment. Thanks to its Zurich IPO, Bravofly has raised more than 100m CHF to finance its growth strategy. As a result, Bravofly has been valued at 700m CHF.
Laurent Foata, Head of Innovation & Growth at Ardian, said: “We have been building up relationships with entrepreneurs for the last 15 years. Our two most recent investments, Consort NT and Bravofly, are good examples of the way we work with companies and their founders to fulfil and grow ambitious growth strategies. Our hands-on approach and expertise are differentiators and have both been vital in our investments and continuing relationships with companies.”
Ardian, founded in 1996 and led by Dominique Senequier, is a premium independent private investment company with assets of US$47bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia.
The company, which is majority-owned by its employees, keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and delivers investment performance to its global investors while fuelling growth in economies across the world. Ardian’s investment process embodies three values: excellence, loyalty, entrepreneurship.
Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 330 employees working through ten offices in Beijing, Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Milan, New York, Paris, Singapore, and Zurich. The company offers its 300 investors a diversified choice of funds covering the full range of asset classes, including Direct Funds: Infrastructure, Expansion and Mid Cap Buyout, Innovation & Growth, Co-Investment Funds of Funds (primary, early secondary and secondary), and Private Debt.
www.ardian-investment.com