Ardian raises €230 million for second growth fund

The fundraise has generated strong interest from both institutional investors such as the European Investment Fund (FEI) and Bpifrance – which invests on its own account and within the framework of the Investments for the Future Programme via the MultiCap Croissance fund – and as well as from more than 50 leading European entrepreneurs in the digital sector. The strong demand highlights the quality of the team and its track record, combining knowledge of entrepreneurship with deep sector expertise.

As a long-standing player in the market with around €500 million of assets under management, Ardian Growth is a preferred partner for entrepreneurs looking to grow their business. Since 1998, Ardian Growth has supported more than 100 companies in the digital sector (software, internet, etc.), most recently including Bricoprivé and Ivalua in France, Lastminute.com in Italy and T2O in Spain. 

Benefitting from Ardian’s international presence and its track record in Europe and the U.S., the team takes both minority and majority positions, investing up to €25 million in fast growing and profitable companies that want to accelerate their international development and external growth. Active in France, Italy, Spain and Benelux, the team pursues a pan-European investment strategy.

Laurent Foata, Head of Ardian Growth, said: “This fundraise was completed at a record speed and was heavily over-subscribed, demonstrating the trust given to our team and strategy by both existing and new investors. By welcoming a new group of leading entrepreneurs as investors, we significantly add to our ability of offering a truly differentiated approach to portfolio companies. With the substantial size of the fund, the fundraise strengthens Ardian Growth’s positioning as a leading growth catalyst for ambitious entrepreneurs across Europe.”

During the last twelve months, Ardian Growth has been particularly active with more than 9 exits, 5 investments and 9 build-ups.