Ardian raises €500 million for expansion fund III

Ardian’s 16-strong Expansion team now has significant capital for investment in French, Italian and German SMEs. With an initial investment up to €50 million, the team focuses on growth capital and buyout transactions, through majority investments in companies valued up to €150 million, or above in the case of minority investments.
23% of the new fund has already been committed through four investments in Europe:

• Frostkrone, a German producer of frozen snacks ;
• The CLS Group, a French provider of environmental data collection and location services ; 
• Synerlab, one of the leading European pharmaceutical manufacturing firms ;
• Micropross, a global leader in smart card testing and communication tools.

Dominique Gaillard, Managing Partner Direct Funds at Ardian, said: “Our investment platform is based on three key European markets: France, Italy and German-speaking countries. This focus gives us a major advantage for future investments. This third generation fund will allow us to continue to support the growth ambitions of European companies, primarily focusing our expertise and resources on supporting their global expansion plans. It is great to see significant reinvestment from existing investors, but it is equally pleasing to welcome new investors to the fund. We will continue to invest with the same investment discipline.”

Ardian’s Expansion activity began in 2002. Since then Ardian has invested €445 million in 33 companies, supporting ambitious growth strategies and facilitating international development. Two thirds of these companies have completed build-ups following Ardian’s initial investment.