The Eurazeo group raised EUR2.8 billion from its investor partners across 2020, an increase of 18 per cent compared with 2019.
Amid a volatile context caused by the Covid-19 crisis, this strong performance provides further vindication of Eurazeo’s strategy of diversification. The Group remains a leading investor in private markets and one of the few in Europe to offer clients investment solutions in three high-return asset classes (Private Equity, private debt and real assets), covering the whole business development cycle (Venture, Growth, SME, mid-to-large cap), and with expertise in all promising business sectors. The trust placed in Eurazeo by major US, European and Asian investors – both new and existing – illustrates the success of its global expansion strategy, through which it has established a presence in 10 countries so far.
As an illustration of how well suited our investment strategies are to their respective markets, all of Eurazeo’s funds currently in the fundraising phase contributed to the group’s excellent growth achieved in 2020:
• Venture and Growth fundraising exceeded €700 million in 2020, almost three times more than in 2019, following the successful launch of the Eurazeo Growth III fund,
• The Eurazeo China Acceleration Fund, in partnership with the Chinese Investment Corporation and BNPP, raised an initial tranche of EUR200 million and made its first investments alongside Eurazeo Capital and Eurazeo PME,
• The Private Funds business continued to grow, increasing its fundraising by 75 per cent in 2020.
Eurazeo’s core purpose is to make direct, long-term equity investments in companies and to fund growth by partnering with management teams and entrepreneurs. Accordingly, all of the funds raised by Eurazeo will be invested in the real economy and to help companies – SME, midcaps, Tech – develop.
Investments will focus on the most promising sectors of tomorrow’s economy. 40 per cent of Eurazeo’s assets are invested in the digital sector and the successful fundraising by Eurazeo Growth III (above EUR500 million to date) confirms the Group’s status as a leading provider of funding to the French Tech industry. It owns shares in and has provided funding to 24 of the 40 companies included in the Next 40 index (such as Doctolib, Mano-Mano, Payfit, Contentsquare and Backmarket).
In the healthcare sector, which is so essential to our society, the Group has been specifically chosen by a consortium of French insurers to manage a €420 million fund dedicated to developing the French Care hub of excellence, with the particular aim of accelerating onshoring and digitalisation across French healthcare companies.
In another demonstration of Eurazeo’s desire to meaningfully engage with economic ecosystems, retail investors have shown huge interest in the Group’s private investment solutions, particularly the Idinvest Strategic Opportunities, Idinvest Entrepreneurs Club and Idinvest Private Value Europe funds. With EUR2 billion of assets under management on behalf of retail clients, of which EUR290 million was raised in 2020, we are proud to give savers the opportunity to invest in major entrepreneurial success stories in France and across Europe.
We are determined to continue along this path in 2021 and, buoyed by the trust shown by our investor clients, to contribute actively to the economic recovery and the development of innovative, value-creating entrepreneurial projects.
Virginie Morgon, CEO, says: “The record amount of funds raised in 2020 shows the level of trust that leading investors have in Eurazeo and our people. In a complex environment, our diversified operations, our global presence and the expertise of our specialist teams mean that we can continue to help businesses develop and to support economic transformation, particularly in the tech and healthcare sectors. In doing so, we focus on delivering returns and acting responsibly, for the benefit of our investors and the companies in which we invest.”
Source: Private Equity Wire
