2025 Guide to the Best Private Equity Firms in Paris

Paris is globally celebrated for its cuisine, architecture, culture, and deep historical roots. Yet beyond its iconic charm lies a thriving financial ecosystem that offers compelling opportunities for institutional investors, particularly in private equity. As a dynamic gateway to continental Europe, Paris has become a strategic hub for firms seeking growth, innovation, and long-term value creation. In this piece, we spotlight ten of the most prominent private equity firms shaping the investment landscape and capital markets in Paris today.

1. Ardian

Overview: Ardian is one of the world’s largest private investment firms, headquartered in Paris with a global footprint across 19 offices in Europe, North America, and Asia. Founded in 1996 as AXA Private Equity before spinning out in 2013, Ardian today manages approximately $180 billion in assets. With more than 1,050 employees, including over 350 investment professionals, the firm has built a reputation as a global private markets powerhouse with European roots. Its platform spans private equity, real assets, and private credit, supported by secondaries, primaries, co-investments, and bespoke solutions. Sustainability, client partnerships, and long-term value creation are at the center of Ardian’s model.

Focus: Ardian invests across a full spectrum of private markets strategies, including large-cap and mid-cap buyouts, growth capital, infrastructure, private credit, and real estate. Its secondaries platform is one of the largest globally. The firm’s hallmark is its ability to combine scale with flexibility, enabling institutional investors to access global opportunities while benefiting from deep Paris-based expertise. Ardian is also a leader in ESG integration, embedding sustainability practices across every investment vertical.

2. Eurazeo

Overview: Eurazeo is a publicly listed Paris-based investment group with $40 billion in assets under management. Established in 2001, it has become a leading multi-strategy private markets firm with more than 400 professionals spread across 13 offices worldwide. Eurazeo supports over 600 portfolio companies, offering both equity and credit financing. Its scale, combined with listed-company transparency, provides institutional investors access to a well-diversified, platform-driven investment partner.

Focus: Eurazeo operates across three pillars: Private Equity (venture, growth, and buyouts), Private Debt, and Real Assets. Key sector strengths include technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer, and the energy transition. The firm emphasizes a dual financial and sustainability mandate, committing to impact-driven investing and alignment with global ESG standards.

3. PAI Partners

Overview: PAI Partners is one of Europe’s oldest and most established private equity franchises, with roots in Paribas Affaires Industrielles. Today, the firm manages about $27 billion in assets, making it one of the largest buyout players headquartered in Paris. Since 1994, PAI has executed more than 100 transactions across Europe, generating over $25 billion in realized proceeds. The firm is recognized for its disciplined, sector-based approach and its ability to transform large companies into international leaders.

Focus: PAI specializes in large-cap European buyouts, with deep expertise across four verticals: Consumer, Business Services, Healthcare, and Industrials. It targets companies with strong fundamentals and global growth potential, often pursuing transformational buy-and-build strategies. PAI differentiates itself by combining rigorous financial structuring with hands-on operational engagement, working closely with management to deliver long-term growth.

4. Access Capital Partners

Overview: Founded in 1998, Access Capital Partners is an independent private assets manager headquartered in Paris, with additional offices in Munich, London, Helsinki, Luxembourg, and Brussels. The firm manages $15 billion in assets across private equity, private debt, and infrastructure, serving over 350 institutional investors worldwide. Its 90+ professionals are recognized for their disciplined investment process, robust ESG integration, and multi-strategy diversification model.

Focus: Access Capital Partners specializes in European lower- and mid-market private equity, targeting companies with enterprise values between $55 million and $550 million. Its investment approach spans primary fund commitments, secondaries, and co-investments, providing institutional clients with diversified exposure to high-performing managers and direct opportunities. A core strength is its ability to deliver pan-European coverage while maintaining prudent risk management and ESG alignment.

5. SWEN Capital Partners

Overview: Established in 2008, SWEN Capital Partners is a Paris-based private markets investor with $10 billion in assets under management or advisory. It employs more than 120 professionals and serves 150+ institutional clients globally. SWEN is widely regarded as a pioneer in ESG and impact investing, leveraging more than one million ESG data points in its decision-making process. Its multi-strategy platform spans private equity, private debt, and infrastructure, always with sustainability at the core.

Focus: SWEN invests in strategies that accelerate the including infrastructure dedicated to energy transition, circular economy, and health-related assets. In private equity and debt, it partners with high-conviction managers and selectively pursues co-investments. The firm’s thematic strategies, such as Tech-for-Good and Ocean Impact, highlight its commitment to aligning financial performance with positive environmental and societal outcomes.

6. Naxicap Partners

Overview: Naxicap Partners, founded in 2001, is an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers and manages approximately $7.5 billion in assets. Headquartered in Paris with offices in Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes, and Frankfurt, the firm employs over 150 professionals. It is known for its long-term investment horizon, operational engagement, and emphasis on close partnerships with entrepreneurs and management teams.

Focus: Naxicap focuses on mid-market buyouts and growth capital investments in companies valued between $35 million and $325 million. Its sector expertise includes business services, healthcare, education, consumer goods, and industrials. Naxicap pursues both majority and minority investments, supporting portfolio companies through M&A, international expansion, and operational improvements. ESG considerations are integrated throughout the investment process, reinforcing its focus on sustainable growth.

7. NextStage AM

Overview: Founded in 2002, NextStage AM is a Paris-based entrepreneurial investment firm managing nearly $11 billion in assets. The firm supports more than 200 entrepreneurs and has completed over 200 investments since inception. It is particularly recognized for its “Champions of Growth” philosophy, which aims to build long-term leaders among Europe’s small and mid-sized companies.

Focus: NextStage targets growth equity investments in scalable companies positioned in high-growth sectors such as the digital economy, ecological transition, and the new industrial revolution. It pursues both majority and minority stakes, working as a long-term partner to founders and management teams. Its hallmark is patient capital—an approach that emphasizes operational support, governance, and sustainable value creation over quick exits.

8. Wendel

Overview: Wendel is one of Europe’s oldest investment groups, with roots tracing back to the 18th century. Today, it operates as a publicly listed permanent capital vehicle with approximately $7.5 billion in net assets. Based in Paris, Wendel invests in sector-leading companies globally and is known for its long-term, multi-generational approach to value creation. Its heritage as a family-controlled investor continues to shape its culture of stewardship and stability.

Focus: Wendel takes long-term controlling or influential stakes in mid- to large-cap companies across industrials, business services, and education, often holding investments for decades. Portfolio companies include Bureau Veritas, Tarkett, and Globeducate. It also invests in asset management platforms such as IK Partners and Monroe Capital. ESG and corporate social responsibility are key pillars of its strategy, aligned with Wendel’s mission to build resilient, global champions.

9. Omnes Capital

Overview: Omnes Capital is an independent Paris-based private equity and infrastructure firm, originally spun out of Crédit Agricole in 2012. It manages $7.5 billion in assets and operates offices in Paris, Brussels, Munich, and Zurich. Omnes employs 65+ professionals and partners with over 250 entrepreneurs across Europe. It has become a European leader in energy transition and deep-tech investing.

Focus: Omnes invests across energy transition infrastructure, small-cap buyouts, venture capital, and co-investments. In infrastructure, it has pioneered renewable energy financing, backing projects in solar, wind, and sustainable cities. Its venture platform supports early-stage deep-tech and healthcare startups, while its buyout team targets growth-stage SMEs in France and the DACH region. ESG and impact measurement are embedded across all its strategies.

10. Andera Partners

Overview: Founded in 2001 and independent since 2018, Andera Partners is a Paris-based private equity and investment firm managing approximately $5.2 billion in assets. With a team of 120 professionals, the firm has backed more than 350 companies over the last two decades. Its multi-specialist model offers institutional investors access to a diverse set of strategies, united by a focus on innovation, growth, and sustainability.

Focus: Andera invests across life sciences, growth capital, sponsorless buyouts, mezzanine debt, and energy transition. It partners with small- and mid-sized companies in healthcare, technology, sustainability, and industrials, providing both equity and quasi-equity financing. The firm emphasizes hands-on collaboration, governance optimization, and strong ESG integration to build resilient, high-growth businesses for the long term.

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