Houlihan Lokey Advises Ergon Capital Partners V

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Ergon Capital Partners V, SCSp (ECP V or the Fund) has held a final close at €800 million, oversubscribed and at an extended hard cap. The transaction closed on 12 May 2022 following an increase of the hard cap from €750 million.

The new fund, ECP V will continue the firm’s successful strategy of making buyout equity investments in leading mid-market companies with a sustainable competitive advantage in the healthcare, media, services and leisure, retail, consumer goods and luxury, and niche industrials sectors, located in Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

Ergon operates from offices in Brussels, Paris, Munich, Madrid, and Milan with over €2.5 billion of funds under management from select European institutional investors and families. Since its inception in 2005, Ergon has raised approximately €3.0 billion, invested in 34 companies (11 in Benelux, 4 in France, 6 in Germany, 9 in Italy, and 4 in Spain) and completed approximately 90 add-on acquisitions for a total aggregate transaction value in excess of €6.0 billion. Ergon’s current portfolio consists of 20 companies across its target sectors, representing a group of more than €2.0 billion in sales and 18,000 employees.

ECP V benefited from significant demand from existing Limited Partners, supported by a near-universal reinvestment rate from institutional investors of its predecessor fund, and welcomed many new investors to the platform. The ECP V investor base consists of a mix of family capital from entrepreneurial families and reputable family offices, and of institutional capital from blue-chip asset managers, pension funds, funds of funds, and foundations from Ergon’s core European geographies as well as Switzerland, the United Kingdom, North America, and the Middle East.

Houlihan Lokey Private Funds Group provides a comprehensive array of capital raising and strategic advisory services to alternative asset managers. The team is organised globally, with dedicated project management and distribution capabilities.

Houlihan Lokey Private Funds Group led the fundraise as the exclusive global placement agent to Ergon.