Five Arrows

What Five Arrows does

Five Arrows is the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co, a publicly listed French financial services group (Rothschild & Co SCA) with over 200 years of operating history and seven generations of family control. Founded in 2012, Five Arrows operates a multi-strategy alternative assets platform organized around four pillars: Corporate Private Equity, Multi Strategies (secondaries, single assets, multi-managers, and sustainable investments under the FASI umbrella), Direct Lending, and Credit Management. The firm deploys Rothschild & Co's own capital alongside that of leading institutional and private investors, with the €2.4 billion FADP IV direct lending fund (closed September 2025) representing its flagship vehicle.

The platform targets software and technology-enabled businesses primarily across the UK and continental Europe, with a recent thematic focus on vertical enterprise software. Recent portfolio additions include Rimes Technologies (enterprise data management, acquired from EQT in April 2024), NetVendor (vendor compliance software for real estate, majority investment November 2025), Totalmobile (UK field service management software serving over 900 customers and 500,000 field workers, acquired jointly with DBAG in November 2025), and StarRez (property management software, strategic co-investment with Vista Equity Partners in January 2026). Five Arrows co-invests alongside institutional partners including Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG), Vista Equity Partners, and Greenridge Growth Partners, and benefits from integration with Rothschild & Co's Global Advisory (ranked 2nd globally by M&A transactions in 2025), Wealth Management, and Asset Management divisions across 50 countries.

The business model is asset management-based: revenue derives from management fees charged on assets under management across its fund vehicles plus performance fees (carried interest) tied to investment returns. Capital is raised from institutional investors (pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds) and sophisticated private investors through dedicated funds such as FADP IV. Go-to-market relies entirely on direct institutional investor relationships and the Rothschild & Co network, with no consumer-facing or self-serve distribution channels. Five Arrows was founded in 2012 and operates as one of four divisions within Rothschild & Co, which employs 4,800 financial services specialists globally.

Name

Five Arrows

Legal name

Rothschild & Co SCA

Website

https://rothschildandco.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Five Arrows is the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co, deploying capital across private equity, direct lending, multi-strategies, and credit management for institutional and private investors, with a recent focus on European software and technology-enabled businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity & Alternative Asset Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Strategy — Single-Manager, Multi-PM (FSAHAFAB)

Keywords

• Private equity investments
• Direct lending funds
• Alternative asset management
• Credit management services
• Private debt funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Management fees and performance fees from alternative assets funds: Five Arrows generates revenue through management fees charged on assets under management across its Corporate Private Equity, Multi Strategies, Direct Lending, and Credit Management strategies, as well as performance fees (carried interest) tied to investment returns. The firm deploys Rothschild & Co's capital alongside institutional and private investors, and its fund-raising activity (such as the FADP IV vehicle raising €2.4bn) creates a recurring fee base tied to fund size.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Five Arrows is the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co, deploying the firm's capital alongside leading institutional and private investors across multiple strategies including Corporate Private Equity, Multi Strategies (secondaries, single assets, multi-managers), Direct Lending, and Credit Management. It invests primarily in software and technology-enabled businesses, executing control and minority investments, buyouts, and growth-stage transactions in Europe and internationally.

Product overview

Five Arrows operates as a multi-strategy alternative assets platform under Rothschild & Co, offering a comprehensive suite of investment products across corporate private equity, multi-strategy investments, direct lending, and credit management. The platform provides institutional and private investors access to private equity, private credit, and secondaries through distinct divisions including Corporate Private Equity, Multi Strategies (covering secondaries, single assets, and sustainable investments), Direct Lending, and Credit Management. The FADP IV fund represents its flagship direct lending vehicle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Corporate Private Equity: Corporate private equity investment strategy under Five Arrows
• Multi Strategies
• Direct Lending
• Credit Management
• FADP IV

Products and services

• Corporate Private Equity Five Arrows' Corporate Private Equity division manages private equity investments, deploying capital alongside institutional and private investors to acquire and grow portfolio companies in the software and technology-enabled business sectors.
• Multi Strategies Multi Strategies investment platform encompassing secondaries, single assets, multi-managers mandates, and sustainable investments (FASI) for diversified alternative asset exposure targeting institutional and private investors.
• Direct Lending Direct Lending division providing private credit solutions to mid-market companies, offering financing alternatives to traditional bank lending through vehicles such as the FADP IV fund.
• Credit Management Credit Management services providing oversight and management of credit portfolios within the Five Arrows alternative assets platform.
• FADP IV Fund Five Arrows' Direct Lending Fund IV (FADP IV), which closed at €2.4 billion in September 2025, focusing on private debt investments in the French and European market.

Quantifiable outcome

• FADP IV fund closed at €2.4 billion, one of the largest private debt fundraisings in France.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Eurazeo: Paris-based listed investment firm with private equity, private debt, and real assets strategies. Competes with Five Arrows for French and European mid-market deals and LP capital, with overlapping sector coverage in software and tech-enabled services.
• Bridgepoint: European mid-market private equity firm investing across similar geographies and sector profiles to Five Arrows, with comparable mid-cap buyout strategies and a focus on business services and technology-enabled companies.
• Tikehau Capital: French-headquartered alternative asset manager offering private equity, private debt, and real assets strategies. Directly competes with Five Arrows in the French private debt market and across broader European alternative assets fundraising.
• BC Partners: Pan-European private equity firm with comparable mid-to-large cap deal focus, including technology and business services. Competes directly with Five Arrows for European buyout opportunities and LP capital.
• EQT: Swedish-headquartered global investment firm with strong European footprint and software/technology focus. EQT recently transacted with Five Arrows (selling Rimes Technologies), operates overlapping private equity, growth, and credit strategies, and competes for similar European mid-market software deals.
• Astorg: European mid-market private equity firm focused on software, business services, and healthcare. Astorg's sector emphasis on software and mid-market European deals overlaps directly with Five Arrows' investment thesis.
• Permira: Global investment firm with a strong European footprint and significant software/technology investment activity. Permira competes with Five Arrows for European mid-to-large cap software deals and institutional LP relationships.
• Hg Capital: London-based private equity firm specializing in European software and technology-enabled businesses. Hg is a particularly close comparable to Five Arrows given its similar software sector focus, European mid-market orientation, and active deployment cadence.

Broad incumbents

• CVC Capital Partners: Large global private equity firm with a broad European private equity franchise. While broader in scale and scope than Five Arrows, CVC competes for similar institutional LP capital and large European buyout opportunities.
• The Carlyle Group: Global investment firm with a substantial European private equity, credit, and secondaries platform. Carlyle operates overlapping strategies to Five Arrows and competes for institutional LP allocations across alternative asset classes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbit.ly/32SvduL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/five-arrows

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A11 records

Investments21 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Five Arrows