Cathay Capital Private Equity
Cathay Capital Private Equity is the Paris-headquartered buyout arm of Cathay Capital Group, managing over $5 billion AUM through Small Cap and Mid Cap PE funds (plus affiliated Cathay Innovation VC and Cathay Health vehicles), targeting small-to-midsize companies pursuing cross-border growth across Europe, North America, and Asia with backing from a network of blue-chip corporate partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cathay Capital Private Equity does
Cathay Capital Private Equity is the principal buyout arm of the Cathay Capital Group, a global multi-stage investment platform founded in 2007 by Mingpo Cai and Edouard Moinet and headquartered in Paris. The firm manages over $5 billion in assets under management across three operating divisions — Cathay Capital Private Equity (small-to-mid-cap buyouts), Cathay Innovation (venture capital, anchored by the recently closed $1B Fund III focused on vertical AI), and Cathay Health (life sciences/healthcare) — and operates from eight offices across Europe, North America, and Asia (Paris, New York, Shanghai, Munich, San Francisco, Beijing, Singapore). The Private Equity division runs two vehicles: a Small Cap growth fund (€250-300M fund size, €15-25M standard check, 72 investments) and a Mid Cap fund (€800M fund size, €50-100M check, 28 investments), targeting companies pursuing cross-border globalization and sustainable digital transformation.
The platform's core "product" is capital plus an ecosystem of more than 20 blue-chip corporate partners — Sanofi, TotalEnergies, Valeo, BNP Paribas Cardif, Groupe SEB, Groupe ADP, L'Oréal, Pernod Ricard, Michelin, Kering, Bpifrance, Accor, Biomerieux, Air Liquide, JCDecaux, Vale and others — that co-invest, provide commercial channels to portfolio companies, and back successive fund vintages. Cathay monetizes through standard private-market economics: recurring management fees on committed/invested capital across PE, VC, and Healthcare vehicles, plus episodic carried interest on investment returns. Distribution is exclusively direct — institutional investor relations, family offices, and corporate LPs accessed through a dedicated IR team and ecosystem network — with no intermediaries or retail channels.
Technology is not the firm's core competency; rather, AI is an explicit investment theme, with Fund III positioned as the largest AI-dedicated VC fund out of the EU and portfolio companies spanning AI-native robotics (THEKER), AI-driven product data management (Equadis), AI drug discovery (AQEMIA, Owkin), AI foundation models for biology (Bioptimus), and AI-enabled fintech (Chime). Supporting services — the Cathay Acceleration Platform (CAP) and Global Operating Partner Program — augment the core funds with talent upgrades, capital-markets guidance, and sector-specific operating expertise.
Cathay Capital Private Equity firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cathay Capital Private Equity
- Legal name
- Cathay Capital Private Equity
- Website
- https://cathaycapital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cathay Capital Private Equity is the Paris-headquartered buyout arm of Cathay Capital Group, managing over $5 billion AUM through Small Cap and Mid Cap PE funds (plus affiliated Cathay Innovation VC and Cathay Health vehicles), targeting small-to-midsize companies pursuing cross-border growth across Europe, North America, and Asia with backing from a network of blue-chip corporate partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cathay Capital Private Equity industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity & Venture Capital Investment Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Growth Equity Fund-of-Funds (FSANAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA), Healthcare & Life Sciences Growth Equity (FSANACAB), Institutional Capital Introduction (LP/Family Office/Endowment Matching) (FSAEALAI)
Keywords
Where Cathay Capital Private Equity is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Cathay Capital Private Equity business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Management Fees: Cathay Capital generates revenue through management fees charged on funds under management across its Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Healthcare investment vehicles.
- Carried Interest (Performance Fees): The firm earns carried interest on investment returns, aligning fund manager incentives with investor returns across Small Cap and Mid Cap Private Equity funds.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cathay Capital Private Equity product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cathay Capital Private Equity operates a global multi-stage investment platform offering private equity, venture capital, and healthcare investment funds. The Private Equity division provides two fund vehicles: the Small Cap Fund (€250-300M, €15-25M check sizes, 72 investments) and Mid Cap Fund (€800M, €50-100M check sizes, 28 investments) for small to midsize companies. Cathay Innovation provides venture capital including Fund III ($1B AI-dedicated), and Cathay Health invests at the convergence of life sciences, healthcare, and technology. Supporting services include the Cathay Acceleration Platform and Global Operating Partner Program.
Product overview
Cathay Capital Private Equity is a global investment platform that operates through multiple distinct products: Cathay Capital (Private Equity) offering two fund vehicles — the Small Cap Fund (€250-300M, €15-25M tickets, 72 investments) and Mid Cap Fund (€800M, €50-100M tickets, 28 investments) investing in small to midsize companies across Europe, North America, and Asia for sustainable digital transformation; Cathay Innovation (Venture Capital) with its €2.5B+ AUM platform including the recently closed $1B Fund III focused on vertical AI; Cathay Health investing at the convergence of life sciences, healthcare, and technology; and supporting services including the Cathay Acceleration Platform (CAP) and Global Operating Partner Program. The portfolio includes product-centric companies such as Equadis (AI-powered product data management SaaS with four integrated modules) and THEKER (AI-native generalist robotics).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cathay Innovation: Venture capital arm investing in startups at the center of digital revolution
- Cathay Health
- Cathay Capital Private Equity
- Small Cap Fund
- Mid Cap Fund
Products and services
- Cathay Capital Small Cap Fund (Growth PE) Growth-stage private equity fund targeting small to midsize companies in Europe, North America, and Asia with €15-25M standard check sizes. The fund supports sustainable digital transformation with 72 investments made to date.
- Cathay Capital Mid Cap Fund (Mid Market PE) Mid-market private equity fund with €800M fund size and €50-100M investment range. Focuses on North America, Europe, and Asia across healthcare, consumer, business transformation, and financial industries with 28 investments made to date.
- Cathay Innovation Fund III A $1B AI-dedicated venture capital fund investing globally in vertical AI solutions across four key sectors: consumer, healthcare, financial services, and energy/mobility. Named the largest AI-dedicated VC fund out of the European Union.
- Cathay Health Invests globally at the convergence of life sciences, healthcare, and technology, backing companies developing technologies that improve care quality, reduce costs, and enhance patient outcomes. Focus areas include Life Science Tools, Diagnostics, Clinical Trial Innovation, New Care Models, Novel Devices & Materials, and Enabling Technologies for Advanced Therapies.
- Cathay Acceleration Platform (CAP) Business resources and consulting support including organizational capability building, talent upgrades, capital market guidance, IPO planning, and business development through ecosystem collaboration and co-investments.
- Global Operating Partner Program Specialized team of tenured experts bringing practical real-world industrial experience to the Cathay ecosystem, with deep sector expertise in industry/mobility, financial services, healthcare, and agri-food.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3-5% increase in online conversion rates, 98% catalog quality and compliance, up to 70% time savings through automation (Equadis portfolio company)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cathay Capital Private Equity
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cathay Capital Private Equity technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Cathay Capital Private Equity partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- EquadisflagshipCathay Capital acquired a majority stake in Equadis, a Swiss SaaS product data management company. The investment supports Equadis' next phase of growth including targeted hiring, international expansion, and AI-driven innovation. Equadis aims to become the European reference in product data management for brands and retailers. Existing shareholders and management team are reinvesting alongside Cathay Capital.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cathay Capital Private Equity competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ardian: Paris-headquartered global PE firm with comparable multi-strategy platform spanning direct PE, fund of funds, infrastructure, and private debt. Closest geographic and structural peer given shared Paris origin, multi-strategy mandate, and similar AUM scale.
- Eurazeo: Paris-based global investment firm operating across private equity, private debt, and real assets with similar mid-market European focus and cross-border expansion thesis. Comparable in size, structure, and cross-Atlantic-Asia deal flow.
- PAI Partners: Paris-based mid-market private equity firm focused on European and select global opportunities with similar investment size range. Direct competitor for European mid-cap deals and corporate carve-outs.
- General Atlantic: Global growth equity investor with comparable multi-region (Americas, Europe, Asia) platform and similar focus on growth-stage and minority/majority transactions. Direct competitor for growth equity deals in technology and consumer.
- Permira: Global investment firm with European roots operating across private equity and growth equity strategies with comparable check sizes and cross-border deal focus. Direct competitor for mid-market European and global PE transactions.
- BC Partners: European-headquartered global private equity firm investing across Europe and North America with comparable mid-to-large cap deal focus. Direct competitor for European mid-market and large-cap buyouts.
Broad incumbents
- CVC Capital Partners: Large global private equity and credit firm with substantially larger AUM operating buyout, growth, and credit strategies across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Overlaps with Cathay's PE business but at much greater scale and broader mandate.
- Bain Capital: Multi-strategy global alternative asset manager with dedicated private equity, venture (Bain Capital Ventures), and healthcare (Bain Capital Life Sciences) verticals — the closest structural analog to Cathay's PE/VC/Healthcare tripartite model, though at substantially larger AUM.
- TPG: Multi-strategy alternative asset manager with dedicated Capital, Growth, Impact, and Real Estate platforms. Overlaps with Cathay's growth equity and healthcare investing, particularly at the larger end of the market.
Emerging players
- Insight Partners: Global growth equity investor focused on software and technology-enabled businesses with similar vertical-AI thesis to Cathay Innovation Fund III. Comparable in growth-stage technology focus and global scope, though more software-concentrated.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cathay Capital Private Equity social profiles
Digital presenceCathay Capital Private Equity financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cathay Capital Private Equity leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Cathay Capital Private Equity subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Cathay Capital Private Equity funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cathay Capital Private Equity M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A8 records
Investments38 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cathay Capital Private Equity
What does Cathay Capital Private Equity do?
Cathay Capital Private Equity operates a global multi-stage investment platform offering private equity, venture capital, and healthcare investment funds. The Private Equity division provides two fund vehicles: the Small Cap Fund (€250-300M, €15-25M check sizes, 72 investments) and Mid Cap Fund (€800M, €50-100M check sizes, 28 investments) for small to midsize companies. Cathay Innovation provides venture capital including Fund III ($1B AI-dedicated), and Cathay Health invests at the convergence of life sciences, healthcare, and technology. Supporting services include the Cathay Acceleration Platform and Global Operating Partner Program.
Is Cathay Capital Private Equity a public or private company?
Cathay Capital Private Equity is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cathay Capital Private Equity founded?
Cathay Capital Private Equity was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cathay Capital Private Equity based?
Cathay Capital Private Equity is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cathay Capital Private Equity make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest (Performance Fees).
Who are Cathay Capital Private Equity's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ardian, Eurazeo, PAI Partners, General Atlantic, Permira and BC Partners. Broad incumbents are CVC Capital Partners, Bain Capital and TPG. Insight Partners is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cathay Capital Private Equity have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cathay Capital Private Equity.
What industry is Cathay Capital Private Equity in?
Cathay Capital Private Equity's product category is Private Equity & Venture Capital Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAGAE, Growth Equity Fund-of-Funds, with a secondary code of FSANACAA, Technology & Software Growth Equity. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.