Momentum Invest

What Momentum Invest does

Momentum Invest is an independent French private equity firm founded in June 2017 and headquartered in Paris (21 rue Weber, 75116), operating as Momentum Invest SAS under AMF license GP-17000029. The firm specializes in providing equity capital and operational transformation support to profitable French SMEs in the Services sector, targeting companies with revenues between €10M and €100M and EBIT exceeding €1M, with investment tickets ranging from €4M to €20M per transaction across MBO, MBI, LBO, OBO, growth capital, minority, and majority structures.

The firm manages two FPCI (Fonds Professionnel de Capital Investissement) funds — FPCI Momentum Invest I (€110.15M, final closing September 2018) and FPCI Momentum Invest II (€158M, closing November 2023) — with combined assets under management exceeding €265M. The investor base comprises private investors (entrepreneurs, family offices), approximately 10 institutional investors including the European Investment Fund and Bpifrance as anchor LPs, and the firm's own partners. Since 2018, the firm has deployed capital across 17+ portfolio companies spanning orthodontics distribution, parapharmacy, managed IT/telecom, spare parts, natural ingredients extraction, prepaid payment cards, software certification, digital marketing, e-commerce, fitness, and engineering consulting.

Revenue is generated through management fees on AUM and carried interest from fund realizations. The firm's competitive positioning rests on dual operational-financial expertise (founder Pierre le Tanneur scaled Eau Ecarlate from €28M to €280M via five LBOs), a strategic ecosystem including partnerships with INSEAD, a Top 4 global strategy consultancy, and a digital transformation firm, and a responsible-investor profile evidenced by PRI signatory status, France Invest Code of Ethics membership, and Article 29 Law compliance. The team of 8 professionals is led by four founding partners (Alain Cochenet, Pierre le Tanneur, Tristan Parisot, Arthur Bureau) with cumulative private equity and operational experience exceeding 100 years.

Name

Momentum Invest

Legal name

Momentum Invest SAS

Website

https://momentuminvest.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Momentum Invest is an independent French private equity firm managing €265M+ across two FPCI funds, providing equity capital and operational transformation support to profitable French SMEs in the Services sector (€10M-€100M revenue), with investment tickets of €4M-€20M.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Asset Management

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)

Keywords

• Private equity services
• SME growth capital
• LBO MBO investments
• Minority majority buyouts
• Operational transformation

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Management Fees and Carried Interest: As an AMF-licensed fund manager (GP-17000029), Momentum Invest generates revenue through management fees on assets under management and carried interest from fund investments. The firm manages two FPCI funds (FPCI Momentum Invest I and FPCI Momentum Invest II) with total AUM exceeding €265 million from private investors, institutional investors including the European Investment Fund and Bpifrance, and the firm's own partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Momentum Invest is a French AMF-licensed private equity management company that originates, executes and manages equity investments in profitable French SMEs operating in the Services sector. The firm deploys €4M to €20M per transaction via LBOs, MBOs, MBIs, OBOs, growth capital and minority/majority positions, targeting companies with revenues of €10M to €100M and EBIT above €1M, and supports them with operational transformation, digitalization and an ecosystem of strategic partners.

Product overview

Momentum Invest is a private equity firm (Société de Gestion) that manages two FPCI (Fonds Professionnel de Capital Investissement) funds—FPCI Momentum Invest I (€110.15M, closed September 2018) and FPCI Momentum Invest II (€158M, closed November 2023)—with combined AUM exceeding €265M. The firm specializes in providing equity and minority/majority investments to profitable French SMEs in the Services sector, targeting companies with revenues of €10M to €100M and EBIT exceeding €1M, with investment tickets ranging from €4M to €20M. The firm's portfolio spans multiple service sub-sectors including orthodontics distribution (Ortholine), parapharmacy (Mathieu Pharma), IT & Telecom managed services (QYYP), spare parts distribution (Akore), natural ingredients (Agriland), prepaid payment cards (Creacard), software certification (Infocert), digital marketing (Splashr), e-commerce for hair care (Generik), e-commerce for tattoo equipment (ITC), maintenance & renovation (Groupe Eddifis), software publishing (EasyVista), SEO/digital visibility (Eskimoz), brand experience (UZIK), digital advertising (Digital Prod), engineering consulting (ABMI), and fitness (Fitness Park).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FPCI Momentum Invest I First AMF-regulated FPCI private equity fund managed by Momentum Invest, deploying €4M–€20M equity tickets into profitable French Services SMEs for management buyouts, leveraged buyouts, growth capital and minority/majority positions; backed by private investors, the European Investment Fund and Bpifrance.
• FPCI Momentum Invest II Second AMF-regulated FPCI private equity fund managed by Momentum Invest, raising €158M to continue deploying €4M–€20M equity tickets into profitable French Services SMEs (revenues €10M–€100M, EBIT above €1M) through MBOs, LBOs, MBIs, OBOs, growth capital and minority/majority positions.

Named customers17 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INSEADcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the most renowned international business schools partnered with Momentum Invest as part of the exceptional ecosystem provided to portfolio companies. Momentum Invest partners retrocess part of carried interest to the INSEAD Foundation and co-founder Alain Cochenet is President of the INSEAD Alumni Private Equity and Finance Club in France.
• Top 4 Global Strategy Consulting FirmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading strategy consulting firm (Top 4 global) is a strategic partner providing consulting services to Momentum Invest's portfolio companies as part of the exceptional ecosystem offered to management teams.
• Digital Transformation ConsultancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting firm 100% dedicated to digital transformation partnered with Momentum Invest to support portfolio companies. The firm has developed original and pragmatic methodology for identifying digital transformation levers appropriate for each company.
• France InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrance Invest is the French Private Equity association. Momentum Invest is a signatory to France Invest's Code of Ethics (since 2018) and Gender Parity Charter (since 2020). The firm has also signed France Invest's Engagement Charter based on 4 pillars (economic, social and human, environment, and governance).
• Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMomentum Invest is a signatory to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment since 2018, committing to incorporate ESG factors into investment analysis and decision-making processes.
• International Climate InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMomentum Invest joined the International Climate Initiative in 2019, recognizing that climate change will impact the global economy with both investment risks and opportunities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sparring Capital: French lower mid-market PE firm focused on SMEs and mid-cap buyouts. Directly comparable in target company profile and ticket range; Momentum's General Secretary Anne Lafont was previously CFO at Sparring Capital.
• Capital Croissance: French private equity firm specializing in growth capital and majority buyouts of profitable French SMEs with revenues typically between €10M and €100M. Directly comparable in target segment, deal size, and lower mid-market services orientation; Momentum even co-invested with Capital Croissance in Infocert.
• Parquest Capital: French lower mid-market PE firm focused on SMEs in services and industrials. Highly comparable on target profile, deal size, and constructive-investor positioning.
• Argos Wityu: Franco-Belgian mid-market PE firm with a long-standing focus on family/founder-led SMEs, often with €20M-€200M EV tickets. Highly comparable on target entrepreneur profile, deal size, and value-creation approach.
• Eurazeo PME: French mid-market PE firm backing profitable SMEs with revenues of €20M-€250M. Direct comparable in lower mid-market French SME focus; Momentum co-invested with Eurazeo PME in EasyVista.
• CAPZA: Paris-based private equity firm investing in lower mid-market European SMEs across services, healthcare, technology, and industrials. Closely comparable in ticket size and segment; Olivier Guine, Momentum's most recent partner hire, came from CAPZA after 8 years.
• Naxicap Partners: French mid-market PE firm (€3B+ AUM) targeting French SMEs and mid-caps across services, consumer, and tech. Closely comparable in services-sector SME focus and ticket size.
• Abenex: Independent French mid-market PE firm focused on profitable SMEs across services and industrials, with tickets typically €10M-€50M. Comparable mandate size and service-sector tilt; Momentum analyst Harry Lewis previously worked at Abenex.

Others

• France Invest: French private equity industry association of which Momentum is a member and signatory to multiple charters. Ecosystem peer/association rather than a competitor, but relevant as a co-marketing and policy-shaping counterpart for the French lower mid-market PE community.

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance (Private Equity arm): French sovereign investment bank with large direct PE/LP activity in French SMEs. Functions both as a Momentum LP and occasional co-investor (e.g., Groupe PHB/Eddifis, Akore); broader mandate and scale make it a reference incumbent rather than a pure direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/momentum-invest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Momentum Invest