Desjardins Capital and Siparex enter strategic partnership

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By Ted Liu

Desjardins Capital, formerly Desjardins Business Capital régional et coopératif, the venture capital and private equity fund management arm of Desjardins Group, has entered into a strategic partnership with Siparex, one of France’s leading independent private equity groups.

The partnership will provide support for Quebec-based and European SMEs looking for trans-Atlantic business opportunities. Siparex and Desjardins Capital are already working with companies interested in international expansion and the two are a natural fit, given their 40-year track records of supporting SMEs.

“The European and Canadian markets are more attractive than ever,” said Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins Group. “All the more so since the provisional implementation of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on September 21. Thanks to a key strategic alliance with Siparex, a natural partner for Desjardins, we’ll be able to help business owners grow their businesses abroad.”

“Business owners in Quebec have asked us to help them open the door to the European market. In response, Desjardins Capital and Siparex are pooling our direct and indirect financial strengths, our human resources and our expansive networks. The businesses in our portfolios will also have access to best governance practices, as well as insights into different cultures and the regulatory and fiscal frameworks where they want to grow internationally,” said Luc Ménard, Chief Operating Officer of Desjardins Capital.

“Siparex is one of France’s leading private equity groups,” said Bertrand Rambaud, President of Siparex. “This partnership will pay off for companies on both sides of the Atlantic: It will give Quebec businesses the support they need to stake a claim in France and across Europe, while putting French businesses on solid ground in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.”

Siparex Group is an independent French private equity specialist investing in SMEs and mid-caps. The group manages some 1.8 billion euros in multiple sectors: Midmarket (SMEs/mid-caps), Mezzanine, Small Caps (SMEs) and Innovation under the XAnge brand (growing technology SMEs). Siparex covers the entire domestic market from its offices in Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Lille, Strasbourg, Besançon, Dijon and Toulouse. Its international offices include Madrid, Milan and Munich, and it has also developed partnership in Canada and North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt).

Siparex was founded in 1977 by Dominique Nouvellet with support from industrial companies: Michelin, Rhône-Poulenc (subsequently Aventis), Rossignol, and Cofradel (Auchan group). Bertrand Rambaud has headed the Group since July 2009. Over the course of 40 years Siparex has invested €1 billion in over 900 companies.

With assets under management of $2 billion, Desjardins Capital manages Desjardins Capital PME funds and Capital régional et coopératif Desjardins (CRCD).

photo credit: Desjardins Capital and Siparex