NextStage AM is launching NextStage, an investment company whose goal is to provide an innovative approach to long-term equity investment in European mid-cap companies, which make up almost 40% of the economy. NextStage is targeting, as a first step, a capital of €250m and intends to rapidly be listed on the Euronext stock market. This vehicle is currently open to major private and institutional investors and will be accessible to individual investors after its introduction on the Euronext stock exchange. NextStage's first capital increase of €100m will be used to make its initial investments which have already been identified. The company will further increase its capital by €150m by the end of this year.
The launch of NextStage represents a key stage in the development of NextStage AM, majority owned by Grégoire Sentilhes and Jean David Haas, and their managing partners Vincent Bazi and Nicolas de Saint Etienne, and benefits from the active support of its two leading shareholders, Artémis ( holding of Francois Pinault), and Amundi ( the first asset manager in Europe). The first NextStage investor round attracted major institutional shareholders – Amundi, Fonds de Garantie des Assurances (FGA0) – and entrepreneurs – Artémis, Téthys, the co-founder of Castorama and La Senlisienne – most of whom have been supporting NextStage for almost ten years.
NextStage firmly has for the last 10 years, been grounding its investment strategy in the exponential rise of the third industrial revolution and positions itself with regard to four key trends that are transforming the value added chain of the global economic landscape: the economy led by the value of our emotions and the quality of the customer experience, the on-demand economy , the industrial internet, and the positive economy (or green growth).
NextStage backs entrepreneurs with long-term investments in their companies, champions in their markets and already profitable, with revenue ranging from €10m to €500m. Investments will range from €5m to €40m. The goal is to fund the growth of these companies by supporting them in their innovation strategy, internationalization or external growth. NextStage's portfolio will ultimately break down into a 75% portion invested in unlisted mid-cap companies, and the remainder in mid-cap companies listed on Euronext or Alternext
The launch of NextStage heralds a major change in the financing of mid-cap companies, suffering historically and Europe from insufficient capital (8% for France, 5% for Italy, 26% for Germany, compared to 79% annual financing flows to mid-cap companies in the United States).
The entrepreneurs of mid cap companies are the leading players in growth, competitiveness and jobs creation. Between 2002 and 2010, they created 85% of jobs in the European Union.
“The exponential acceleration of the third industrial revolution has created a unique opportunity to invest alongside talented entrepreneurs heading up 21st-century mid-cap companies and expanding on a global scale from Europe. We believe that this will give rise to a profound structural transformation of investors expectations on long-term savings. , and of the expectations of entrepreneurs contributing to the new economic trends of the economy led by the value of our emotions, the industrial internet, the on-demand economy and the positive economy (or green growth). NextStage, which has grown alongside its entrepreneurs based on patient capital, proposes an innovative approach to generate sustained value creation over time,” explains Grégoire Sentilhes, Chairman & CEO of NextStage AM.
“Artémis has actively supported and participated in the implementation of NextStage AM's strategy since 2008. The creation of the new NextStage platform is an innovative project that will support entrepreneurs in accelerating the growth of their companies in a long-term perspective. I am very pleased to be participating in this initiative,” says François Pinault, founder of Artémis and of the Kering group.
The NextStage Supervisory Board appointed Jean-Francois Sammarcelli Chairman at its meeting of June 12th .