Paris, 8 April 2019 – Ardian, a world leading private investment house, today announces the acquisition of a minority stake in Rivalis, a leading French network for executive support, as part of an owner buyout (OBO) alongside the company’s management.

Created in 1994 in Colmar, France, this family business has seen rapid growth, becoming one of the leading supporters of executives of micro-businesses, craftsmen and SMEs in France today. This is thanks to its network of 500 independent advisors and 17,500 users. Rivalis provides business managers with a real-time overview of their company’s financial situation (such as turnover, profitability and forecasts) and enables these individuals to measure the impact of their decisions on areas such as budget, recruitment and investment. Rivalis also offers its clients expert advice to help them improve performance of the companies, to perpetuate the activity and to provide long-term support to the manager.

The company has reinforced its offering with the website www.petite-enterprise-net, the first service portal developed to answer questions from business leaders. The portal counts more than 9 million visitors per year. In addition, Rivalis has developed Henrri, a software as a service “freemium plus” assistant, in response to key needs of micro-businesses, craftsmen and SMEs, which include budget, invoices, payments and dashboards.

Lionel Valdan, co-founder of Rivalis, said: “With the arrival of an investor like Ardian, we are equipping ourselves with the vital resources to support our growth ambitions, in particular by strengthening our digital expertise and by introducing a targeted acquisition strategy.”

Damien Valdan, co-founder, added: “This is an important chapter in the Rivalis growth story. Ardian Growth is our leading investor and we believe it is invaluable to join forces with a partner who shares our entrepreneurial approach as well as the values our success was built on: human, digital and innovation.”

Romain Chiudini, Director within the Ardian Growth team, said: “Beyond its solid financial foundations, Rivalis has built a unique offer around a previously unseen business model. The founders’ innovative vision and the strength of its management team was a key factor in our decision to partner with Rivalis to help realize its growth ambitions.”

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$90bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.
Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.
Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 590 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of around 800 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

Founded in Alsace, France, in 1994, the Rivalis Group was created in response to the lack of support and assistance adapted to small businesses (craftsmen, shopkeepers, liberal professions, very small businesses). Rivalis provides a solution for business leaders who wish to develop their business and offers a permanent advisor for tailor-made support. The Advisor is based on an adapted method and incorporates tools designed by Rivalis. With 522 independent advisors in the field and 17,500 users, Rivalis is the number one network for executive support in France today and the company is successful because it meets the real needs of micro-businesses, craftsmen and SMEs.

– Rivalis: Lionel Valdan, Damien Valdan
– Ardian: Romain Chiudini, Florian Dupont
– Rivalis Financial Advisor: DT EXPERTISE (David Taristas)
– Ardian Financial Advisor: Next (Hervé Krissi, Eric Chan)
– Rivalis Legal Advisor: Cabinet LICHTENAUER (Catherine Lichtenauer)
– Ardian Corporate Legal Advisor: Gaftarnik, Le Douarin & Associés (Mickael Levi, Sarah Mobtahije)
– Ardian Tax Advisor: Mamou & Boccara (Laurent Mamou)
– Ardian Social Legal Advisor: Bonna Auzas Avocats (Sigmund Briant)
– Rivalis Strategic Advisor: Norima conseils (Christophe Camborde)
– Company Corporate Finance Advisor: Linkers (Jérôme Luis)
– Arranger: CIC Est (Valérie Petitjean, Quentin Fessler-Debove, Thomas Garnier)