# DLJ European Private Equity Partners

DLJ European Private Equity Partners is an Asset Manager based in London, United Kingdom.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** London, United Kingdom
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** London, United Kingdom
- **Founded:** 1998
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** dljep.com

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

DLJ European Private Equity Partners launched in 1998 as an affiliate of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, specifically to invest in the European private equity secondary market. Nigel Dawn led the team at formation and continues as managing partner. The firm was among the first dedicated players in European secondaries, entering the market before the asset class became broadly institutionalized. The firm acquires limited-partner interests in European buyout, venture-capital, and growth-equity funds, and also executes GP-led secondaries — structured transactions where a fund manager provides liquidity options to existing investors. The strategy covers Western Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, and the Nordic region. DLJ European Private Equity Partners maintains relationships with a broad network of selling institutions, including European banks, pension funds, and family offices restructuring their private equity exposure. The firm operates from London. The team's total size is not publicly disclosed. DLJ European Private Equity Partners functions as an investment manager, raising capital from institutional investors to deploy into secondary acquisitions. In 2019, Private Equity International profiled Nigel Dawn as one of the architects of the European secondary market, noting the firm's role in early portfolio sales for European financial institutions unwinding legacy fund commitments. DLJ European Private Equity Partners is structurally distinct from broader US-centric secondaries managers in that it focused exclusively on the European mid-market from inception — a regional and size specialization that allowed it to build sourcing relationships with local intermediaries and sellers long before the secondary market consolidated into large global platforms.

## Sectors

- Secondaries & Special Situations
- Private Equity

## People

- Nigel Dawn — Managing Partner & Co-Founder

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at DLJ European Private Equity Partners?

Nigel Dawn has led the firm since its founding in 1998. As managing partner, he chairs the investment committee and drives deal sourcing. The firm has historically operated with a lean senior team centered on Dawn's relationships across the European private equity landscape.

### How does DLJ European Private Equity Partners source secondary deal flow?

The firm sources opportunities through long-standing relationships with European institutional investors — banks, pension funds, and insurers — seeking to restructure legacy private equity portfolios. Its early entry into the European secondaries market, dating to the late 1990s, gave it access to a network of regional intermediaries and fund managers before the market grew crowded.

### What types of secondaries does the firm pursue?

The firm acquires limited-partner fund interests across buyout, venture capital, and growth equity strategies, with a focus on European funds. It also engages in GP-led transactions, which allow existing fund managers to offer structured liquidity to their investors through continuation vehicles or tender offers.

### Does DLJ European Private Equity Partners invest outside of Europe?

The firm's mandate is concentrated on Western Europe, with activity across the UK, France, Germany, and the Nordics. There is no public record of dedicated investment in North American or Asian secondary interests.

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- [Phoenician Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/phoenician-ventures)
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Updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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