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Tioopo Capital
Alain and Bertrand Demarez run Tioopo Capital, a London-based buyout firm founded in 2016 to acquire founder-owned European SMEs in succession situations.
Tioopo Capital
Alain and Bertrand Demarez founded Tioopo Capital in 2016 after spending over a decade at Eurazeo, where they focused on the firm's mid-market buyout strategy. The firm was purpose-built to address a narrow structural window in European private equity: founder-owned small and medium-sized enterprises where the principal operator seeks to exit entirely, creating a control-stake acquisition opportunity that does not fit the return profiles of either venture capital or large-cap buyout funds. Tioopo deploys capital in majority, control-oriented buyouts across business services, healthcare services, and enterprise software — sectors with recurring revenue profiles and fragmented ownership bases in continental Europe. The firm targets companies with EUR 2 million to EUR 10 million in EBITDA, typically writing equity checks between EUR 10 million and EUR 50 million. Confirmed transactions include the 2021 acquisition of a controlling stake in Spanish IT services provider Clever Global alongside a reinvesting management team (per Clever Global regulatory filing, 2021). The firm emphasizes succession-situation sourcing, often engaging directly with founders through accountant and wealth-adviser referral networks in France, Spain, and the Benelux region. Team size remains undisclosed, with European regulatory filings confirming the London headquarters and investment activity concentrated in the Iberian Peninsula, France, and the Benelux countries. In September 2024, Tioopo closed its second institutional fund, Tioopo Capital II SCSp, with EUR 180 million in commitments raised primarily from European family offices and institutional limited partners (per the Luxembourg Business Registers, September 2024). The firm has not launched parallel credit or real-asset vehicles. Tioopo's structural differentiator is not its asset-class focus but its sourcing model — the Demarez brothers built a dedicated origination function that bypasses traditional auction processes, concentrating instead on proprietary succession mandates referred by regional tax advisors and family-business networks. This strategy creates a deal pipeline almost entirely composed of bilateral, off-market negotiations in jurisdictions where intergenerational SME transfer is accelerating as baby-boomer founders retire.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2016
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
United Kingdom
City
London
Corporate office
London, United Kingdom
Principals
Alain Demarez
Managing Partner
Bertrand Demarez
Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Tioopo Capital?
Alain and Bertrand Demarez, who co-founded the firm in 2016, share managing partner duties and jointly lead the investment committee. Both previously worked at Eurazeo, where they focused on mid-market buyouts across Europe. No additional investment committee members have been publicly disclosed.
How does Tioopo Capital source proprietary deal flow?
The firm sources deals primarily through bilateral, off-market succession situations — engaging founders directly via referral networks of accountants, wealth advisers, and regional tax advisors in France, Spain, and the Benelux region. Tioopo largely avoids formal auction processes, positioning itself as the sole counterparty for retiring owner-operators without family successors.
Is Tioopo Capital structured as a family office or a private equity firm?
Tioopo Capital operates as a conventional private equity firm raising institutional third-party capital, not a single-family office. Its most recent vehicle, Tioopo Capital II SCSp, closed with EUR 180 million in commitments from European family offices and institutional limited partners in September 2024 (per Luxembourg Business Registers).
What investment stages does Tioopo Capital typically target?
Tioopo targets control-stake buyouts of mature, profitable small and medium-sized enterprises — writing equity checks between EUR 10 million and EUR 50 million. The firm does not pursue minority growth equity or venture-stage investments.
Which sectors does Tioopo Capital explicitly avoid?
Based on its disclosed portfolio and sourcing patterns, Tioopo avoids capital-intensive industrial sectors, real estate, and retail. The firm concentrates on asset-light services sectors with recurring or contractual revenue profiles — specifically enterprise software, healthcare services, and business services.
What is Tioopo Capital's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Tiooopo has not publicly disclosed a co-investment program or structured co-investment rights for limited partners. The firm's deal-by-deal structure and succession-sourcing model suggest minimal historical reliance on club deals or syndicated co-investments alongside other private equity firms.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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