Varied backgrounds and
skills blend to form a
uniquely qualified team

Laurent Bouyoux is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of BlackFin Capital Partners.

His expertise in the formation of companies can be dated to 1986, when he becomes one of the founders of the Société Générale’s derivatives business, in Paris and Tokyo. 5 years later, Laurent becomes Deputy Head of Global Derivatives (then Global Fixed Income of Société Générale) until 1994. In that same year, he joins Commerzbank group in Frankfurt, and alongside Paul Mizrahi, becomes a founder and shareholder of Commerz Financial Products, a subsidiary created to develop Commerzbank’s derivatives business in Europe.

In 1999, alongside Paul Mizrahi and Eric May, Laurent founds the ProCapital group, a regulated investment firm and member of Euronext, and acts as Executive Chairman of the Management Board. ProCapital was involved in two businesses, securities services and, through its subsidiary Fortuneo, online brokerage. They grew the business to become the French leader in the sector, combining organic growth and a number of targeted acquisitions. The founders sold ProCapital (including Fortuneo) in 2006, and until 2008 Laurent Bouyoux worked for Aquiline Capital Partners in New York, a leading US private equity firm specializing in the financial services sector, as a Senior Principal.

A French national, Laurent is graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole de la Statistique et de l’Administration Economique (ENSAE).

Eric May is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of BlackFin Capital Partners.

He started his carrer in 1987 as a consultant at Arthur Andersen, specialised in the financial services. Eric rapidly developed a passion for the workings of the securities market and for market access systems. In 1991, he became COO for Natixis Securites, a brokerage firm which became the leading provider of trading and back office services for all online brokers.

In 1999, alongside Laurent Bouyoux and Paul Mizrahi, Eric founds the ProCapital group, a regulated investment firm and member of Euronext. ProCapital was involved in two businesses, securities services and, through its subsidiary Fortuneo, online brokerage.  The founder successfully grew the business to become the French leader in the sector, combining organic growth and a number of targeted acquisitions. They sold ProCapital (including Fortuneo) in 2006 and Eric oversaw the transition alongside the new management team until May 2008.

A French national, Eric is a graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Lille and holds an Executive MBA from ESSEC.

Paul Mizrahi is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of BlackFin Capital Partners.

He started his carrer in 1987, by joining Société Générale as a derivatives trader (in Paris then Tokyo) and then took the responsibility for interest rate options trading. In 1994, Paul moved to Frankfurt to form Commerz Financial Products, the derivatives unit of Commerzbank, where he acted as shareholder and head of interest rate derivatives.

In 1999, alongside Laurent Bouyoux and Eric May, Paul founds the ProCapital group, a regulated investment firm and member of Euronext, and acted as CEO of Fortuneo. ProCapital was involved in two businesses, securities services and, through its subsidiary Fortuneo, online brokerage.  They successfully grew the business to become the French leader in the sector, combining organic growth and a number of targeted acquisitions. The founders sold ProCapital (including Fortuneo) in 2006.

A French and Swedish national, Paul is a graduate of HEC Paris.

Bruno Rostain is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of BlackFin Capital Partners.

His extensive expertise in asset management was acquired from his experience as an institutional investor, on behalf of clients’ life insurance and from his five years as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Aviva Asset Management. He also has a strong international culture, having worked for an international group since 1994 and having spent a year with Commercial Union’s US subsidiary.

Bruno Rostain began his career in the French civil service before holding from 1992 to 1998 operational positions and then senior management positions in general insurance companies (Abeille Assurances then Commercial Union Assurances). From 1999 to 2003, he headed Aviva’s life insurance business, raising assets under management from €25 to 35 billion and consolidated earnings to €100 million. In 2003, Bruno became Chairman of Aviva France’s Management Board. During that time, he supervised, managed or co-managed various distribution channels for insurance or financial products, including tied agents, general or specialist brokers, salaried networks, as well as retail banking (partnership with Crédit du Nord). He was responsible for restructuring both back office operations including overhauling the management systems, and distribution networks including the merger of general insurance brokerage activities after Commercial Union’s acquisition of Groupe Victoire.

From 2000 to 2006, as Chairman of the Management Board for Aviva France, he was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ProCapital where he met Laurent Bouyoux, Eric May and Paul Mizrahi.

A French national, is an engineering graduate from the Arts et Métiers, a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and a graduate of the Corps des Mines school of science and technology.

Sabine Mathis is a Partner at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2011 and was promoted Partner in 2016. She started her career in 2002 at Ernst Young, as a financial auditor and transaction advisor for major industrial companies and investment funds. From 2008 to 2011, Sabine Mathis was Chief Financial Officer of Natixis PE International.

A French national, Sabine is a graduate of HEC Paris.

Daniel Cohen-Sabban is an Equity Partner at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2011.  He started his career in private equity in 2006, as a junior analyst at Naxicap, the growth capital division of Natixis Private Equity. From 2008 to 2011, he gained experience with Gilde Buy Out Partners, an independent LBO firm investing across continental Europe, with €2 billion of Asset under Management.

A French national, Daniel is a graduate of ESSEC Business School.

Damien Lestang is an Equity Partner at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2016. He previously spent 11 years at Advent International, one of the largest global Private Equity platforms, where he was Director and has participated to many mid- to large-cap transactions in France and in Europe, including Oberthur Technologies, a world leader in smartcard manufacturing and mobile payment solutions, Nocibé, merged with German firm Douglas to form a European leader in perfume and Cosmetics retailing, and Sportfive, Europe’s leading marketing sports right agency. Prior to that , Damien was at BNP Paribas’ Leverage Finance team in Germany and at Idinvest Partners, a generalist venture capital firm.

A French national, Damien is a graduate of HEC Paris.

Dr. Kai Franzmeyer is an Equity Partner and Head of BlackFin in Germany.

He joined the firm in 2018, where he has responsibility for the activities of BlackFin in the financial services markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH).

He was most recently a member of the senior management of Senacor Technologies AG, a leading provider in the field of business and IT transformation, digitalisation and software development. Before that, he was Chairman of the Managing Board of Portigon AG, where he was responsible for efficiently implementing the decisions of the European Commission concerning the winding up of the former WestLB. During the financial crisis he was a member of a managing board team seconded to Hypo Real Estate Holding AG and the Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG by the German financial community. After completing his business management studies and obtaining a doctorate in law, Kai Wilhelm Franzmeyer worked for Commerzbank, where he held various management positions over a period of several years.

A German national, Kai is a graduate of the universities of Münster and Freiburg.

Julien Creuzé is an Equity Partner at BlackFin Capital Partners, in charge of the Venture team.

He joined the firm in 2016 to launch BlackFin Tech 1. Julien was previously a Partner at venture capital firm Aster Capital in Paris and San Francisco where he opened the firm US office. He had started his career in the French startup ecosystem, at tech-incubator Agoranov and as a co-founder of Antelink.

A French national, Julien is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris.

Jean-Philippe Latour is a Chief Financial Officer at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2014. He started his career in 2003 at Ernst Young, as a financial auditor for major industrial and media companies. From 2011 to 2014 Jean-Philippe was a director at Caelis, an accounting firm in Paris. During this time he worked as a consultant at Natixis PE International (€1,3 billion of Assets under Management) and at BlackFin Capital Partners.

Jean-Philippe is a graduate of ESTP. He also holds the French Accountancy Certificate (DEC).

Aloysius Von Mitschke-Collande is a Managing Director at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2013. He started his career in 2007 as an MA analyst at Rothschild Cie in Paris, where he was involved in various transactions for private equity and corporate clients. In 2010, he joined Barclays Capital in London as an Associate at the Investment Banking division. There he advised EMEA clients on MA and financing mandates.

Belgian and German national, Aloysius is a graduate of SciencesPo Paris with a Masters Degree in Finance Strategy.

Maxime Mandin is a Managing Director in the Venture team at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2016. He started his career in Venture Capital at AXA Private Equity in 2009 in Paris and then at XAnge Private Equity in Munich. He also worked in innovation consulting (TMT, cleantech) for 2 years at Alcimed performing technological due-diligences. From 2013 to 2016 Maxime was Investment Associate at Seventure Partners focusing on the Fintech Insurtech space in France and Germany.

Maxime speaks fluent French, English and German and has covered the Northern Europe area for 4 years building a strong network in the local ecosystem.

A French national, Maxime is a graduate of EDHEC Business School.

Jouke Garretsen is an Managing Director at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2017. He started his carrer in 2011 at J.P. Morgan Investment Banking in London 2011 as part of the Equity Capital Markets team. In 2013, he joined Bain Company in Brussels as a consultant and specialized in projects for Private Equity clients.

A Dutch national, Jouke holds a MBA from INSEAD and is a graduate of the university of Leeds and the university of Oxford.

Sonja started her career in 2000 at Deutsche Bank, where she worked on M&A and Corporate Finance transactions in Deutsche Bank’s Financial Institutions Group within the Investment Banking Division. Afterwards, she spent three years as an Associate at Lazard working in M&A advisory in the financial services sector.
From 2007 to 2023, she held various management position at Rothschild & Co in Germany, amongst others being responsible for the M&A Advisory for financial services companies in Germany as a Managing Director, as well as serving as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and member of the management board for the advisory business of the firm in the German-speaking region. Most recently, she was Chief Investment Officer of MGI SE, a listed software company.
A German national, Sonja is a graduate of the university in Marburg in Business Administration, with majors in Auditing and Banking.

Loic Fonteneau joined the venture team at BlackFin in 2021 with a focus on later-stage deals and the objective of growing the firm’s presence in the UK.

He started his career at J.P. Morgan in 2007 in London in the Financial Institutions MA team, where he was covering large banks, insurers and asset managers. In 2016, he transferred to the Technology MA team at J.P. Morgan to cover the highly growing Tech ecosystem across Europe. Loic has considerable experience helping sophisticated clients execute complex corporate finance transactions, private capital raise and IPOs.

Loic also briefly worked as a lead software engineer in Australia after graduating, where he helped launch a cyber-security startup.

A dual French-British national, Loic is a graduate of HEC Paris (MSc International Finance) and ESIEE Paris (MSc in Computer Science)

Sophie Manhes Catala is Investment Director at Blackfin.

She joined the firm in 2021. She started her career in 2010 at Oddo Corporate Finance within the Debt Advisory team, advising either corporates or PE-owned companies on a wide range of financings, as well as on rating and capital structure. Starting from 2014, she joined Muzinich to setting-up and build out the French Private Debt activity, where she participated to several transactions in France and in Europe, both as a senior and a unitranche lender.

A French national, Sophie is a graduate of ESSEC Business School.

Michele Foradori is an Investment Director in the Venture team at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2018. He started his career as a lobbyist in Brussels supporting European power utilities on several energy sustainable projects.

In 2013, he joined UniCredit, one the largest commercial bank in Europe. At UniCredit, Michele matured a thorough experience in Retail, Commercial and Investment Banking to eventually reach the role of Investment Manager for the Corporate Venture Fund of the group lead in partnership with Anthemis. In his role Michele supported the launch of the initiative and sourced more than 500+ investment opportunities across Europe and US and participated to the closing of 7 deals.

An Italian national, Michele is a graduate of Trento.

Julien Renaud is an Investment Director at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2019. He started his career in 2011 as a consultant at Arthur D. Little in London. In 2016, he joined the VC Fund Paladin Capital Group and pursued his career in 2017 as an Associate within Gore Street Capital, a Fund specialised in infrastructure/clean-tech investments.

A French national, Julien holds an MBA from the London Business School and is a graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Imperial College London and ESCP Europe.

Maciej is an Investment Director at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2019. He started his career in 2013 as an associate at DRICON Managing Consultants where he was involved in MA transactions in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2015, he joined the management consulting division of Deutsche Bank, where he supported the Management Board by developing and executing the bank’s internal strategies.

German and Polish national, Maciej is a graduate from Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main with a Master in Finance and Management.

Pauline Brunel is an Investment Director in the Venture team at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2020. She started her career working in MA at Financière Cambon, focusing on growth and tech companies in Paris. She then switched to the capital market side, working for JP Morgan in London in their market risk division. In 2015, she joined the financial regulator in Luxemburg, focusing on the supervision of alternative investment funds.

In 2017, Pauline joined Impression Ventures in Toronto, a FinTech-focused VC fund, leading Seed and Series A deals across North America. During her time in Canada, Pauline co-founded the Canadian Women in VC community aiming at building the next generation of Women Venture Capitalists through networking, knowledge sharing, and mentorship.

A French national, Pauline holds a Master’s degree from NEOMA Business School and passed level I and II of the CFA program.

François-Xavier Tanaka is an Investment Director at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2021. He started his career as a strategy consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, where he spent 6 years in the Paris and Tokyo offices working primarily on strategy and due-diligence assignments.

François-Xavier is a graduate from CentraleSupélec and completed a double-degree programme with ESCP Europe.

Marc Kaadi is Investor Relations Director at Blackfin.

He joined the firm in 2021. In 2022, Marc was also appointed Diversity Equity Inclusion Lead at BlackFin and serves as its representative at Level 20 and Out Investors. He started his career in 2006 as a Portfolio Manager Assistant at Bank of America, then as a Product Specialist and finally as a Relationship Manager. Between 2015-2020, he worked alternatively as a private equity placement agent at two boutiques and at as a Content RFP Manager AXA IM.

An American citizen, Marc graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business. He is also a CFA Charterholder and an active volunteer at CFA Society France, where he has held various positions since 2014 including serving as a Board Director for 5 years and being elected Vice President.

Louis de Vulpian is Legal Director at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in January 2018. He started his career as a lawyer in 2014 working for French law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel’s corporate team. Focusing primarily on general corporate law, private equity and mergers and acquisitions, he gained exposure to numerous transactions, mainly in venture capital. He is also a lecturer at HEC Paris.

A French national, Louis graduated from HEC Paris in 2013 and holds a Master’s degree in business and tax law from Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne University. He also holds the French Professional Lawyer’s certification (CAPA).

Linda Gheyouche is Head of Finance and Risk at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2018. She started her career in 2014 as a Senior accountant specialized in Private equity (fund management company) at RSM, an accounting firm in Paris.

Linda holds an advanced diploma in accounting and management.

Andrea Kaletzke is a Finance Director at BlackFin.

She started her career in 2011 at PwC as a transaction advisor for major industrial companies and investment funds, where she worked until joining BlackFin in 2022.

A German national, Andrea is a graduate of EBS and RSM.

Romain Grimal is an Investment Senior Manager in the Venture team at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2017. Romain started his career in Venture Capital in 2014 as part of the Munich-based team of XAnge Private Equity for a one-year tenure. Focusing solely on the German-speaking market in Europe, he gained exposure to various sectors with FinTech being one of the core topics under investigation. He was involved in several due diligence processes that led to investments later on. After an experience in small and midcap MA in Paris, Romain joined BlackFin Capital Partners at the beginning of 2017 to help unearth the next European FinTech success stories.

A French national, Romain is a graduate from HEC Paris.

Océane Zbinden is an Investment Manager at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2020. She started her career as an MA Analyst at Barclays in Paris, where she was involved in various transactions for financial institutions. In 2019 she joined J.P.Morgan within the Paris MA team.

A French national, Océane is a graduate of ESSEC Business School.

Julie Lesueur is an Investment Manager at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2021. She started her carrier at Société Générale within the Investment Banking division in Paris, where she was involved in various MA and ECM transactions.

A French national, Julie is a graduate of EDHEC Business School.

Tom Janssen is a Investment Manager on the Buyout team at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2022. He started his career in 2017 as a strategy consultant with Roland Berger focused on investor support, financial services and performance improvement.

A Dutch national, Tom holds an MBA from INSEAD and graduated from Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) with a major in Coastal Engineering.

Guillaume Bouzy is a Finance Manager at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2022. He started his career in 2018 at Ernst Young as a financial auditor and financial consultant for major industrial companies.

A French national, Guillaume is a graduate of CentraleSupélec and ESCP Europe.

Estela Souto is ESG Manager at BlackFIn.

Estela started her career in 2012 at UBS as Legal Counsel and then Deputy Director. From 2018 to 2020, she joined OECD as a Policy Consultant in the Public Governance Department. In 2021, she joined PwC France as a Senior Associate where she worked on numerous ESG strategy consulting missions.

A Brazilian citizen, Estela is a Brazilian qualified lawyer, holds a master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris and holds a CFA Certificate in ESG investing. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Sciences Po, teaching courses in finance for the SDGs and financial inclusion.

Chloé Novène is an Investment Manager in the Venture team at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2024. She started her career at ALLVP, a tier-1 Mexican VC based in Mexico City, where she was exposed to and sourced multiple Fintech deals for the firm. Her most recent role was to set up the Spanish-Speaking LatAm Fintech strategy for Hedosophia in Mexico.

A French national, Chloé holds a master’s in management from HEC Paris, as well as a joint MSc in Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris & Ecole Polytechnique.

Alexandre Decroocq is an Investment Manager at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2024. He started his career as a strategy consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in Paris. In 2021, he joined L-GAM in London where he was involved in various investments across Europe.

A French national, Alexandre is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge.

Pénélope Ferrer is the Compliance Officer at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2023. She started her career in 2017 as a Senior Consultant specialized in Private equity at AGAMA Conseil, an independent consulting firm, specialized in compliance in Paris.

A French national, Pénélope holds a master’s degree in business law with a specialization in the financial sector from Toulouse Capitole.

Tom Vande Moortel is Senior Investment Associate on the Buyout team at Blackfin.

He joined the firm in 2022. He started his career in 2017 as strategy consultant at Kearney in Brussels, focusing on operational and due-diligence assignments. In 2021, he moved to Singapore to establish the APAC office for a scale-up in behavioral market research, moving back to Belgium to lead its operational improvement program afterward.

A Belgian national, he graduated in engineering physics at the University of Ghent and studied philosophy and European Union studies Catholic University of Louvain (UCL).

Alexis is an Associate at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2020. He started his career as an Analyst at Calcium Capital, after completing an internship at BlackFin in 2018.

A French national, Alexis is a graduate of HEC Paris.

Zara Ryan is an Investment Associate on the Tech team at Blackfin.

She joined the team in 2023. Zara started her career as a Product Expert at an AI LegalTech company, where she worked on global business development and project management. She then joined TempoCap, a UK-based growth-stage VC fund, where she focused mainly on fintech, cybersecurity, and B2B SaaS investments.

A British national, Zara graduated from University of Oxford and completed her Erasmus year at Panthéon-Assas Paris II.

Nathalie Schwarzkopf is an Investment Associate on the Tech team at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2022. Nathalie started her career with Senator International Logistics in Hong Kong working on business development in Asia Pacific Region. She then interned with Nestle and Hugo Boss where she worked on brand management and corporate communication. In 2020, she joined BVO Consult as a consultant where she worked on comprehensive Fintech research and due diligence for potential acquisition targets.

A German national, Nathalie is a graduate from Maastricht University and Erasmus University, Rotterdam School of Management.

Raphaël Berthier is an Associate at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2020 immediately after earning his master’s degree. He started his career as a financial audit intern at KPMG before completing an internship on the Finance team at BlackFin in 2019.

A French national, Raphaël is a graduate of ESCP Business School.

Bérénice Kaspi is an Associate on the Finance and Administration team of BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2020. She started her career in 2019 as a Compliance Analyst at Orange, a  leading French Telecom, on the International Carriers team of Wholesale division.

Bérénice has an Master of International Business Law from Université Paris Nanterre.

Marine Eberle is a Middle Office Associate on the Finance and Administration team of BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2021. She started her career in 2020 as a financial auditor at PwC France in the dedicated business unit of asset management.

Marine has a Master of Finance and Risk management from ESSCA business school.

Joy is an Investment Associate at Blackfin.

She joined the firm in 2022. She started her career as an investment banking analyst at Lincon International, before completing an internship in the Buyout team at BlackFin.

A French national, Joy is a graduate of HEC Paris.

Raphael is an Investment Associate at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2022 immediately after earning his master’s degree. He started his career as a corporate finance intern at BDO, before completing an internship in the buyout team at BlackFin.

A German national, Raphael is a graduate of University of Münster.

Sophia is an Senior Investment Analyst at BlackFin.

She joined the firm in 2022 immediately after earning her master’s degree. She started her career as an intern in transactions services at PwC and in the equity investments department at KfW, the German development bank. Additionally, she completed an internship on the Buyout team at BlackFin.

A German national, Sophia is a graduate of University of Mannheim and NOVA School of Business and Economics.

Thomas Lelgouarch is a Finance Analyst at BlackFin.

He joined the firm in 2023. He started his career as a valuation analyst intern at Exelmans after completing an apprenticeship at Sanofi in the MA Transaction Support team.

A French national, Thomas is a graduate of NEOMA Business School and holds a MS in International Financial Analysis.

Thilo is an Investment Analyst at BlackFin.
He joined BlackFin in 2024 immediately after earning his master's degree. He began his career as a transaction services intern before moving into private equity, including an internship in the buyout team at BlackFin.
A German national, Thilo holds a master’s degree in finance from Durham University.

Guillaume is an Investment Analyst on the Tech team at BlackFin.

Prior to joining the firm in 2024, Guillaume built his expertise in private equity and venture capital through internships at Eurazeo and Invus in Paris, where he contributed to portfolio management, due diligence and fundraising. He began his career at papernest, where he supported the executive team in strategic business planning and market expansion.

A French national, Guillaume holds a double degree from HEC Paris and École des Ponts et Chaussées.

Victoire is an Investment Analyst on the Buyout team at Blackfin.
She joined the firm in 2024. She started her career as an M&A Analyst at Rothschild & Co in Paris, after completing an internship on the Buyout team at Blackfin in 2021.
A French national, Victoire is a graduate of University Paris Dauphine.

Delia is Office Manager at BlackFin Belgium.

She joined the firm in 2020. She started her career in 2008 as administrative officer in the automotive sector then managed her own company in the fashion industry.

A Belgian national, Delia is a graduate from the Université Libre de Bruxelles with a master in Political Sciences.

Valérie is Office Manager at BlackFin Germany.

She joined the firm in 2018. She started first her career by Air France then as Fleets Manager by Fleets International Enterprises.

She holds a diploma of higher technician in international trade.

Amrta is an executive assistant to BlackFin’s Partners.

She joined the firm in 2023. She started her career as an executive assistant previously working at several international companies.

A Brazilian citizen, Amrta also speaks four languages as a result of her experiences abroad: French, English, Portuguese and Korean.