Family HoldingPuts its own capital into companiesActive · deal in last 18 monthsLAST VERIFIED Oct 2026 · 15 SOURCES

Otium Capital

Also known as Otium, Otium Management SAS

Paris private investment holding of Smartbox founder Pierre-Édouard Stérin; €1.8B of assets, 130+ companies since 2009, investing €2–200M from seed to LBO, plus the Otium Studio venture builder.

USEFUL FOR Founders · Business owners seeking a long-term partner · Co-investors

Private investment holding of Smartbox founder Pierre-Édouard Stérin, created in 2009 to reinvest Smartbox dividends, with the venture-building arm Otium Studio.

Family & background

FAMILY: Stérin (Pierre-Édouard Stérin)
WEALTH ORIGIN: Smartbox (experience gift boxes)
HEADQUARTERS: Paris, France
FOUNDED: 2009
AUM: €1.8B (2025)
OUTSIDE CAPITAL: Yes — also manages others' money

Investment approach

SECTORS: Consumer & E-commerce Software & SaaS HealthTech Industrial & Manufacturing Real Estate & PropTech Deep Tech
STAGES: SeedGrowthBuyout
ROUTES: Companies (own capital)
STRATEGIES: Private equityVenture capital
TICKET: €2M–€200M
LATEST DEAL: e-peas · Jul 2026
INBOUND: Accepts submissions

Overview

Otium Capital is a private investment holding company created in 2009 by Pierre-Édouard Stérin to reinvest the dividends of Smartbox, the experience-gift company he founded in 2003. It describes itself as a private equity investor active at all stages, from seed and growth capital to LBOs on mature companies, taking majority or minority stakes with no holding-period constraints and investing €2–200 million per deal; it reports €1.8 billion of assets as of 31 December 2025, a 25% IRR since 2015 and more than 130 companies supported. In July 2026 it said its portfolio was 55% majority stakes, 35% venture and minority investments and 10% Otium Studio projects, across six sector platforms (leisure, nuclear, public accounting, healthcare, hospitality, software), with majority-owned companies passing €1 billion of aggregate revenue in 2025. Otium Studio, launched in 2022, invests €1–10 million per startup it creates. Éric Massou was appointed chief executive in June 2026.

Investment thesis

Long-term, evergreen capital for bold entrepreneurs across the company life cycle, from seed to buyout, with no fixed holding period, selecting projects that offer attractive returns and contribute to collective well-being and innovation; it also creates its own companies through Otium Studio.

Holdings & investments (27)

INVESTMENT ARMS & VEHICLES

Resonance
Tech venture vehicle (Resonance par Otium SCR)

HOLDINGS & INVESTMENTS · MOST RECENT FIRST

SmartboxNOTABLE
Consumer & E-commerce
VSORANOTABLE
Deep Tech
DossierNOTABLE
Consumer & E-commerce · Majority stake sold (2026)
Bump
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2025 · Otium Studio project
Food Escapes
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2025 · Otium Studio project
anatae
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2024 · Otium Studio project
Holi
HealthTech · since 2024 · Otium Studio project
Comet Software
Software & SaaS · since 2024
Giftory
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
Ensol
Climate & Energy · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
Hyppo
Fintech · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
Master Camp
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
Miracamp
Education · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
Prosper
Real Estate & PropTech · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
The Oasis House
Real Estate & PropTech · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
Wondergifts
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2023 · Otium Studio project
Hapni
HealthTech · since 2022 · Otium Studio project
Otium Leisure (SpeedPark, Games Factory, Koezio)
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2022
SixtySixty
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2019 · Otium Studio project
e-peas
Deep Tech
Dental Company
HealthTech · Exited
Hadrena
Consumer & E-commerce
Jimmy Energy
Industrial & Manufacturing
Amenitiz
Software & SaaS
Fintool
Software & SaaS · Exited
Alfeor
Industrial & Manufacturing
Enosium Life Science
HealthTech

People

Pierre-Édouard Stérin
Founder and President · source
Éric Massou
General Manager (Chief Executive Officer) · source
Stanislas Thiery
Partner and Chief of Staff · source
Aurélie Pasquet Bessière
Partner · source
Gaspard de Veyrac
Principal · source
Cyril Debeze
CFO · source
Anselme Coulomb
Otium Studio Co-Director · source
Quentin Vanbever
Otium Studio Co-Director · source
Michael S. Levy
Vice President, Marketing · source
Johanne Dubucq
Legal Director · source

Frequently asked questions

Otium Capital is a family holding based in Paris, France, founded in 2009.

Otium Capital invests on behalf of the Stérin (Pierre-Édouard Stérin) family (Smartbox (experience gift boxes)).

Otium Capital invests its own capital into companies. Its stated asset mix includes private equity and venture capital.

Otium Capital invests at Seed, Growth and Buyout stages in Consumer & E-commerce, Software & SaaS, HealthTech, Industrial & Manufacturing, Real Estate & PropTech and Deep Tech.

Otium Capital's stated ticket size is €2M–€200M.

Key people at Otium Capital include Pierre-Édouard Stérin (Founder and President), Éric Massou (General Manager (Chief Executive Officer)), Stanislas Thiery (Partner and Chief of Staff) and Aurélie Pasquet Bessière (Partner).

Otium Capital's holdings and investments include Smartbox, VSORA, Dossier, e-peas, Dental Company, Hadrena, Giftory and Jimmy Energy, among others.

The most recent publicly reported investment by Otium Capital is e-peas, announced in Jul 2026.

Otium Capital states that it accepts submissions through its official contact page.

Yes. Otium Capital manages capital from outside investors.