Private Equity FundPuts its own capital into companiesActive · deal in last 18 monthsLAST VERIFIED Oct 2026 · 11 SOURCES

Ardian

Also known as ARDIAN FRANCE, AXA Private Equity

Paris private markets manager founded in 1996 as AXA Private Equity: secondaries, buyout, expansion, growth, infrastructure, real estate and private credit; $200bn managed or advised.

HEADQUARTERS: Paris, France
FOUNDED: 1996
AUM: $200B (2026)
OUTSIDE CAPITAL: Yes
TEAM LISTED: 13 people

Focus

STAGES: GrowthBuyout
SECTORS: Software & SaaS HealthTech Consumer & E-commerce Food & Agriculture Industrial & Manufacturing Real Estate & PropTech Climate & Energy Deep Tech
ASSET MIX: Private equityFunds (as LP)Real estatePrivate creditDirect investments
GEOGRAPHY: EuropeNorth AmericaGlobal

Overview

Ardian was created in 1996 by Dominique Senequier as AXA Private Equity, the private equity arm of the insurer AXA, and became independent through a 2013 employee buyout. It invests across private equity (secondaries and primaries, co-investment, buyout, expansion, growth), real assets (infrastructure, real estate, real asset debt) and private credit, and says it manages or advises $200bn for more than 1,920 clients from 22 offices. Its Buyout team targets companies valued between €400m and €2bn, mainly in Europe and also in North America.

Investment thesis

Buyout focuses on lead investments in four sectors (food value chain, health and wellness, applied technologies, essential B2B services) in companies valued €400m–€2bn, with more than half of its deals alongside family- and founder-owned businesses; the Secondaries & Primaries activity buys portfolios of private equity fund interests.

PORTFOLIO (12)

Heathrow AirportNOTABLE
Mobility & Logistics
SolinaNOTABLE
Food & Agriculture
Ennov
Software & SaaS · since 2026
Pflegia
HealthTech · since 2026
VSORA
Deep Tech · since 2026
Casaforte
Real Estate & PropTech · since 2026
Prosol (Grand Frais)
Consumer & E-commerce · since 2026
Translated
Artificial Intelligence
Infoblox
Software & SaaS
I-Tracing
Software & SaaS
Trustteam
Software & SaaS
Alvest
Industrial & Manufacturing

People

Dominique Senequier
CEO & Founder · source
Mark Benedetti
Co-CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee · source
Vladimir Colas
Executive President and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee · source
Jan Philipp Schmitz
Executive President and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee · source
Nicolò Saidelli
Advisor to the CEO on strategy and acquisitions & Co-Head of Buyout · source
Thibault Basquin
Co-Head & CIO of Buyout · source
François Jerphagnon
Executive Vice-President; CEO of Ardian France (from 30 September 2026) · source
Marion Calcine
Executive Vice-President; Executive President of Ardian France · source
Juan Angoitia Grijalba
Head of Infrastructure · source
Stéphanie Bensimon
Head of Real Estate · source
Mark Brenke
Head of Private Credit · source
Emmanuel Miquel
Head of Buyout France & Managing Director · source
Patrick Thomas
Chairman of the Supervisory Committee · source

Frequently asked questions

Ardian is a private equity fund based in Paris, France, founded in 1996.

Yes. Ardian invests its own capital in private companies. It also commits capital to third-party funds as an LP.

Ardian invests at Growth and Buyout stages in Software & SaaS, HealthTech, Consumer & E-commerce, Food & Agriculture, Industrial & Manufacturing, Real Estate & PropTech, Climate & Energy and Deep Tech.

Key people at Ardian include Dominique Senequier (CEO & Founder), Mark Benedetti (Co-CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee), Vladimir Colas (Executive President and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee) and Jan Philipp Schmitz (Executive President and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee).

Ardian's investments include Heathrow Airport, Solina, Ennov, Pflegia, VSORA, Casaforte, Prosol (Grand Frais) and Translated, among others.

The most recent publicly reported investment by Ardian is Ennov (Strategic growth investment (with Bregal Sagemount)), announced in Jul 2026.

Yes. Ardian manages capital from outside investors.