Abenex, a leading European private equity firm, announces the first closing of its Industries 9.0 Fund, with commitments exceeding 50% of its €150m target size.
In the context of European industrial modernization and sovereignty challenges, Abenex has launched its first Fund dedicated to high-performing industrial SMEs with strong growth and transformation potential: Abenex Industries 9.0.
The Fund builds on Abenex’s recognized expertise in supporting companies, leveraging its fully dedicated Operational Team composed of seven experts, at the core of its investment approach.
The Fund integrates a decarbonization trajectory as a key driver of sustainable value creation for industrial companies, where successful environmental transition represents a competitive advantage and a structuring differentiator. Abenex’s previous funds illustrate the strength of its industrial track record and the depth of its operational expertise.
In this context, the Fund has already attracted strong support from a diversified investor base, including French institutional investors, banking partners and family offices, including several longstanding Abenex investors. The Fund is also distributed through the AirFund digital platform, enabling wealth management professionals to access it for distribution to qualified clients, with minimum commitments starting from €100k.
Classified as Article 9 under the European SFDR regulation, the Fund relies on portfolio decarbonization objectives aligned with trajectories validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). It primarily targets industrial SMEs based in France and more broadly in Europe (Italy and Benelux), contributing to strengthening production capabilities and securing industrial value chains. These companies offer strong potential for sustainable value creation while supporting the reinforcement of industrial sovereignty.
The investment strategy targets companies valued up to €60 million in enterprise value, with equity tickets ranging from €5m to €20m, as majority or controlling minority shareholder, in line with Abenex’s investment approach and recognized expertise in this segment.
The Abenex Industries 9.0 Fund is led by Emmanuel Herbinet, Partner at Abenex since 2009. The senior team includes Nicolas Goiran, Partner with 20 years of private equity experience, and Aurélie Heckel, Director (ex-Legrand and CNIM).
This Fund is fully aligned with Abenex’s ambition to support the modernisation and decarbonization of European industry.
Patrice Verrier and Olivier Moatti, Managing Partners, stated: “With Abenex Industries 9.0, we are strengthening our positioning on the industrial SME market, combining proven investment expertise with a hands-on operational approach driving sustainable performance. This first closing confirms the relevance of our platform to tackle today’s challenges and the continued trust of our investors.”
Emmanuel Herbinet, Partner in charge of the Industries 9.0 strategy, added: “This first closing confirms strong market interest for a strategy dedicated to industrial SMEs, at the heart of the industrial modernization and low-carbon transition challenges. With Abenex Industries 9.0, we aim to partner with companies with strong industrial know-how, combining competitiveness, innovation, external and organic growth potential, and ambitious decarbonization trajectories.”
