M&A Awards 2021

Acquisition International - M&A Awards 2021 21 tremendously. In the secondaries market the funds raised are a multiple of just a few years ago, and going from a focus on Limited Partner portfolios there is now a lot more direct M&A type work going on, in transactions where the General Partner organises a sale of portfolio companies into a new vehicle. It has really become one of the most developing and interesting parts of the market, combining aspects of all categories in VC and PE, and I love working in it. On the VC front you can see that European VC has become a lot more popular, amongst others because the results have improved over the last years (vs lagging behind the US), and with COVID the faith in tech companies versus more traditional ones has also seen an uptick. Valuations are still higher in the US and you see US players coming into the European market to find good deals that they can help with US expansion. The full PE market is now very hot as, even though we are not through with COVID yet, the number of deals and their valuation across the board has shot up with the sight on recovery. It is now a question of finding the balance between taking the opportunities but staying disciplined even if you have a lot of capital to deploy. AI: Is there anything you would like to add as we come to the end of the interview? EvdB: What I find really important now in the industry is to support more women entering and building careers in private equity. It is the most interesting job you can have. Things are getting better, especially for more junior roles, but a lot of work is still to be done. Personally I am on the Board of Level 20 in France and help through mentoring and organising events. We want to give women more examples to look at and aim to have at least 20% senior women in the industry. Further in my spare time I am also an angel investor, which is fun and where I have a 25X return in just 3 years. Contact Details Contact: Ellen van den Broek Company: Aurorae Email: [email protected] Aurorae was founded by Ellen van den Broek as a venture capital and private equity firm, operating out of Paris and London, but with clients across the globe. Ellen van den Broek specialises in VC and PE and has been running her own business for the past decade. We spoke to Ellen to find out more. Nov21143 I: Please tell me about Aurorae, the work you do and the types of clients with whom you work. Ellen van den Broek: Aurorae was founded by me and operates out of Paris and London but assignments can be anywhere. I work on a range of assignments and a.o. invest for clients in private equity and venture capital directs, secondaries and funds. I works in GP’s and LP’s across all PE and VC strategies and geographies when they have too much work, a gap in the team, need a specific expertise or are in their early stages of development. Basically anything you need done in private equity or vc; I can do it. Clients like to use me as well for their most complex or complicated deals, whether they are already stuck or not, for which they let me negotiate and work with all parties involved for them, to make the deal happen. AI: Tell me about your business and your ongoing strategy. What techniques do you employ to ensure that you achieve this? EvdB: I have been running my businesses for over 10 years now and given that my expertise is so wide, and runs even to include add-on acquisitions and other portfolio work, I have a very broad network in the industry to build on and find my next assignment. I love networking and speaking at conferences where I find new potential clients, but my business also comes through referrals and is quite a lot inbound these days. I like the diversity in my work, having to work at the highest levels from a social and intellectual aspect, and the fact that I work with smart and motivated people. AI:What are your thoughts on the state of your industry currently? Where do you stand on the greater M&A landscape? EvdB: In terms of the market I see especially the secondaries and VC segments have grown A Global VC & PE Firm of the Year 2021 & Leading Expert in Negotiations 2021 (UK): Ellen van den Broek, Aurorae