Private Equity Cannes: Top Firms in 2026

Key Facts

• IPEM Cannes has operated as Europe's flagship private markets conference since 2016, drawing representatives from more than 1,300 firms to the Palais des Festivals on the French Riviera each January or February.
• Global private capital assets under management are forecast to reach $12 trillion by end of 2029, with a separate industry projection placing total private capital AUM at $24 trillion by 2028.
• At IPEM Cannes 2025, 85% of general partners surveyed expected dealmaking and capital deployment to improve during the year, signaling broad industry optimism despite continued fundraising headwinds.
• Three thousand five hundred participants attended IPEM's 12th edition in January 2025, including 500 general partners (GPs), 500 institutional limited partners (LPs), and 250 private banks, family offices, and wealth managers.
• The secondaries market has grown 12-fold since 2009, making it among the fastest-expanding strategy categories at Cannes-based private markets events.
• Seventy-six percent of European GPs surveyed at IPEM 2025 are planning or already have a dedicated private wealth fund, a structural shift responding to democratization of private capital.
• IPEM has expanded beyond Cannes with events in Paris, Dubai (launching May 2026), Chicago (April 2026), and Hong Kong, reflecting the global breadth of its participant base.

Private Equity in Cannes: Market Overview and IPEM Context

When professionals refer to private equity Cannes, they mean one event above all: IPEM, the International Private Equity Market. Held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès on Boulevard de la Croisette, IPEM has built a reputation as the premier European gathering for private capital since its 2016 launch. Its combination of genuine deal activity and the intimate atmosphere of the French Riviera in January sets it apart from urban conference venues.

The event spans private equity, private debt, infrastructure, venture capital and growth equity, secondaries, and real assets across dedicated conference tracks and summits. Its curated online database connects 550 vetted LPs with 500 GP firms and 300 advisors, making it a year-round platform rather than a single annual appointment. IPEM Director Antoine Colson has described January in Cannes as "a more intimate moment that allows for very high quality networking," noting that the compact geography of La Croisette creates unusually high contact density.

EMEA dominates IPEM's event footprint, with Cannes and Paris serving as twin flagship venues. The bulk of participating fund managers operate across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The 2025 edition introduced IPEM Wealth as a dedicated sub-event addressing the industry's accelerating shift toward retail and wealth management channels. Ten major managers sponsored it, including Ardian, Eurazeo, Tikehau Capital, and Neuberger Berman.

Private capital AUM growth is projected to continue, driven by this democratization push. LP capital is broadening beyond institutional sources toward individual investors, family offices, and private banking clients.

Firm Comparison at a Glance

The firms below represent the leading general partners, fund-of-funds managers, and multi-strategy investors active at IPEM Cannes, drawn from sponsor, speaker, and attendee data for the 2024 and 2025 editions. AUM figures were not publicly disclosed for the majority of firms at time of publication and are omitted. Firms are listed alphabetically.

Paris and London dominate the headquarters distribution, reflecting EMEA's structural importance to the IPEM ecosystem. Multi-strategy positioning is increasingly common, with firms like Tikehau, Ardian, and Eurazeo offering buyout, debt, and real assets under a single platform umbrella.

Top Picks by Investment Strategy

Strongest European Platform: Ardian. Paris-headquartered and active across buyout, growth equity, infrastructure, real assets, and secondaries, Ardian is the most fully diversified European private markets manager in the IPEM Cannes ecosystem. Its breadth gives LPs access to multiple strategies through a single GP relationship.

Mid-Market European Buyout Leader: Bridgepoint. London-based and focused on the pan-European mid-market, Bridgepoint has built deep expertise in business services and healthcare, two of the top three investment sectors identified by GPs at IPEM 2025. Xavier Robert, Partner and CIO, represented the firm at IPEM Cannes.

Multi-Strategy Private Markets: Ares Management. Spanning private equity, credit, real assets, and secondaries, Ares offers institutional LPs diversified exposure across economic cycles. Barry Miller, Partner in Ares Secondaries Group and CEO of the Ares Private Markets Fund, spoke at IPEM Wealth 2025.

Premier Fund-of-Funds and Co-Investment Platform: Hamilton Lane. Richard Hope, Co-Head of Investments and Head of EMEA, participated as a speaker at IPEM Wealth 2025. Hamilton Lane's integrated platform covering primaries, secondaries, and co-investments makes it the reference point for LPs seeking diversified private markets access.

Top Secondaries Specialist: Ares Secondaries Group (formerly Landmark Partners). Ares absorbed Landmark Partners, a pure-play secondaries firm, in 2021. The combined capability sits within one of the largest alternatives platforms globally, with direct representation on the IPEM Wealth speaker roster.

French Growth Equity Focus: Revaia. Paris-based and technology-oriented, Revaia is among the more focused growth equity specialists in the French PE ecosystem. It is particularly relevant for founders and LPs targeting European tech-sector growth capital.

Most Active Impact and ESG Investor: Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity. Chairwoman Ariane de Rothschild and CEO Johnny El Hachem both appeared as speakers at IPEM Cannes, signaling the firm's active posture in the democratization and impact investing conversation.

Institutional LP Gateway: PGGM. The Dutch pension fund's European mid-market co-investment mandate and Investment Committee representation at IPEM Cannes, via Senior Director Harrie Van Rijbroek, makes it the most transparent institutional LP benchmark in the ecosystem for GPs calibrating their fund positioning.

Top PE Firms at Cannes: Detailed Profiles

Ardian

The reference point for pan-European private markets breadth, Ardian operates across buyout, growth equity, infrastructure, real assets, and secondaries from its Paris headquarters. Its lead sponsorship of IPEM Wealth 2025 reflects both its market position and its commitment to the retail democratization wave reshaping European private capital. Candice Brenet, Ardian's Head of Sustainability, appeared as a speaker at the conference, underscoring the firm's active stance on ESG integration.

For LPs seeking a single European GP relationship spanning multiple asset classes and investment cycles, Ardian's diversification sets it apart from sector-specific competitors. Its secondaries capability is particularly relevant given the 12-fold growth in that market since 2009.

Eurazeo

Eurazeo occupies a distinctive position as France's flagship publicly traded private equity firm, combining buyout, growth equity, private debt, and real assets under one listed vehicle. Its sponsorship of IPEM Wealth 2025 reflects its strategic alignment with the wealth channel expansion reshaping LP bases across Europe. The firm's presence in consumer, technology, and real assets gives it cross-sector relevance that few mid-sized European GPs can match.

Founders seeking a structured partner with capital depth and listed-company governance transparency should examine Eurazeo's operating model closely. Its Paris headquarters places it squarely within the French PE ecosystem that IPEM Cannes was built to serve.

Hamilton Lane

Hamilton Lane's core value proposition is access: the Philadelphia-based manager offers institutional and wealth-channel investors entry to diversified private markets through primaries, secondaries, and co-investments. Richard Hope, Co-Head of Investments and Head of EMEA, brings direct oversight of the European book to the IPEM Wealth stage each year. The firm's evergreen and semi-liquid fund structures align directly with the democratization trend cited by 76% of GPs at IPEM 2025.

The platform-based approach is a more manageable entry point for LPs new to private markets allocation than committing directly to individual GPs.

Ares Management

Ares stands out within the IPEM Cannes ecosystem for its unusually complete credit-to-equity spectrum. Its Los Angeles base belies a deeply EMEA-active secondaries and credit operation. Barry Miller, Partner in the Ares Secondaries Group, serves simultaneously as CEO of the Ares Private Markets Fund, a structure aimed directly at the retail democratization market.

The acquisition of Landmark Partners brought one of the most respected PE secondaries track records into the Ares platform. As GP-led continuation funds become a mainstream exit alternative, Ares is the strongest consolidated secondaries option represented at Cannes.

Tikehau Capital

Tikehau Capital is the most EMEA-focused multi-asset alternative manager in the IPEM Cannes sponsor roster, combining private debt, real assets, and private equity from its Paris base. Its IPEM Wealth 2025 sponsorship mirrors the firm's product development strategy of making private capital accessible beyond institutional investors. Private debt is Tikehau's signature strength, and it has built a reputation for sector-specific credit strategies as private credit grows faster than traditional buyout.

European private debt with a local origination advantage is Tikehau's clearest competitive position for LPs building credit-focused allocations.

Bridgepoint

Bridgepoint is the clearest European mid-market buyout specialist among the IPEM Cannes participants, with London as its base and a deal mandate covering healthcare, business services, and technology. Partner and CIO Xavier Robert's speaker participation at IPEM Cannes reflects the firm's active role in shaping the mid-market agenda. Business services and pharma/healthcare ranked as two of the three most attractive sectors for GP deployment in the IPEM 2025 survey, both squarely within Bridgepoint's core focus.

Business owners in services or healthcare exploring recapitalization or buyout options will find Bridgepoint's pan-European origination capability the most directly relevant among the firms profiled here.

LGT Capital Partners

LGT Capital Partners carries the institutional credibility of its Liechtenstein-based royal family ownership while operating as a global fund-of-funds manager. Managing Partner Ivan Vercoutère's appearance as an IPEM Cannes speaker signals the firm's EMEA presence. Its Pfäffikon, Switzerland base places it firmly within the Continental European private markets ecosystem.

LGT spans private equity, hedge funds, and liquid alternatives, giving it strategic breadth that few pure-play PE fund-of-funds can match. For family offices and private banks assessing fund-of-funds exposure, LGT's heritage connecting private wealth management with institutional private markets expertise is a meaningful differentiator.

Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity

The Edmond de Rothschild franchise brings a 200-year brand heritage to a private equity and impact investing mandate spanning growth equity and ESG-focused strategies from Geneva and Paris. Chairwoman Ariane de Rothschild and CEO Johnny El Hachem participated as IPEM Cannes speakers, placing the firm's leadership directly in the democratization and impact conversation. Its explicit impact mandate distinguishes it from generalist European PE managers.

Impact-oriented institutional LPs benchmarking ESG commitments against actual portfolio criteria will find Edmond de Rothschild among the most credible options in the IPEM ecosystem. Its Geneva-Paris axis gives it access to both the Swiss wealth management community and French institutional capital networks.

Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman's private markets division offers institutional and wealth-channel investors access to multi-asset private equity, private debt, and alternatives under a single New York-based manager. Patricia Miller Zollar, Managing Director, represented the firm at IPEM Wealth 2025, reflecting a deliberate emphasis on the wealth management channel. This aligns with the 75% of GPs reporting a retail LP shift in IPEM's 2025 survey.

Multi-strategy coverage across private equity, credit, and real assets makes Neuberger Berman relevant to LPs managing a diversified alternatives portfolio rather than a single-strategy mandate.

Investment Trends Shaping the IPEM Cannes Agenda

Democratization of Private Markets

Seventy-five percent of GPs at IPEM 2025 reported a measurable shift in their LP base toward individual and retail investors. Seventy-six percent are planning or already running a dedicated private wealth fund, driving demand for evergreen, semi-liquid, and interval fund structures. IPEM responded by launching the dedicated Wealth track at Cannes 2025, backed by ten major managers as sponsors.

Secondaries and GP-Led Continuation Funds

The secondaries market has expanded 12-fold since 2009, making it one of the fastest-growing private markets strategies. GP-led continuation funds allow existing LPs to exit while new capital continues investing in specific portfolio companies. They are now a mainstream alternative to traditional exits. Ares Secondaries Group and Pomona Capital are among the fund managers at IPEM Cannes directly serving this market.

ESG and Energy Transition

ESG has moved from optional to contractually expected, with institutional LPs now placing explicit sustainability requirements on GPs as a condition of commitment. Energy transition, renewable infrastructure, and SFDR-compliant fund structures feature prominently in IPEM Cannes conference tracks. IPEM itself runs the Croisette Express, a dedicated train from Paris to Cannes, as a concrete expression of its sustainability commitments.

AI, Healthcare, and Digital Infrastructure

Business services, pharma and healthcare, and information technology were the three most-cited investment sectors by GPs surveyed at IPEM 2025. Healthcare private equity and digital infrastructure are drawing dry powder away from traditional industrial buyout toward higher-growth tech-enabled sectors. AI applications in portfolio company operations and deal sourcing are a growing theme in IPEM Cannes breakout sessions.

Geopolitical Risk and Trade Protectionism

A live poll at IPEM Cannes 2025 found that 50% of attendees identified increased trade protectionism, tariffs, and changing foreign investment policies as the greatest macro risk to private equity returns over the next three to five years. This risk ranks above geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions in the survey. European GPs are responding by building "glocal" strategies that pair global capital access with genuinely local origination and regulatory expertise.

How to Evaluate PE Firms at Cannes

Track record across multiple market cycles is the most reliable starting filter. GPs who managed portfolios through the post-2021 valuation correction demonstrate genuine operational resilience. Those who expanded AUM during the 2019-2021 boom without maintaining investment discipline represent higher-risk commitments.

Sector specialization versus multi-strategy breadth requires explicit matching to LP mandate. A pension fund building a private equity program from scratch may prefer Hamilton Lane's diversified platform approach. An LP with existing broad exposure may prioritize a specialist like Bridgepoint for mid-market European buyout or Tikehau for private credit yield.

Fund size alignment determines whether a GP can realistically deploy capital at the right deal scale. Mid-market buyout firms like Bridgepoint operate in a fundamentally different competitive environment than mega-fund secondaries platforms like Ares. Comparing them on the same criteria produces misleading conclusions.

ESG credentials deserve direct scrutiny beyond marketing materials. IPEM Cannes panels provide the opportunity to test GP ESG messaging in public settings. Attendees should cross-reference published ESG statements with specific portfolio practices and SFDR classification of fund products.

IPEM's online database, which includes 550 vetted LPs and 500 GP firms, enables pre-event screening that dramatically improves meeting quality. Arriving at IPEM Cannes without a pre-scheduled meeting list means competing for attention against 3,500 other participants. Watch for two red flags: GPs expanding fund size between vintages without proportional team growth, and holdings carried at 2021-vintage valuations without clear exit pathways.

Which PE Firm Fits Your Needs?

Founders seeking growth capital in the €5 million to €100 million range should prioritize Eurazeo, Revaia, and Bridgepoint. All three maintain European growth equity and mid-market buyout mandates with active French and pan-European origination. Bridgepoint's healthcare and business services focus is the most direct match for founders in those sectors exploring a buyout or recapitalization with operational depth.

LPs building or expanding a diversified private markets allocation will find Hamilton Lane and LGT Capital Partners among the strongest starting points at IPEM Cannes. Both operate fund-of-funds and co-investment platforms with direct EMEA coverage, giving institutions broad private capital access without managing 15 separate GP relationships. PGGM's presence as an institutional LP speaker also makes it a useful benchmark for pension fund LPs evaluating European mid-market allocation sizing.

Family offices and wealth managers newly accessing private capital are best served by firms aligned with the IPEM Wealth track. Tikehau Capital, Neuberger Berman, and Franklin Templeton alternatives all operate structures designed for the wealth channel, including evergreen and semi-liquid vehicles. Impact-mandated allocators, whether family foundations, endowments, or public pension funds with ESG objectives, should engage Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity and Initiative & Finance. Both maintain explicit impact and sustainability investment criteria rather than treating ESG as a reporting overlay.

Methodology

Firms featured in this guide were selected based on documented participation in IPEM Cannes events as sponsors, speakers, or named attendees at the 2024 and 2025 editions, combined with publicly disclosed investment mandates and EMEA market presence. Data on event attendance, GP survey results, and industry forecasts draws from IPEM market reports, the annual Pan-European PE Survey supported by the UK private equity industry association and 13 national associations, fund performance databases, and industry publications.

AUM figures were not publicly available for the majority of firms profiled at time of publication and are omitted to avoid unverified claims. Strategy descriptions and sector strengths reflect publicly disclosed investment mandates and conference participation context. This article draws primarily on IPEM Cannes 2025 (January 28-30, 2025) event data and IPEM Cannes 2026 (February 3-5, 2026) preview information. Readers seeking individual fund performance data should consult fund performance databases and contact GPs directly for current fund terms and track record materials. This guide to private equity Cannes will be updated following each annual IPEM edition as new participation data becomes available.