Paris, January 22, 2025 – Otium, a private investment holding and the partner of choice for entrepreneurs, successfully expanded its bond financing to €39 million with Neuberger Berman, a top-tier global investment firm.
This new financing follows a previous €250 million financing secured in June 2024 through a consortium of leading banks, further strengthening Otium’s ability to accelerate its investment strategy and continue supporting its portfolio companies in multiple attractive sectors such as energy, healthcare, hospitality, industrials, leisure real estate and tech.
François Durvye, CEO, Otium, stated: “This new investment from Neuberger Berman highlights Otium’s ability to attract top-tier global investors and builds on the strong momentum we’ve achieved throughout 2024 and already into 2025. With this additional financing, Otium is solidifying its position as an active investor, confirming our ambition to establish ourselves as a leading investment platform with a target of €5 billion in net assets by 2030.”
With a new investment from Neuberger Berman client fund, European Private Loans Fund II, Otium’s outstanding bond financing has now reached €39 million.
Fundamental Partners acted as Otium’s exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.
Otium is a long-term investment holding company founded in 2009 by Pierre Edouard Sterin. With €1.5 billion in assets as of April 30, 2024, spread across more than 100 investments – including the Smartbox group and stakes in French unicorns PayFit and Owkin – Otium invests amounts ranging from a few hundred thousand euros to several tens of millions of euros. Companies are funded at every stage of their development, from seed funding to growth capital, and Otium takes either majority or minority stakes with no holding period constraints. Otium pursues a diversification strategy by financing projects in tech, industrials, leisure, healthcare, hospitality and real estate.
As a community-engaged actor, Otium contributes to supporting the Fonds du Bien Commun, a philanthropic organization that partners with social and associative entrepreneurs working to build tomorrow’s society.
Neuberger Berman is an employee-owned, private, independent investment manager founded in 1939 with over 2,800 employees in 26 countries. The firm manages $508 billion of equities, fixed income, private equity, real estate and hedge fund portfolios for global institutions, advisors and individuals. Neuberger Berman’s investment philosophy is founded on active management, fundamental research and engaged ownership. The PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment) identified the firm as part of the Leader’s Group, a designation awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms for excellence in environmental, social and governance practices. Neuberger Berman has been named by Pensions & Investments as the #1 or #2 Best Place to Work in Money Management for each of the last eleven years (firms with more than 1,000 employees). Visit www.nb.com for more information. Data as of December 31, 2024.
Fundamental Partners is an independent financial advisory firm founded in 2017. The company assists its clients (listed or private family-owned companies) by offering tailored solutions for raising financing and advising on debt structuring. Fundamental has recognized expertise and practice in a wide variety of financings (bank, Euro PP, bond, Mezzanine, Unitranche, PIK, etc…) as well as in the structuring of ESG and Impact financings.
Otium
François Durvye, CEO Otium
Eric Massou, Group CFO Otium
Neuberger Berman
Pieter D’Hoore, Managing Director, European Private Loans
Peer Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, European Private Loans
Michael Asika, Research Analyst, European Private Loans
Fundamental Partners
Matthias Kuntz, Managing Partner
Cédric Lalain, Managing Director
Otium: Image Sept, otium@image7.fr
Neuberger Berman: Fiona Kehily, Head of Communications – EMEA, fiona.kehily@nb.com