Team
Pierre-Edouard is Founder and President of Otium Capital.After graduating from Paris-Sorbonne University and EM Lyon Business School, Pierre-Edouard began his career in finance in 1998 at Société Générale and Exane. After working there as a sales manager and analyst, he followed his entrepreneurial passion to launch his first company: BlackOrange. The company selling software and online video games recorded a turnover of 3 million euros in its first fiscal year before being sold in 2001.
He then focused on a gift box concept that he discovered in Belgium. The adventure began in 2003 in the form of a franchise called Smartbox. After experiencing very strong growth during the first years of activity, Smartbox bought out its franchisor with the support of financial partners. Today, Smartbox is the leader in its sector, present in 11 countries and with a turnover of 500 million euros. Turning to other projects, Pierre-Edouard handed over the management to a new operational team in 2013.
Pierre-Edouard has invested in several startups, including LaFourchette, a restaurant reservation platform. He backed the company from 2009 to 2014, when it was growing strongly to reach ¬15 million in revenues in France, Spain and Switzerland. LaFourchette was sold to TripAdvisor in 2014 for $150 million and the deal was hailed as one of the most successful exits in France at the time.
An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Pierre-Edouard put his ambition and optimism into every project to better support charitable causes.
François joined Otium Capital as CEO in 2022. He manages the investment teams and drives the strategy of Otium Capital.
François brings 15 years of experience in the energy industry and in strategy consulting. He first worked with the oilfield services major Schlumberger where he served in line management roles and as group Chief Economist. He then joined the BCG in Paris as Principal working for the energy and in the private investors and private equity practice. Lastly, he worked for Hager as Group Director of Strategy and M&A.
François graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and is an Engineer of the Corps des Mines
Matthieu joined Otium as a Real Estate & Hospitality Partner in 2022.
Entrepreneur and investor, Matthieu has worked for more than 10 years in investment, notably at Extendam, one of the leaders in hotel investment in Europe, where he completed more than 60 transactions. His experience is essential to support the development of our hotel business, but also the management of indirect investments in real estate and proptech operations.
Matthieu is a graduate of EM Lyon.
Delphine Cordié joined Otium Capital as an Operating Partner in 2023.
She has over 15 years of experience in the food, beverage and consumer goods sectors, focusing on innovation and business strategy consulting. She previously worked at Ge-nov as a consultant to CEOs aiming to achieve their growth vision. With a significant background at Nestlé and TAG Heuer, Delphine is an expert in strategic transformation, team leadership and marketing.
Delphine is a graduate of the École Polytechnique.
Cyril joined Otium Capital as CFO in 2022.
Cyril has held for 15 years Administrative and Financial Management positions for SMEs in various sectors, including services (industrial maintenance, design office, events) or industry (machining, surface treatment), also supervising human resources and information systems.
Cyril has used his expertise to structure and develop Finance Departments in growth or restructuring contexts. By integrating human resources and information systems into his scope, he has also acquired a broader vision of support functions.
Cyril graduated from the Sorbonne University.
François joined Otium Capital as General Secretary in 2021.
François started his career at Mazars in audit and had gained an operational and financial experience in Europe, North America and Asia within Faurecia (a global leader in the Automotive Industry).
François brings an extensive 20 years track record in Private Equity including Fund of Funds, Funds and brokerage on the secondary market. François graduated from HEC-Executive MBA and holds a Master from Dauphine University.
Jacques-Henry Grislain joined Otium Capital as a Partner of Curanda in 2024. He is an experienced investment professional and entrepreneur.
Prior to Otium Capital, Jacques-Henry gained extensive experience in private equity, notably as Vice President at PAI Partners. He also co-founded and managed Mori, an innovative biotech company, and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University.
Jacques-Henry is a graduate of EDHEC Business School and MIT.
Oscar joined Otium Capital as an Analyst in 2022.
Previously, Oscar had an entrepreneurial experience during his bachelor by creating a company to commercialize a mate based drink. He then developed his marketing skills at Louis Vuitton before working as a project manager for the ESSEC incubator.
Oscar graduated from ESSEC.
Michael Levy is co-founder of Outspire Foundry, Otium Capital’s consumer startup studio.
He is also founder and former CEO of Deliver.ee, sold to Top Chrono in 2021.
Michael brings in-depth expertise in the launch and management of startups and e-commerce businesses and strategic innovation. Michael also has extensive experience in management, business strategy and new market development.
Michael is a graduate of Paris-Dauphine University and HEC Paris.
Benoît Martinez-Maure joined Otium Capital as Associate in 2024.
Previously, he was a financial and strategic advisor at Kouros. Prior to that, Benoît gained significant experience in transactions at Alvarez & Marsal, where he worked as an analyst and then as an associate. Benoît also worked in investment banking at Deutsche Bank as a debt capital markets analyst, and at Euro Latina Finance, where he was involved in M&A projects.
Pascal Lebard joined Otium Capital as a Partner of Montyon Capital in 2024. Pascal is a veteran in the financial sector and in corporate leadership.
Prior to Otium Capital, he was CEO of Sequana, Europe’s leading paper manufacturer and distributor. He is also co-founder and Partner at Equerre Capital Partners, a turnaround fund. Pascal held governance positions at Bureau Veritas Group, including Director, Chairman of the Conseil de Normalisation des Comptes and member of the Strategic Committee for over a decade.
Pascal is a graduate of EDHEC Business School.
Matthieu Luneau joined Otium Capital as an Operating Partner in 2024.
Matthieu is a dynamic entrepreneur who serves as a mentor and board member at the Institut Mines-Télécom and provides strategic advice to SMEs and startups via Moonwater. Matthieu is also renowned for co-founding Unkle, a fintech revolutionizing the real estate sector with innovative insurance solutions. A law graduate and member of the Bar, Matthieu combines legal expertise and strategic vision to drive innovation in the financial technology and insurance sectors.
He holds a law degree from HEC Paris and is a member of the Paris Bar.
Edouard joined Otium Capital as Partner in 2021. He co-leads Otium Leisure, a leading operator of leisure brands in Europe and the US. He particularly focuses on strategy, finance, and acquisitions. Edouard brings experience in investment firms.
He started his career with RedTree Capital, a French-based real estate private equity fund, where he contributed to various acquisitions including logistics assets, office building, and residential redevelopment. He then worked with Bridgepoint, a leading pan-European private equity fund focused on the upper mid-cap segment.
Edouard graduated from HEC Paris and ENSAE.
Eric joined Otium Capital as VP Finance in 2023.
He began his career in financial auditing for 10 years, first with Mazars and then with EY. Eric then spent 20 years as CFO and then CEO of Finance in various companies owned by investment funds. He worked in various sectors (packaging, food industry…) with a focus on managing and optimizing liquidity in all its forms (debt raising, VC fundraising, IPO…).
Eric has also managed several M&A transactions, the last of which was the sale of FRIAL to the LE DUFF group, finalized in December 2021. As VP Finance, Eric will be responsible for maximizing the liquidity available for investment, including financing transactions, supporting divestitures and portfolio rotation.
Pierre joined Otium Capital as Industrial Venture Partner in 2022.
After starting his career at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Pierre spent 5 years at Air Liquide, including 4 years at its venture capital arm, ALIAD Venture Capital by Air Liquide, where he was able to support numerous industrial Venture and Growth projects. His experience is valuable in making Otium the French leader in industrial venture investment.
Pierre is a graduate of HEC Paris.
Aurélie joined Otium as Venture Partner in 2021. She is based in New York, USA. She manages the startup studio as well as the investments in the consumer, retail and entertainment fields in the US.
Previously, she co-founded and scaled a beverage brand in the US (DTC, hospitality and retail), and made the brand one of the top 5 nationwide. She had previously worked at Total for 5 years, in business development first, then in Investor Relations. She started her career learning sales at Xerox, audit at PwC and marketing at LOreal.
She holds a Master’s Degree from ESCP Europe (France) and Aston Business School (UK).
Diane Pasquier joined Otium Capital as VP of Talent in March 2024.
Previously, she was Chief of Staff at Outspire Foundry, Otium Capital’s consumer startup studio, and Head of Talent Strategy and Operations at Modjo, where she played a key role in expanding the team, reducing hiring costs and managing operational projects. Diane also contributed to cross-functional strategic projects and recruitment at Theodo, and began her career as Business Operations Manager at Frichti.
She is a graduate of HEC Paris.
Basile joined Otium Capital as a carve-out / buy&build Partner in 2023.
After 7 years as a consultant in Transaction Services at Eight Advisory and in M&A at Alantra, Basile led the external growth strategy of Danone and then Colisée, during which time he carried out numerous acquisitions, disposals and financing operations, and led integration and operational performance improvement processes. Basile draws on his experience to support our strong ambition on carve-out and buy&build issues.
Basile graduated from Paris Dauphine University in Finance (Master 225).
Thomas Schmidt joined Otium Capital as a Partner of Curanda in 2024.
Prior to this, Thomas was Investment Director in the healthcare sector at UI Investissement. Thomas has significant experience in leading complex transactions, such as capital increases and LBOs, having recently overseen major transactions in several healthcare companies. Prior to UI Investissement, he was Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he led due diligence and growth strategy projects for various clients in the private equity and healthcare sectors.
Thomas holds a degree in medicine from Université Paris Cité and Faculté de Médecine Lille II.
Stanislas joined Otium Capital as Partner & Chief of Staff in 2023.
He began his career at BCG, where he worked as a project manager on assignments for leading industrial players and investment funds. Stanislas brings experience both in Otium Capital’s pursuit of opportunistic investments and in the development of new investment themes to support growth.
Stanislas is a graduate of Ecole des Ponts ParisTech.
François-Xavier joined Otium Capital as Office Manager in 2022.
François-Xavier worked in the journalism and communication industries for ten years. He was a reporter on the ground for newspapers, TV channels and was also driving editorial/digital projects for institutions and businesses. He is now in charge of the Office Life Animation of Otium.
François-Xavier is graduated from La Faco – Paris