THE PE INVESTOR

Private Equity – Made Public

Random Stuff

Evolutionary Biology

Facts You Should Know About Humans / 29 April 2023

The Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris Desmond Morris (born in 1928) is an English zoologist, ethologist, author and painter, known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape and for TV programs (see Desmond Morris Wikipedia profile). Below are the key findings from The Naked Ape: The origins Humans are the only species of monkeys and […]

Political Science

Political Science: 26 Basic Concepts / 5 March 2023

After getting caught in conversations on populist claims and on the role of institutions, I realized that I had not studied the basic concepts of political science enough. Below are some definitions that I found useful: On government and its various forms: Government: “Exercise of influence and control, through law and coercion, over a particular […]

Propaganda, terrorism, and populism: how should liberal democrats respond? / 5 March 2023

About a century ago, totalitarian regimes came to power in Europe and Asia, leading to millions of deaths and great sorrow. Fast forward to the past ten years, and, as if they had forgotten the lessons of history, (1) voters in several large countries have elected populist and/or autocratic leaders, and (2) liberal democracies have […]

Philosophy

Philosophy – Why it still matters / 2 March 2023

History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell As many students in France, I took a compulsory philosophy course in my last year of high school, back in 1996-1997. My philosophy teacher, being a bit unorthodox (one of my friends said he found him one day half-drunk, sleeping on a bench in the street), decided to […]

Poetry

Fatherly Advice / 3 April 2023

If, by Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal […]

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About THE AUTHOR

I have been a private equity investor for 17 years, and prior to that, a leveraged finance banker for 3 years. During the past 20 years, I have worked on transactions with a cumulated value of €13 billion, alongside talented founders, managers, investors, bankers, and advisors.
I have served on the board of private European companies of various sizes (from €5 million to €200 million of EBITDA) in various industries (food, wealth management, education, access control, dental services, real estate financing, publishing, building materials, capital equipment).
I teach an Introduction to Private Equity course at my alma mater, HEC Paris, hold a CFA charter, and am passionate about investing (I manage a portfolio of listed stocks on the side for my own account), business, social sciences, and mental models.
I am blessed with a wonderful wife and three amazing children.