MenInvest is a group carrying on business in digital, e-commerce and media activities focused on a common target: men.
Six months after launching the first brand for that target audience, Estime (www.estime.com), a top-of-the-range leather goods brand for men, Marc Ménasé has invited AXA Private Equity to take a stake in its capital in order to accelerate the development of his new project. AXA Private Equity thus becomes a minority shareholder in the MenInvest group.
This transaction is designed to accelerate MenInvest's organic and external growth over the next 18 months to make the group rapidly acquire a leading position on the men's market in Europe. This market is booming in all the fashion and media sectors, although it remains heavily underexploited, particularly on the Internet.
"I analyze what men consume and I try to create intelligent, highly-targeted vertical offers to cater for their needs. For this purpose, I have around me teams of experienced entrepreneurs and, in an industrial mindset, I generate the maximum of synergy between the businesses," comments Marc Ménasé.
“MenInvest and its teams bring together the foremost expertise in media and e-commerce. Marc is a talented businessman and we are very keen to support him in achieving his new ambition," emphasizes Antoine Lacour, a director at AXA Private Equity.
“I am delighted to be associated with an experimented partner like AXA Private Equity. I was won over by their business vision and pragmatism." adds Marc Ménasé.
About AXA Private Equity
AXA Private Equity, an AXA Investment Managers company, is a leading private equity firm with US$25 billion in managed assets and a global reach extending across Europe, North America and Asia. The firm offers investors the full spectrum of private equity services for every market segment: direct funds, infrastructure financing, mid cap and small cap buyouts, venture capital, co-investments, fund of funds as well as mezzanine financing.
With offices in Paris, Frankfurt, London, New York, Singapore, Milan, Zurich and Vienna, AXA Private Equity supports the development and long-term growth of its portfolio companies with sustainable growth strategies and by granting them access to the AXA international network. AXA Private Equity has earned the trust of its investors by regularly supplying them with transparent performance data on its funds and portfolio companies.
AXA Private Equity, Global Investments the European way
www.axaprivateequity.com
About Marc Ménasé
With a Masters in science and business studies, Marc Ménasé has developed all his projects in the world of the Internet. After working in consultancy, he joined Kelkoo (which was sold to Yahoo in 2004) and later co-founded Nextedia, a leading group in digital marketing (sold to the Lagardère group in 2007). Marc Ménasé is also a shareholder in some ten start-ups in France and Europe.
Press Contacts
AXA Private Equity:
HeadLand
Maria Shum
mshum@headlandconsultancy.co.uk
Tel: +44(0)20 7367 5227
Daniel Kahn
dkahn@headlandconsultancy.co.uk
Tel: +44(0)20 7367 5227
MENINVEST :
Marc Ménasé
marc@meninvest.com
Tel.:+33 6 79 50 04 74
Tel: +44(0)20 7367 5247