Sparring Capital
Sparring Capital is an independent Paris-based private equity firm founded in 2002, known as Pragma Capital until its April 2018 rebrand. It backs French small and lower-mid-market companies through two strategies: a Transmission buyout strategy taking majority stakes with tickets up to EUR 15 million in companies valued EUR 25 to 75 million, and a small-cap Responsible Growth strategy run through its AMF-regulated subsidiary Sparring Opportunities, the former Pechel Industries Partenaires acquired in September 2021. The firm positions itself as a sparring partner to entrepreneurs, driving value through operational excellence, ESG integration and external-growth build-ups. It has raised more than EUR 1.3 billion since inception and currently manages around EUR 650 million across its active direct-investment funds.
Key facts
Recent exits
Coverage notes
4 funds tracked, 26 portfolio companies (17 active · 9 realized). Verified weekly from public filings and deal announcements.
Funds & portfolio
Every fund Sparring Capital has raised, with its portfolio companies. Hand-checked from public filings.
Sparring Capital IIIBuyout2025 · 1yr€280M2 active
Unrealized
2 held| Company | Sector | Geo | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elec44 | E-commerce | France | 2025 |
| Intech Group | Industrials | France | 2025 |
Responsible Growth FundGrowth2022 · 4yr€50M5 active · 1 realized
Unrealized
5 held| Company | Sector | Geo | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| GROUPE CAN | Construction | France | 2025 |
| Louis Tellier | Consumer | France | 2022 |
| MADEnR | Energy | France | 2025 |
| SMM | Industrials | France | 2023 |
| Ulysse | Mobility | France | 2022 |
Sparring Capital IIBuyout2020 · 6yr€173M9 active · 3 realized
Unrealized
9 held| Company | Sector | Geo | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afitexinov | Industrials | France | 2022 |
| Cubik | Business Services | France | 2021 |
| Génie Flexion | Industrials | France | 2022 |
| Intermèdes | Hospitality | France | 2019 |
| Iridis | Business Services | France | 2024 |
| Kit Utilitaire | Industrials | France | 2023 |
| Nalys | Business Services | France | 2019 |
| Opterm | Industrials | France | 2024 |
| Praticima | HealthTech | France | 2022 |
Realized
3 exits| Company | Sector | Geo | Entry | Exit | Type | Buyer | MOIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novakamp | Energy | France | 2020 | 2026 | Secondary | – | |
| Pure Trade | Consumer | France | 2020 | 2023 | Trade Sale | – | |
| Weetec | Business Services | France | 2019 | 2024 | Trade Sale | – |
Pragma Capital IIIBuyout2015 · 11yr€290M1 active · 5 realized
Unrealized
1 held| Company | Sector | Geo | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Propriété-privées.com | PropTech | France | 2016 |
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About Sparring Capital
Sparring Capital is an independent French private equity management company with €650 million of assets under management as of December 2024, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Paris. The firm invests in French SMEs, supporting their transformation and growth with a focus on operational excellence and management team partnership across multiple successive vintage funds.
Investment thesis
Sparring Capital targets French SMEs and lower mid-cap companies, deploying growth equity and buyout capital with equity tickets typically ranging from €10 million to €40 million per transaction. Sector focus spans Business Services, Consumer, Industrials and Healthcare, with the platform emphasising operational excellence improvements and management team partnership across the holding period. The independent positioning aligns Sparring with French entrepreneurial management teams seeking patient capital.
Recent activity
Recent realised exits include Cubik (business services, 2026), Louis Tellier (consumer, 2026), Novakamp (industrials, 2026) and Praticima (healthcare, 2026), reflecting strong 2026 distribution momentum across multiple sectors. The platform tracks 5 funds, 11 active portfolio companies and 14 realised exits across the multi-vintage French SME programme. Detailed buyer names and multiple data available on Pro at €29/month.
Similar firms
Other private equity firms tracked on GP Intel.
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