Raffaele De Courten

Alto Partners SGR, founded by Stefano Scarpis and Raffaele de Courten, is an independent company based in Milan and controlled by the Team that promotes and manages Private Equity funds investing in small and medium-sized Italian businesses. The Firm’s Partners have been working together since 2000. The Team, with over 18 years of history, is one of the most experienced in the Italian mid-market. It has a track record of 250 million Euro invested in 26 companies and 6 add-ons, with 17 exits, primarily to large Italian and international trade buyers. The Firm works alongside industrial families and managers to oversee generational transition and growth programs. We are active through both buyout and expansion investments, in companies with sales typically from 20 to 100 million Euro. We invest mainly in the northern regions of Italy and our preferred sectors are: Food and Beverage, Design, Luxury and Fashion, High-end Mechanics, Electro-mechanics and Services. The Firm is currently investing its fourth fund, Alto Capital IV, which has completed the final close in April 2018 at the Euro 210 million hard cap with 70LPs.

AIFI – Italian Private Equity, Venture Capital and Private Debt Association was founded in May 1986 and is internationally recognised for its activity of institutionally representing and promoting the private equity, venture capital and private debt activity in Italy. AIFI associates and represents financial institutions that professionally invest in companies and has developed a significant network of institutions, investors and professionals. In particular, the objectives AIFI wants to pursue are the following: - supporting and facilitating the development of private equity, venture capital and private debt activity in Italy and abroad; - working with institutional bodies to improve the legal environment of the private capital investment activity; - increasing awareness and understanding, within the Italian context, of the asset classes it represents; - supporting the constitution of qualified managerial groups both in associated companies and connected firms; - collecting and presenting information about the industry; - acting as interface and link to Italian and international financial players; - creating a network between research centres, incubators, accelerators, universities and venture capitalists, in order to promote successful entrepreneurial ideas; - maintaining ethical and professional standards in the private equity, venture capital and private debt industry.

Alto Partners SGR, founded by Stefano Scarpis and Raffaele de Courten, is an independent company based in Milan and controlled by the Team that promotes and manages Private Equity funds investing in small and medium-sized Italian businesses. The Firm’s Partners have been working together since 2000. The Team, with over 18 years of history, is one of the most experienced in the Italian mid-market. It has a track record of 250 million Euro invested in 26 companies and 6 add-ons, with 17 exits, primarily to large Italian and international trade buyers. The Firm works alongside industrial families and managers to oversee generational transition and growth programs. We are active through both buyout and expansion investments, in companies with sales typically from 20 to 100 million Euro. We invest mainly in the northern regions of Italy and our preferred sectors are: Food and Beverage, Design, Luxury and Fashion, High-end Mechanics, Electro-mechanics and Services. The Firm is currently investing its fourth fund, Alto Capital IV, which has completed the final close in April 2018 at the Euro 210 million hard cap with 70LPs.

We provide finance and expertise for sustainable investment projects that contribute to EU policy objectives and make a strong impact on people’s lives in Europe and beyond. The EUs bank The EIB is the European Unions bank. We are the only bank owned by and representing the interests of the European Union Member States. We work closely with other EU institutions to implement EU policy. A major player As the largest multilateral borrower and lender by volume, we provide finance and expertise for sound and sustainable investment projects which contribute to furthering EU policy objectives. More than 90% of our activity is focused on Europe but we also implement the financial aspects of the EUs external and development policies. Lending, blending and advising Lending: The vast majority of our financing is through loans, but we also offer guarantees, microfinance, equity investment, etc. Blending: Our support helps us unlock financing from other sources, particularly from the EU budget. This is blended together to form the full financing package. Advising: Lack of finance is often only one barrier to investment. We can help with administrative and project management capacity which facilitates investment implementation.