Growth Equity
Join this panel to hear our expert speakers discuss the opportunities for specialised growth investors as well as GPs looking to diversify their strategies as well as from LPs investing in the growth equity space.
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Bjarne Kveim Lie is an entrepreneur, historian, and co-founder of Verdane, the Northern European specialist growth equity investor. Founded in 2003, Verdane was an early pioneer of portfolio investments and pursues a focused investment strategy centred on scaling tech-enabled businesses spanning digital consumer, software and energy & resource efficiency. To date, Verdane’s eight funds have attracted EUR2.1bn in committed capital, and its over 120 investments have returned over EUR1.5bn to investors at 3x cost.
He currently serves on the boards of EasyPark, Europe’s most popular parking app; Kappa Bioscience, a nutraceuticals pioneer; and Polytech, a global leader in wind turbine protection systems. Bjarne is the Chairman of the Nordic Microfinance Initiative and a Board member of the Norwegian Venture Capital Association.
A Harvard Business School Baker Scholar and former research associate at the European University Institute in Florence, Bjarne worked at McKinsey before joining the world of private equity from Paper X, a venture-backed B2B marketplace of which he was co-founder and COO. Despite his successful track record in investing, the 300-page thesis authored by Bjarne on the United Kingdom’s entry into the European Union regrettably failed to anticipate Brexit.
Tom Whelan focuses his practice on private equity, advising private equity sponsors, multi strategy funds, other private capital investors and corporates, helping them deploy capital across the world.
Tom handles buyouts, including secondary buy-outs and secondaries, take privates and co-investments, general M&A, bolt-ons, management incentive plans, restructurings and refinancings through to exits. During the course of any investment, Tom advises on portfolio company work and any changes to management incentive plans.
Tom regularly executes transactions in regulated sectors such as healthcare, technology, media and telecoms, financial services, water and energy, as well as handling many transactions in other sectors such as real estate, hotels and leisure, food, consumer and retail, industrial and automotive.
Sunaina Sinha Haldea is the founder and Managing Partner of Cebile Capital, a placement agent and secondaries advisor. Under her leadership, Cebile Capital has quickly become one of the leading advisors in private equity and infrastructure. Cebile Capital has raised exceptional mid-market funds and served as an advisor to both buyers and sellers of a significant number of secondaries deals. In 2015, Sunaina was named Best Placement Agent and Winner of the European Emerging Leaders Awards.
Prior to founding Cebile Capital, Sunaina worked at Brevan Howard, a $40 billion asset manager, where she was in charge of marketing and investor relations in Asia, Middle East and Australia. Earlier, she worked at Bridgewater Associates, an $82 billion asset manager, where she covered investors in Europe, Middle East, Asia and the United States.
Sunaina is also an angel investor and Non-Executive Director. She serves as Executive Chairperson of the Board of Barrecore, Europe’s largest luxury fitness boutique, and as Chairperson of the Board of Mindful Chef . She also serves as Business Advisor to the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (SEED). Sunaina has also been a Guest Lecturer at Stanford University in masters level courses in the School of Engineering, including Global Entrepreneurial Marketing and Global Entrepreneurial Leadership. She has written and published case studies for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program in the Stanford School of Engineering.
Sunaina obtained a BS in Management Science and Engineering and an MS in Chemical Engineering, both from Stanford University where she was also a Mayfield Fellow. Sunaina has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
In her spare time, Sunaina is a keen wine enthusiast, having qualified as a Certified Sommelier from the Court of Masters Sommeliers. She also serves on the London Committee of Human Rights Watch.