Eversheds Bianchini, with Marco Franzini, partner heading the private equity and banking practice, and Tremonti Vitali Romagnoli Piccardi e Associati, with partner Lorenzo Piccardi and senior associate Stefania Trezzini, have advised Private Equity Partners (PEP) on the legal and tax aspects relevant to the agreement with Keyhaven Capital Partners for the launching of an Italian private equity co-investment partnership, dedicated to mid-market growth capital, pre-IPO and buy-out investments.

Through this innovative initiative, PEP and Keyhaven Capital will utilise their respective investment experience, international networks and financial resources to identify and structure private equity investments, bringing first class international institutional investors to Italian investments opportunities.

This agreement will allow PEP and Keyhaven to approach private equity investments in the -mid market in a professional and structured manner, and with significant financial resources and a high degree of flexibility to effectively address transactions of different sizes and characteristics, and a long-term and stable investment approach.

The focus of the partnership will be mid-market growth capital and buy-out transactions, in companies having a sound and professional entrepreneurship and/or management and a strong willingness to expand and internationalise their business in major emerging countries including China, Brazil, Russia, Poland and India, with particular attention paid to pre-IPOs, where PEP has developed a leading experience both in Italy and abroad.

Marco Franzini, head of private equity and banking practice at Eversheds Bianchini, has declared: “We have been very pleased to have advised PEP, one of our major PE clients operating for 23 years in the Italian private equity markets, in the structuring and legal documentation of this innovative initiative with Keyhaven, which scores a distinguished mark in the challenging current fund raising environment of the PE industry focusing on our country.