Promoting diversity

Parity as a performance factor

The number of women in the private equity industry is increasing, but there are still significant disparities between positions. France Invest’s Talent and Diversity Commission is committed to developing and promoting parity in management companies and the businesses it supports.

Quantified studies

Every year, France Invest publishes a study that measures the proportion of women in management companies and provides indicators of the progress of parity in the private equity universe. Our latest report is available here.

While only 5% of start-ups have been founded by women since 2008, those that manage to get funding receive 2.5 times less capital than those founded by men.

Since 2019, France Invest has been working side by side with SISTA, the collective of women who are heads of innovative companies, in order to raise awareness among its members about the financing of start-ups founded and/or run by women.

A charter of 30 commitments

Drafted in March 2020, our Charter aims to promote parity among French private equity players as well as in the companies they assist.

Our target is for women to occupy 25% of the senior positions in investment teams and 30% of the seats on the management boards of holdings by 2030.

This Charter commits 296 signatory companies (as of February 2020). The management and investment companies that signed represent approximately 95% of the assets under management of France Invest members.

More diversity

Reaching out to young people with 100,000 entrepreneurs

100 000 entrepreneurs aims to transmit the entrepreneurial spirit to young people aged 13 to 25 in mainland France and overseas through testimonials in schools.

France Invest and its community support the actions of 100 000 entrepreneurs in its endeavours to:

• Disseminate entrepreneurial culture and the desire to be an entrepreneur among all young people (equal opportunities)
• Give young people a better understanding of the business world – and the world of finance in particular – of the various professions and the training courses that lead to them
• Raise the awareness of young women and men about the importance of diversity within organisations

A Board of Directors of under 35s

There are 18 of them, women and men, representing all the dimensions and professions of our industry (growth, venture, infrastructure, development capital and MBOs, impact investing… at regional or national level) and dedicated to bringing our association to life and raising awareness about our professions.

They work on 3 themes:

Image & Attractiveness: Image & Attractiveness: How to promote and reinforce the image of the profession among young people?

Talent retention: What corporate culture, what working environment to retain young talent in the profession?

Events calendar: Off and on programme, what activities dedicated to the under 35s?