Specialised in growth sectors linked to innovation and new technologies in various business sectors, the independent investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co has been helping European companies to grow and develop for 25 years. Interview with Greg Revenu, one of the co-founders of the firm.

Can you tell us a little about the business of the independent bank Bryan, Garnier & Co?

Bryan, Garnier & Co is a European investment bank with a unique business model, largely inspired by the American investment banks that have shaped the US technology sectors since the 1980s.

The business model is distinctive in several respects: firstly, it has an international approach organised around specialised industrial sectors; secondly, it has a broad transactional capacity (unlisted fundraising, IPOs in Europe and the US, convertible issues, mergers and acquisitions, research, trading) which guarantees our independence in the advice we provide and leads us to position ourselves across the entire development curve of companies, from start-up to large-cap through all the intermediate stages. Finally, the model stands out for the independence linked to our partnership structure.

Indeed, what sectors does your investment bank operate in?

Our investment bank is present in various technology-related sectors; through it we cover several areas such as health, especially biotechs and medtechs, information technology (from enterprise software to cybersecurity via robotics or space), but also the energy transition and the environment in the broader sense, as well as service activities related to these sectors (“tech-enabled services”).

Bryan, Garnier & Co. also contributes its expertise in ‘NextGen consumers’, whether through e-commerce, new consumer activities, and so-called ‘next generation’ products.

In short, we specialise in sectors related to innovation and new technologies, through which we develop extremely high-level expertise and knowledge.

In which countries does your investment bank operate?

Unlike other players, we have a pan-European focus. After starting out in London, we extended our physical presence to other countries on the continent such as France, Germany, Scandinavia and the US.

However, as I said, we are organised by sector of activity and not by geography, with teams working in all regions according to their sectoral or transactional expertise.

How do you manage to stand out today?

Our bank offers an extremely broad spectrum of transactional tools and know-how. Very often, firms are specialised in a specific type of transaction (fundraising, M&A, capital markets), whereas we want to offer a very broad spectrum of transactions in the different sectors we cover. We could even say that we are agnostic in this respect, having a very strong level of sector specialisation!

We have also chosen not to specialise in terms of size, we work with large clients as well as smaller structures and are committed to the companies that we assist at each new stage of development

More specifically, what do your clients look for when they turn to your investment bank?

Our objective is to identify companies that are growing and developing rapidly, either organically or through acquisitions  in Europe, and to support their growth over the long term. We provide companies, their managers and shareholders an ecosystem that enables them to facilitate this development by securing financing for their growth, irrespective of what type, or by assessing transactional or liquidity opportunities. Our research activities enable them to benefit from permanent insights into the dynamics of their markets, as well as to gain visibility in the financial ecosystem.

We make all our transactional capabilities available, as well as one of the largest teams in Europe with over two hundred professionals specialised in the wider technology fields, all from a long-term perspective.

What challenges is Bryan, Garnier & Co facing today?

We are about to celebrate our 25th anniversary in a few months. Within a quarter of a century, the world in which we find ourselves has changed massively.

Today, we are talking about the metaverse, developing vaccines in just two years for a pandemic that, a few decades ago, would have decimated almost half the world’s population. Bryan, Garnier & Co. has been affected by all these changes in the world, but has also been a contributor. The challenge is to remain a contributor to the great changes the world is about to experience.

We are therefore now looking at the new challenges for the world of tomorrow, both in terms of climate issues and technological issues in the broader sense.