Stephanie Heller
Managing Partner
Stéphanie, Bootstrap Europe's co-founder and managing partner draws from her experience having founded, built and sat on the board of several successful companies.
Read moreTake your next step to growth with Bootstrap Europe. We provide progressive, ambitious entrepreneurs and shareholders with non-dilutive funding to help them succeed.
Bootstrap was founded by Stephanie Heller and Fatou Diagne in 2015 and is headquartered in Luxembourg with offices in Zurich and London. Bootstrap operates through classic fund structures backed by limited partners, including well-known technology entrepreneurs, family offices, asset managers and financial institutions.
The team at Bootstrap has invested in more than 250 Growth Debt transactions in European technology growth companies, over 12 jurisdictions in Europe with a focus on technology and life sciences sectors.
Although Bootstrap Europe flies under the radar with little to no marketing, the British Business Bank saw the huge value and has proudly committed €30 million to Bootstrap Europe whose fund includes some of Britain’s Top 100 Fastest-Growing Businesses.
Bootstrap Europe supports thriving industries across the globe, from green energy and genetic testing to SaaS, fintech and smarter city solutions; the team’s collective experience has ensured that the fund includes some of Europe’s fastest, socially-focused scale-up businesses. Whether it’s deep-tech, sustainable manufacturing solutions or ethical money remittance tools, each of our partners work with us because we understand the ins and outs of creating a sustainable business that’s making a positive impact today’s and for the good of the future.
At Bootstrap Europe, we strongly believe in the people behind the companies we support. Each business on our portfolio is making a positive impact within their industry. Whether it’s bio-tech, efficient energy solutions or creating more financial inclusivity - every one of our customers has a different story to tell, and we’re proud to be a part of their journey in making a difference in the world.
Nothing brings us more joy than to see the businesses we support create life-changing products and services. Our own experiences as entrepreneurs showed us that businesses succeed when the team has the freedom to make an impact immediately, stemming from the ability to make quick, nimble, business decisions.
That’s why the Bootstrap Europe team is here to shine a light on growth debt - a clever financing tool that allows entrepreneurs and key stakeholders to retain control over their business so that they can have the chance to innovate and grow at a pace that suits them.
Managing Partner
Stéphanie, Bootstrap Europe's co-founder and managing partner draws from her experience having founded, built and sat on the board of several successful companies.
Read moreManaging Partner
Fatou is the co-founder and managing partner for Bootstrap Europe, actively sourcing and evaluating growth companies eligible for debt financing.
Read moreStructuring Partner
Humphrey capitalises on his experience as a founder at growth debt pioneer ETV Capital, where he invested €300M in 200+ transactions across Europe.
Read moreVice President
Eliott joined the investment team from SVB where he underwrote more than £160M in growth loans and backed 20+ successful companies inc Azimo, Lyst, Worldremit and Market Finance.
Read moreHead of Finance
Denise oversees all aspects of Bootstrap's financial operations. Denise provides the connection and information flow between the various stakeholders which make Bootstrap's activities thrive.
Read morePortfolio Manager
Benjamin joined Bootstrap from EY's European PE advisory team. He works across the entire deal life cycle, primarily with the existing venture lending portfolio. This includes post-investment engagement with Founders and Management teams.
Investment Manager
Alexandre joined the Investment team to focus on sourcing, evaluating and executing new investment opportunities. He leverages his expertise to empower entrepreneurs with the growth capital needed to scale their businesses quickly.
Read moreAdvisor
Bindi is incredibly passionate about all things related to startups in Europe and connecting the dots between Investors, Founders, Corporates and Government. As a result, she has worked in and around technology startups for most of her career.
Read moreAdvisor
Sinikka brings her wealth of experience in risk management, asset allocation, private assets and impact investing. Sinikka served as a Venture Partner at Nextech Invest Ltd, and is a board member, advisor and an investor for biotech and tech businesses and asset managers.
Read moreMember of the Board
Under Matthias’s leadership from 2001-2014, the European Investment Fund’s tech investment business grew to over €4.7bn committed in, or alongside more than 260 funds, Business Angels, and Family Offices who invested in 3,800 technology companies.
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