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Pia Sabatier

Associate
Paris
About

Pia Sabatier is specialised in the creation of and fundraising for French, foreign and pan-European private equity, infrastructure and real estate investment funds. She notably has a focus on venture and impact funds.

She also advises portfolio managers in their activities (representation of institutional and corporate investors, AIFMD and SFDR regulatory aspects) as well as fund managers and investors on secondary transactions.

Areas of FocusCorporatePrivate Equity
Professional QualificationsAvocate admitted to the Paris Bar

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising Adams Street Partners, a leading U.S. private equity firm, on the structuring of the GF Lumyna Private Debt Fund, a French SICAV-FPS with ELTIF status, enabling the passporting of private lending activities across the EU.
  • Advising a consortium of six Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)—Proparco, IIC, FMO, IFC, BIO, and Swedfund—on their investment in AfricInvest’s Small Cap Fund, a pan-African vehicle focused on supporting SMEs across the continent.
  • Advising Access Capital Partners on the setup of a dedicated retail feeder fund managed by IQ-EQ in partnership with AirFund, a digital platform specializing in the distribution of private assets.
  • Advising Mérieux Equity Partners, the investment arm of the BioMérieux pharmaceutical group, on the fundraising of Mérieux Innovation 2, a venture capital fund focused on the biotech sector.
  • Advising Peugeot Invest on its €15 million commitment to Five Arrows Growth Partners II, a private equity fund focused on growth and expansion capital investments across Europe and North America.
  • Advising Invesco, a leading investment firm with US$1.8 trillion AuM, on the structuring of a French FPS to provide direct lending in France as part of a €81.75 million loan secured by Amazon’s logistics centers.
  • Advising Capagro, a specialized fund manager, on the structuring and fundraising of its second-generation fund, focused on agriculture, agtech, and the future of food.
  • Advising AXA IM on the conversion of Agipi Innovation, a daily-valued FCPR fund, into a closed-end FPS, alongside a change of management company.
  • Advising Albarest Partners, a Lyon-based investment management firm formed by former members of the MBO Partenaires team, on the first closing of Albacap 2, its second-generation fund focused on small-cap investments in the South-East of France.
  • Advising Mata Capital on the structuring of a French and Luxembourg feeder fund dedicated to French and European life insurance policyholders, enabling access to Thoma Bravo Fund XVI, a flagship U.S. private equity fund focused on software and technology investments.
  • Advising Bpifrance, the French sovereign fund, which is one of France's leading asset management companies, with €52 billion in AuM, including €14 billion managed on behalf of third parties, with nearly 300 professional investors investing in its funds.
  • Advising Cofides, the Spanish development finance institution, on its €80 million investment in Cathay Innovation Global Fund III, marking Cofides’ first investment in a French-managed fund.
  • Advising the European Investment Fund (EIF) on its investment in Omnes Real Tech II, a venture capital fund focused on early-stage investments in technology-driven real estate innovation and sustainability.
  • Advising a consortium of 6 development finance institutions (DFI) with respect to an investment in a fund dedicated to African small cap investments.
  • Advising Bpifrance on the structuring and fundraising of the ‘Bpifrance Spark Fund’, aimed at promoting gender parity in private equity funds, in partnership with JP Morgan.

    • *Denotes experience from a previous firm.

Languages
  • French
  • English

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Team recognition
  • Chambers France – Investment Funds – Band 3, 2025

    “DLA Piper is well regarded for its practice advising clients on fund formation, including regulatory and tax aspects. The team frequently advises investors domestically and internationally.“

    “They are able to understand our unique needs and negotiate effectively based on them. They also have a strong knowledge of market terms for fund investments in France.“

    “The team members have incredible knowledge; every time we call them they know the answer.“

    “Given their expertise and experience, the DLA team have a good perspective with which to provide the client with the ability to make an informed decision in negotiations.“

    “DLA Piper's service offering is quick and flexible, and the lawyers have a strong understanding of our business needs. They provide high-quality work.“

  • Legal 500 – Private Equity: Fund formation – Firms to Watch – 2025
Education

  • Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University, Master degree 2, Financial Law, 2017-2018

  • Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University, Magistere in Economic Law (MDAE), 2015-2018

Publications and media

  • AMF Adopts ESMA Guidelines on ESG and Sustainability-Related Fund Names, 20 December 2024
  • Fonds d’investissement : vers une refonte de SFDR ?, Lettre des juristes d’affaires, 10 June 2024

Prior Experience

  • Prior to joining DLA Piper, Pia worked for 2 years in a Funds & Investment management team of a leading London-based international law firm.

Memberships

  • Member of France Invest

My latest insights

Publication

AMF Adopts ESMA Guidelines on ESG and Sustainability-Related Fund Names

20 December 2024 .2 minute read

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Connect

Phone

+33 (0)1 70 75 77 49
(Work, Paris)
+33 (0)6 02 19 73 75
(Mobile, Paris)
+33 (0)1 40 15 24 01
(Fax, Paris)