Eric Pilat is the founder and Managing Partner of AltaVenture

Eric Pilat is founding partner of AltaVenture, a corporate finance firm specialized in Mergers & Acquisitions and strategic advisory on specific sectors, including yachting, boating, ship building, sport, luxury, digital, High-Tech, Fintech..

Eric is also advisor at Lazard and Messier Maris & Associés on specific mandates and he is Senior Advisor at Paris&Co.

Eric Pilat was at Lazard Frères from 2007 to 2011. He advised, among others, in 2011, the sales of Couach Yachts, in 2009, Lenders’ coordinating committee of Ferretti Group (€1.2 bn) and Bavaria Yachtbau (€960 M) in their debt restructuring and in 2008 Barry Rogliano Salle on the acquisition of Yachting Partners Int, Solaire Direct on the financing of multiple solar farms, etc. He advised few iconic players from the yachting industry such as Nautor’s Swan,Wally

Prior to joining Lazard, he incepted an advisory firm, IBI Consulting, specializing in the boating industry together with IPC – Time Warner. In 2005, Eric advised Rhône Capital, a LBO Portfolio in its acquisition of ISB (Cantiere del Pardo, Dufour) and in 2007, he advised Cinven on its project to acquire Bavaria, the German boat builder, advised X-Yachts in 2007.

Prior to that, he worked for 3 years at SG Corporate & Investment Banking. Transactions include IPO of Orange, acquisition of Crouzet Automatismes with Schneider, privatization of Thalès,…

Before that, he spent 4 years at Thalès Group corporate Strategic Planning, as Director, responsible for M&A transactions across the world: Europe, Australia,..

In 2003, Eric made offshore single handed races including the famous La Solitaire du Figaro and Generali Solo Méditerranée.

Eric graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Techniques Avancées, as Naval Architect (ENSTA), Paris and holds an MBA from HEC, Paris and The Wharton School of Pennsylvania