Cathay Capital invests in The Independents, a newly formed communications agency

May 4, 2020
Europe

 

Cathay Capital Private Equity (« Cathay Capital ») today announces that it has invested via its Sino-French SME Fund et Cathay Capital III funds in The Independents, a communications agency specialized in fashion, luxury, beauty and lifestyle sectors. Located in the USA, Europe and Asia, the agency has raised 15m€ from Cathay Capital, in addition to financing capacities from European Capital and Tikehau Capital. The Independents is notably willing to attract new partners in events management, digital production and influence marketing services.   

 

Created in 2017 following the merger of K2 and Karla Otto’s activities, The Independents offers communications, event management and marketing services to its clients, combining the expertise of both companies which will pursue their activities under their original name. Indeed, K2 and Karla Otto are very complementary: they together have subsidiaries in New-York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong-Kong, they rely on 400+ experts in fashion and luxury and they share a specific expertise on China and its customers. 

 

K2 and Karla Otto’s founders are the most important shareholders at The Independents. Isabelle Chouvet is now the CEO of The Independents’, Karla Otto is the Co-Chair and still the CEO of her agency and Alexander Werz from Karla Otto joined the newly formed agency’s partners.

 

Isabelle Chouvet and Karla Otto, declared: “We are delighted to rely on Cathay Capital, a company reputed for its attachment to entrepreneurship and for its global network, as part of this operation. We are convinced that Cathay Capital will be a key partner in continuing to develop our activities.”

 

Edouard Moinet, Managing Partner at Cathay Capital, concluded: “We are proud to be investing in The Independents and determined to help its team grow initially in the three continents in which Cathay has a local presence and strong networks, i.e. Europe, Asia and North America. We believe that the newly created agency’s global ambition, entrepreneurial spirit and comprehensive range of services will make it a dominant force in an ever-evolving industry. ”

 

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About The Independents

The Independents is a newly formed global communications, brand strategy, marketing and events group for luxury and lifestyle brands, of which its lead companies are K2 and Karla Otto.

For more information, please visit http://www.the-independents.com/

 

About Cathay Capital

Cathay Capital Private Equity, founded in 2006 by Mingpo Cai and Edouard Moinet, is a leading international private equity firm in the field of cross-border investment, committed to supporting the international expansion of companies from China, Europe and the United States. As a fund made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, Cathay Capital’s team leverages on Cathay’s unique business model and platform to help create value for companies by removing borders. Cathay’s Group presence across three continents materialises through offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, Munich, New York and San Francisco. At the end of 2016 the team was composed of 60 employees – among which 41 investments professionals – managing 7 funds and USD 1.5 billion in assets.

For more information, please visit www.cathay.fr  

 

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Yoann Besse, Citigate Dewe Rogerson

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