Hana Chrastecka
Partner
Get their honest, personalized take on your startup.
Sign in to pitch Hana →At a glance
- Full Name
- Hana Chrastecka
- Title
- Partner
- Firm
- Bancroft Private Equity (Bancroft Group)
- Firm Type
- Private Equity (mid-market growth / buyout) — *note: the stub's "Angel Investors / Seed Round" classification does not match the firm's actual profile; Bancroft is a PE firm investing in mature companies, not an angel/seed investor*
- Investment Stage
- Growth equity / buyout (mature, established companies)
- Check Size
- ~€10–30 million per investment
- Target Company Profile
- Mature companies led by experienced management teams with successful track records
- Sector Focus
- Media, telecom, manufacturing, food/consumer, financial services, chemicals
- Geographic Focus
- Central & South-Eastern Europe and Turkey (Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey)
- Location
- Vienna, Austria (firm HQ); Chrastecka is based in the Czech Republic / CEE region
Background
Hana Chrastecka is a Partner at Bancroft Private Equity, a Vienna-headquartered private equity firm that has invested in Central and South-Eastern Europe since 1989. According to her professional profile, she has 20+ years of experience in the private equity industry across Central and Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic, as well as in multinational companies. She describes herself as a strategic operator skilled in business development, negotiations, people management, mergers & acquisitions, and financial management, with a focus on resolving complex deal issues.
Her Bancroft tenure spans two periods: she was a Partner from 2003 to 2005, took maternity leave, and returned to the firm in February 2009. Before Bancroft, she worked for the Swedish energy utility Vattenfall in the Czech Republic, and earlier in her career for the Czech financial group PPF, the insurer Česká pojišťovna, and the accounting/consulting firm Coopers & Lybrand (a predecessor of PwC).
Bancroft itself operates across three funds with over €350 million under management, with regional offices historically in Budapest, Prague, Istanbul, Athens, Sofia, and London. The firm launched the Bancroft Eastern Europe Fund in 1996, Bancroft 2 in 2002, and Bancroft 3 in 2008. Its founder and chairman is Fred Martin. Within this structure, Chrastecka's stated specialization is "Private Equity & Project Financing."
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Invests in mature, established companies — not startups — led by experienced management teams with proven track records.
- Typical check size of roughly €10–30 million in the firm's later funds.
- Core sectors: media, telecom, manufacturing, food/consumer, financial services, and chemicals.
- Geographic mandate centered on Central & South-Eastern Europe and Turkey, a region where Bancroft has been active since 1989.
- Emphasis on growth and buyout deals, often taking significant or minority stakes and working closely with management on M&A and value creation — consistent with Chrastecka's own stated M&A and deal-execution focus.
Notable Investments
- Rubik's Brand Ltd (RBL) — London-based owner of the Rubik's Cube rights; Bancroft's Bridge Fund took a minority stake (announced Jan 7, 2019) and exited in November 2020.
- Standard Profil — Turkish automotive sealing-systems manufacturer; sold (exit) in 2013.
- Tatilsepeti.com — Turkish online travel/holiday booking platform; Bancroft invested (widely reported ~2012–2013).
- Kayalar Kimya — Turkish chemicals/cosmetics manufacturer; portfolio holding, later exited.
- Eko Finans Faktoring — Turkish factoring/financial-services company; portfolio holding.
- Graniser (Graniser Granit Seramik San.) — Turkish granite/ceramic tile manufacturer; exited February 8, 2022.
- Earlier Bancroft Eastern Europe Fund holdings spanned media, telecom, and manufacturing across Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Romania.
Unlock the full research
Get how to approach them, recent activity, sources, contact links — plus pitch their AI twin for a candid read on your raise.
One-time. Stays unlocked for you.