Louise Bouckaert

Louise Bouckaert is an Investment Director at Sofindev Private Equity Partners, a Benelux-focused private equity firm she joined in 2019 as an Investment Associate. Before Sofindev, she spent more than four years in corporate finance: M&A advisory at the investment bank Stephens in London, and corporate finance at the Dutch bank ABN AMRO in Amsterdam. This M&A and deal-execution background underpins her transaction work on the Sofindev investment team.

She holds a Master's degree in Commercial Engineering (2014) from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (Université Libre de Bruxelles / ULB) and a Bachelor's degree (2012) from the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven). Sofindev's team page notes she was born and raised in the United States and has lived in several metropolitan areas — consistent with an international profile spanning Brussels, London and Amsterdam.

Beyond deal work, Bouckaert is a founding member of Level 20 Belgium, the local chapter of the pan-European non-profit dedicated to increasing the number of women in private equity — a signal of active involvement in the industry's diversity agenda. At Sofindev she has been involved with five portfolio companies: Wopaco, Mediagenix, Loyals Groep, WVT Group and Polysto.

Sofindev itself is one of the longer-established independent private equity houses in the Benelux, partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs, founders and families in "primary" (first-institutional-capital) situations in the lower mid-market. Its current vehicle, Sofindev VI, was launched in December 2022 with €250 million of commitments; the firm reported the successful conclusion of its earlier Sofindev IV fund in 2025.

• Stage & strategy: Lower mid-market buyout and growth capital in the Benelux — the opposite end of the spectrum from angel/seed. Focus on primary situations: first institutional partner to founders, entrepreneurs and families.
• Check size: Equity tickets of €5–30 million per deal, out of the €250M Sofindev VI fund.
• Target companies: Established, profitable Benelux SMEs where Sofindev can drive sales and EBITDA growth through a "tailor-made and human" partnership approach rather than financial engineering alone.
• Sectors: Diversified / generalist — recent and current holdings span industrial machinery, fire protection & detection, packaging/wood panels, industrial cleaning & hygiene products, IT services, and media-scheduling software.
• Geography: Benelux-headquartered companies, with support for pan-European buy-and-build expansion.
• What makes them say yes (firm-stated): "Value creation requires a tailor-made and human approach" and "meaningful value through reliable partnerships" — i.e., strong management/founder relationships and a clear organic + buy-and-build growth path.