Raphael Weller

Raphael Weller is an Investment Director (subsequently Partner) at Perusa GmbH, the Munich-based advisor to the Perusa Partners private equity funds. He joined the firm in 2015 after more than a decade in M&A advisory and corporate finance. He holds a degree in economics from Ruhr University Bochum.

Before Perusa, Weller spent roughly 2012–2015 at DC Advisory (the international M&A arm formerly known as Close Brothers Corporate Finance), where he rose from Manager to Assistant Director/Director. Earlier, from around 2005 to 2011, he worked as a Senior Associate in corporate finance at the Swiss private bank Reichmuth & Co. His earlier experience included internships at Merrill Lynch International Bank and at Westfalen Corporate Finance / Falke Bank. This background is heavily transaction- and advisory-oriented, which fits Perusa's deal-driven, hands-on investment model.

Perusa, founded in 2007, is an independent European private equity house specializing in the acquisition and development of mid-sized companies in transformation situations. Its current vehicle, Perusa Partners II L.P., has roughly €207 million of equity capital. The firm practices "active value investing" — taking control positions in solid but underperforming or transitioning businesses and working operationally alongside management. As an Investment Director/Partner, Weller is involved in sourcing, executing and managing these buyout and special-situations transactions rather than early-stage venture financings.

• Invests through control-oriented private equity deals (majority stakes / management buyouts), not minority venture rounds.
• Targets mid-sized companies in "change situations": corporate carve-outs, spin-offs, ownership/management succession, weak earnings, crisis and turnaround, and industry consolidation.
• Sector-agnostic; focus is on the *situation* and the potential for operational improvement rather than a specific industry.
• Equity tickets in the ~€5–30 million range, in companies typically generating €30 million+ in revenue.
• Geographic focus on DACH (German-speaking) markets and the Nordics.
• Value-creation approach is hands-on: Perusa positions itself as an active sparring partner to management, contributing network, operational know-how and capital — the firm cites average EBITDA growth of ~13% p.a. across holding periods.