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View RECAP – ROPEA Conference 2025 – Mobilizing Capital for Growth
View RECAP:
ROPEA Conference 2025 – Mobilizing Capital for Growth
📍Radisson Blu, Bucharest | 🗓 27 May 2025
The 2025 ROPEA Conference brought together over 100 participants from across the Romanian and European investment ecosystem to discuss how to better attract capital and scale the private equity and venture capital sector. The conference focused on fundraising strategies, LP expectations, local and regional investment models, and institutional investor engagement.
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Opening Session & Keynote Addresses
The conference was opened with welcome remarks by Daniela Iliescu, Executive Director of ROPEA and Andrei Gemeneanu, President of ROPEA and Managing Partner at Morphosis Capital.
This was followed by keynote addresses that highlighted the strategic importance of channeling long-term capital into the Romanian economy:
- Uli Grabenwarter, Director – Equity Investments, European Investment Fund (EIF)
- Gabriela Horga, Member of the Senate and Chair of the Budget, Finance, Banking and Capital Market Committee
- Alin Andrieș, State Secretary, Romanian Ministry of Finance
ROPEA pre-launched two new reports that will soon be available to the public:
📊 ROPEA 2024 Industry Report, developed in collaboration with Deloitte
📈 Romania Gender Diversity 2025 Report – Women in Private Equity and Venture Capital, developed with Level 20 Romania
Panel 1: Investing in Turbulent Times – Market Trends & LP Expectations
Moderator: Daniela Iliescu, Executive Director, ROPEA
Speakers:
- Cristian Nacu, Senior Country Officer for Romania, IFC
- Camelia Drăgoi, Senior Mandate Manager, EIF
- Mugur Popescu, CIO, BCR Pensii
- Andrei Svoronos, Senior Banker, EBRD
- Iulian Portasa, CEO, Inspire AM
Topics covered:
- Romania is undercapitalized relative to its regional peers, and LPs still see the market as immature despite economic growth.
- Geopolitical risks and macro volatility make LPs more selective, increasing the pressure on Romanian funds to differentiate.
- LPs insist on predictable exits, strong governance, and alignment with international standards before committing capital.
Fireside Chat: Strategies for Attracting Institutional Investors
Speakers:
- Horia Manda, Managing Partner, Axxess Capital
- Jacek Siwicki, President, Enterprise Investors
Key takeaways:
- Fundraising is harder than ever, and Romania’s overreliance on external capital makes the ecosystem vulnerable in volatile times.
- Track record and reputation are key for managers raising capital in competitive environments.
- There is no alternative to consistency and transparency—investors are seeking stable partnerships with long-term alignment.
Panel 2: Challenges & Lessons from Local Fundraising Efforts
Moderator: Rudolf Vizental, CEO, ROCA Investments; Board Member, ROPEA
Speakers:
- Dragoș Roșca, Partner, Boldmind Capital
- Cristian Munteanu, Partner, Early Game Ventures
- Dan Mihăescu, Founding Partner, GapMinder Ventures
- Gabriela Dumitru, Partner, Morphosis Capital
- Dan Fărcășanu, Managing Partner, Mosaik Investments
Discussion points:
- Local LPs are almost absent—most funds rely on international capital, which may not fully understand regional specifics.
- DFIs play a critical role but cannot replace private LPs in scaling the industry—there is a call for national strategies to grow local LP bases.
- Fund Managers stressed the need for cohesion and joint positioning when addressing international investors.
Panel 3: Private Equity and Pension Funds – A Success Story from Croatia
Moderator: Andrei Gemeneanu, Managing Partner, Morphosis Capital; President, ROPEA
Speakers:
- Igor Cicak, Founder, Provectus Capital Partners
- Kristijan Buk, President, Allianz ZB d.o.o.
Topics:
- Croatian pension funds are long-standing LPs in domestic PE funds, a major driver of local fund growth.
- The model works because of policy incentives, regulation stability, and a structured approach to risk/return management.
Romania can replicate this, but it requires political will, clear regulation, and proactive industry dialogue with pension fund managers.
Networking Lunch
Participants continued the conversation during a dedicated networking lunch, exchanging perspectives and ideas on further cooperation opportunities.
SPONSORS and PARTNERS:
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
8-9 mai 2025: Private Equity & Venture Capital Academy
Vrei să afli mai multe despre private equity? Te invităm să aplici la “PE & VC Academy”!
Level 20 Romania, cu susținerea ROPEA (Asociația de Investiții Private din România) și a EIF (European Investment Fund), organizează prima ediție a “PE & VC Academy”, o inițiativă educațională unică în România care se adresează studenților interesați de o carieră în private equity sau venture capital.
Când? 8 – 9 mai 2025
Unde? București
Format: 2 zile x 4 ore/zi
Ziua 1: Introducere practică în Private Equity și Venture Capital, susținută de profesioniști din industrie.
În prima zi a PE & VC Academy, vei învăța despre etapele prin care trece o tranzacție în private equity, de la identificarea oportunităților de investiție până la exit.
Ziua 2: Studiu de caz al unei tranzacții reale de private equity din România, în care vei aprofunda și analiza mecanismele unei investiții.
În aceasta zi vei invata mecanismele unei investitii reale, de la analiza initială a companiei si structura investitiei, la crearea de valoare si dezvoltarea companiei, pȃnă la strategia de exit și lecții învățate.
Cum poți participa?
Locurile sunt limitate, iar selecția se va face pe bază de aplicație. Dacă ești interesat, trimite CV-ul și o scurtă scrisoare de intenție în care să ne spui ce te motivează să explorezi o carieră în PE/VC și cum consideri că acest program te poate ajuta. Așteptăm aplicația ta la level20@ropea.ro până la 31 martie 2025. Selecția participanților va fi finalizată și anunțată pe 15 aprilie 2025.
Participarea este gratuită.
Pentru întrebări sau detalii suplimentare, nu ezita să ne contactezi.
Așteptăm aplicația ta!
CINE SUNTEM?
Level 20 este o organizație europeană non-profit dedicată promovării și susținerii talentului feminin în domeniul Private Equity și Venture Capital.
ROPEA (Asociația de Investiții Private din România) reunește fondurile de investiții active în România, contribuind la dezvoltarea ecosistemului local de PE și VC. În prezent, asociația are cca. 60 de membri și membri asociați.
EIF - Fondul European de Investiții (European Investment Fund), parte din Grupul Băncii Europene de Investiții, este un investitor major în private equity și venture capital, cu investiții de peste 7 miliarde de euro în 200 de fonduri de PE și VC numai în 2024. În România, FEI a finanțat până acum 20 de noi fonduri de PE și VC, în principal cu resurse încredințate de Guvernul României și Comisia Europeană.
ROPEA Conference 2025: Mobilizing Capital for Growth
27 May 2025
ROPEA Conference 2025: Mobilizing Capital for Growth
Private equity has the potential to accelerate long-term growth—so what will it take to deploy it more broadly in Romania?
The ROPEA Conference 2025 will bring together key players in Romania’s private equity and venture capital ecosystem to address the challenge of fundraising in turbulent times.
The event will focus on unlocking long-term institutional capital, removing structural barriers and learning from successful models in Central and Eastern Europe.
Over 100 industry stakeholders - fund managers, limited partners, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and advisers - will engage in focused discussions on capital mobilization, regulation and regional cooperation.
Topics at ROPEA Conference 2025
AGENDA for ROPEA Conference 2025
ULI GRABENWARTER, Director - Equity Investments, European Investment Fund (EIF)– online address
GABRIELA HORGA, Member of the Senate, Chairman of the Committee for Budget, Finance, Banking Activity and Capital Market
ALIN ANDRIEȘ, Secretar de Stat, Ministerul Finanţelor
Launch of ROPEA 2024 Industry Report - Deloitte & ROPEA
Launch of Romania Gender Diversity 2025 Report: “Women in Private Equity and Venture Capital” - LEVEL 20 & ROPEA
Moderator: DANIELA ILIESCU, Executive Director, ROPEA
Confirmed Speakers:
CRISTIAN NACU, Senior Country Officer for Romania, IFC;
CAMELIA DRĂGOI, Senior Mandate Manager, EIF;
MUGUR POPESCU, CIO, BCR Pensii;
ANDREI SVORONOS, Senior Banker, EBRD;
IULIAN PORTASA, CEO, Inspire AM
- How macroeconomic shifts impact LPs’ allocation to private equity
- The importance of long-term commitments from institutional investors
- The impact of geopolitical risks on fundraising and challenges identified by LPs in the fundraising process
HORIA MANDA, Managing Partner, Axxess Capital
JACEK SIWICKI, President, Enterprise Investors
- Key barriers to attracting capital from institutional and private LPs
- Lessons learned from fundraising in the past two years
- How experienced fund managers adapt their fundraising strategies across market cycles
Moderator:
RUDOLF VIZENTAL, CEO, ROCA INVESTMENTS, Board Member ROPEA
Confirmed Speakers:
DRAGOȘ ROȘCA, Partner, Boldmind Capital;
CRISTIAN MUNTEANU, Partner, Early GameVentures;
DAN MIHĂESCU, Founding Partner, GapMinder Ventures;
GABRIELA DUMITRU, Partner, Morphosis Capital;
DAN FĂRCĂȘANU, Managing Partner, Mosaik Investments
- Overcoming the challenges of raising capital from local and international LPs
- The role of DFIs (Development Finance Institutions) and European investors in regional fundraising
- Strategic considerations for regional investment strategies
Moderator:
ANDREI GEMENEANU, Managing Partner, Morphosis Capital, President ROPEA
Speakers:
IGOR CICAK, Founder, Provectus Capital Partners
KRISTIJAN BUK, President, Allianz ZB d.o.o
- The role of pension funds in expanding the private equity market
- Why pension funds invest in PE funds
- Best practices from the Croatian market
SPEAKERS
Uli Grabenwarter
Equity Investments, European Investment Fund (EIF)
Gabriela Horga
Chairman of the Committee for Budget, Finance, Banking Activity and Capital Market
Alin Andrieș
Ministerul Finanţelor
Daniela Iliescu
ROPEA
Cristian Nacu
IFC
Camelia Drăgoi
EIF
Mugur Popescu
BCR Pensii
Andrei Svoronos
EBRD
Iulian Portasa
Inspire AM
Horia Manda
Axxess Capital
Jacek Siwicki
Enterprise Investors
Rudolf Vizental
ROCA INVESTMENTS
Board Member ROPEA
Dragoș Roșca
Boldmind Capital
Cristian Munteanu
Early GameVentures
Dan Mihăescu
GapMinder Ventures
Gabriela Dumitru
Morphosis Capital
Dan Fărcășanu
Mosaik Investments
Andrei Gemeneanu
Morphosis Capital
President ROPEA
Igor Cicak
Provectus Capital Partners
Kristijan Buk
Allianz ZB d.o.o
REGISTRATION
SPONSORS and PARTNERS:
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
Sponsorship Opportunities
Be our partners and support this event as Event Sponsors. For more information, please reach out to madalina.nitu@ropea.ro.
ROPEA Awards Gala 2024
ROPEA Awards Gala 2024 took place on 4 December 2024 at the prestigious InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest. This highly anticipated event broght together leaders from across the private equity and venture capital sectors to celebrate exceptional achievements over the past year, from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024.
About the Awards
Now in its second edition, the ROPEA Awards Gala is our annual celebration of excellence in the private equity and venture capital industry. Building on last year’s success, the 2024 awards highlighted the outstanding management teams, high-performing portfolio companies, impactful investments and the advisory teams that have significantly contributed to the sector.
Award Categories
This year, we honored excellence through distinct categories, ensuring recognition across both private equity and venture capital sectors. ROPEA members had cast their votes for finalists chosen by an esteemed jury of experts.
HERE ARE THE WINNERS OF THE 2024 ROPEA AWARDS:
- Most Active Fund or Fund Manager (Private Equity): Morphosis Capital
- Most Active Fund or Fund Manager (Venture Capital): Early Game Partners
- Deal of the Year (PE and VC) – Investment round of 60 mil. USD of FintechOS, a GapMinder portfolio company
- Best Performing Portfolio Company (Private Equity): Medima, a Morphosis Capital portfolio company
- Best Performing Portfolio Company (Venture Capital): Druid AI, a GapMInder portfolio company
- Most Impactful Investment: Green Group, an Abris portfolio company
- Special Prize for M&A Advisory Services: BICF/IMAP
- Legal Adviser of the Year: RTPR
- Financial & Tax Adviser of the Year: PwC Romania
- Best Young Professional of the Year: Bogdan Bunea, Investment Executive, MidEuropa
The Jury
Our distinguished panel of external experts has shortlisted finalists for each category, ensuring a rigorous and transparent selection process:
- Camelia Dragoi – Mandate Manager, EIF
- Cristian Nacu – Senior Country Officer for Romania and Moldova, IFC
- Victoria Zinchuk – Country Director Romania, EBRD
- Radu Craciun – CEO BCR Pensii, President APAPR
- Aurel Bernat – Board Member, BT Pensii
The Guest Speaker of the Gala was Mr. Horia Roman Patapievici, who held a lecture on “Capitalism as the source of prosperity”.
The Partners
This year’s event was made possible with the generous support of our partners and sponsors:
Gold Sponsors: Van Campen Liem, Banca Transilvania
Silver Sponsors: Forvis Mazars in Romania, MidEuropa, Morphosis Capital, Patria Bank, Popovici Nitu Stoica & Asociatii, PwC, RTPR, Taxhouse.
Supported by: LEVEL 20
