26. Starting a PE Firm at 25: Cyril Abou Jaoude on Raising Capital, Winning Deals and Scaling to €100M

This week’s Muse is Cyril Abou Jaoude, who co-founded Tioopo Capital in 2020 alongside his partners Grégoire Louisy and Shahan Sarkissian, at a time when most professionals in finance are still building experience. Together, they set out to acquire and grow established small and mid-sized businesses across Europe, focusing on companies with strong fundamentals and long-term potential.Five years later, the firm manages around €100 million in assets under management and supports a portfolio of businesses employing hundreds of people. Tioopo’s model focuses on partnering closely with management teams, improving operations, and helping companies scale, creating value through hands-on involvement in the businesses they invest in.In this conversation, we unpack what it actually takes to build and run a private equity firm from the ground up, from raising capital and sourcing deals to making decisions under pressure and earning credibility as the youngest person in the room. Cyril walks us through how opportunities are evaluated, how risks are managed, and how judgment evolves when you move from learning the business to leading it.We also explore what working in private equity really looks like: the skills that matter, the discipline behind good investments, and the realities of building a firm early in your career.This conversation is about how private equity really works behind the scenes and what it takes to step into responsibility earlier than most.LINKS:Check out Tioopo here: https://www.tioopocapital.com/Connect with Cyril here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyril-aboujaoude/Follow Seat of the Muse socials here:https://www.instagram.com/seatofthemusepodcast/https://www.tiktok.com/@yourhostcarine