Valérie Bensoussan

Partner

Expertise

  • Corporate / M&A –  Tax – Private Equity / Finance
  • International
  • Ecological transition – Sustainable development

Biography

She regularly advises both issuers and investors on growth capital, venture capital and small- to mid-cap LBO transactions, as well as on the legal structuring of corporate governance: investment protocols, shareholders’ agreements, management packages, intra-group agreements and the organisation and operation of corporate bodies.

A trusted adviser to family-owned SMEs and mid-cap businesses and their founders, she has recognised expertise in structuring OBO transactions (including sponsorless structures) and implementing efficient, long-term governance frameworks designed as levers for strategic continuity, asset structuring and intergenerational succession planning.

Sector Expertise

Drawing on extensive experience supporting innovative ventures led by founders and investors in tech, medtech/biotech and cleantech, Valérie advises industrial and technological companies undergoing transition, particularly in the hydrogen, new energies, sustainable mobility, responsible IT and healthcare sectors. Since 2017, she has advised the Energy Observer group and its industrial subsidiaries on their fundraising activities and growth and innovation projects.

She also advises industrial SMEs and mid-caps, as well as businesses in craftsmanship and “Made in France” excellence, on responsible growth paths, reshoring initiatives and transmission strategies. In this respect, she is actively involved with the Excellence EPV network, the leading label for living heritage companies, supporting its development alongside its founders.

Commitments

Valérie founded Cl’Hub by MMlaw in 2016, a support programme dedicated to innovative and transition-driven projects.

Since 2016, she has been a member of Angels Santé (Europe’s leading health-focused business angels network), and has served on its Board since 2018. She actively supports start-ups in medtech, biotech and digital health and delivers training seminars on legal matters relating to investment operations (due diligence, shareholders’ agreements, investment vehicles and structuring).

A Legal 500 Green Ambassador 2025, she drives the firm’s sustainability strategy and, as a “change leader”, embodies MMlaw’s commitment within the United Nations Global Compact.

  • Advising the industrial subsidiary of the Energy Observer group on its €20M Series A fundraising to finance its industrial development.
  • Advising the industrial subsidiary of the Energy Observer group on its progressive acquisition of a stake in a French leader in energy-integration systems.
  • Advising the industrial subsidiary of the Energy Observer group on the launch of industrial sites in the Paris region dedicated to the production of hydrogen-powered electric generators.
  • Advising Energy Observer group companies on the implementation of management packages for key executives.
  • Advising the industrial subsidiary of the Energy Observer group on its €46M Series B fundraising to pursue its industrial expansion.
  • Advising Energy Observer SAS on two new industrial and innovative technological projects: the EO2 project, the first zero-emission liquefied-hydrogen feeder container ship designed to contribute to the decarbonisation of heavy maritime transport; and the EO3 project, a unique research vessel conceived to embody the maritime energy transition and to lead the major international expedition “In Search of Carbon Neutrality” (2025–2033). The mandate included structuring capex financing (€107M and €14M in equity and tax-lease financing), value-sharing mechanisms, drafting and negotiating the various agreements, shareholders’ agreements, and coordinating all legal, tax, employment, IP and financial teams involved.
  • Advising Eneralys on its Series A fundraising with an impact investment fund.
  • Advising Eneralys on the legal aspects of deploying a national network for decentralised green hydrogen production.
  • Advising Eneralys on the legal aspects of developing the first renewable-hydrogen production site in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
  • Advising Extra Student on its Series A fundraising.
  • Advising Extra Student on the acquisition of MyOrientation, a leading digital media platform for academic and career guidance.
  • Advising a Franco-Moroccan group operating call centres on the acquisition of a 300-employee structure in France.
  • Advising FINARE Group on the acquisition of Handicall, a leading inclusive customer-relations operator, the first outsourcing provider certified as an « entreprise adaptée», and one of the main call-centre operators exclusively based in France.
  • Advising a French businessman on the acquisition of a US group operating a tourism estate in British Columbia (capex €30M).
  • Advising a seller on the disposal of a portfolio of trademarks belonging to a renowned French designer.
  • Advising a family-owned mid-cap company (second-generation leadership) on a sponsorless OBO financed through bank debt (€115M).
  • Advising an insurance brokerage firm on the launch of a sponsorless OBO financed through bank debt (€45M).
  • Advising a French medtech start-up on its progressive disposal to a foreign acquirer with a view to the founder’s full exit.
  • Advising a French biotech start-up on its progressive disposal to a US biotech company with a view to the founder’s full exit.
  • Advising a French start-up on its progressive disposal to a French company with a view to a complete exit.
  • Advising a group providing services to motorists on the acquisition of three key players in the light-mobility sector.
  • Advising a group providing services to motorists on the merger and legal consolidation of the acquired targets within the group.

Rankings

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