Press release
#Real Estate
Weinberg Capital Partners appoints Gad Botbol Head of Real Estate Activities
Gad Botbol has been promoted to Head of Real Estate Activities at Weinberg Capital Partners.
#Defense & Security - mid cap
The WCP Eiréné fund takes control of I-4S and buys out the stakes held by Galiena Capital and GEI
Weinberg Capital Partners’ WCP Eiréné fund is becoming the lead shareholder of I-4S group, the French leader in rapid-deployment tactical shelter solutions. This transaction includes a significant reinvestment by the group’s executives, Régis Gherardini and Olivier Meyer, as well as by Galiena Capital, a shareholder since 2021; a strong signal of confidence in the group’s growth potential.
Founded in 2012 and led by its two co-founders, Régis Gherardini and Olivier Meyer, I-4S has established itself as the leader in rapid-deployment tactical shelter solutions in France. Specializing in the design, manufacturing and maintenance of these solutions and equipment, the group operates in cutting-edge markets such as defense, medical and civil security. The company is a strategic supplier to the French armed forces as well as to several armed forces across Europe and around the world. The group relies on a team of nearly 70 employees.
I-4S’s development has been built on unique expertise (technical textile design, systems integration, engineering and maintenance), on its responsiveness and agility, as well as on its control of its entire value chain. In 2025, the group strengthened its position with the acquisition of Becher STP, which enabled it to expand its metal-structure assembly and maintenance capabilities, while diversifying its client portfolio.
The arrival of the WCP Eiréné fund, which specializes in supporting SMEs and mid-sized companies in the security and defense sector, as a shareholder of I-4S marks an important step in the group’s expansion. This partnership will support the executives’ ambitions by consolidating I-4S’s presence in its historical markets, accelerating its development abroad and in new segments, while continuing a selective external growth strategy.
“For several years, I-4S has enjoyed sustained growth, driven by its teams, its clients and the support of Galiena Capital and GEI, whom we thank for the quality of this collaboration. Weinberg Capital Partners is becoming the majority shareholder of I-4S, opening a new phase of development. The WCP Eiréné fund’s expertise in the Defense, Security and Sovereignty markets reinforces our ambition: to make I-4S a leading European industrial player in operational deployment solutions. This change is part of a continuous path: governance in place and a fully mobilized management team, with Galiena Capital remaining a minority shareholder. This stability, combined with WCP Eiréné’s expertise and resources, will accelerate our development, our capacity for innovation and our international expansion.”
Régis Gherardini and Olivier Meyer
– Executives of I-4S group
“We are delighted to partner with Régis Gherardini and Olivier Meyer, who have successfully strengthened and diversified the group’s unique positioning. I-4S is a perfect illustration of the type of project we look for: a company with a differentiating position, driven by committed executives, in a sector that is strategic for sovereignty. We are confident that our support and sector expertise will enable the group to reach a new milestone in its development.”
Lionel Mestre
– Managing Director of Defence & Security Practice at Weinberg Capital Partners
“We are proud to have, together with GEI, supported I-4S and its founders, Régis Gherardini and Olivier Meyer, since 2021. Over this period of strong growth and structural transformation, the group has strengthened its organization, doubled its industrial capacity and successfully integrated a strategic supplier while broadening its product range. Given its Defense expertise, Weinberg Capital Partners, through its WCP Eiréné fund, naturally emerged as the new lead shareholder for the next phase of growth, and we are delighted to support them in this new stage.”
Benoît Panhard
– Co-founding partner of Galiena Capital
“We have stood alongside Régis Gherardini and Olivier Meyer since 2020 and take great pride in the journey accomplished together, notably the transformation of I-4S into a fully integrated industrial company through the acquisition of its main supplier. The executives have brilliantly led the company’s industrial and organizational structuring during this period of strong growth. We are delighted to have been able to support them through this new stage of transition, alongside Galiena, with whom we have maintained a highly collaborative relationship.”
Serge Peiffer and Guillaume Bosshardt
– Chairman and Managing Partner of GEI respectively
About I-4S
Founded in 2012 and led by Régis Gherardini and Olivier Meyer, I-4S is a leading player in rapid-deployment tactical shelter solutions in France, serving cutting-edge markets such as military defense, civil security, public health and international organizations (NATO, European armed forces).
The group, which relies on a team of nearly 70 employees, offers its clients fully integrated deployable systems (design, technical textile manufacturing, systems integration, deployment, maintenance), as well as complementary modules and mission equipment (CBRN protection, air conditioning and heating, electrical distribution).
About Weinberg Capital Partners
Founded in 2005, Weinberg Capital Partners is an independent investment company historically active in buy-out capital, which expanded its field of intervention to real estate assets in 2008. In 2020, Weinberg Capital Partners added its capacity to invest in SMEs/mid-caps with a minority strategy focused on sustainable development issues, which offers extra-financial support known as impact, to better prepare companies for environmental and societal challenges. In 2023, Weinberg Capital Partners created a new fund, Eiréné, dedicated to the development of SMEs/mid-caps in the security and defense sector. In 2024, the company continued its growth in private equity with the launch of a co-investment fund, WCP Co-Invest. In 2026, Weinberg Capital Partners announces the launch of its Private Wealth activity, dedicated to private clients and also the introduction of a new fund, WCP Eiréné Development. With c.€1.8 billion of assets under management, Weinberg Capital Partners is a significant player in the mid-market equity segment in France.
Weinberg Capital Partners is a signatory of the PRI, a member of the International Climate Initiative, and an active responsible investor.
Weinberg Capital Partners supports Télémaque, an association for equal opportunities in education.
For more information: weinbergcapital.com.
Follow us LinkedIn and on Instagram.
About Galiena Capital
With more than €500 million in capital entrusted since its founding in 2009, Galiena Capital is an independent specialist in investing in French SMEs. Galiena Capital supports the executives of French industrial or service-sector SMEs with proven business models, through majority-stake transactions whose development thesis centers on structuring, accelerating growth and implementing a buy-and-build strategy.
For more information: www.galiena-capital.com
LinkedIn
About GEI
GEI is an independent investment fund with close to €450 million in capital. Its subscribers are exclusively entrepreneurs, who bring their expertise in addition to their financial support to best assist the executives of SMEs and mid-sized companies. With offices in Nancy, Strasbourg and Lille, the fund acts as a majority or minority shareholder for individual amounts ranging from €5 to €20 million. GEI brings together a team of hands-on investors deeply rooted in the economic and industrial fabric of the greater northeastern quarter of France and neighboring countries.
To learn more: www.fonds-gei.com
LinkedIn
Press contact
Bérengère Beaujean
Head of Communications
berengere.beaujean@weinbergcapital.com
+ 33 7 85 58 29 73
Galiena Capital
contact@galiena.fr
+ 33 1 71 41 71 40
