Our newest Investor, Farhana Atteib , understood finance’s impact from an early age and set out hoping to combine her commercial and technical expertise with the chance to forge genuine human relationships. At Copilot Capital , she’s found what she was looking for.

“I’ve lived in some affluent countries and some developing ones and seen first-hand how finance shapes economies and changes lives. Investing always felt like one of the most complete jobs out there, and with software, you have a product that is genuinely transformative. It’s the perfect combination for me.”

Learning the playbook

Born in Chad in Central Africa, Farhana has lived in seven countries across three continents. As a native French speaker, she moved to Paris to pursue her higher education at emlyon business school before crossing the Channel to pursue her career.

She explains how this diversity of experience has shaped her thinking – about life, her job, and even about software companies.

“Every country I lived in was completely different, meaning I had to adapt to new cultures, classrooms and situations,” she says. It’s made me more open to opportunity and possibility, but I also know how difficult it can be to learn another country’s ‘playbook’. This is something I think about a lot in relation to software businesses trying to scale.”

From intern to software specialist

That global perspective stayed with Farhana as she explored career options, taking on consulting and private equity internships in Paris and London before joining KKR , one of the largest PE firms worldwide. She quickly found herself drawn to the software industry as she gained first-hand insight into its inner workings.

“Because I'm a French speaker, KKR gave me one of France’s leading ERP software companies as part of my portfolio,” she recalls. “I found the industry fascinating. There’s so much growth within software, which makes companies and opportunities so much more interesting to analyse.”

Farhana spent three years at KKR, completing her first deal along the way, but she began to crave the opportunity to build out her network and play a more operational role.

“In a large firm, you develop strong technical skills but you’re less empowered to get out and meet people, and you’re personally quite limited in your influence across the portfolio,” she says.

Finding the right fit at Copilot

For Farhana, Copilot Capital’s hybrid of private equity and growth investing, with a clear investment thesis and hands-on role across a concentrated portfolio, looked like a promising avenue to explore. During the interview process, she realised it was the perfect fit.

“I met every team member separately during the interview process, which was amazing – some for more formal interviews, others for coffee or a walk and a chat,” she explains. “It was great to see that they cared about the cultural fit as much as I did, and as a candidate, it’s very pleasant when people try to get to know you as a person. It made a big difference.”

Settling in

Just a few weeks into her new role, Farhana is already feeling at home and empowered.

“My day-to-day experience is a lot more diverse”, she says. “I’m actively sourcing opportunities, attending events and starting to grow my network. I’m loving the ownership and autonomy that I’m afforded here.”

Given her background, she’s focusing on the French tech ecosystem initially, where she sees untapped potential within the mid-market software segment. She explains:

“France has a surprisingly high number of bootstrapped tech startups. They’re operating in an ecosystem that has come on leaps and bounds, regardless of what’s been happening economically or politically. It’s a really interesting market to invest in.”

A human-centric future

As she gets to know Copilot’s portfolio and the French ecosystem, Farhana is also keeping a close eye on the wider forces shaping the industry, chief among them, AI.

But she suggests that while AI is certainly influencing the dealmaking process, it isn’t likely to replace human private equity investors any time soon.

“Private equity depends on human relationships between investors and management teams, which are very difficult for AI to replace” she says. “One thing I’ve learned since joining the industry is that you can do all the analysis in the world, but the quality of management is the key factor in determining whether a deal will deliver the right outcome.”

Seizing the opportunity

Farhana is as active outside work as she is focused in her professional life. She spends much of her free time exploring London’s cultural scene, whether at museums, concerts, or hanging out at the Barbican Centre. Sport is just as central; she ran her first marathon earlier this year, and plays football every week in East London – although her footballing interests also extend to the West of the city.

“I grew up idolising players like Didier Drogba and Michael Essien,” she says. “So when I arrived in London, pretty much the first thing I did was go to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play.”

Whether she’s at a gallery, a concert, or a football match, Farhana approaches it all with the same drive and energy she brings to her work at Copilot – and to the opportunities that lie ahead.

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