The people behind Graculus.

Tristan Louette leads Commercial & Operations at Graculus. Fluent in French and English, he has more than 10 years of experience across business building, asset management, commercial development and operations.

He has managed or advised on more than $2.5bn of assets across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the United States. His experience includes acquisitions, operational improvement, major renovation programmes, commercial performance and working with management teams, sellers, buyers, lenders and operating partners.

Before Graculus, Tristan co-founded and led two technology-enabled businesses. At Refetrust, he built a B2B marketplace, recruited and managed a nine-person team and developed a network of 29 agency partners. He previously co-founded an influencer-marketing software business that generated revenue within five months.

Tristan studied hospitality management and real estate at Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland and later completed an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at HEC Paris.

At Graculus, he partners with founders through succession and works alongside management after acquisition to strengthen sales, pricing, key accounts, customer retention, teams and day-to-day operations. He is a principal contact for Switzerland and French-speaking regions.

Gerhard Botha leads Investment, Finance & Governance at Graculus. He is a CFA Charterholder and Chartered Accountant with more than 20 years of experience across investment banking, private capital, restructuring, finance and entrepreneurship.

He has executed more than $8bn of completed IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and complex financings for corporates, investment holding companies, financial sponsors and portfolio businesses across multiple sectors and markets.

At Rand Merchant Bank, Gerhard established and led a private capital advisory business with responsibility for strategy, revenue, transaction execution and team development. He previously co-developed RMB Morgan Stanley’s listed private capital offering, co-led the African Rainbow Capital Investments and Ethos Capital IPOs, and co-led industrial exits involving Idwala Industrial Holdings and Scaw Metals.

Gerhard later co-founded and helped build Gyzer Network, personally developing its initial product and supporting the business from concept through launch. Gyzer was subsequently acquired by Bakkt, Inc., a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

At Graculus, Gerhard leads acquisitions from evaluation through completion and oversees financing, accounting, capital allocation and lender relationships. He also leads governance and coordinates the legal, ownership and board matters required for a successful transition to long-term ownership.

Hannes Offenbacher leads Strategy, Growth & Innovation at Graculus. He is a founder and strategist with more than 19 years of experience helping organisations understand changing markets, develop strategic direction and build new capabilities.

He founded Wemorrow and Studio Innomare in Vienna and has worked with organisations on strategy, innovation, business development and organisational capability.

At Graculus, Hannes works alongside founders and management teams to identify growth opportunities, translate strategy into practical initiatives and build the capabilities required for the company’s next stage.

He is a principal contact for Austria and the wider Alpine region.

Switzerland and French-speaking regions
French and English

Austria and the wider Alpine region
German and English