Wen Hu
Verified Expert in Finance
Management Consulting Expert
Paris, France
Toptal member since February 6, 2020
Wen helped a French multimillion-euro food startup build its equity story and manage potential acquirers (Danone). She has project experience with private equity funds, venture capital, and industrial groups in France, Belgium, China, Africa, and the US. She is skilled in financial analysis and modeling, investor deck, and market research. Wen freelances to help advise startups and corporates on business strategy, investor relations, and fundraising projects.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Synthetic Biology Industry Investment Research
Valuation of a Private Security Company
HR Software Company M&A Alternatives
Financial Model for a Car Park Leasing Contract
London-based Online Platform for a Startup Looking to Expand into France
Industry Expertise
- Automotive Service & Collision Repair
- Finance
- Investment Banking
- Venture Capital & Private Equity
- Food & Beverage
- Plastic, Packaging & Containers
- Financial Modeling
- Fintech
Other Expertise
- Business Plan Consulting
- Early-stage Venture Capital
- Financial Forecasting
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
- Fundraising
- Market Assessment
- Market Research
Work Experience
Freelance Finance Consultant
Toptal Clients
- Reviewed and improved grant applications of 30+ UK technology startups in a variety of sectors: real estate, education, cloud solutions, retail, financial services. Conducted market research to explain product-market fit and market dynamics.
- Advised 30+ early-stage technology startups in Europe—conducted in-person mentoring by giving expert views on project and business model, improved their investor deck. Technologies cover self-sovereign identity, blockchain, robotics, and more.
- Supported the investor relations director of Verallia, a French-listed glass packaging group, in daily IR work for three months: IR website, IR CRM systems, investor presentations, roadshows, press releases, equity story, and more.
- Reviewed and improved the pitch deck for an insurtech startup in Paris. Provided guidance on key areas of interest to prospective investors and ensured that the company strategy and business model were clearly articulated.
- Improved the pitch deck for a robotics startup in Israel. Provided guidance on key areas of interest to prospective investors and ensured that the business model was clearly articulated. Helped with investor targetting and introductions.
Corporate Finance and Investor Relations Manager
Indigo Group
- Reviewed and developed financial forecasting models and presentations for €30+ million investments in greenfield and brownfield construction projects of car parks with business development managers in Europe, Brazil, and North America.
- Updated the group’s 2025 strategic plan and financial forecasting model in support of the annual investor presentation with shareholders and the rating agency, S&P.
- Conducted detailed financial analysis, operating performance review, budgeting, and forecasting analysis on 40 newly acquired or constructed car parks in Belgium, Spain, and Brazil as well as bike-sharing mobility solutions in France to identify operating improvement levers and share best practices among regions.
- Led regional finance teams in six countries to perform financial impairment tests on car parks with a total net present value reaching €200 million.
- Led communication activities with support from agencies with responsibilities that included drafting press releases related to critical financial events and transactions, creating presentations and drafting management reports.
Strategy Consultant
Accenture
- Built methodology and toolkits to support the post-merger integration processes for acquisitions in the energy industry, including milestones, day one readiness assessments, operating model design, and project management tools.
- Built a competitive equity story with the management and developed a market model outlining market sizes and growth rates on critical applications, technologies, as well as geographies, for the sale of a €100 million commercial lighting company.
- Developed a market map outlining the market size, detailed segmentation, competitive dynamics, product trends, and M&A transactions for a €100 million investment in an automotive returnable packaging company by a French investment fund.
- Performed detailed analysis of the high-tech campus industry in Europe and similar competitors for validating an investment thesis in a Dutch high-tech campus by a Chinese investment fund.
- Prepared a benchmark analysis report detailing best practices in structuring corporate venture capital across the world for a French telecom company.
- Helped senior management draft commercial proposals and approaches to potential corporate clients as part of business development activity. Developed narratives to sell the services of Accenture Strategy.
M&A Analyst
EKAPARTNERS
- Sold a multimillion-euro French premium food brand to Danone for €60 million: creating a pitch deck, performing discounted cash flow and comparable transaction analyses, preparing information memorandum and management presentations, screening and selecting acquirers, analyzing acquisition offers, and coaching the management.
- Developed a 5-year business plan and discounted cash flow model for the €40 million sale of a French-Belgian pledge inventory service provider to a pan-European private equity fund. Facilitated investor discussions with the acquired company.
- Sourced, screened, and approached target companies in the packaging industry with revenue ranging from €10 million to €30 million in support of a ‘buy-and-build’ strategy of a French investment fund.
- Led due diligence process on a financial services company with three investors and helped the management respond to requests.
- Performed analysis of nine consensus broker estimates and analyst recommendations for the investor relations director at an industrial company to ensure post-IPO value creation.
- Reviewed the structure and assumptions of a three-year business plan for a chain of hamburger restaurants seeking a €10 million investment to fund their ongoing international expansion.
- Reviewed valuation of a French dental equipment distributor for a PE investor.
PE Analyst Intern
MBO & CO
- Built a discounted cash flow and leverage buyout model on a marketing research company with a €30 million turnover.
- Performed market research and analysis of the retirement housing industry for a potential investment.
- Built a market map of the pharmaceutical distribution sector in France.
Education
Master's Degree in Finance and Strategy
EM Lyon Business School - Lyon, France
Bachelor's Degree in Electronics
Tongji University - Shanghai, China
Skills
Finance
Fundraising, M&A (Sell-side), M&A (Buy-side), Market Research, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Three-statement Modeling, Five-year Projections, Financial Asset Impairment Models, Financial Reporting, Due Diligence, Corporate Finance, Financial Modeling, Private Equity, Investment Monitoring, Forecasting, Statement of Cash Flows, Valuation, Comparable Company Analysis, Profit & Loss (P&L), Project Finance
Output Software
Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel
Data & Analysis Software
Capital IQ
Geographic Expertise
France, Belgium, China, Spain, Singapore
Industry Expertise
Early-stage Startups, Venture Capital, Financial Services, Consumer Products, Automotive, Food & Beverage, Paper & Packaging
Other
Financial Ratios, Investment Cases, Investor Presentations, Financial Forecasting, Business Plan Consulting, Business Strategy, Business Modeling, Market Assessment, Investor Relations, Early-stage Venture Capital, Management Consulting, Foodtech, Investment Banking, Investment Analysis, Investments, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Dashboard Design, Business Development, Partnerships, Board of Directors, Board Presentations, Credit Ratings, S&P Capital IQ, Company Strategy, Pitch Books, Negotiation, Business Planning, Strategy, Post-merger Integration, Market Studies, Project Management, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Benchmarking, Pitch Decks, Coaching, Dashboards, Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Financial Analysis, Independent Business Reviews, Market Research & Analysis, Investment Research, Transaction Comparables, Company Accounts, Company Screening, Fintech
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