Kerim founded Backer Group with the belief that traditional private equity investors are constrained by their short-term investment horizon and large deal size requirements and often overlook the outstanding opportunities associated with proven small businesses.

At Backer Group, Kerim leads the team’s initiatives on deal origination, investment strategy, and due diligence.

Kerim started his career at Boston Consulting Group, advising private equity firms in assessing investment opportunities across sectors, as well as corporates in unlocking value through various growth levers. Kerim then joined Advent International, a global private equity firm, where he focused on investments in the Business Services sector. At Advent, Kerim was responsible for identifying attractive investment opportunities, executing acquisitions, and working alongside portfolio companies to implement value creation opportunities. He notably worked on the acquisitions of Evri (formerly Hermes) and Mondial Relay, two leaders in parcel delivery services across the UK and France.

Kerim holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from McGill University in Canada and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD.