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Rafael Mendes

Partner, Mercier & Valez

New York, United States

About me

Rafael Mendes is a partner in the Private Equity team in New York. He advises sponsors and investors on fund formation, GP-led secondaries, continuation vehicles and co-investment programmes, and works closely with the firm's M&A partners when those structures are used to acquire or hold portfolio companies.

Rafael has a strong Latin American and European investor base and is often the bridge between the fund terms and the deal terms. Clients describe him as practical and quick to see where the economics really sit.

He is a regular in New York's jazz clubs and rides the Central Park loop before work.

Selected experience:
- Advised a mid-market sponsor on a single-asset continuation vehicle for a US healthcare platform.
- Advised a European pension investor on co-investments alongside US sponsors.
- Advised a sponsor on the fund-side aspects of a transatlantic secondary buyout.

Education: LLB, University of Sao Paulo; LLM, New York University School of Law
Admissions: New York; Brazil
Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish
Interests: Jazz, Central Park cycling loops

9/3/2026 2:44:00 PM

Continuation Funds Come of Age: Five Questions Sellers' Counsel Should Ask Before the Next GP-Led Deal

By Rafael Mendes

GP-led continuation vehicles have moved from a niche liquidity tool to a mainstream exit route. For many sponsors, a continuation fund is...