Unigestion raises $291m for direct opportunities fund

The vehicle, Unigestion Direct Opportunities 2015, launched in 2015 with a target of EUR200 million. LP commitments came from new and existing clients, including pension funds, insurance companies, family offices and banks in the UK, Europe, and Asia. The fund will be deployed across Europe, North America and Asia in companies with long-term growth projections driven by specific market trends in order to avoid disruption from short-term economic shocks.

Unigestion has already made four commitments from the fund, including UK-based oil and gas company Zennor Petroleum – also backed by Hong Kong-based energy investor Kerogen Capital – and US biopharmaceutical products developer BioreclamationIVT.

“By targeting small and mid-market companies that operate in attractive sectors where growth is uncorrelated to macroeconomic conditions and partnering with industry experts, we are convinced that we will deliver robust returns for our clients,” said Paul Newsome, Unigestion’s co-head of private equity investments, in a statement. 

Unigestion has $23 billion in assets under management across private equity, hedge funds, public equities, and multi-asset investing. The company established an Asia presence in 2007, opening an office in Singapore, and last year appointed Edouard Merette, former managing director at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), as non-executive chairman of its Asia board.

Earlier this year, Unigestion acquired the Europe-focused private equity business of its rival Akina Partners.

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• Topics
• Europe
• GPs
• Fundraising
• Growth
• Unigestion
• Growth capital