Wealth & Finance International - February 2017

Wealth & Finance International 44 Cultivating Access to Unique World Class Relationships he firm’s flexible platform offers diversified portfolios across the stages of the investment spectrum from early, growth, to mature, and we collaborate with investors to create cus- tomised investment programs that meet specific criteria and objectives, adapting to the needs of the investor. ACE & Company’s work covers every period of life, from early inception all the way to companies at more matured stages. They manage over £500 million worth of assets and they have 13 unique investment strat- egies, of which 132 companies are a part of. There are 37 members of the team to assist with this, across five offices in four continents. “We are a generalist at heart, and we love to partner for significant in- vestment strategies. On the other side of the platform, there are private investors that we cater for, as well as family offices and small institu- tions. What they find appealing in working with us, is that we provide access to institutional investment opportunities which private investors do not normally have access to.” “In 2016, we invested more than $100 million but we also generated in ex- cess of $50 million dollars of distribution to our investors and made some significant exits. So, we love to invest in companies, but what we love to do more is generate a record amount of distribution for our investors. “I am one of the managing directors, which means I lead our London team of five full-time staff. On top of that, I have direct portfolio manage- ment responsibility over two of our investment vehicles, both of which are focussed on early stage venture investments. My area of expertise is therefore more on the venture side.” Lorenceau goes on to say that the team is split between investment and operational team members. The investment team are on the ones who are involved in sourcing and monitoring investment opportunities on a daily basis. The firm does receive many unsolicited investment requests, so “we need to have a very diligent team to process and keep track of these.” However, Lorenceau underlines that none of this important work could happen without the operational team, which represents half of the ACE & Company. Company workforce. “They oversee everything from structuring of investments, compliance with regulations and more areas so they play a critical role in our success.” Lorenceau adds that what the clients like about ACE & Company is they access they can have to unique investment opportunities through an emerging and young firm. In addition, the firm pushes a tweaked model compared to normal private equity investment funds, by showing “an unparalleled level of alignment, and cultivating access to unique world class relationships.” The last word goes to Lorenceau who says that ACE & Company face the same issues as any other firm, but what really matters is returns for investors. “We really need to push our efficiencies in all our processes, something we are relentless in. Another very important focus is managing our portfolio positions, which means providing support wherever we can to generate value for companies and as a consequence for our investors. As our investment strategies mature, we will continuously share our knowl- edge and try to become more of a thought leader across the industry.” Company: ACE & Company Name: Charles Lorenceau, Director of ACE & Company London Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.aceandcompany.com Address: 63 Brook Street, London, WIK 4HS UK Telephone: +44 (0)20 7078 1299 ACE & Company is a global private equity firm specialised in direct investments for private investors. We caught up with one of the firm’s directors Charles Lorenceau, to find out more about the needs and challenges facing private investors today, and how the firm provides private investors with unparalleled access to quality opportunities across the direct investment ecosystem. T 1702WF24 “Theyoverseeeverythingfrom structuring of investments, compliancewithregulations andmoreareassotheyplaya critical role in our success.”