Bellevue announces first successful closing for BB Entrepreneur Private strategy

The BB Entrepreneur Private strategy from Bellevue Asset Management, which is focused on growth financing for unlisted small and mid-sized Swiss companies, recorded its first successful closing at CHF 40 mn. The private equity fund now moves on to the next phase and remains open to investors.

Bellevue Asset Management AG is pleased to announce the first closing of the BB Entrepreneur Private Fund launched in February 2021 at CHF 40 mn. Participants included various UHNW private investors but also inst itutional clients, including pension funds. Initial investments have already been made in promising Swiss companies in various sectors.

Furthermore, an initial capital increase is now in the pipeline for a producer of optical components in the consumer electronics sector. The order volume and strong growth in demand are actually in excess of the projections contained in its ambitious business plan; consequently, additional production capacity needs to be built.

The investment team at the BB Entrepreneur Private F and identifies and screens further investment opportunities on a continuous basis. A second closing is planned for early in Q3.

Small and medium-sized enterprises remain the growth engine of Switzerland’s economy. They contribute nearly 60% of the country’s annual economic output and employ around two-thirds of the total workforce. In addition, several studies over the past decade have ranked Switzerland as the most innovative country in the world – as illustrated by a sharp increase in start-up activity over the years. But with just 0.01% of all Swiss companies listed on the stock exchange, investors seeking to profit from broad exposure to the country’s innovative strength have little choice but to invest in private equity. Suitable investment vehicles for this segment are nonetheless few and far between. The fund gives investors the opportunity to obtain direct exposure to promising, fast-growing hidden champions in Switzerland as well as the wider DACH region without having to invest directly.

The theme of “investing in owner managed companies” has been a firm component of Bellevue’s investment strategy for many years. The BB Entrepreneur Switzerland Fund was launched 15 years ago and since then has focused chiefly on listed companies. The successive expansion of the private equity business within the Bellevue Group enables the BB Entrepreneur Private Fund to pursue a more advanced approach aimed at explicitly identifying opportunities beyond the public stock exchanges.

Through this modified approach, the long standing experience of Bellevue Asset Management is complemented by the private equity expertise of adbodmer AG the boutique firm that became part of the Bellevue Group in mid 2019 to the great advantage of investors.

Adbodmer’s core business is to develop and support direct equity investments on behalf of an investment group comprising selected entrepreneur families who themselves contribute their extensive and broad based experience in various industries and long established networks. “The fund acts as an additional member of this group and in this way can co invest in opportunities exclusively available to members,” says Jan Kollros, Managing Partner at adbodmer and Head of Bellevue Private Markets.

The investment focus of the BB Entrepreneur Private Fund is on sound SMEs with a clear business case that are in the midst of their growth phase. Via a strategic partnership, SMEs are supported to enable them to continue their existing success and achieve further growth. The equity-based approach therefore sets it apart from traditional buyout or venture strategies. Moreover, potential target firms are selected and analysed using a distinctly bottom-up approach. The investment universe therefore consists of hidden champions that are profitable and mostly debt-free as well as having a sustainable competitive advantage.

“With BB Entrepreneur Private we’re closing a gap in the market,” says Benjamin Böhner, Business Development, Bellevue Private Markets. “Thanks to adbodmer we have an experienced private equity team at our disposal. Together with Bellevue Asset Management’s vast expertise in entrepreneur strategies, we have combined the best of both worlds and created an investment vehicle for qualified investors that was lacking until now.”