iM Square announces its renewed objective to invest with current and future shareholders over $500 million within 2 to 4 years
iM Square announces the launch iM Global Partner US, its new American distribution platform
PARIS/LONDON(16th of March 2018)
iM Square, the sole European investment and development platform dedicated to asset management, successfully secured a new financing commitment from Eurazeo, one of its founding shareholder, after having completed its initial ambitious growth phase. Eurazeo is committed to support iM Square’s investments over the next few years and is expected to become its reference shareholder.
Other founding shareholder Le Groupe Dassault / La Maison will also participate. This new commitment will enable iM Square to acquire additional 3 to 6 entrepreneurial active asset managers with $1 to 20 billion of AUM, high growth potential and complementary strategies, such as alternative management. Most of the targeted asset managers are based in the US and Europe. In additional to permanent capital, iM Square also brings financial and operational support as well as taylor-maid investment and distribution capabilities to its partners, which makes iM Square’s model unique in Europe.
Since 2015, iM Square has successfully acquired minority stakes in two US asset management companies: Polen Capital, an independent management firm specialised in growth stocks and Dolan McEniry Capital, specialised in US corporate bonds. The performances of these two asset managers are remarkable and their AUM continue to undergo strong growth: Polen Capital’s AUM grew from 7.5 to $17.4 billion since the partnership with iM Square in 2016, while Dolan McEniry’s grew from 5.8 to almost $6.5 billion since iM Square’s stake was acquired.
In addition, iM Square keeps on seeking for new shareholders which have distribution and investment capabilities, in the US and Europe. Supported by a strong pool of long term investors, iM Square’s objective is to invest with current and future shareholders over $500 million within 2 to 4 years.
Philippe Couvrecelle, Founder and CEO of iM Square, declares: “This additional commitment from our shareholders is a mark of trust and confidence which will allow us to accelerate the rollout of our project, not only by acquiring stakes in new partner companies to complete our product offering, but also by strengthening our distribution capability. Indeed, it comes at a time when we are launching our US distribution platform and developing our distribution resources in Europe and within other markets. It will enables to bring our current and future partners not only A source of permanent capital, but also a unique distribution task force to partner and service their growth.
”Marc Frappier, Managing Partner of Eurazeo Capital, comments: “We are convinced that financial services, and asset management in particular, are a promising investment sector for Eurazeo that benefits from solid fundamentals. The launch of IM Square is a wonderful initiative that combines growth and entrepreneurial spirit, in a particularly deep market, offering its shareholders the opportunity to deploy several hundred million euros. We are delighted to support its founders by providing them with the long-term horizon and financial strength adapted to their market.”
Launch of a US distribution platform, a unique differentiating advantage to entrepreneurial asset manager. iM Square also announces the launch of its US distribution platform , based on the model of its European one. The company will support and develop the operational distribution capability of its current and future partners in Europe and the US, which are both core markets. In order to ensure the ambitious development of iM Global Partner US, iM Square announces the appointment of Jeffrey Seeley as Head of iM Global Partner US.
As former Head of Distribution at AMG Funds, he has a perfect knowledge of US distribution platforms, strategic partnerships as well as collaboratively working with our investment management partners to continue their asset growth successes.
Through its two platforms, iM Square will bring its support and expertise in European and US distribution to its partners’ funds. iM Square aims to help its partners reach significant international clients (private banks, Institutional investors, banking and insurance groups, funds selectors and distribution platforms) and notably their capacity to develop UCIT funds within European markets.
The two iM Global Partners platforms’ teams will bring together strong expertise based out in Europe and the US. The objective is to grow the team to 20 people to ensure the best partnership possible with the investment companies bringing not only a global distribution platform for their products but also a tailored access to unexplored client capabilities and segments of distribution.
Philippe Couvrecelle, President of iM Square, concludes: «We have strong ambitions for the development of our two distribution platforms in order to provide our current and future partners with the capability to support their growth and to bring them an international distribution capacity, allowing the m to fully focus on the management and performances of their funds».
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Advisors (iM Square)
Financial: Hottinguer Corporate Finance (Philippe Bonhomme, Djilali Bou-Abdallah, Romain Guillemin)
Legal: Cazals Manzo Pichot (Romain Pichot) ; SVZ Avocats (Géraud de Franclieu, Céline Raynal) ; CMS
Bureau Francis Lefebvre (Jérôme Sutour)
Advisors (Eurazeo)
Legal: Goodwin Procter (Maxence Bloch, Samuel Berrebbi, Arnaud David)
About iM Square Group
iM Global Partner
The Group iM Square aims to build a global development and investment platform dedicated to asset management sector, targeting talented, independent, already mature
and local market recognised investment companies (mostly in the US, but also in Europe and Asia). iM Global Partner aims to accelerates its funds range growth. Its funds can be managed by iMGP or being delegated to iM Square’s asset management companies, in order to help them grow globally. Amundi, Eurazeo, Dassault and La Maison are iM Square’s founding shareholders which have enabled its launch in June 2015. iM Square is currently seeking for one or several new significant international shareholders and also may finances its long-term growth through a possible IPO.
About Eurazeo
With a diversified portfolio of approximately €15 billion in assets under management, Eurazeo is a leading global investment company with offices in Paris and Luxembourg, New York, Shanghai and Sao Paolo. Its purpose and mission is to identify, accelerate and enhance the transformation potential of the companies in which it invests. The Company covers most private equity segments through its five business divisions–Eurazeo Capital, Eurazeo Croissance, Eurazeo PME, Eurazeo Patrimoine and Eurazeo Brands. Its solid institutional and family shareholder base, robust financial structure free of structural debt, and flexible investment horizon enable Eurazeo to support its companies over the long term. As a global long-term shareholder, the firm offers deep sector expertise and a gateway to global markets, and enables the transformational growth of its companies.
Eurazeo is listed on Euronext Paris.
ISIN: FR0000121121
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Bloomberg : RF FP
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Reuters : EURA.PA
Press contacts iM Square
Steele & Holt agency Daphné Claude – daphne@steeleandholt.com/ +33 6 66 58 81 92
Charlotte Forty de Lamarre – charlotte@steeleandholt.com /+33 7 72 32 6 74
Gaétan Pierret – gaetan@steeleandholt.com / +33 6 30 75 44 07
Press contacts Eurazeo
Sandra Cadiou – scadiou@eurazeo.com / +33 1 44 15 80 26
