CAPinside is a B2B online investment platform for the investment market, focussing on fund marketing and sales initiation. It brings together intermediaries, in particular IFAs, with asset managers and fund initiators through algorithms generated using artificial intelligence, via high quality content and investment analyses as well as data-driven bespoke matching.

With around 90,000 users per month and almost 20,000 members, CAPinside is the fastest growing professional online investment platform in the German-speaking region and market leader in Germany. CAPinside is further diversifying its spectrum with future-orientated investment managers offering Blockchain-based investments.

Fund initiators benefit from the advancement to a comprehensive sales platform

“With CAPinside, Universal-Investment is further diversifying its distribution portfolio for fund initiators and managers. Over the coming months, we will also be investing heavily to offer our fund initiators distribution and cooperation possibilities; in this way, promising fund concepts will be able reach a wide range of investor groups,” says Katja Müller, Chief Customer Officer at Universal-Investment.

The acquisition is a key digital building block in creating a comprehensive, analogue and technological “single stop distribution platform” across all channels for every target group. It follows Universal-Investment’s takeover of labs, the IT data specialist and vendor of front office solutions for asset managers, in early 2019, which continues the company’s goal of becoming the leading European fund service platform and management company for all asset classes by 2023.

Michael Reinhard, CEO of Universal-Investment, explains: “Being able to reach investors online with digital formats and offerings, and with pinpoint accuracy, is becoming increasingly important in the fund industry. Asset managers and fund initiators are shifting unambiguously to distribution channels based on online platform offerings – with irrefutable benefits: precise segmentation of target groups and needs, measurability, 24/7 accessibility and lower costs. CAPinside is key to the success of our digitalisation and innovation plans and we are delighted to be jointly setting new standards for our customers.“

Philipp Schröder, founder and CEO of CAPinside says: “CAPinside is an example of how, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, intelligent, digital business models can grow significantly in less than two years, thereby generating added value for clients, users and fintech investors. Universal-Investment’s takeover allows us to make further investments to drive our expansive growth and benefit from the international fund service platform’s experience. CAPinside will continue to be an open platform for all asset managers.“

Besides the founders Philipp Schröder and Achim Denkel, a third managing director, Micha Grüber, will also remain at the helm and CAPinside will continue to operate as an independent brand. Dr. Jürgen Sehnert, Head of Strategy and Product Governance at Universal-Investment, will be appointed as an additional managing director to support the joint growth plans.

Montagu invested in Universal-Investment in 2017 and continues to support the company’s ambitious growth plans. In the past year, Universal-Investment has increased its assets under administration by €90bn to over €500bn.