Costa Yiannoulis

I couldn’t be prouder to be a Venture Partner at Isomer Capital (aka the best European FoF - at least for me) as we just announced the launch of our pioneering £100m secondaries fund. This fund is dedicated to acquiring stakes from LPs in various VC funds, tapping into a massive and largely unexplored market. 🌟 Key Highlights: - Focused Investment: Primarily targeting stakes in VC funds, with selective investments in private companies. - Robust Funding: Already over 20% funded, thanks to strong support from Nordic family offices and a German foundation. - Market Potential: With a growing number of private tech companies and a VC liquidity crunch, Europe's VC secondaries market is poised for rapid growth. - Track Record: This isn’t Isomer’s first foray into the secondaries market. As a firm we’ve done several secondaries deals with portfolio companies and VC firms, including early-stage VC Seedcamp (in 2021) and mobility giant Bolt (in 2023). - Expert Team: Welcoming the amazing Omolade (Rachel) A., formerly of Coller Capital, as a principal to lead this initiative. 💡 Investment Strategy: - 65-75% of the fund will buy "LP interest" stakes in VC funds. - 15-25% will be directed towards stakes in companies. - Up to 15% reserved for flexible investment opportunities. 📈 Looking Ahead: We're targeting returns of 2-3x, with significant distributions expected in the next 4-7 years. As one of the few players in this space, we're not just participating in the market—we're driving it forward. Read all about it here: https://lnkd.in/dc7sbC3G #VentureCapital #SecondariesFund #EuropeanVC

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"Investors from outside the region are helping to drive a broader uptick in investment in the region, with 47% of capital coming from non-European investors this year, compared with 36% in 2023." #pitchbook #privateequity #pe #investmentstrategies #noneuropean #investors #capital #growth #buyout #privatecapital

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Embarking on A New Chapter with Fortress Investments 🚀 I'm thrilled to announce my new role as Managing Director and Head of Growth Investing at Fortress Investment Group. What does ‘Growth Investing’ look like for us at Fortress? We will look to provide capital solutions in the form of structured investments to unlock growth situations across industries. Our mandate will be flexible, focusing on partnering with leading investors and companies that can benefit from a structured capital infusion where plain-vanilla growth investment is less attractive (i.e. too dilutive) or just unavailable. The timing couldn’t be more opportune. The era of infinite, commoditized low-cost capital is behind us. The world of 2024 and beyond presents new challenges with heightened geopolitical risks, elevated and volatile interest rates, high risk-premia and a cautious IPO and M&A scene. Yet, the demand for capital by growth-stage companies remains robust, underpinning the need for innovative financial solutions including debt,  structured equity and convertible debt to fuel their expansion with minimal dilution. Large corporates are also looking for opportunities to divest  and spin-off businesses that may consume capital or are non-core to their core strategy. We at Fortress will be well positioned to be a great partner in this new environment. Reflecting on my 25 years of professional experience, I believe they have prepared me exceptionally well for this moment. I'm grateful for my years as a Partner at Goldman Sachs in the TMT Group, and my subsequent role as a Managing Partner at Softbank's Vision Fund. These experiences were crucial, providing me with a deep understanding of investment frameworks and structures through cycles. My subsequent experience as co-founded and President of Branded where I led an aggressive growth strategy involving nearly 20 brand acquisitions was also crucial. There’s no substitute for first-hand experience of overcoming adversity as a founder and working with equity and debt investors to solve critical business issues. At Fortress Investment Group, with over $43 billion AUM and with backing of Mubadala’s announced investment in the firm, we are  perfectly positioned to lead a structured-growth investment practice. We plan to collaborate closely with VC and PE firms, offering creative solutions to unlock profitable growth in great companies. You will find us to be great partners, responsive, creative, solutions-oriented and transparent in our approach to solving the capital needs of such companies. As I embark on this journey, I invite my network to connect and discuss how we can create value together in this dynamic investment climate. I’m looking forward to partnering with you to navigate this exciting landscape and fund the next generation of growth opportunities across sectors and geographies. Feel free to reach out at: [email protected]. Michael Ronen #growthinvesting #mubadala #privateequity

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