Overview
Unigestion is a Geneva-based asset management firm that has been managing private equity portfolios for institutional investors since the 1990s. The firm manages approximately $16 billion in total assets, with a significant portion allocated to private equity fund-of-funds, co-investment, and secondary strategies.
Unigestion’s private equity platform focuses on the small and mid-market buyout and growth equity segments, where the firm believes structural advantages create opportunities for superior risk-adjusted returns. The firm invests in a diversified portfolio of GP relationships across Europe and North America, with selective exposure to other regions. Unigestion’s investment approach combines quantitative portfolio construction with deep qualitative GP assessment.
The firm’s co-investment program is a central component of its platform, allowing investors to access individual deal opportunities alongside the GPs in Unigestion’s portfolio. This multi-dimensional approach, combining primary fund commitments, secondaries, and co-investments, provides institutional clients with efficient access to private equity returns.
How to Approach
GPs managing small and mid-market buyout or growth equity funds in the EUR 100 million to EUR 2 billion range are the primary target for Unigestion. The firm has particular interest in European managers, though it also actively invests in North American GPs with relevant strategies.
Unigestion conducts rigorous due diligence with a focus on GP team assessment, investment process, operational capabilities, and track record attribution. The firm values managers who demonstrate discipline on entry valuation, have clear operational value creation playbooks, and can provide meaningful co-investment opportunities. GPs should be prepared for a thorough evaluation process that includes multiple team meetings, reference checks, and portfolio company analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Unigestion's private equity strategy?
Unigestion focuses on small and mid-market private equity, investing in buyout and growth equity funds targeting companies with enterprise values typically below EUR 500 million. The firm invests through primary fund commitments, secondaries, and an active co-investment program. Unigestion believes the small and mid-market offers less competition, more operational value creation opportunities, and better risk-adjusted returns.
How large is Unigestion's co-investment program?
Unigestion has deployed significant capital through co-investments alongside its GP partners. The co-investment program typically deploys EUR 5 million to EUR 30 million per transaction, investing alongside buyout and growth equity GPs in the firm's portfolio. Co-investments are sourced directly from GP relationships built through the fund-of-funds program.
What types of institutional investors does Unigestion serve?
Unigestion manages private equity portfolios for pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices globally. The firm offers both commingled fund-of-funds vehicles and customized separate account mandates, allowing institutional investors to tailor their private equity exposure to specific strategies, geographies, and vintage years.
