Members of the INSEAD Alumni Association Switzerland gained fresh knowledge from an expert panel of 8 speakers at The Search Fund: An Innovative Model for SME Buyouts in Switzerland event on 14 May 2020.
The webinar attracted 182 unique participants, clearly indicating a great deal of interest in search funds in Switzerland! Topics covered include: search funds as an asset class, why search funds are attractive to a range of investors, what it is like to search for an SME in Switzerland (and in other countries), tips on building relationships with business owners, as well as what it’s like to run a Swiss SME after a successful search and acquisition. To see the list of panelists, scroll down.
Speakers
| Omer Ben Shach (BM Holding) | Omer leads search fund investments for a single-family office in Israel. He has backed some of the most recent search funds in Europe and LatAm. He will discuss the asset class in relation to allocation decisions for his family office as a whole. |
| Angel Cadavieco (ALZA Capital Partners) | Angel is co-founder of ALZA, a private equity firm focused on global search fund investments. Prior to ALZA, he and his partners raised a Search Fund in Mexico that acquired Universidad Tres Culturas, a private university in Mexico City. Angel and his partners took the university from 3 to 9 campuses, delivering a near 65% IRR to their investors. Angel will share his story of growing the business and how he led it to a successful exit after 3 years. |
| Lucas Correa & Patricia Barbosa (Horizonte Capital) | Lucas and Patricia run Brazil-based search fund Horizonte Capital. They successfully closed their search fundraising in 2019 and are currently screening opportunities. They will share their experience of choosing the ideal mix of investors. |
| Lukas Kunz (akompani SA) | Lukas is a senior Advisor at Swiss-based corporate finance advisory boutique akompani. He has 15 years of experience in M&A, corporate development, and management with technology and service companies in Switzerland. Lukas will share his perspective on the emotional aspects of selling a family business, as well as the landscape in Switzerland over the next 12 months. |
| Bruno Léa (Performer CNC) | Bruno launched the first search fund in France in 2018, which acquired Performer CNC, a distributor of machine tools, after a 16-month search. Bruno will share his experience of finding investors in a new search fund region and how he identified opportunities in a relationship-driven market. |
| Caroline Leopold-Metzger (Deppeler SA) | Caroline is CEO of Deppeler, a Swiss precision manufacturer of dentistry equipment, which she acquired through a self-funded search in 2019. Caroline will share her experience of building relationships with sellers and the actions she took during her first 100 days. |
| Ignacio Olavarria (Istria Capital) | Ignacio is co-founder of Istria Capital, the first EU-based investment vehicle fully dedicated to search funds. He has backed 30+ search funds and companies globally on behalf of European family offices and asset managers. He will share his views on the asset class and how he gets comfortable with the risks. |