VCM FM and Robeco form a new London Emerging Hedge Fund Platform

 

 

VCM FM and Robeco form a new London Emerging Hedge Fund Platform

 

London/Rotterdam, 2 May 2007 Robeco Group N.V. ("Robeco") and VCM Fund Management LLP ("VCM FM") announce the formation of a new London based Emerging Hedge Fund Platform. Robeco provides its international distribution capabilities and substantial seed capital to promote emerging portfolio managers. VCM FM brings its management infrastructure including risk control, compliance, operations and legal support. Robeco initially takes a minority equity stake in VCM FM.

 

VCM FM is expected to launch up to four new hedge funds per year, each with likely seed funding of between $10m - $25m per fund and over a range of different strategies.  The funds offer exposure to an extended and diversified platform of strategies of emerging hedge funds for institutional investors, family offices and high net worth individuals. They will be seeded from the Robeco VCM Emerging Managers Fund, a Luxembourg based SICAV, which will act as a fund-of-funds.

 

VCM FM is headed by Roderick Wurfbain and Simon Clowes. Commenting on the prospects for the platform, they said: "We are delighted to have formed this platform with such a prestigious asset manager as Robeco. Our experience in managing emerging hedge funds, together with the capabilities available from Robeco, should significantly accelerate our growth and enable us to deliver true alpha to investors."

 

Commenting on the joint-venture, George Möller, Chief Executive Officer of Robeco said: "VCM FM is an experienced emerging hedge fund manager with whom we are pleased to be forming this alliance. There are some high quality emerging hedge fund managers who lack the requisite infrastructure and the initial funding to make the most of their potential. This initiative should provide them with back-up in key areas enabling them to get off to a good start and become the stars of the future. We anticipate this new platform will develop quickly as a result of VCM FM's skills and expertise and our complementary distribution network. The emerging funds of hedge funds are a valuable addition to Robeco's international offering of funds of hedge funds and single strategy hedge funds, like Robeco Sage, Transtrend, WPG and AIM."

 

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VCM FM is an independent, FSA regulated hedge fund platform based in the City of London.  It has established four funds since the hedge fund platform's inception in August 2005.

 

Vantage Capital Markets specialises in derivatives brokerage. It also comprised the hedge fund business now known as VCM Fund Management LLP before the two businesses were split in May 2007.  The firm prior to its break-up consisted of 85 partners and employees.

 

Robeco, established in Rotterdam in 1929, offers investment products and services to institutional and private investors worldwide. It has EUR 142 billion in assets under management (at 31 December 2006).

 

The product range encompasses equity and fixed-income investments, money-market and real-estate funds and alternative investments, such as private equity, hedge funds and structured products. The various strategies are managed from Rotterdam (head office), Paris, Boston and New York.

 

To service institutional and third part distribution clients, Robeco has offices in Bahrain, Belgium, Germany, France, Japan, Poland, Spain, the United States and Switzerland. Robeco has a bank licence in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, where it can sell its products straight to private clients.

 

Transtrend in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Harbor Capital Advisors in Chicago, USA are part of the Robeco group. Furthermore, Robeco holds interests in SAM Group (64%) in Zurich, Switzerland; Canara Robeco Investment Management (49%) in Mumbai, India; and AIM (49%) in Rijmenam, Belgium.

 

Robeco is part of Rabobank Group, one of the few retail banks with the highest credit ratings from Moody's and Standard & Poor's. Furthermore, within the banking sector, Rabobank has the highest sustainability cluster score, which is used to assess an organisation's people and environmental friendliness.

 

 

Office: +31 - 10 - 224 28 10

Mobile: +31 - 653 - 831 586

E-mail: ronald.florisson@robeco.com

 

 

Office: +44-20-3107-5009

E-mail: ceddis@vcmfm.com