Press release

eQ Asset Management (“eQ”) has held a 1st close at 36 million dollars for its inaugural venture capital fund, eQ VC. The fund has a target size of 50-100 million dollars and the next closing will be held at early part of 2022.

eQ VC will invest in early and late stage venture capital funds making equity investments in at least 200 technology start-up companies predominantly in the United States of America. The portfolio will include approximately ten primary portfolio funds. In addition, eQ VC also targets secondary transactions and co-investments. The fund’s investment advisor responsible for fund screening and securing allocation is TrueBridge Capital Partners.

TrueBridge is a leading venture capital firm with superior track record and assets under management of 4.5 billion dollars focused exclusively on venture capital. TrueBridge is part of the same group as RCP Advisors, with whom eQ has a strong strategic relationship since 2015 focusing on US lower middle market private equity.

Staffan Jåfs, Head of Private Equity, comments:

“The return dispersion in the venture capital market is very broad and the best start-up founders seek financing from fund managers with a proven track record of backing and rapidly scaling the most successful start-ups historically. Consequently, manager selection is critical in this asset class and a prerequisite for generating outsized returns for investors. TrueBridge has 25 years of investment experience and long-standing investment relationships with some of the most prominent venture firms in the world. This enables our clients access to the best venture funds investing in tomorrow’s success stories. Throughout history, we have seen innovative start-up companies disrupt and reshape established markets from semiconductors and personal computers more than 50 years ago to social media and platform technology more recently.”

”With eQ VC, we are further applying our successful and proven partnership model which we have used with our partner RCP in US private equity: manager selection and access to elite funds through a local expert combined with eQ’s strong fund administration and client service capabilities. Our goal is to build a long-term partnership with TrueBridge and to bring a new eQ VC fund to market every other year.

The growth of the technology sector is expected to continue as other sectors increasingly utilise technology to drive performance. Investors’ appetite for private equity continues to grow and through eQ VC our clients can now invest in one of the most compelling venture markets globally.”

eQ VC is open only to professional clients.

Helsinki 1 November 2021

eQ Asset Management Ltd

Further information:

Staffan Jåfs, Head of Private Equity, eQ Asset Management Ltd

+358 (9) 6817 8736, staffan.jafs(at)eQ.fi