Issue 5 2019

Acquisition International - Issue 5 2019 51 Mar19327 ICA Institutional Capital Advisors GmbH (ICA) provides investment advisory and capital raising services and delivers unique, exclusive investor events. Recently, the firm found success in AI’s Leading Adviser 2019 where they were selected as the Leading Capital Raising and Investment Advisory of the Year, Germany. On the back of this win, we caught up with Managing Partner, Hans-Peter Dohr who provided us with an overview of the successful firm. ince their inception, ICA Institutional Capital Associates GmbH (ICA) has been a private markets advisory firm, focusing exclusively on providing capital raising and advisory services to leading alternative investment management firms. ICA’s target market and best relationships are with institutional investors and leading consulting firms in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH region). Going into further detail about the firms ICA works alongside, Hans-Peter begins by informing us of the clients the company serves, as well as the areas they specialise in. “Here at ICA, our selection process for clients is simple: based on our investment and investment consulting background, we have identified the leading investment management firms in each alternative asset class. Then, we see who is raising capital and try to understand whether we can add value to their marketing presence, as well as efforts in the DACH markets. Finally, we reach out and actively approach these firms with a structured fundraising proposal. “In terms of asset-classes, the focus of ICA is on real assets (infrastructure, timberland, agriculture and real estate) and on private debt strategies in the corporate lending and infrastructure space. The private equity placement market is very competitive, so until recently we have not done much there.” Over the years, the team at ICA have accumulated an impressive portfolio of work, one which has seen them receive numerous accolades over they years. Recently, the firm were successful in Acquisition Intl’s Leading Adviser 2019 where they were righteously awarded the title Leading Capital Raising and Investment Advisory of the Year, Germany. Whilst discussing the win, Hans-Peter explains to us what he believes are the secrets behind the firm’s remarkable success. “The key to success is the partnership of both buy-side and sell-side thinking. “The partners of ICA are former board members of Germany’s and Austria’s leading insurance companies on the one hand, and senior managers of global investment consulting firms on the other. As such, we have the buy-side approach to alternative investing, and understand the asset allocation process of investors, the fund or product characteristics as well as the regulatory and legal constraints of investors when committing to alternative funds in our target markets. “Overall, ICAwas founded with the vision of being the region’s foremost third-party marketing firm for institutionally focused investment managers.” Raising the Bar and Funds for Alternative Investment S Providing the firm with the ability to provide their clients with an award- winning service, is the passionate, innovative and hard-working team which forms the backbone of ICA. When discussing the internal culture, Hans-Peter is keen to highlight the significant role the team play in the overall success of the firm. “ICA was founded to provide hands-on execution for a limited number of exceptional alternative investment managers each year. All projects are overseen by very senior managers, who are key to ICA’s success. Over the past years, ICA has developed a reputation among the institutional investor and investment consulting community for identifying and working with high-quality managers.” Looking ahead to what the future holds, the team at ICA will continue to provide an exceptional service to their clients which not only meets the requirements which have been set, but also surpasses their expectations and benefits both parties involved. Bringing the interview to a close, Hans-Peter signs off by reflecting on what the future has in store for the firm, touching on how ICA are investing both time and money to further expand their capabilities. “The analyses which ICA carried out since 2016 suggests that investors increasingly believe that providing solutions to sustainability challenges offers attractive investment opportunities. From our perspective, opportunities are available in most asset classes, for example: private equity and venture capital; sustainable & low-carbon infrastructure; green real estate, sustainable forestry and agriculture to name but a few. “In 2019 and beyond, ICAwill invest time and money to fully understand the integration of ESGaspects and the SDGs into institutional investing. Moving forward, we expect that sustainable and impact investing will be a fast-growing investment category and ICA will provide services to exploit this market and grow its business.” Contact: Hans-Peter Dohr, Managing Partner Company: ICA Institutional Capital Associates GmbH Address: Mauerkircherstrasse 81b, 81925 Munich, Germany Telephone: +49 89 125 01 80 30 Web Address: www.ic-ica.com