Investment fund focuses on social investments

A new £10m fund that aims to make commercial returns from social investments was announced this week.

The Altru Fund is being launched by Aros Capital Partners, a boutique investment management firm which already runs a hedge fund, and it aims to get returns for investors of eight per cent.

At the launch of their six-week fundraising campaign at the Pasley-Tyler Club in London, founding partner Nicolai Hansen said: 'Our commercial hedge fund is not very socially entrepreneurial but this [Altru] is our brainchild and the idea to combine it with our other asset management fund is very, very thrilling.

'We're seeing now that the needs of society are greater than the resources of charity organisations and government can cover.

'We think the long term impact of our commercial approach will be to challenge the idea that social return is a trade off with commercial returns.'

Hansen said that a strict commercial approach was needed in the world of social investment because they planned to create a vehicle that 'no pension fund can say no to'. He added that part of the impact the Altru fund hopes to create is sustainable businesses - providing long-term employment and wealth opportunities.

The Altru Fund plans to make both debt and equity investments in between eight and ten 'socially maximising' companies with average investments of between £750,000 and £1m.

The minimum investment in the fund is £70,000 and Aros Capital Parners is targeting private individuals, charities and pension funds as possible investors.

http://www.socialenterpriselive.com/section/news/investment-fund-focuses-soci...

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