About us
PALOSANTO is a private investment vehicle headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
PALOSANTO represents the interests of a Single Family and is actively involved in the management of a diverse portfolio of investments in private equity, hedge funds, public equities, and real estate.
Unconstrained
For Private Markets, our objective is to create long-term value.
We have no time horizon on the holding period.
We are not constrained by fund rules with exit issues or timelines and can hold long-term positions when we deem it beneficial to the business.
On Publicly traded markets, we are benchmark agnostic.
We manage a stable asset base and are eager to harvest illiquidity and volatility premiums to achieve absolute positive performance.
We always remain receptive to contrarian and non-consensual ideas.
Flexible
With an approach that combines multi-generational family values, entrepreneurial mindset and institutional discipline, we operate with a flat and agile operating structure that enables swift decision making and prompt feedback.
Unlike institutional funds, we don’t have to navigate multiple committees to reach a consensus.
Accountable
We are independent of third-party economic interests and are dedicated solely to our principles.
Responsibility is prevalent in our private companies portfolio where Impact Investing is growing.
Trust is the foundation of family values guiding their operations for decades through long-term partnerships. PALOSANTO therefore places trust at the core of relationships with Partners.
Focus areas
Financial Markets
PALOSANTO works exclusively with its own capital and this is why we focus on the intrinsic value of every investment.
We tend to beware of consensual trends and traditional benchmark discretionary mandates. We avoid mutual funds who focus on asset gathering and mirror the holding of securities listed on an index. We prefer to either allocate to active managers who demonstrate recurring alpha generation or stick to low-cost index-replication strategies.
In the long run, we firmly believe that seeking best-in-class technology companies and disruptors will generate many more global champions over the next 20 years. This is the primary driver of our investment decisions across sectors and geography.
In the short run, we believe in the virtue of patient opportunism as we would rather acquire assets at discounted prices than chase investments from a pre-defined list. At PALOSANTO, we acknowledge that markets are most of the time priced fairly, rather than clearly overpriced or underpriced and that they are few, if any bargains available.
Third-party managed funds
Our Private Equity funds Program aims to achieve diversification through investment strategy, sector, geography, fund manager, and vintage year. Our focus is on large- and middle-market Buyout and Growth equity funds in North America, Europe and, to a lesser extent, emerging markets. We also invest in Real Estate, Credit and Special Situations funds.
Our Hedge Fund portfolio targets an all-weather performance thanks to a spectrum of strategies, focusing on long/short equity, event-driven, and multi-strategy funds.
Direct Investments
We have the flexibility and capacity to make long-term investments. Our investment approach typically involves seeking out companies with a technological edge, well-defined core competencies, a convincing business model, strong growth potential and a realistic chance of becoming a market leader in their respective market.
Patient capital
- We have a longer-term outlook than most investors. Unlike traditional private equity firms, we have an owner mindset and a longer time horizon to allow for the maximization of value with each of our operating companies.
- Not having a predetermined fund life gives us the flexibility to make long-term decisions for the well-being of the company.
Governance
Our governance relates mostly to capital allocation and reporting.
- We are not involved in day-to-day operations of our portfolio companies, preferring to delegate responsibility to the management team.
- We take governance seriously and adhere to the highest industry standards. Our governance requirements are similar to those of institutional funds and relate mostly to capital allocation and reporting.
Flexible investment structuring
- Broad investment mandate gives us the flexibility to pursue a range of investments types.
- Simple investment structures meet the unique needs of sellers.
- We can take majority or minority positions and although we prefer to invest at the equity level, we have the ability to invest throughout the capital structure of the company (mezzanine debt and equity).
Aligned
We seek to ensure that investors and shareholders, the Boards, and the executive management teams of our investee companies have a strong alignment of interests and a set of agreed, well understood, and shared objectives. We also understand things change and our flexibility allows us to adapt our approach and perspective.
Real Estate
We have a diversified approach to direct Real Estate, investing in tangible assets across the property spectrum. We value the legacy building aspect of Core Residential and Hotels in prime locations for its steady cashflows and capital appreciation over time. At the same time, we seek more tactical opportunities in logistics and offices and the new trends that are reshaping the hospitality industry.
Besides, we can occasionally consider development projects and Mezzanine financing to bring an additional return to our portfolio.
Portfolio
Our direct private equity portfolio spans agriculture, food, hotels, healthcare and technology.
Here is a selection of our investments.
Clariter
Clariter is a global cleantech company producing green sustainable petrochemicals upcycled from plastic waste. These high-quality alternatives to fossil-based products can be used in over a thousand industrial and consumer applications, and help industries create circularity in their value chain.
Clariter’s proprietary technology reduces carbon use and carbon waste, combining profitability and sustainability to create a viable, comprehensive solution to the plastic waste epidemic.
Most technologies recycle plastics into plastics, energy, or fuel. Clariter does what nobody else does – taking recycling to the next level and creating new products for industry.
Their patented de-fossilizing technology creates products that are high-quality and high-value.
Nulia
Based on the core pillars of measure & evaluate, personalize & guide, engage & reward,
Nulia Works platform has a brand-new way: Digital Enablement - getting users to continuously attain, maintain, and use digital productivity skills. This is the foundation for driving skills development and ongoing behavioral change on a personal level in the natural flow of work.
They thought they were starting a Digital Enablement company. It turns out that they’re pioneering a whole new Digital Enablement movement.
NULIA’s mission is to unlock the value of organizations’ digital productivity investments and help people realize their full potential with new digital skills. They bridge the gap between the perceived promise of digital productivity suites and the actual digital productivity, unlocking trapped value by getting users using.
NULIA is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon and has their international operations
based in Dublin, Ireland.
Emerald
The Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa is a 5-star Deluxe All-Inclusive Resort and a proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
Built to blend in perfect harmony with the surrounding environment, using materials such as bamboo, natural stones, and Langhi Langhi leaves and a direct focus on energy efficiency and environment preservation, the Resort combines tropical scenery with modern design, creating atmospheres of natural and informal elegance, offering the ideal setting for guests to build new and memorable experiences.
Located on the Raa Atoll, in the northern part of the Maldives archipelago, this Deluxe All-Inclusive Resort is surrounded by 1,5 km of soft white sand on a lush private 20 hectares island. It features 120 villas, 60 located on the island and 60 directly on the sea.
Borealis foods
Better food. Better planet. Better future. Borealis Foods is a food tech integrator that focuses on developing and commercialising functional foods. Borealis Foods is committed to standing at the forefront of building a more sustainable planet while combating world hunger. They discover the most innovative food tech companies and integrate their advancements into their on-trend functional food development projects
All their products are sourced and produced locally in the US, and they use 100% recyclable packaging to reduce their footprint further:
Chef Woo, their flagship product, is a super premium, high-protein ramen. Made with 20g of complete, organic protein, it is an industry game changer and an exciting solution to the global need for affordable, high-protein meat alternatives.
Every Chef Woo provides all nine essential amino acids equal to over a third of a person’s daily recommended protein, with only 330 Kcal.
Ramen Express is their premium vegetarian ramen, made in 5 tasty flavors with four additional ones ready to launch. It’s the only Kosher & Halal certified ramen noodles product on the market.
Alexander Schurtz
Alexander co-founded Palosanto in 2022 and has more than 15 years of experience in the Banking and Wealth Management industry.
He is responsible for operations & execution, finance, evaluating investment opportunities and portfolio monitoring. He is also co-responsible for risk and asset allocation. Before Palosanto, Alexander was a director at Credit Suisse, working as a Senior Relationship Manager. He oversaw coordinating all the services provided through the bank’s capabilities for a UHNWI portfolio, specifically advising on credit/lending. He previously worked for Société Générale as an investment advisor for Europe-based HNWI clients demonstrating strong capabilities with capital markets.
Alexander is a veteran of wealth management and has, as such, developed a keen eye for detail and a natural ability to easily communicate complex concepts. His success stood on a long-term commitment and loyalty to his clients over the years.
Alexander holds a master in Monetary Economics and Finance from the University of Geneva.
When Alexander leaves the office at the end of the day, he will generally be found at his local fire department, ready to help in case of emergencies. Indeed, Alexander is a volunteer firefighter and, as such, is on duty every second week during the night.
Meet
our Team
Matthieu Tissier
After 16 years in the Banking industry, Matthieu Tissier co-founded Palosanto.
He is in charge of asset allocation, portfolio management and risk monitoring. He’s also co-responsible for evaluating private markets investment opportunities. He spent 11 years in Wealth Management in France and Switzerland, working for Indosuez and Credit Suisse, where he advised ultra-high-net-worth clients on equities, bonds, derivatives, and funds.
Wealth Management taught him, above all, to act with integrity and transparency in the long run, continually adapting his approach to the changes in his client’s financial situation.
Before that, he worked in Investment Banking for Société Générale in Sydney and Paris, then for Credit Agricole CIB. Inspection Générale of Credit Agricole CIB gave him a deep knowledge of the Bank Business Lines and taught him a risk-focus approach. Besides, as a Sales on the trading floor, he learnt derivatives pricing and sales in a competitive environment. Matthieu is also a Chartered Market Technician (CMT®) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA™) holder. As eager to learn as he’s to share, he taught Finance at IESEG Business School, Top Finance and SFAF (Société Française des Analystes Financiers).
He owns a Master in Management from Lille Business School with a major in finance.
Born and raised in La Réunion, commonly known as the “intense island”, he’s an outdoor person who enjoys mountaineering, skiing and kite surfing. In his free time, you can usually find him engaged in swimming, rowing or running along the shores of Lake Leman or scaling the heights of Chamonix.