Created in 2015, the asset management company Colville Capital Partners specialised in limited-risk funds with a socially responsible component. A position which allowed the once family business, founded by two brothers, to grow significantly and to face the current challenging times for investment.

Our first fund was socially responsible before the invention of the SRI label.

What is the story of Colville Capital Partners, in what context was it created?

Mathieu Philippe: I founded it with my brother, Jacques-Antoine Philippe, in 2015. The prime idea of this asset management company came from an observation I made during the crisis of 2008: I was surprised to see there were many ventures that managed to avoid indebtedness and kept growing while taking only limited risks. That’s when we thought about investing in such companies. The fund project that allowed us to really start our activity was called Silver Autonomie and was dedicated to the ageing of the population.

What sets you apart from other asset management companies?

M.P.: For each of our funds, an investor came to us with a social subject that was dear to them. Therefore, we specialised in representing the interests of our clients through a useful and responsible fund that has a positive impact on the concerned topic. Silver Autonomie was a socially responsible investment even before the creation of the SRI label. It allows seniors to stay in shape and be medically well-accompanied. Our second fund, Terroir & Avenir, the first-ever to be dedicated to the well-being of farmers, helps reduce heavy workloads, increase profitability, and open up the rural world through investment in infrastructure. For each of our firms, we look closely at their environmental, social and governance performances. Finally, I would say we don’t simply take care of our shareholders, we also look out for our clients, our companies, their employees, as well as society and the environment.

What are the main challenges of your profession?

M.P.: The first challenge of asset management is to protect the money of the investors who trust us, and make it grow in the long term. If we lose money, we can say goodbye to our RSI goals. Our second mission is to push the companies to have a responsible behaviour and help them in this process. Our third mission would be to reflect the values of our investors on the companies we invest in, through voting and shareholder engagement.

And now, what are your goals or current projects?

M.P.: Our priority is to develop our three existing funds. After a few exceptional years, we are now facing challenging times, with the rise in interest rates. Therefore, we need to be very present and transparent towards the investors. We would like to keep growing as we did so far. From 20M€ of outstanding amounts at the beginning, we reached 500M€. Same thing goes with our staff. Starting with only my brother and me, we are now proud to count fourteen people in our team.

Colville Capital Partners – Founded in 2015 by Mathieu and his brother Jacques-Antoine, Colville Capital Partners is an asset management company. Their specialty is long term investment in companies which are leaders in their field, resilient, benefiting from major social transformation trends and that have a positive impact on society and the environment.

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