FARO is a virtuous ecosystem in which relationships, knowledge and skills act as an engine to generate new opportunities. Four sub-funds managed by Advisory Companies such as Orienta Capital Partners, FOREL, FNDX, SM Capital and IRTOP Consulting and a system of investment in small and medium-sized Italian companies, with a strong entrepreneurial approach.
Milan, November 13, 2024 – The meeting with the financial community of FARO Alternative Investments, the alternative investment fund operating through a globally ctive scalable platform with diversified investment strategies, was held today at Palazzo Mezzanotte, the headquarter of Borsa Italiana. The project was created to offer new investment opportunities on the Italian and international scene through a platform that combines different ‘best in class’ and complementary skills required in the management of large assets and Italian and foreign institutional investors.
The main objective of FARO Alternative Investments is to provide asset allocation diversification through an entrepreneurial approach, responding to the needs of structured asset management, in the landscape of institutional, private and family office investors. Among its strengths, FARO expresses the strong potential for international development through an infrastructure capable of aggregating diversified expertise in a single platform.
The project is based on three fundamental pillars:
1. Entrepreneurial – a key value for FARO, leveraging in-house operational
experience based on know-how and track record.
2. Attractive – thanks to an ecosystem supported by the best Italian and
international professionals.
3. Scalable – to allow the project to grow and attract more and more resources and expertise through a multi-compartment fund, structured in a plug-and-play fashion. This approach makes it possible to develop investment strategies and operate as an advisory company with ‘best in class’ expertise in the sector. With an ambitious fundraising plan, FARO Alternative Investments aims to reach a total target of around EUR 1 billion by 2026, with which it aims to support the Italian entrepreneurial fabric, generating a significant impact in key sectors of the real economy.
This will be made possible through an integrated platform of entrepreneurial and financial competences that harnesses the specialisations of the Advisory Companies: Orienta Capital Partners (FARO Real Economy), FOREL (FARO Fashion & Luxury Design), FNDX, SM Capital (FARO Innovation) and IRTOP Consulting (FARO Capital Markets, a division currently being onboarded).
Augusto Balestra, CEO of Faro Value, lead advisor of FARO Alternative Investments – “Ours is an ambitious project with a strong potential for international development thanks to an ecosystem capable of aggregating vertical and diversified skills in a single platform. FARO was born from the desire to offer something more than traditional funds, starting from the experience of its founders in business management. We are FARO’s first investors”.
Giancarlo Galeone, Chairman of Faro Value, lead advisor of FARO Alternative Investments – “The investment teams leading the different strategies are selected from among the best, and each has a successful track record. Your Guiding Light in Alternative Investments In order to stand out in the market, we have set ourselves the goal of creating a fund that brings together the best investment teams, an essential element of fundraising. Each investment strategy is guided by a highly qualified Advisory Company, which within the FARO platform allows us to have expertise that can also bring important contamination to other sectors”.
The event featured key representatives of the FARO ecosystem sectors, specifically:
Mario Gardini, Co-Founder & Chairman of Orienta Capital Partners, for FARO Real Economy “We bring industrial and private equity experience with a strong operational and entrepreneurial imprint. This combination of industrial and financial expertise represents the value proposition of the project. Orienta Capital Partners laid the foundation for FARO and is the gateway for investments in SMEs with high growth potential. Thanks to its experience, excellent track record and entrepreneurial vision and approach, Orienta supports target companies at key moments in their life cycle, bringing in-depth industrial and financial expertise”.
Fabio Nalucci, Founder & Chairman of FNDX for FARO Innovation – “The direct knowledge of the entrepreneurial journey is a key advantage in the execution of the investment strategy, allowing us to evaluate and support start-ups with a real-life experience-based approach. The investment teams, led by serial entrepreneurs with more than 20 years of experience in the B2B Digital and Fintech sectors, bring a unique advantage over purely financial models. The flexible investment approach facilitates collaboration with entrepreneurs and provides access to value opportunities through a wide network of established relationships, creating a rich deal flow”.
Stiven Muccioli, Founder & CEO of SM Capital, for FARO Innovation – “FARO Innovation, is jointly managed by the advisory companies FNDX and SM Capital. Both have specialised expertise in the Fintech and Tech sectors, with solid experience in Venture Capital. As a differentiating factor, we adopt a hybrid strategy combining direct investments in Fintech companies and a Fund of Funds model, selecting US tier-1 funds. This approach offers a diversified portfolio and provides access to exclusive investment opportunities, strengthening SM Capital’s position in the sector”.
Anna Lambiase, Founder & CEO of IR TOP Consulting, for FARO Capital Markets – “The FARO Capital Markets sub-fund focuses on investing in financial instruments such as equity, quasi-equity or debt issued by SMEs and MidCaps, including vehicles such as SPACs. Your Guiding Light in Alternative Investments. These investments concern companies already listed or close to listing (pre-IPO, IPO and post-IPO) on regulated markets, with a focus on Euronext Milan. This strategy aims to support the growth and expansion of high-potential companies by offering diversified investment opportunities in the capital markets landscape. Its strength lies in its investment strategy targeting equity markets (public markets)”.
Marco Bizzarri, Co-Founder & Chairman of FOREL, for FARO Fashion, Luxury & Design – “FOREL was born from the desire to realise an entrepreneurial project after decades at the helm of realities in the luxury and fashion sectors that were profoundly different in terms of size and geographical origin. Forel is therefore characterised by an industrial and very operational slant to differentiate itself profoundly from other private equity operators present on the market today and targeting the same sector. The sector’s momentum is extraordinary as an investment timing for the opportunities that can be presented. The current negative trend is more the result of a lack of supply and attractive narrative than of demand. As a result, the experience of the entire Forel team and its successful track record is ideally placed to seize the opportunities that exist. Our objective is to identify and support with both majority and minority investments with strong governance, brands that for awareness, positioning, aesthetics, narrative, geographical footprint and organisation show opportunities within the current competitive environment”.
***
FARO Alternative Investments
FARO Alternative Investments SICAV RAIF (“FARO”) is an alternative investment fund operating through a globally active scalable platform with diversified investment strategies, mainly in Private Equity and Venture Capital. FARO invests with the support of Advisory Companies such as Orienta Capital Partners, FOREL, FNDX, SM Capital and IRTOP Consulting. Each of these, thanks to a proven know-how in its own reference sector, plays an essential role in the four specific segments: FARO Real Economy, FARO Fashion & Luxury Design, FARO Innovation, FARO Capital Markets. As Lead Advisor, FARO Value S.p.A. manages the Preliminary Investment Committee, composed of the Fund’s key managers and supported by a strategic committee of Business Partners (entrepreneurs, family offices and strategic investors), as well as a ‘Next Generation’ committee composed of young people under-35. In addition, Gen II Management Company acts as AIFM and Central Administrator of FARO Alternative Investments (SICAV).
A distinctive value of the FARO platform is its ecosystem, which is built on solid experience and an entrepreneurial approach to investment implementation. www.faroalternativeinvestments.com/
Media Relations: Image Building / faro@imagebuilding.it / +39 02 89011300 / +39 06 68392100
