Coller Capital, founded in 1990 by Jeremy Coller, is one of the leading global investors in the private equity secondary market (also known as secondaries).
As a secondary investor, Coller Capital acquires original investors’ stakes in private equity funds (venture capital, buyout and mezzanine) together with portfolios of companies or stakes in companies, from financial institutions, corporates, government bodies, family offices or charitable foundations. The firm has completed some of the largest transactions in the private equity secondary market – $1 billion or more without the need for syndication. However, Coller Capital has also made single investments as small as $1 million in size.
In recent years, Coller Capital has received a number of private equity accolades:
In 2014, the firm won “Financial News’” “Secondaries Firm of the Year” award.
In 2013, the firm won “Financial News’” “European Secondaries Firm of the Year” award.
In 2012, “Real Deals” named the firm Secondaries House of the Year.
In 2012, Coller Capital was also recognised as the most consistent performing fund manager in the secondaries sector by “Private Equity Intelligence (Preqin)”.
In 2011, the firm won “PE International’s’” “Secondaries Firm of the Year” award for the 8th successive year.
In 1998, Coller Capital made the largest secondaries purchase of the time: the US-based Shell Pension Trust’s $265 million private equity portfolio.
In 2000, the firm completed the $1 billion purchase of the National Westminster Bank private equity portfolio from NatWest's acquirer, the Royal Bank of Scotland.
In 2001, Coller Capital made the first significant purchase of a corporate venture portfolio, acquiring 27 technology companies from Lucent's Bell Labs.
In 2004, Coller Capital bought a $900 million portfolio from Abbey National – the largest unsydicated secondaries purchase of its time.
In 2006, Coller Capital invested in ICICI Venture’s India Advantage Fund I – India’s first secondaries transaction.
In 2007, the firm made the largest global secondaries investment in a corporate venture portfolio – Royal Dutch Shell.
Coller Capital’s investments in 2009 included high-profile transactions sourced from quoted private equity players, such as SVG Capital and 3i – for each of which the firm won European Deal of the Year awards [for PE and VC respectively].
In 2010, Coller Capital formed a joint venture with Lloyds Banking Group to purchase a £480m portfolio of assets from the bank – for which the firm won European Secondaries Deal of the Year.
In 2011, Coller Capital acquired 100% of Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE) and the large majority of the funds CAPE manages.
In 2012, the firm acquired a $1.9bn private equity portfolio from Lloyds Banking Group – for which the firm won European Secondaries Deal of the Year from both PEI and Financial News.
In 2013, Coller Capital acquired a number of 'funds' and 'directs' portfolios from leading European and North American financial institutions.
In 2015, the firm become the largest investor in Fair Oaks Income Fund, a fund that invests in collateralized loan obligations.
Coller is a dedicated secondaries investor with interests in over 300 private equity funds and stakes in more than 2,500 private companies throughout the world. The firm also has a multinational investment team and a global reach. Coller is a dedicated secondaries investor and like many of its peers has limited ability to make new commitments to private equity funds.
In 2012, the firm closed its sixth secondaries fund, Coller International Partners VI, with capital commitments of $5.5 billion and backing from almost 200 of the world’s leading institutional investors.
In 2015, Coller closed its seventh secondaries fund, with total commitments of $7.15 billion.
