Responsible investor
About KC Invest
Kepler Cheuvreux Invest (“KC Invest”), founded in 1998, a subsidiary of the Kepler Cheuvreux group, is a management company regulated by the AMF (French regulator), specialised in supporting entrepreneurs and businesses (SMEs and Midcap companies) in their financing needs.
Kepler Cheuvreux Invest is actively working on the fundraising of its Tech Growth equity strategy Move Capital. Move Capital invests in the cloud, IoT, cybersecurity, and digital transformation thematics. Its “solutions & services” approach to the digital B-to-B universe leads it to target profitable companies or those that are close to the breakeven, through influent minority positions or as majority shareholder.
22t CO2e
KC Invest measures its CO2e emissions (scope 1, 2, 3) to monitor the evolution of its carbon footprint. This score relates to the total emissions of KC Invest for 2022, excluding those of its portfolio companies, focusing solely on the emissions of the management company.
With more than 20 years of experience, Kepler Cheuvreux Invest’s team is attentive to the needs of SMEs and MidCaps and provides financing solutions adapted to each situation.
The members of the KC Invest team contribute, through their involvement alongside the managers of the companies, to the reflections on the strategic orientation, the evolution of the governance, the optimisation of the financial resources and provide their support in the implementation of external growth and the evolution of ESG practices.
While maintaining total independence in the management of Kepler Cheuvreux Invest, Kepler Cheuvreux offers unique advantages to its subsidiary:
- 14 offices / 120 analysts (equities, bonds, ESG): significant pan-European geographical and sectoral coverage listening to local markets
- 40 M&A advisors: a local origination capacity in France and continental Europe
- A natural “cross fertilisation”, which irrigates the group’s businesses
- A stronger presence among institutions and economic actors
Move Capital Strategy
Move Capital is KC Invest’s growth capital strategy. Move Capital focuses on European B2B technology companies offering services and solutions to large corporations facing digitalisation challenges.
The investment scope covers the entire data value chain through 6 well identified and fast-growing sub-sectors: Cloud computing, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0, Digital Transformation and the Internet of things (IoT).
The first closing of the “Move Capital Fund I” was announced in the beginning of 2022. It is a major step allowing the team to deploy capital in support of future European Tech champions. Move Capital’s LPs base is made up of French and European institutional investors (notably EIF and Bpifrance), technology giants (Orange, Nokia and SK Telecom), and French and international family offices.
Move Capital was created by partners who combine unique expertise in the technology and communications industry with unparalleled levels of both financial and operational skills. The partners have an outstanding track record in investing, scaling up and successfully exiting companies in the B2B technology sector.
+10
m€ ticket size per investment
8-10
investments
+20
years of experience in Tech
+600
m€ invested in track record in Growth Equity
Responsible Investor
Cognisant that our responsibility goes beyond the financial sector, several years ago we committed to adhere to a Responsible Investor policy by promoting ESG themes (environment, social, governance) within both our portfolio companies and our teams.
Integration of ESG in our investment policy
Kepler Cheuvreux Invest’s management philosophy is based on transparency and ethics, and is reflected in the firm’s commitment to systematically integrate ESG criteria into our investment analysis.
This ESG analysis is an integral part of our investment process and helps prevent sustainability risks. It has been fully integrated into KC Invest’s risk mapping, in line with Article 3 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (2019/2088).
Our strong objective is to help our portfolio companies improve their environmental, social and governance practices. To achieve that, our teams monitor close to fifty ESG indicators throughout the life of our investments.
Promotion of ESG within our management company
The Responsible Investor approach is fully integrated within our management company as well. All team members have signed our internal Charter (available here), and must take sustainability risks into account in their analyses. Furthermore, such consideration of sustainability risks is one of the criteria used to allocate team members’ variable remuneration, in accordance with Article 5 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (2019/2088).
Support
In order to assist our team members with any issues they may encounter in selecting and monitoring investments, the management company has set up an ESG Advisory Committee.
The Committee also decides on the evolution of our internal ESG charter and is responsible for defining best practices in terms of responsible investment for all KC Invest activities. It meets at least once a year for an annual ESG Advisory Committee meeting, and additional meetings can take place on team members’ request as needed.
Our teams are also supported by external independent experts:
- EthiFinance is an independent French rating, analysis and extra-financial advisory agency created in 2004. Specialised in small and medium-sized companies, listed or unlisted, Ethifinance assists its investor clients, companies or organisations in managing the risks and opportunities related to sustainable development. The agency provides expertise during the investment and monitoring phases, as well as for investor reporting.
- Founded in 2019, Greenly is a French carbon footprint measurement company, which enables companies to measure, reduce and offset their carbon footprint based on international carbon accounting standards such as the GHG Protocol, while engaging their entire ecosystem, from employees to suppliers, in their climate journey. Greenly provides its technology and expertise to proactively manage the carbon emissions reduction policy for scopes 1, 2 and 3, i.e. at the level of KC Invest itself, its investment strategies, and utmost at the portfolio companies.
Engagements
As part of our commitment, we are signatories of :
- France Invest’s Investors’ Charter for Growth since its first publication in 2008
- France Invest’s Charter promoting gender equality in Private Equity and in portfolio companies since its publication in 2020
- The UNPRIs (United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment) since March 2020
- The iCI (Initiative Climat International) since February 2022, to materialise our strong commitment in the fight against climate change in line with the COP21 objective of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius by 2050.
Contact
Kepler Cheuvreux Invest
112, avenue Kleber
75116 Paris
Tél.: +33 (0)1 56 52 02 40
E-mail: [email protected]
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