Commonfund Capital Closes 3rd Global Private Equity Fund at $236 Million

Commonfund Capital Global Private Equity Partners III, L.P. Includes Capital Commitments from Pensions, Foundations, Endowments, Insurance Companies and Family Offices

Wilton, CT, September 15, 2021 – Commonfund Capital today announced the closing of its third global private equity fund, Commonfund Capital Global Private Equity Partners III, L.P., at $236.6 million, above its prior global fund that closed at $228.8 million. The fund had strong participation from existing limited partners as well as a number of new investors; limited partners included pensions, foundations, endowments, insurance companies, family offices and sophisticated clients of registered investment advisors and consultants.

Commonfund Capital has been investing in private equity since 1988 and specializes in smaller and medium sized funds and managers that are sector and geographic specialists, many of which are capacity constrained and difficult for investors to access [1]. 

According to London-based Managing Director Miriam Schmitter, head of Commonfund Capital’s private equity investments outside the U.S., “This partnership is designed to serve as a complete global private equity investment program that enables investors to commit to a single partnership and access private equity opportunities in the U.S., Europe and other developed markets and in select emerging markets. The partnership is intended for investors looking for a complete, alpha-focused private equity solution backing highly sought after and niche managers.”

The fund intends to have a concentrated number of managers in each geography that demonstrate the ability to identify compelling investment opportunities, partner with successful portfolio company management teams and add value through strategic, financial, and operating expertise specific to their sector of specialization (such as healthcare, information technology, specialty manufacturing and business services). Schmitter also commented, “In addition to select primary manager commitments, for return purposes as well as for J-curve mitigation, the fund will have exposures to secondaries and select co-investments.” And she added, “We are very appreciative of the continued support from existing investors and we welcome new investors in our third global fund."

Since Commonfund Capital's inception in 1988, it has managed close to $19 billion in cumulative commitments from investors, approximately $9 billion of which is within the buyouts and growth equity stages of private equity through its global funds, geographic-specific funds, and separate accounts. The remaining commitments consist of venture capital ($6 billion), real assets and environmental sustainability ($3.3 billion) and multi-assets ($0.7 billion).

About Commonfund Capital

Commonfund Capital, Inc. (“Commonfund Capital”) is a global private capital solutions provider. Commonfund Capital invests with value-creating partners into primarily small- and mid-sized companies. Since Commonfund Capital’s founding in 1988, its mission has remained the same: to provide quality investment solutions in private equity, venture capital and real assets and sustainability. Through commingled investment partnerships and customized separate accounts, Commonfund Capital offers investors intentionally designed private capital portfolios constructed with primary investments, secondaries and co-investments and builds investment programs by partnering with underlying managers that it believes are among the world’s leading private capital firms.

Commonfund Capital is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of The Commonfund for Nonprofit Organizations, with offices in Wilton, CT; New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; London, UK; and Beijing, China. All securities are distributed through Commonfund Securities, Inc., a member of FINRA. For additional information about Commonfund Capital, please contact cciinfo@commonfund.org.

About Commonfund

Commonfund was founded in 1971 as an independent asset management firm with a grant from the Ford Foundation. Today, Commonfund provides investment solutions to sophisticated investors through two affiliates. Commonfund Capital is a global private capital manager with over 30 years of experience offering a full suite of private investment strategies to sophisticated investors, both nonprofit and for-profit; and Commonfund Asset Management Company provides outsourced CIO services designed for nonprofit institutions using investment sub-advisers for discretionary and non-discretionary engagements. All securities are distributed through Commonfund Securities, Inc., a member of FINRA. www.commonfund.org.

Important Notes

1. Capacity-constrained managers are fund managers that accept only a limited number of investors and/ or were oversubscribed in their last vintage fund. The assessment of whether managers are capacity-constrained is based on Commonfund Capital’s internal database, qualitative assessment and conversations with managers and has not been independently verified.
   
   The information provided in this release is for general information purposes only and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, options, futures, or other derivatives related to securities in any jurisdiction. This release is also not an offer or solicitation to participate in any particular trading strategy. All Commonfund investment funds are offered only by means of detailed offering memoranda and related disclosure materials. Potential investors should read all such materials with care prior to investing. Certain Commonfund funds impose various eligibility requirements (see www.commonfund.org). Securities are distributed by Commonfund Securities, Inc., a member of FINRA. Advisory services are provided by Commonfund Asset Management Company, Inc. and Commonfund Capital, Inc., both are registered as investment advisers with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).