Dubai/Hamburg – GENUI, a European mid-market buy-out investor, has been invited as one of only three private equity firms globally to participate in the COP28 Leadership Interview Series, in recognition of its sustainable investment approach. The interviews portray approximately 50 global corporations, medium-sized companies and investment firms at the forefront of driving innovation and positive change by integrating sustainability into the core of their operations.
See GENUI interview about the firm’s “Good Entrepreneurship” approach.
Investing together with globally renowned entrepreneurs
Founded in 2014 by a group of four globally successful German entrepreneurs and four investment professionals, GENUI set out to bridge the gap between true entrepreneurship and private equity. The company focuses on investing in medium-sized companies in Europe, particularly in the DACH region, offering the networks and expertise of its meanwhile more than 30 entrepreneurs to support strong growth.
Max Odefey, Co-Founder and Managing Director of GENUI, remarks: “We founded GENUI to combine the best of both worlds – entrepreneurial spirit and private equity acumen. Our goal was to have a positive impact alongside financial success.”
Contributing to the transition to a more sustainable economy
Initially, GENUI invested its first fund agnostically across sectors. During the establishment of its second €700m fund, GENUI’s focus shifted toward companies contributing to good health, digitalization, and environmental transformation. And, GENUI started encouraging portfolio companies to contribute to a more sustainable economy and society. Many portfolio companies started measuring carbon footprints, exploring reduction measures, and investing in CO2 offsetting projects as well as measuring and moving towards equal pay.
Max Odefey highlights: “Everything starts with the right culture. We strive to promote a highly entrepreneurial culture and one that attracts great company leadership who ‘do the right things right’. That is what we call Good Entrepreneurship.”
Portfolio companies tackling society’s key challenges
In the interview, Max Odefey provides some examples of how GENUI portfolio companies contribute to tackling some of society’s central tasks: “Our portfolio company Westbridge, for example, is Europe’s leading player helping institutional real estate owners to decarbonize their portfolios. Portfolio company Valeara, a psychiatric day care operator, ensures access to treatment of depression and anxiety disorders with significantly reduced waiting times.”
Featured Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash.