The asset management firm has announced the first closing of its Andera Smart Infra 1 fund, an impact infrastructure fund dedicated to the energy transition
Andera Partners, a leading private equity player focusing on high-growth SMEs and mid-caps in France and internationally, has completed an initial €84 million fundraising for its Andera Smart Infra 1 fund. This success reflects investors’ strong appetite for the green infrastructure sector and validates the investment thesis of the Andera Infra team, which joined Andera Partners in February 2021.
The team is already working on finalising the fund’s first transactions, alongside its ongoing fundraising. Subscribers to the Andera Smart Infra 1 fund – including Banque des Territoires, l’Auxiliaire, CARCDSF and UMR – showed strong support for the strategy implemented by Andera Partners, demonstrating the confidence that the investors have in the team and its responsible, eco-friendly investment approach.
Guy Auger and Prune des Roches, partners at Andera Partners and co-managers of the Andera Infra team, commented: “We are very proud to welcome these leading partners to our Smart Infra fund. By supporting firms that develop infrastructure to drive the energy transition, the fund will contribute to the rollout of hundreds of green infrastructure projects, making a significant positive environmental and regional impact. Our portfolio companies will build the world of tomorrow, and our investors will be proud to have contributed to it.”
Cédric Desmedt, Deputy Director of the Banque des Territoires’ Energy and Ecological Transition Department: “Investing in Andera Smart Infra 1 is one of the actions taken by Banque des Territoires under the Climate Plan that it is implementing together with Bpifrance. By investing in this fund, we are supporting project developers who are taking positive steps towards more sustainable regions. By being part of the ecosystem surrounding these companies, we will, if need be, be able to help finance their assets.”
The success of this fundraising, achieved through a successful collaboration between Andera and Hexagone Finance, is a mark of recognition for the performance of Andera Infra’s specialist experienced team, led by its two partners, Prune Des Roches and Guy Auger. Through its Andera Smart Infra 1 fund, Andera Infra focuses exclusively on infrastructure in the energy transition sectors, in particular the production and storage of renewable energies, mobility solutions and green data centres. Its value-add strategy aims to use an active and dynamic management approach to enhance its financial performance.
The ANDERA INFRA TEAM
With 30 years’ combined experience in green infrastructure sectors, Prune des Roches and Guy Auger (formerly of Zaist Capital Partners) have been working together for over 10 years, focusing exclusively on
eco-friendly transactions. The team has been building its expertise since the market first developed.
Prune des Roches has 15 years’ experience in the infrastructure market: first on the investment banking side (RBC London) focusing on large infrastructure projects, then in renewable energy project development (Canopy), then as head of external growth for a technical consulting firm specialising in renewable energies (Greensolver), and most recently on the investment fund side (Demeter Infrastructure).
Guy Auger has 30 years’ experience managing high growth companies, including 15 years in the infrastructure sector: first as Deputy General Manager of Eolfi, France’s first asset management firm
focusing on wind power, then, after Véolia acquired a controlling interest, as head of the wind and solar development activities in Europe. Subsequently, as founder and CEO of Greensolver – a technical services company specialising in renewable energies – he personally supported infrastructure funds in more than a dozen countries through more than 60 transactions representing more than €5 billion in investments. He is a member of the board of “La Plateforme Verte”, a think tank focusing on financing the energy transition.