Paris, 16 February 2021

An impact investing pioneer in the field of smart infrastructures, ZAIST CAPITAL PARTNERS is joining forces with ANDERA PARTNERS to become ANDERA INFRA.

Led by a specialised team of partners with proven operational experience, ANDERA INFRA, through its “Andera Smart Infra 1” fund, will focus exclusively on infrastructure in sectors driving the energy transition, with a value-add strategy. The fund will combine the high profitability levels of private equity with the security of infrastructure, to deliver a tangible and measurable ecological impact.

ANDERA SMART INFRA 1: A €150-200 MILLION FUND INVESTING IN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE WITH A POSITIVE IMPACT

The team will manage a fund of €150-200 million in an innovative market segment that to date has received little attention from infra funds, as the investments involved are often smaller in size (€5 million to €30 million). In this dynamic sector, strong expertise is required, and performance depends directly on the quality of the investment and the operational monitoring of the project, more so than in the conventional infrastructure segment.

ANDERA INFRA’s activities will focus on the energy transition sector, in particular clean energy production and storage, mobility solutions (electric and hydrogen) and green data centres.

Intention, action, measurement, reporting and alignment of interests are the five pillars underpinning the impact strategy of Smart Infra, a pioneer in the implementation of environmental commitments in infrastructure funds. Investments will be geared to achieving a measurable environmental impact coupled with optimal financial returns. In addition, the investment team will take a proactive role in portfolio companies to help them improve their impact. Finally, team remuneration will be based not only on the fund’s financial performance but also its environmental performance, marking a highly innovative approach.

In making this announcement, the new partners at ANDERA PARTNERS said:

Prune des Roches:

“This positioning in green infrastructure makes total sense today because, on the one hand, infrastructure has proved resilient, especially during the health crisis, and, on the other, investing in green infrastructure is the most appropriate and tangible way to act on the climate emergency and protect the planet. By combining our investment and sector expertise with the expertise of ANDERA PARTNERS, we are creating a fund that will meet a real market need and contribute to the collective effort needed to make Europe’s infrastructures greener.”

Guy Auger:

“The decision to join ANDERA PARTNERS resulted from a meeting of minds; it’s also the power of the collective: being able to rely on solid, recognised expertise while remaining independent in terms of management, strategy and investment… The complementarity was clear to us.”

Raphaël Wisniewski and Sylvain Charignon, Managing Partners of ANDERA PARTNERS:

“Welcoming Prune and Guy on board is a great opportunity for Andera Partners. It highlights the attractiveness of our unique model in the Paris financial centre: a genuine partnership in which resources, risks and success are shared and each team enjoys full operational autonomy. This activity is also very much in line with the company’s ESG commitment, “Andera Partners’ Action for Climate & Sustainability” and our CO2 Logic Carbon Neutral label.  With Andera Smart Infra, we are proud to have created the first truly authentic impact fund in the sector.”

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The ANDERA INFRA TEAM

With 28 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 more than 15 years’ experience in the infrastructure market, in investment banking (RBC London) focusing on generalist infrastructure projects, in the development of renewable energy projects (Canopy), as a renewable energy asset manager for infrastructure funds (Greensolver) and on the investment fund side (Demeter Infrastructure).

Guy Auger has 30 years’ experience managing high growth companies, including 15 years in the infrastructure sector. Founder and CEO of Greensolver, a technical services company offering asset management services (over 1.5GW in assets under management in 9 countries), strategic and technical consulting (due diligence covering more than 18GW) and project origination for financial investors. He personally supported these funds in more than a dozen countries, through more than 60 transactions representing over €5 billion in investments. He has worked in the renewable energy sector since 2007, first as deputy general manager of France’s first asset management company focusing on wind power, Eolfi, where he participated in fundraising for the Windfall fund and was a member of the investment committee. After Véolia took a controlling interest in the company, in 2008 he took charge of developing wind and solar energy projects in Europe. He is a board member of “La Plateforme Verte”, a think tank focusing on financing the energy transition.