Lightrock welcomes a new team to develop its public equity strategy

Lightrock expands into global public equities, welcomes an experienced team, and opens an office in the Netherlands

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17 May 2023, London & Utrecht: Lightrock, the global impact investor that backs purpose-driven companies, has decided to expand into the complementary asset class of global small-cap equities and has welcomed a dedicated team to implement this strategy from a new office in Utrecht, The Netherlands– Lightrock’s first office within the EU.  

Since 2021, Lightrock has raised more than $2bn, launched three impact strategies (Lightrock Global Growth, Lightrock LatAm Growth and Lightrock Climate Impact), and added 59 professionals to its team. Building on its encouraging progress, and with the trust and support of strategic investors, Lightrock is broadening its global investment and impact expertise to public equity.

Lightrock has hired Partners Maarten Vankan and Chris Kaashoek from Van Lanschot Kempen to lead a dedicated team and launch a global small-cap strategy later this year. They previously managed more than €2bn in client assets in support of the firm’s global small-cap offering. Maarten and Chris are joining alongside Principal Michiel van Dijk who was previously a member of Van Lanschot Kempen's European small-cap team. 

The new team joins around 100 professionals, including 51 private market investment professionals at Lightrock. Together, they will operate from a network of six offices spanning four continents:  London, Zurich, Utrecht, Bangalore, Sao Paolo and Nairobi.

Commenting on the expansion, Managing Partner & CEO, Pal Erik Sjatil said: “As a leading private market impact investor with a diverse portfolio of scaleups, entering the small-cap company universe is the natural next step for us, as we are aiming to expand our commitment to and expertise in impact. Maarten, Chris and Michiel join us in this ambition with an excellent track record and alignment with our values.”

ENDS

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