About us
Astelia Capital is a private investment company dedicated to Swiss SMEs.
Astelia Capital is a Geneva-based private investment company partnering with best-in-class management teams and entrepreneurs in Switzerland.
Astelia Capital takes long-term commitments and aims to deliver lasting, positive impact for all stakeholders.
Investment strategy
We identify, preserve and strengthen exceptional companies.
We invest in established Swiss Small and Medium Enterprises by providing tailored transmission solutions and growth financing.
We back ambitious entrepreneurs and management teams in the execution of well-articulated development plans. We provide our portfolio companies with strategic, financial and operational expertise in conjunction with access to our proprietary ecosystem.
Our focus
We look for established Swiss companies with the following characteristics.
Sustainable competitive advantage
Strong differentiation and the potential to remain or become market leader
Growing and low-cyclicality sectors
Low exposure to economic cycles or technological risk and underlying growth
Experienced management teams or entrepreneurs
We seek to work with strong and aligned management team
Well-established business model
Track record of growth and consistent ability to be profitable
EBITDA between CHF 1 and 5 millions
EBITDA ranging between CHF 1 and 5 millions and healthy cash flow conversion
Majority or significant minority ownership
We play an active role in the development of the company alongside management
Advisory
We support established entrepreneurial families in their direct investment strategies.
Some investors have their own projects and opportunities and leverage Astelia Capital’s in-house investment and transaction expertise.
We provide tailor made in-house and independent analysis of international standards. These services span from opportunity analysis and due diligence to deal execution and value creation as well as board representation.
Team
Experienced and complementary team that shares a passion for growing businesses.
Philippe Ducrest
Co-founder and Partner
Philippe co-founded Astelia Capital and is a Partner.
After graduating from HEC Lausanne and Imperial College, Philippe began his career at Parthenon-EY in London, advising on buy-and sell-side commercial due diligence for private equity clients.
Philippe started in the private equity industry in 2017 and joined the direct investment team at Partners Group, a Swiss-based global private equity firm. At Partners Group, he was involved in several transactions across sectors and deployed over USD 2.5 billion of equity.
Philippe is a Swiss national and speaks English and French.
Théodore Sarasin
Co-founder and Partner
Théodore co-founded Astelia Capital and is a Partner.
After graduating from Hong Kong University, Théodore began his career in the Luxury and Consumer Goods Industry in Asia and Europe at Richemont Group and Caran d’Ache.
After completing an MBA at INSEAD, Théodore entered the private equity industry and joined the direct investment team of Partners Group, a Swiss-based global private equity firm. At Partners Group, Théodore was involved in several transactions in the consumer and industrial sectors.
Théodore is a Swiss national and speaks English, French and Mandarin.