NEW YORK, September 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Richmond Global Compass Capital, LP, the first-ever sustainability focused global multi-asset fund employing machine learning to extract material metrics in Environment, Social, and Governance, is now officially open to outside investment. Compass' general partners have invested over $20 million as part of the fund's seed capital and seek to raise $500 million.
Founded in June 2016, the firm is led by Peter Kellner and a team of experts in international sustainability, global macro investing, data science and risk management with proven track records at firms such as 3G Capital, Verde Fund, Richmond Global Ventures, Endeavor and Goldman Sachs. Advisors to the firm are: Professor Dan Esty, Yale Law School; Dr. Erik Allen, MIT & Rho A.I.; Bill Drayton, Founder & CEO, Ashoka; and Professor George Serafeim, Harvard Business School.
"As a society, we are creating a world where more positive impact means better economics," said George Serafeim, Harvard Business School Professor and RGC Advisor.
"Understanding sustainability as a critical megatrend has become a corporate and national imperative - and investors increasingly want to know which companies and nations are leading the charge to bring ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors into their business and sovereign strategies," observes Yale Professor and RGC Advisor Dan Esty.
"In the last decade, sustainable investing has come a long way. Over the next 30 years, $30 trillion will be passed down from baby boomers to Generation X to Millennials with 84% of Millennials interested in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investments. Unfortunately, existing investment opportunities have not adapted to demand and existing ESG products leave alpha on the table. Compass is dedicated to the positive impact of ESG investments on performance and profitability," said Founder Peter Kellner.
While most existing ESG strategies are private and single-asset focused or long-only equity funds, Compass seeks to achieve its investment objective by assessing investment and trading opportunities across global asset classes such as equities, credit, currencies, rates and commodities and allocating capital to strategies believed to offer the most attractive risk-adjusted returns. Artificial intelligence identifies material ESG datasets to integrate into fundamental analyses of a given corporate or sovereign asset class.
The Compass Fund Founders' Shares ended its first year of trading in May 2018, returning 12.95% net against the HFRX HF Index benchmark of 2.88%. Its second fiscal year to date returned 2.78% v. 0.11% for the HFRX HF Index. It also outperformed the longest equities bull run in history, as well as bonds. It is now officially open to outside investment as a global multi-asset ESG Fund aiming to deliver a new level of return and sustainability benefits.
As further evidence of Compass' passion for sustainability, Chairman & CEO Peter Kellner recently published a paper on capitalism's critical role in fighting climate change highlighting the dire social, environmental, and economic consequences of inaction as well as the abundant rewards if great investors with trillions in assets behind them lead a capitalistic course correction. Chief Investment Officer Decio Nascimento is in the first cohort of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential and all members of the firm's Investment Team hold the FSA Credential. As signatories of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing (UN PRI), Compass is committed to responsible investments with the goal of enhancing returns, managing risks, and ultimately benefitting the environment and society as a whole.
For further information, visit https://rgcompass.com or call +1-212-350-0222.
Media Contact:
Charlotte Luer
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