Coller Capital

Coller Capital is one of the largest global investors in the private equity secondary market ("secondaries").^[1][2] It was founded in 1990 by the UK-based investor and philanthropist Jeremy Coller.

Coller Capital

Company type	Private
Industry	Private Equity
Founded	1990; 35 years ago (1990)
Founder	Jeremy Coller
Headquarters	London, W1 United Kingdom
Number of locations	6
Products	Private Equity Secondaries
AUM	$27.5 billion (2023)
Number of employees	200+ (2020)
Website	www.collercapital.com

History

Coller Capital completed its first notable deal in 1998, when it acquired a $265-m portfolio of limited partnership interests from Shell's US Pensions Trust. Secondaries Investor magazine observed that the deal was unusual for its size, being at that point the single biggest secondary transaction on record, with Coller betting his entire $240-m eponymous fund.^[3]

The firm is now among the world’s biggest secondaries specialists.^[4] It has raised over $30-billion across nine funds.^[5][6] Some of its transactions are among the largest in the private equity secondary market, including deals of $1-billion without the need for syndication.^[3] It has also made single investments as small as $1-million.

Although Jeremy Coller did not create secondary investing, both he and his firm have come to be synonymous with the sector, with Private Equity News referring to Coller as "The Godfather of Secondaries".^{[5][7][8][9][10]}

Operations

The firm provides liquidity to private equity investors, acquiring interests in private equity funds, portfolios of private companies, and other private equity-related assets.

As a secondary investor, Coller Capital acquires original investors’ stakes in private equity funds, such as venture capital, buyout and mezzanine funds, together with portfolios of companies or stakes in companies, from financial institutions, corporates, government bodies, family offices or charitable foundations. It holds interests in over 850 private equity funds and around 8,000 companies on behalf of investors.^[5]

Coller Capital operates from offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and Korea. It reports 200+ employees and 29 partners. It has just completed raising capital for its eighth fund.^[5][11][6]

Funds

Fund name	Closed	Commitments
Coller International Partners I	1996	$84 million; now liquidated
Coller International Partners II	1998	$240 million; now liquidated
Coller International Partners III	2000	$712 million; now liquidated
Coller International Partners IV	2002	$2.6 billion; now liquidated [12][13]
Coller International Partners V	2007	$4.8 billion; 200 institutional investors[14]
Coller International Partners VI	2012	$5.5 billion; 200 institutional investors[15]
Coller International Partners VII	2015	$7.15 billion; 170 institutional investors[16]
Coller International Partners VIII	2021	$9 billion[17]
Coller Credit Opportunities I	2022	$1.4 billion[18]

Publications

The firm publishes financial periodicals, white papers and surveys, including those by The Coller Institute of Venture at Tel Aviv University and the Coller Research Institute.

• The Coller Capital Global Private Equity Barometer, a biannual survey of investors.^[19]
• Private Equity Findings, debating academic research into private equity.
• Private Equity Secondary Market, a white paper of the secondary market’s theoretical framework.
• ESG Report, on the policies and practices of Coller Capital general partners.
• Coller Venture Review, aimed at institutional investors and limited partners, venture capitalists, public policymakers, and scholars in related fields, issued by the Coller Institute of Venture at Tel Aviv University.

Awards

Financial News

• European PE Secondaries Firm of the Year x 6
• European Secondaries Deal of the Year

Real Deals

• Secondaries House of the Year x 2

PE International

• Secondaries Firm of the Year x 5
• European Secondaries Firm of the Year x 2
• European Secondaries Deal of the Year x 4
• Global Secondaries Firm of the Year
• Best Secondaries Firm

BVCA

• Responsible Investment Award

Private Equity Wire ^[20]

• European Awards: Best Secondaries Manager
• European Awards: Best Fundraising Firm (Secondaries)

IEMA

• Sustainability Impact Awards: Sustainable Finance Award