“Private equity without surprises: that is the strength of this evergreen fund.”

I need more transparency and control over the investment process. I come from a real estate background, where I have always regarded my investments as direct investments: tangible, clear and manageable. But real estate requires intensive management, even with an experienced team. That burden stood in the way of focusing on the things I currently find important and meaningful, such as my start-up HumanChoice, through which I help people make better choices. With listed equities, the opaque layer of valuation gets in the way for me, and I lack clarity on what is actually happening. Private markets offer me greater insight and control. That said, I do still hold listed equities to meet my liquidity needs.

What I mainly expect from investing in private markets, and specifically private equity, is peace of mind and structure. I am looking for a strong return. Of course, a return of 10% or more is attractive, but it is also important that the process is well organised and manageable. Naturally, the market also plays a role, but the process itself is professional. Because BB Capital has structured this well, I do not need to be constantly involved. I want to invest and then not have to monitor it too often, for example no more than once a quarter, while my wealth grows in a solid way.

I explored several routes before making my choice. My search actually began years ago, with relatively small investments in venture capital funds, although the entry threshold was still much higher at the time.

In recent years, I have looked more broadly. Listed equities, both through trackers and active management, felt abstract to me, as mentioned before. That said, I do still hold them for liquidity and additional diversification.

I do not see bonds as an option, because the risk-return balance does not feel right. Of course, I am also an entrepreneur and used to taking risks. I am not someone who only seeks certainty. For me, certainty comes from having things well organised.

My preference was for direct investments in companies, because that is where I feel the strongest connection. But I do not have the time to do that myself, let alone the capacity to build and manage an entire portfolio. That is why I started looking at structures that come as close as possible to that, while still offering diversification. I looked at funds focused on sustainability, funds supporting technology, and funds mainly focused on innovation. This brought me into contact with several parties, and I also invested in some of them. But they are all closed-end funds, which means they eventually close and involve capital calls. I felt that could be improved. Ultimately, I found BB Capital, which not only offers returns, but also works very professionally and is transparent in its decision-making. Private equity in a fund-of-funds structure, with broad diversification across years, sectors and regions, and a solution for capital calls through the evergreen structure. Smartly organised. I also appreciate the slightly stronger focus on European companies.

I want to create space for what matters to me: alongside the financial objective, that also means entrepreneurship and ensuring that everyone is treated with respect. That requires an investment structure that generates strong returns, but above all also provides peace of mind. In addition, wealth has always had a social purpose for me. In my real estate activities, I look beyond returns alone. I take into account all stakeholders, from tenants to municipalities and local residents. I want to see that same sense of responsibility reflected in the way I invest today. It should be future-focused, without putting the financial result in second place.

I specifically chose BB Capital because their evergreen model combines my most important requirements. It solves the issue of ‘idle capital’ in private equity: there are no unexpected capital calls and cashflow management is clear. Within an evergreen fund, the full investment amount starts generating returns from day one.

Through its fund-of-funds, BB Capital provides strong diversification and greater stability in returns, without me having to follow up on each underlying fund myself. Another aspect that carries significant weight for me is the presence of preferred participations. These add another layer of certainty and cashflow stability within the fund, strengthening the overall return. All of this also helps keep costs under control, something I had much less confidence in with other providers. And perhaps most importantly: I place great value on the people within the organisation. From the very first contact, I felt I was speaking with professional and highly knowledgeable people. I see that reflected in their approach: they take responsibility, both towards investors and towards the companies in which they invest through their direct portfolio.

I value the personal involvement of the BB Capital team. They are accessible, think along with you and have a clear story. Their ambition to build an institution that not only offers returns, but also takes responsibility, and above all aims to be ‘smart’, aligns with my own vision. I also see my investment with BB Capital as a form of testing. My first investment was partly intended to experience whether the system works as I had hoped. So far, that experience has been positive. It also gives me the confidence to think further ahead, for example in the context of wealth transfer. In that respect, I have now allocated part of my wealth to the NextGen impact fund, as an investment for our son. A sustainable strategy focused on the next generation. That fund still has to prove itself, as it does not yet have a track record, but it aligns well with the vision I have for the future. At the same time, it requires further reflection and careful consideration, precisely because it is about more than returns alone. The question there is: how does social impact relate to financial performance? That is a decision I make consciously.