20 years of private equity investing with Flexstone Partners
October 17, 2025
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3 min
Hello, I am Eric Deram, CEO of Flexstone Partners. A global private assets investment firm managed by local experts.
To celebrate our 20th year anniversary this year, I would like to take you on a quick tour of our company’s four office locations: Geneva, New York, Paris and Singapore.
Let’s go!
Geneva: our growth trajectory
Flexstone Partners is an entrepreneurial journey which started in 2005, here in Geneva as well as New York and Singapore.
Over the course of a few quarters, a few of us, based in Europe, in the US or in Asia, decided, independently, to start allocating capital on their local private equity markets, on behalf of several large institutional investors. As the four businesses grew, all integrated within the Natixis Investment Managers family from 2013, the decision to create one global investment firm was made.
We launched the brand Flexstone Partners in 2019. Our name reflects our commitment to our signature tailormade approach to private assets investing.
Our offering comprises bespoke management as well as commingled funds in most private assets, including primaries, secondaries and co-investments.
We manage a vibrant emerging managers portfolio. Our flagship co-investment strategy is now in its 5th vintage, with a solid track record. Through more than 400 funds in portfolio, we have helped thousands of companies grow over 20 years. Last year we reached $10bn dollars of asset under management.
As for the future, we continue to innovate to address our clients’ needs. For example, we recently launched a new strategy opened to retail investors.
New York: our focus on the small & middle market
One of the key factors that differentiates Flexstone Partners from its peers is our targeted focus on the lower and middle markets.
We believe this segment to be the largest universe of investment opportunities. Small and mid-cap unlisted companies represent the bulk and the backbone of the real economy globally. They have proven business models and provide crucial products and services but, because they aren’t as exciting as the latest tech startup, they often lack capital and need help to grow.
And this is where we support professionals who can add value without financial leverage, by improving the way they operate, mostly organically, for instance by implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning system, consolidating sales teams or improving processes.
By channelling capital towards the long-term growth of businesses across the illiquid spectrum, we make a real impact on customers, we create value, and this value eventually comes back as attractive returns for our investors.
Paris: our ability to tailor investment solutions
The second key aspect about Flexstone Partners is our bespoke approach. We believe that a strong alignment of interest is key for our collective success. That is why, while we do manage some commingled funds across various private markets strategies, three quarters of our investment solutions are dedicated solutions that have been created for and managed on behalf of a specific client.
And, through our outsourced CIO services, we consider ourselves as an extension of our clients’ investment teams.
Singapore: our privileged access to GPs and deals globally
The 3rd key aspect of Flexstone Partners is our privileged access to small and mid market General Partners and deals that are not widely syndicated.
In private equity, in particular on the lower and middle market segments, having established relationships with General Partners and investors is key. And, with offices in Europe, North America and Asia, Flexstone is on the ground to leverage relationships, established over more than 20 years, to support leading managers and support new ones. We provide our clients with access to opportunities across the globe with an emphasis on high conviction managers.
This very selective approach has helped us achieve consistent top quartile returns with a very low loss ratio. Since 2005, no portfolio managed by Flexstone Partners has delivered a negative performance.
Conclusion
This is Flexstone Partners in a nutshell.
We look forward to continuing our journey with you for the next 20 years with exciting new investment opportunities!