Contact us

Please fill in this form if you have any questions or require any further information from us. We will get back to you as soon as possible. We are committed to offering you, our client, tailored solutions that meet your individual needs. Please be advised that our range of private banking products and services are available to clients with a minimum investment of €500,000 (France) and €1,000,000 (Luxembourg, Monaco, Italy and Belgium). 
Are you a client? You should contact your private banker.

* Mandatory fields

Contacts

France: +33 (0)1 53 43 87 00 (9am - 6pm)

Luxembourg: +352 47 93 11 1 (8:30am - 5:30pm)

Monaco: +377 97 97 58 00 (9/12am - 2/5pm)

Claims

Investing in a private equity fund

What is private equity?

Private equity is defined as investments in private companies to finance their early development, growth, sale or transfer. Depending on the size and the maturity of the underlying companies, it is possible to invest in this asset class through various types of funds, each of which have a specific role in the life cycle of the company:

  • Venture capital: Investment in innovative start-ups.

  • Growth capital: Supporting the expansion of established companies.

  • Leveraged buyouts (LBOs): Acquisition of companies using equity or debt.

  • Private debt and infrastructure funds, financing long-term infrastructure projects, are also available on the market.

Private equity is also characterised by a strong alignment of interests between managers and investors, as well as managers’ active involvement in value creation. 

Why invest in private equity funds?

Private equity is a key driver of economic growth. It helps businesses grow, creates jobs and elevates new generations of entrepreneurs. It is also a way of diversifying your investment portfolio alongside more traditional asset classes.

How do private equity funds work?

Unlike a direct investment in a private company, when you invest in a private equity fund you delegate value creation to experts and commit to an investment horizon of around 10 years. Our team of experts carefully curates our private equity funds by performing an extensive multi-criteria analysis of the management teams and their strategies.

How do I invest in private equity funds?

We offer a diverse range of private equity funds through Societe Generale Private Banking France’s Real Assets team, Societe Generale Investment Solutions (France) and Societe Generale Investment Solutions (Europe). We select our funds for their value-creation potential and for their alignment with our investment strategies.
Our experts provide you with tailored support throughout the investment process — from determining your investment goals and horizons, selecting funds, to committing capital and monitoring performance. Using our expertise, we work with you to draw up a relevant asset allocation strategy that aligns perfectly with your financial goals.

With you every step of the way

#1

First meeting: You meet with you dedicated banker and, if required, your Societe Generale Private Banking investment advisor.

#2

Assessing your profile: Together, you assess your investor profile, your private equity investment capacity, your investment horizon, the amount available for investment, as well as any private equity allocation you may already have.

#3

Consulting with an expert: A meeting with one of our private equity experts can be arranged if their input is required.

#4

Our investment proposal: Based on your investor profile, we can offer you an opportunity to invest in a private equity fund.

Questions/Answers

Our experts are here to guide your choice of fund by assessing your investment goals and analysing fund performance and strategy, while ensuring optimal alignment with your portfolio.

  • Illiquidity: A private equity investment is often illiquid with limited to zero redemptions possible. 

  • Long investment horizon: Subscribing to a fund is a long-term commitment (around 10 years). The portfolio managers invest in underlying companies and create value over many years before selling the invested stake. You are paid a distribution in return, often in the final years of the investment.

  • Risk of capital loss: Investing in a private equity fund involves a risk of total or partial capital loss (excluding fees) resulting from the disposal of the asset at a price below the adjusted cost base.

Private equity and stock market investments differ primarily in terms of liquidity, access, investment horizon, potential returns and risk. Private equity is less liquid, reserved for investors able to make a long-term capital commitment, offers higher potential returns, but it is higher risk. Stock market investments are more liquid, accessible to the general public, more transparent, but are more exposed to market volatility. Choosing between the two will depend on your financial goals and risk appetite.

The returns generated by a private equity fund depend on the fund’s strategy, economic conditions and the performance of the portfolio companies. They generally outperform the returns of publicly-traded funds, but are not guaranteed and reflect higher risk as well as less liquidity.

Private equity funds cater to all client profiles. They may be suitable for an entrepreneur, a former entrepreneur, or an investor interested in the real economy and in search of performance with limited correlation to the public market. The investor profile you establish will determine this asset class is the right investment choice for you.

Important information

The content provided on this page is for informational purposes only and is not contractually binding. The materials contained herein are not intended to provide investment advice or any other investment service and do not constitute a personal recommendation, advice, or an offer from Societe Generale Private Banking to purchase, sell or subscribe to investment services and/or financial products and/or investments in the aforementioned asset class. Some of the products, services and solutions described can carry various risks and involve the potential loss of the entire invested amount, if not theoretically unlimited loss. As such, they are reserved for a certain category of investors and/or adapted solely for informed investors who are eligible for such products, services and solutions. The information set out above shall not be considered legal, tax or accounting advice.

The wealth management and financial solutions, offers, products, services and activities mentioned on this page depend on each client’s personal situation, the legislation applying to them, and their tax residence. Consequently, the offer presented may not be eligible for implementation, adaptation or approval at all of the Societe Generale Private Banking entities and must comply with Societe Generale Group's Tax Code of Conduct. Furthermore, access to some of these products, services and solutions is subject to specific conditions, notably in respect of eligibility.

Please contact your private banking adviser to check that these offers meet your needs and are suited to your investor profile (knowledge, experience in investment, financial situation, including ability to withstand losses, and investment objectives, including risk tolerance).

Societe Generale Private Banking shall under no circumstances be held liable for any decision taken by a reader on the basis of this information. Before Societe Generale Private Banking can provide a potential investor with an investment service and/or a subscription to financial products, the investor must first be made aware of, understand and sign the related informative and contractual documentation, notably in respect of the associated risks (prospectus, Key Investor Information Document, Term Sheet, etc.). The potential investor must not base his/her investment decision and/or give investment instructions solely on the basis of this document.

All Societe Generale Private Banking entities reserve the right not to update or amend this document and shall accept no liability in this regard. The present document has the sole aim of informing investors, who will make their investment decisions without overly relying on this publication. The Societe Generale Private Banking entities shall under no circumstances be held liable for the accuracy, relevance or exhaustiveness of this information. The Societe Generale Private Banking entities give no explicit or implicit guarantees as to the accuracy or exhaustiveness of this information or of the profitability or performance of any asset class, country or market.

Generally speaking, Societe Generale Group companies may be market makers, conduct transactions involving the securities referred to on this page, and may provide banking services to companies whose asset classes are mentioned on this page, as well as the subsidiaries thereof. Societe Generale Group companies may, from time to time, conduct transactions, generate profits, hold securities or act as adviser, broker or banker in relation to these securities, or derivatives thereof, or in connection with the asset classes mentioned in this document. Societe Generale Group companies may, from time to time, acquire or liquidate positions on the securities, or the underlying assets (including derivatives), mentioned on this page or, where applicable, any other assets. Consequently, this may affect any returns for a potential investor either directly or indirectly. Societe Generale Group companies have no obligation to disclose this page or take it into account in providing advice or conducting transactions with a client or on behalf of a client. The administrative structure of the Societe Generale Group includes all safeguards needed to identify, control and manage conflicts of interest. To this end, Societe Generale Private Banking entities have implemented a conflict of interest management policy to prevent such conflicts of interest. For further details, Societe Generale Private Banking clients may refer to the conflict of interest management policy given to them by the Societe Generale Private Banking entity of which they are clients.