New Private Equity Firm to Focus on Emerging Asset Mangers

Led by Les Hollis, with 20 years of investing, operating and fundraising experience, Quaestus will invest in asset management firms and actively work with firms to optimize their fundraising, talent recruitment, operations and overall performance. A press release said the firm’s investment focus will be on: 

• Early Stage Funds: Quaestus will invest in individual investment professionals / small teams ready to launch their own ventures. These teams will have a proven track record of managing institutional assets and be poised for a “lift out” or may be currently managing an emerging fund. Quaestus will provide active support in fundraising, institutional marketing, refinement of the investment strategy, team building and business operations. 
• Established Funds: Quaestus will invest in organizations looking for liquidity / capital in order to make an organizational / ownership change, expand into new markets, or address other operating challenges. 

“We see tremendous growth potential within the emerging asset management arena as many firms have proven performance track records yet need capital in order to expand and grow,” said Hollis, in the announcement.  

Prior to Quaestus, Hollis served as CEO of Bivium Capital Partners, LLC, a firm he founded in 2002. Before launching Bivium, Hollis was a key member at Epoch Partners, a start-up investment bank backed by venture firm leaders Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Benchmark Capital and Trident Capital.    

MacFarlane Partners, led by Victor MacFarlane, who has 31 years of real estate experience in property development, acquisitions, asset management and portfolio management on behalf of some of the world’s largest pension plans and institutions leads the equity investment in Quaestus Capital. MacFarlane will also serve as a member of the board of directors.