ACE & Company Bets on Private Markets' Overlooked Opportunities with New ACE Private Equity Platform

Unified Independent Sponsors and Secondaries business targets fragmented lower middle-market and LP-led opportunities

NEW YORK and GENEVA, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ACE & Company today announced the launch of ACE Private Equity, a dedicated business bringing together the firm's Independent Sponsors and Secondaries strategies under a unified platform. Leveraging ACE & Company's more than two decades of private market investing experience and over $2.0 billion in assets under management, ACE Private Equity focuses on areas of the market where access, specialization, and deep relationships are critical to success. By targeting fragmented and often overlooked segments across lower middle market buyouts and secondaries, the platform seeks to uncover differentiated opportunities and create long-term value for investors and partners.

"By bringing our capabilities together under one identity, we are strengthening our ability to provide specialist capital to underserved markets while continuing to source high-quality opportunities and drive long-term value creation for investors," said Rob Callahan, Partner & Co-Head of Independent Sponsors.

ACE Independent Sponsors focuses on partnering with experienced independent sponsors to invest in lower middle-market companies across the United States and Western Europe. The strategy targets high-quality businesses with strong fundamentals and clear operational improvement opportunities, leveraging proprietary deal flow and a highly selective investment approach. The business recently achieved a significant milestone with the first close of ACE Independent Sponsors IV at $143 million, building on the success and performance of prior vintages. Operating in a fragmented and often underserved segment of the market, the strategy seeks to capitalize on attractive entry valuations, strong alignment with management teams, and hands-on value creation initiatives.

ACE Secondaries acquires LP interests in mature private capital funds through relatively small, complex, and often less intermediated secondary transactions. ACE focuses exclusively on LP-led opportunities and is often a buyer of choice for lower-balance secondary interests. The platform recently held the final close of ACE Secondary Investments VIII at $95 million, representing an approximately 80% increase over the previous vintage. The fund continues ACE's established secondary strategy of targeting lower balance transactions that can provide liquidity in a timely and efficient fashion to sellers of all types.

The close comes amid a supportive market backdrop characterized by an unprecedented opportunity to acquire small-sized commitments to high-quality funds, driven by the massive growth in private wealth allocations to alternative investments. Large unrealized private equity NAV, a significant overhang of unsold LBO assets, extended holding periods, and a weaker exit environment continue to support robust secondary market supply.

"Secondary market supply has become structural, with DPI pressure emerging as the number one driver of transaction activity," said Sherif El Halwagy, Partner and Head of Secondaries. "This dynamic is creating an attractive environment for investors with the scale, relationships, and underwriting discipline to capitalize on high-quality secondary opportunities."

As private markets continue to evolve, ACE Private Equity remains focused on identifying opportunities where specialization, partnership, and disciplined execution can create lasting value for investors.

About ACE & Company

ACE & Company is a private equity and venture capital group with more than $2.0 billion in assets under management and over 20 years of investment experience. Headquartered in Geneva, with offices in Zurich, London, New York, and Cairo, the firm operates through three business lines: ACE Ventures, ACE Private Equity, and Investment Solutions. For more information, visit www.aceandcompany.com.

About ACE Private Equity

ACE Private Equity focuses on overlooked segments of private markets where complexity, opacity, and scale create durable investment opportunities. The platform pursues two strategies: Independent Sponsors, targeting lower middle-market buyouts across the United States and Western Europe, and Secondaries, focused on LP-led transactions within mature private equity portfolios. For more information, visit www.aceprivateequity.com.

Contact:
ACE & Company
Elia Innamorati
Investor Relations
[email protected]
+41.22.311.3333