Opening Doors for Private Equity: LIQID Reduces Barrier to Investments with Leading Funds to €10,000

• LIQID Private Equity NXT takes the next step in the democratization of an exclusive asset class through co-investments with leading private equity funds.
• With an intuitive digital onboarding and a monthly savings plan, access to private equity becomes as easy as an ETF investment. 
• Co-investment strategy enables lean fee structure.
• New partner Neuberger Berman is one of the world’s largest and most successful private equity investors.

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Berlin, May 14, 2024 - LIQID, Germany's pioneer in digital wealth management for affluent investors, announces the launch of LIQID Private Equity NXT, lowering the entry barrier to the traditionally most successful asset class. Return-focused investors looking to sustainably grow their wealth can now invest alongside the world's leading private equity funds from €10,000 with a monthly savings plan starting at €200 or a one-time investment starting at €20,000. LIQID customers can therefore implement the multi-asset strategy of the most successful family offices for a fraction of the traditional minimum investment.

Christian Schneider-Sickert, founder and CEO of LIQID, says, "With NXT, we are making investing in private equity almost as convenient as an ETF savings plan. Previously, private equity was reserved for professional investors and high-net-worth-individuals. Now, the entrepreneurs and creators of today and tomorrow can grow their wealth by investing in this high-yield asset class. This is an important step on our mission to democratize the investment philosophy of the best family offices for a broader circle of investors."

Efficient co-investment strategy with a diversified portfolio  ‍

Moritz von Rhein, Head of Private Markets at LIQID, says, "Unlike conventional fund-of-funds, NXT does not invest in the private equity funds, but instead directly invests in selected companies of the global mid-market alongside leading managers. Such co-investments are particularly cost-efficient and have to date only been accessible to large institutional investors. To diversify risks, we are looking to build a broad portfolio of around 100 co-investments for NXT.

‍Strategic partnership with one of the most successful investors in private equity

For its new offering, LIQID is partnering with Neuberger Berman, a global asset manager based in New York. Neuberger Berman manages assets of more than $470 billion, around $91 billion of which are in private equity. With the co-investment strategy that underlies NXT, Neuberger Berman has invested in more than 400 companies since 2009, achieving high returns for its institutional investors.

For the continuous evolution of NXT, LIQID has established a new Private Equity Expert Committee, which includes José Luis González Pastor (Managing Director, Neuberger Berman), Dr. Florian Heinemann (Founding Partner, Project A), and Philipp Klöckner (Advisor KKR Tech SWAT, Angel Investor & Podcaster). Additional members are planned for the third quarter of 2024.

Investments through a global platform

José Luis González Pastor, Managing Director in the Private Equity team at Neuberger Berman, says: "We are delighted that together with LIQID we can offer private investors even better access to private equity. LIQID's client platform and Neuberger Berman's long-standing expertise complement each other perfectly. Neuberger Berman has been active in the private markets for more than 35 years and has built up a global investment platform with 430 experts. This enables us to offer private investors the same advantages that were previously only available to institutional investors in the private equity sector. These include high historical returns and, compared to public markets, long-term excess returns lower volatility and diversification benefits."

New regulatory regime sets foundation for NXT

LIQID started investing in leading private equity funds, including Advent, Bain Capital, Bridgepoint, Cinven, CVC, KKR and Permira, in 2017. The company currently manages around 800 million in private equity and related asset classes.

For regulatory reasons, investments in private equity by EU-investors were previously limited to experienced investors able to invest at least €200,000. This changes with the new ELTIF 2.0 regime, which also makes regular liquidity options possible. "LIQID Private Equity NXT takes advantage of the regulatory opportunities of ELTIF 2.0 and offers our clients an investment solution that meets highest professional standards. In just a few clicks, they can invest on par with institutional investors," concludes Christian Schneider-Sickert.

About LIQID

‍‍LIQID is a bank-independent wealth tech company with offices in Berlin and Munich that enables sophisticated entrepreneurs and creators to invest at family office level. LIQID manages assets totalling around 3 billion euros and offers exclusive investment solutions that were formerly reserved for institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals. Alongside tailored wealth management starting at 100,000 euros, these include professionally curated portfolios from the world's leading private equity and venture capital funds. 

The company is backed by strong partners like HQ Trust, the multi-family office of the Harald Quandt family and LGT, a private bank owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. According to the Financial Times, LIQID is one of the fastest growing companies in Europe. Since 2017, the company has been awarded annually for its asset management by the German financial magazine Capital and the independent ranking institute firstfive AG. 

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About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman is an employee-owned, private, independent investment manager founded in 1939 with over 2,800 employees in 26 countries. The firm manages $474 billion of equities, fixed income, private equity, real estate and hedge fund portfolios for global institutions, advisors and individuals. Neuberger Berman’s investment philosophy is founded on active management, fundamental research and engaged ownership. UNPRI named the firm a Leader, a designation awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms for excellence in environmental, social and governance practices. Neuberger Berman has been named by Pensions & Investments as the #1 or #2 Best Place to Work in Money Management for each of the last ten years (firms with more than 1,000 employees). Data as of March 31, 2024.

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