About us
We are entrepreneurs and former business operators having lived and invested in Asia for many years.
Our story
We meet about 100 management teams across the region and have built a local team, allowing us to exploit non-English disclosures.
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Thanks to our entrepreneurial background, we tend to dig deeper in companies’ strengths, organizational structures as well as growth and profitability drivers. As a large number of listed companies are still led by the founding family or team, our similar professional DNA allows us to build relationships and engage with management on potential improvements, particularly in terms of capital allocation and corporate governance.
Our diverse portfolio shares common characteristics. While we are generalists, we like business and consumer services sectors with capital-efficient and cash-flow generative companies. We favor businesses with strong and stable market shares, as a clear evidence of competitive moat or superior execution, and with profitability protected from market cycles, even when servicing a cyclical sector.
We are the largest investor in our funds ensuring the right alignment with external investors that have entrusted Ascender Capital to manage part of their capital.
Our history
Firm
Inception
inception of Ascender Capital in Hong Kong and launch of first fund (AGVF)
UCITS
launch
Strategy offered as a UCITS fund (EAAVF)
AsiaHedge
Awards
AGVF voted Winner in Asia Hedge Awards (Asia inc. Japan)
Cayman
long-only
Launch of a fully-invested, long only fund (AAF)
AsiaHedge
Awards
AGVF nominated in Asia Hedge Awards (Asia inc. Japan)
AsiaHedge
Awards
AGVF nominated in Asia Hedge Awards (Asian equity)
Meet our team
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Prior to founding Ascender in Hong Kong in 2012, Edouard had a successful career as an entrepreneur. He co-founded Sendit AB, a Swedish telecom software company, that was acquired by Microsoft in 1999. He then set up and managed Microsoft’s Mobile Internet Business in Asia. In 2002, he became the lead investor and CEO of Incomit AB, which was later acquired by BEA Systems (Oracle). Since 2005, Edouard has been an active investor across private and public markets, co-founding Piton Capital in 2009 and Ascender Capital in 2012. Edouard holds an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and an MBA from INSEAD.
Jean-Charles joined Ascender in early 2020 with over 20 years of experience as an investor and finance executive. He started his career in investment banking with Merrill Lynch before joining European private equity firm Doughty Hanson, where he led leveraged buyout investments in the French market. Jean-Charles moved to Hong Kong in 2013 and invested in the quality control company Qima (formerly AsiaInspection), assuming the newly-created CFO position. At Qima, he led the group’s international expansion through acquisitions across Asia, Latin America and the US, accelerating growth and institutionalizing the business before it was acquired by a private equity firm. Jean-Charles holds a Master in Finance from HEC Paris.
Jiayi joined Ascender Capital as an Analyst in early 2020. Prior to Ascender, Jiayi was an Investment Analyst at Seiga Asset Management and Snow Lake Capital, where he covered China-focused public equities from 2012 to 2019. Jiayi started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst with J.P. Morgan in Hong Kong from 2009 to 2011. He graduated from Wesleyan University, with a BA in Economics and Physics. Jiayi is fluent in Mandarin and English.
Jason joined Ascender Capital as an Analyst in August 2023. Prior to Ascender, Jason was an analyst at Fidelity International and a pan-Asia hedge fund, where he covered China and Hong Kong equities for five years. He holds a MSc In Management from London Business School and a BSc in Financial Management from Fudan University. Jason is fluent in Mandarin and English.
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Ricky joined Ascender Capital in November 2021. Having previously worked at Sterling Private Management Limited (a prominent HK based family office) and RBC Investor Services, he has over eleven years of experience in fund and investment operations. He Is a qualified accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Macquarie University, Sydney. He speaks fluent Cantonese and English, as well as conversational Mandarin.
Nana works closely with Ascender Capital as an interpreter. She currently serves as the CEO of iProfess Partners, LLC, offering translation, interpretation and IR consulting services around the globe. She also is the Technical Director for the Japanese Institute of Certified Accountants (JICPA). Nana is a US CPA and has over 10 years of working experience with Deloitte Touche in Japan and the U.S. In particular, she has extensive knowledge and experience in the field of auditing, M&A financial due diligence and IFRS. Nana graduated from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, with a BA in Economics. Nana is fluent in Japanese and English.