Australis Parnters has closed its first Latin American middle market private equity fund, Australis Partners Fund LP, with a total of US$379m in capital committed, exceeding it’s US$375m target. 

(Press Release) Australis Partners announced that it has recently completed the final close of its first Latin American middle market private equity fund, Australis Partners Fund LP, with committed capital of US$379m, exceeding its US$375m fundraising target. The investor base includes leading institutional investors in the United States, Canada and Europe. Australis Partners Fund will be managed by Managing Partner Enrique Bascur, and Partners Cristián Celis, Alex Manzo and Juan Pablo Pallordet. With offices in New York and Santiago, Chile, the firm intends to deploy the fund’s capital, making control or influential equity investments in established middle market companies primarily operating in Australis Partners’ core markets of Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile (the Pacific Alliance). The partners have significant private equity experience in the Latin America region, having worked together for more than 17 years.

Australis Partners intends to invest in each of these countries, leveraging local and sector knowledge as well as effective in-country networks built over the course of the senior investment professionals’ careers to pursue the most compelling opportunities. The firm will focus on companies with enterprise values greater than US$100m driven by broader long term sustainable market trends including the emerging middle class, expansion of infrastructure and energy consumption, as well as the development of a competitive advantage in non-commodity exports.

“We are very grateful for the confidence and support of our limited partners and will seek to develop and promote sustainable value-building strategies with management for the benefit of our portfolio companies and to deliver liquidity for our investment partners,” said Managing
Partner Enrique Bascur. Park Hill Group acted as placement agent for Australis Partners and legal advice was provided
by Dechert LLP.