Draft:Abris Capital Partners

Abris Capital Partners is an independent private equity and investment advisory firm investing in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The firm has approximately €1.3 billion of assets under management and operates from offices in Warsaw, Poland, and Bucharest, Romania. Abris has been a certified B Corporation (certification) since 2023.

History
Abris was founded in 2006 to invest in the fast-growing mid-market segment once addressed by Advent International. George Swirski, previously a partner at Advent, joined forces with Neil Milne, the founder of Copernicus Capital Partners, a CEE focused private equity affiliate of Advent, to raise €320 million for its first institutional fund. This closed in 2007 with the Harvard University endowment as the cornerstone investor.

The second Abris fund was raised in 2012 with investment commitments totalling €450m. The ownership of the firm was widened to include Pawel Gierynski, who became Managing Partner in 2018, and Steve Richmond, now the CFO. In 2017, Abris raised a third fund with investment commitments totalling €502 million.

Abris’ investors include a wide range of institutional investors from Europe, the United States, Australia and the Middle East. These include corporate and public pension plans, Financial institutions, Fund of funds and university endowments.

Strategy
Abris invests in mid-market companies within CEE, aiming to help entrepreneurs and management teams expanding within the region and internationally. The firm invests in five strategic areas: Health care, Circular economy, specialty Manufacturing, Logistics and Technology.

Particular focus is on increasing the scale and geographic reach of portfolio companies both through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Abris seeks to increase the value of portfolio investment assets through the systematic implementation of policies to raise the quality of business operations, including the best Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.

Abris was certified as a B Corp in May 2023, becoming the first private equity firm in Central Europe to achieve this accreditation.

Notable investments
Abris has a long-term investment horizon and targets transactions in which it is able to acquire a majority or sole ownership position. Notable investments include:


 * Masterlease: buyout of a vehicle leasing business from GMAC; exit via an Initial public offering on the Warsaw Stock Exchange
 * Alumetal: MBO and expansion of an aluminium processing business; exit via an IPO on the Warsaw Stock Exchange
 * VelvetCARE: Creation of Poland’s largest branded tissue manufacturer which, under Abris' ownership, increased sales by over 250% and EBITDA by over 500%; the business was sold to Partners Group in 2023.
 * ScanMed: Buy-and-build acquisition strategy to create a large Polish medical group

Awards
Abris was a finalist in PEI’s Awards 2021 ‘Firm of the Year in CEE’ and has received awards recognising its commitment to improving portfolio ESG standards, including:


 * In 2017, Abris received the Private Equity Exchange & Awards Best Central and Eastern European Private Equity Fund award
 * In 2021, Abris received UN Principles for Responsible Investment’s Emerging Markets ‘Initiative of the Year Award’ for its ‘Agile & Comprehensive ESG management system’ project
 * In 2021, the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (PSIK) named Abris’ 'ESG Universe 2023' as its ‘ESG Initiative of the Year’
 * In 2022, Abris was named the Winner in the 'Best ESG Investment Fund: Private Equity' category at the ESG Investing Awards.