Institutional investors, including pension funds, insurance companies, and family offices, face the complex challenge of delivering strong financial returns while simultaneously meeting escalating demands for sustainability and positive impact. They are under increasing pressure from regulators, clients, and their own mandates to integrate robust Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria into their portfolios. However, identifying, evaluating, and accessing high-quality private market investments that are genuinely sustainable and not merely “greenwashed” is a significant hurdle. This is especially true in specialized, deep-tech sectors like ocean health, which require niche expertise that these institutions often lack in-house. The core pain point is the difficulty in finding a trusted partner who can provide access to these unlisted opportunities while offering rigorous, verifiable proof that the investments align with both financial performance targets and measurable impact goals.
SWEN Capital Partners, led by Jérôme Delmas, looks to actively address this investment/ESG gap. It positions itself as a leader in responsible / sustainable investing, integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into its investment strategy. As of June 2025, it oversees or advises on over €9.5 billion in cumulative commitments from clients, with more than 150 institutional clients and a team of 120 professionals.
SWEN Capital Partners traces its origins back to 2008, when it was created within the OFI Group to specialize in non listed investments. Over the years, the company steadily built its expertise in private equity, infrastructure, and private debt while integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into its investment philosophy. In 2015, SWEN CP became an independent management company, marking a new phase of growth and autonomy while retaining strong ties with institutional shareholders. The firm’s mission has consistently emphasized aligning finance with sustainability by supporting companies and projects that deliver both financial performance and positive environmental or social outcomes. Reinforcing this commitment, in 2023 SWEN CP adopted the status of a mission driven company, embedding its impact goals in its bylaws and making sustainability a legal and strategic cornerstone of its operations.
SWEN Capital Partners offers a diversified range of investment strategies across private equity, infrastructure, private debt, and impact investing. Its private equity programs include multi strategy funds, co investments, and dedicated mandates that give institutional investors access to a broad selection of unlisted opportunities. In infrastructure, SWEN CP manages both multi strategy vehicles and climate impact funds that channel capital into renewable energy, green mobility, and sustainable infrastructure projects. The firm also operates private debt strategies, particularly mezzanine financing, that blend debt and equity features while maintaining ESG standards.
Beyond financial returns, SWEN has positioned itself as a pioneer in impact investment with initiatives such as the SWEN Blue Ocean funds, which support innovative companies focused on regenerating ocean biodiversity and addressing critical environmental challenges. Complementing these investment solutions, SWEN CP provides tailored services to clients, including advisory, portfolio monitoring, cash flow modeling, and detailed ESG reporting, ensuring that both financial and impact goals are met.
SWEN Capital Partners approach has attracted a wide range of institutional investors, including pension funds, insurance companies, mutual groups, family offices, and public institutions. A notable example is the SWEN Blue Ocean 2 fund, which reached a first close of €160 million toward its €300 million target. This fund has secured commitments from prominent European and French investors such as the European Investment Fund (EIF), France 2030, Bpifrance, Macif, Abeille Assurances, Matmut, Suravenir, Mutuelle de Poitiers, and CPSTI, reflecting strong institutional support for impact driven investment strategies. In addition to its impact funds, SWEN also oversees multi strategy private equity vehicles that cover more than 350 funds and nearly 50 co investments, representing €4.1 billion under management and advisement as of mid 2025. The firm itself is backed by major institutional shareholders, with Ofi Invest holding approximately 50.33%, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa 40%, and employees collectively owning the remaining 9.67%. This blend of investor commitments and shareholder structure highlights SWEN CP’s strong foundation and credibility in the European private markets landscape.
List of Portfolio Companies
SWEN Capital Partners’ Blue Ocean portfolio companies include amongst others:
- 900.care : Founded in 2019 by Thomas Arnaudo and Aymeric Grange. Refillable personal care products in sticks, avoiding single-use plastics and water transportation.
- BlueNav : Founded in 2020 by Hervé Frouin and Thomas Frouin. Reducing pollution from the nautical industry with a hybrid power system.
- D-ICE Engineering: Founded in 2015 by a team of engineers and scientists, a deeptech company that provides advanced digital twin simulations, weather routing, and integrated control systems to optimize vessel fuel efficiency and safety.
- ECOsubsea Founded: 2008 by brothers Tor M. Østervold and Klaus Østervold. It offers eco-friendly, underwater hull cleaning using robotic technology that captures biofouling to reduce fuel consumption and prevent the spread of invasive species.
- MiAlgae : Founded in 2016 by Douglas Martin, it’s A biotech company that uses co-products from the whisky industry to sustainably produce omega-3-rich microalgae for aquaculture and pet food.
- OceanWings (formerly AYRO) : Founded: 2018 by Marc Van Peteghem and Nicolas Sdez. Decarbonising the maritime transport and yachting industry with high-performance rigid wings.
- Oneka Technologies : Founded in 2015 by Dragan Tutic. OneKa Technologies Designs and builds wave-powered desalination buoys that produce drinking water from seawater with a zero-emission footprint.
Final Thoughts
SWEN Capital Partners as a firm embodies the increasingly prominent trend of private markets investing with impact. Founded over 15 years ago and operating independently since 2015, it has built a reputation for combining rigorous financial and ESG analysis, offering diversified strategies across private equity, infrastructure, private debt, and impact investing.
The Blue Ocean funds are especially noteworthy, illustrating how SWEN is pushing boundaries: targeting ocean health, a critical and complex environmental challenge, while still offering structured investment vehicles with institutional backing. With roughly €9.5 billion+ in commitments under management/advisement, SWEN is sizable, but still pushing for more growth, as seen by its current fundraising efforts and expansion of its investment verticals. Without a doubt, SWEN CP stands out as a prominent case study of how finance for sustainability can work in unlisted markets, combining ambition, explicit ESG linkage, and tangible investment products.
References
SWEN Capital Partners. (2025a, June 9). SWEN CP launches the second vintage of its impact ocean fund. https://www.swen-cp.fr/en/blog/2025/06/09/swen-cp-launches-the-second-vintage-of-its-impact-ocean-fund/
SWEN Capital Partners. (2025b). About SWEN CP. https://www.swen-cp.fr/en/about/
SWEN Capital Partners. (2025c). Our governance. https://www.swen-cp.fr/en/our-governance/
SWEN Capital Partners. (2025d). Multi-strategy private equity. https://www.swen-cp.fr/en/expertise/mutli-strategie-private-equity/
SWEN Capital Partners. (2025e). Blue Ocean strategy. https://www.swen-cp.fr/en/expertise/blue-ocean-en/
Informaconnect. (n.d.). Jérôme Delmas biography. Retrieved September 15, 2025, from https://informaconnect.com/impower-fundforum/speakers/jerome-delmas/
MAGNiTT. (n.d.). SWEN Capital Partners profile. Retrieved September 15, 2025, from https://magnitt.com/investors/swen-capital-partners-55615
Contributor : Dyah Ayuning Tyas
Reviewer : Imam Buchari
Scorpa's Tech @ Sea 
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