A disciplined investment strategy, strong performance, an expanded team, and a more institutionalized setup have helped long/short equity fund Symmetry Invest surpass DKK 1 billion in assets under management. After reaching this milestone, founder and portfolio manager Andreas Aaen jokes, “We have now reached a size in AUM where a Bloomberg terminal is within our financial reach.”
Founded in March 2013 by Aaen, Symmetry Invest applies a value-oriented approach focused on European small- and mid-cap companies. After several years of managing his own capital alongside funds from friends and family, Aaen opened his long/short value equity fund to external investors. From managing DKK 85.5 million at the end of 2019, Symmetry Invest has since grown to manage more than DKK 1 billion this summer. Strong performance has been a key driver of asset growth. Symmetry has delivered an annualized return of 17.8 percent since inception and 19.8 percent over the past five years.
“This summer marks a major milestone in Symmetry Invest’s history: we now manage over DKK 1 billion on behalf of our investors.”
“This summer marks a major milestone in Symmetry Invest’s history: we now manage over DKK 1 billion on behalf of our investors,” announces Aaen. “This is a development that can be difficult to comprehend when you think back to the first years, when we started with just a few million in capital in 2013,” he adds. “A lot has happened since then – and the journey has had its ups and downs, but the direction has been clear: forward and upwards.”
Aaen credits the achievement to those who supported him and the firm along the way. He thanked Symmetry’s investors “without whom there would be no Symmetry,” the fund’s early backers who trusted a then 23-year-old accountant, the board members, and the growing team. Above all, he highlighted his wife. “There are so many people who have been a huge part of the journey who really deserve the biggest applause for helping me,” says Aaen.
“There are so many people who have been a huge part of the journey who really deserve the biggest applause for helping me.”
The success of Symmetry Invest is rooted in the strong performance generated by Aaen and his team’s well-defined, fundamentals-based, and value-focused approach. “From the beginning, we built Symmetry on a set of core principles,” says Aaen. “We consistently focus on long-term value creation rather than short-term gains. We don’t allow ourselves to be driven by market noise or emotion – our investment decisions are rational, data-driven, and based on in-depth analysis. We believe process and discipline are more important than day-to-day market predictions, and we only invest in businesses we understand, where we’re willing to be patient when conviction is high.”
“Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey. We look forward to the next chapters.”
These principles have enabled Symmetry Invest to deliver strong returns, expand its team, and grow its assets. “Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey. We look forward to the next chapters,” says Aaen.
